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Directly after my trip to Austin, I won a journey to Bratislava in Slovakia. I won my entry into a poker tournament (550€) and my nights at a hotel were covered. I took the plane from Paderborn to Munich and from there to Vienna. A short bus ride from there took me to Bratislava!
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I walked from the bus station to my hotel. I stayed at the AC Hotel Bratislava in the old town. It was a really nice hotel and my room was awesome as well!
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I also checked in at the Banco Casino Bratislava and got myself a cap as a present because I qualified for the tournament online.
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Afterwards, I searched a cheap lunch and ended at Papaya for some Vietnamese street food. It was a great lunch for a good price.
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I just relaxed the rest of the day and started the next morning with breakfast at the hotel. The buffet was amazing. I enjoyed every morning at the hotel:
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Since it was a sunny day, I decided to walk to Bratislava Castle. It was freezing cold, especially considering that I spent the last two weeks in a much warmer climate in Texas. The views were extraordinarily and the fresh air gave me an amazing start to the day!
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On my way back to the hotel, I also walked through the old town of Bratislava. I was still kind of early in the day and the streets were basically empty. It was peaceful and calming. I really like that the whole city is filled with artful statues and hidden art.
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I also stopped at a really nice coffee shop called Good Times Coffee Roasters. I bought some coffee for home as well. The one in the photo was blueberry washed at tastes amazing!
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I got myself some traditional food for dinner. I went to a place called Koliba Kamzik Zelena. It was alright but nothing special.
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The next day, it was finally time to play my poker tournament. I had a good start, however, I busted against a drunk player. He was lucky hitting one of three cards in the deck to save him.
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Since I had time now, I decided to take another walk. This time, I wanted to walk to the riverside and see the newer part of Bratislava. It was a nice sunny day again.
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For the last dinner, I went to a place called Ramen Kazu. I enjoyed some hot ramen after being in the cold weather that day.
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The next morning, it was already time to leave Bratislava again. I ate breakfast at the business lounge at the airport Vienna.
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Sadly, I missed my flight from Munich to Paderborn. Lufthansa booked me on a flight nine hours later. I decided to rent a car from SIXT. I took this plane to Paderborn:
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All in all, it was a great experience to see Bratislava in winter. It was really disappointing that three weeks of travelling were coming to an end. My next big vacation is already planned though! I am going to Boston and Cape Cod in the end of May! Of course, I will update you with posts of this vacation as well. Until then, I will post about my life in German.
Thanks for reading, liking and staying tuned!
Nils
