Travels of 2012 begin!

After a holiday spent sleeping, eating, and watching movies, we wanted to go SOMEWHERE to get away. We pulled out the travel books and decided on Bratislava, Slovakia.

Close.

Inexpensive.

And new to us.

So off we went for a couple nights...

Bratislava sits on the Danube River between Budapest and Vienna. Just a couple hours on the train from Budapest, we arrived in what was once the capital of Hungary.

In fact, this church, St. Martin's Cathedral, was the location of many kings' crownings for Hungary.

And what European city is not complete without a castle? Bratislava has two!

Sitting above the city's old town is Hrad Castle (pictured above), and Devin Castle (below) is just a 20 minute bus ride from town. (Traveler Tip: to Devin Castle take #29 bus under the New Bridge; get the 1 hour/0,90 Euro pass for one way.)

Devin Castle was my favorite of the two because it is mostly ruins, what is left after Napoleon destroyed it. This castle sits on the fork where the Danube and Morava Rivers meet.

Some other interesting sites of Bratislava included the UFO restaurant standing tall above the New Bridge,

And the narrowest house in Europe, which now houses a fast food restaurant on ground level.

The quaint streets and buildings of Old Town were just as fun to see as the sites of interest.

Bratislava was a great place for a couple nights. It felt more like a small town than a big city after being in Budapest for six months, but it's worth the trip if you're traveling between Vienna and Budapest. I learned a bit more about Hungary, even in Slovakia.

(Traveler Tip: For anyone going to Bratislava, I highly recommend the Hotel Michalska Brana. I don't usually promote businesses, but it was a fabulous find on hotels.com for a great price. One of the nicest places we've stayed in Europe and superb location in the middle of Old Town.)

Bratislava was a good start to our travels of 2012. Much more to come!