Bratislava and hotel plus

So I arrived in Bratislava yesterday. Since the ensemble has left for a 2-day trip to Tatra yesterday morning and I only arrived yesterday around noon, I have yesterday afternoon and the whole of today for myself. The ensemble is supposed to be back by midnight today.

I didn't do much yesterday afternoon, however. I spent the night of 2005-07-17 to 2005-07-18 awake, since I didn't want to miss my airplane. That went well, but it of course also meant that by the time I arrived in Bratislava, all I wanted is a bit of sleep. So I laid myself down on this bed, and had just that. Even if the matress is stone hard.

In the evening, I went to the city by bus. Bus tickets to downtown Bratislava are supposed to be 18 SKK, however I got a very strange look from the driver and some unfriendly sounding Slovakian when I attempted to pay him, so I didn't pay anything to get to the city. I'm sure I've missed something. Upon arrival, I stumbled upon the first English-speaking person I found outside the airport or hotel (naturally, he was not Slovakian—he was a Canadian from Toronto who only lived in Bratislava), who showed me where to find the historic center of the city. Went there, found a bar, ordered a beer ("We only have 0.5l beers, that's no problem?" "of course not"), consumed it while reading a book. After that, wanted to walk around a bit, but I stumbled upon a bar called "Café De Zwaan", which was all covered with ads for Stella Artois. While this may mean nothing to most of you, let me tell you that 'De Zwaan' is Dutch for 'The Swan', and that Stella is a well-known brand of Belgian Beer.

They even had Hoegaarden, my personal favourite. A Belgian bar, in the middle of Bratislava? Hmm.

I sat down and ordered a Hoegaarden. It didn't taste right. The waitress couldn't pronounce the name correctly. Oh well, I finished a few more chapters in my book.

By that time, it was a bit past 23:00, so I walked back to the bus stop. To find that the bus I just saw driving away was the last bus. With not enough money for a taxi. The first ATM I tried refused my bank card. Panic.

Luckily, one of the taxi drivers pointed me towards another ATM, that did take my card. The taxi was 244 SKK (plus tip); the bus would've been 18 SKK (if I had figured out how to pay them). Next time I'll be more careful not to miss the last bus.

This morning, I was woken up by the chamber maid. Who replaced the sheets and blankets of my (absent) roommates, but left without giving me any. WTF?!?