Where to go in Slovakia
Places I saw and recommend in Slovakia: High Tatras, Bratislava, and Košice.
Bratislava
Bratislava is the best border town in the world. That's not saying much, since most border towns are as attractive as a fat, hairy man in a Speedo.
However, Bratislava is grand—it's one of the four elegant European capitals on the Danube River (the others are Vienna, Budapest, and Belgrade). From its outskirts, you can easily bike to Austria or Hungary.
Slovakia is such a mountainous country that Bratislava feels out of place, resting on a large, flat plain. Moreover, its rich, sophisticated architecture contrasts sharply with Slovakia's rustic mountain towns.
Founded in 907, Bratislava boomed under Austrian rule, and today it has about half a million residents.
After strolling through the pedestrian zone and admiring the Hodžovo nám (Center Square), you can check out the Bratislavký Hrad (Bratislava's castle) on the west side of the Danube.
Bratislava with some photoshopping.
This text is an excerpt from The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us. Listen to the podcast on Slovakia and read my 2004 blog post on Slovakia about stupidities in Slovakia.
Recommended reading
Read up about Slovakia in Wikipedia and Slovakia in the CIA Factbook.
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