In early 2010, I embarked on a two-week trip through Central Europe. To date, it is one of my most memorable trips. This post is a part of a series of posts from that backpacking trip through Central Europe. 

I hadn't planned on going to Slovakia, yet somehow I managed to stray from my Budapest-Vienna-Prague (still to come!) journey and now find myself in Bratislava.

This is how it happened.

On my second day in Vienna, I discovered that the capital of Slovakia was only an hour away. In fact, no other two European capitals are as close as Vienna and Bratislava. A few days later, I hopped on a train.

So here I am, sitting in a cafe in Bratislava, having only decided to come here a few hours ago. All through the train ride, I wondered if my 19 year-old self would have given in to the spontaneity as easily as the 20 year-old me had done. It's amazing how a few months of living, learning, and traveling in Europe has freed my inhibitions.

While Bratislava does not have the same glamour as other Western European capitals, it is full of small town charm with upscale restaurants and traditional pubs. Bratislava is also a classical walking city. Although small in size, there was plenty of architecture and history to keep  me busy during my stay.

In early 2010, I embarked on a two-week trip through Central Europe. To date, it is one of my most memorable trips. This post is a part of a series of posts from that backpacking trip through Central Europe. 

Vienna, even the name has a classical ring to it.

After saying goodbye to Budapest, I continued with my Central Europe journey to the capital of Austria. Home to the once glorious Habsburg empire, Vienna is the center of world-class museums and classical music. The city is clean and fresh, with a skyscraper-free and pedestrian-friendly city center. I escaped from the cold Austrian winter by spending most of my time inside the city's myriad of museums. In the evenings, I treated myself to the Opera and saw Vienna's serious opera-goers all dressed up.

On warm(er) days, I window-shopped along Der Graben - the city's most expensive and, therefore, unaffordable shopping street, and watched locals enjoy pastries and coffee over the daily paper in small cafés. Surrounded by culture and class, people here really know how to enjoy life.

Inside Ringstrasse:

Athens, a city worshipped by people and gods. The beautiful capital of Greece is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is said to be the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of democracy. Named after the goddess of warfare and home to Plato's Academy, this city gave rise to many wise men of ancient times.

My introduction to the magical city began at the Acropolis, where I was enchanted by the beautiful remains and the stunning Acropolis Museum. There I also learned about the city's "catch, neuter, and release" program, which populated the streets with stray dogs. One of these free spirits, which I named Atticus because he found me and my friends at 'the Roundabout of Atticus' and because I've always wanted to have a dog by that name after reading To Kill A Mockingbird, followed me and the gang loyally from the Acropolis all the way to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, where we sadly parted ways when us humans headed for the subway.

Between visiting the Port of Piraeus and walking around Old Town Plaka, I also visited the Poet Sandal Maker who directed me to his favourite Greek restaurant nearby. After a satisfying feast there, I ended the day at the top of Lycabettus hill, overlooking the entire city. When the red and orange colours burned in the sky as the sun set over Athens, I remembered a great piece of advice I once heard: see the world as a traveller, not a tourist.