Weekend: Mingling with felines in Bratislava's cat cafes

Take a trip to mountain tarns, old-timey cinematography and cats.

A cup of coffee with a furry friend could help them find their new forever friend - and get you a new companion.A cup of coffee with a furry friend could help them find their new forever friend - and get you a new companion. (Source: Jozef Jakubčo, SME)

Travel

From chalets to mountain tarns

The High Tatras hide some of its greatest treasures deep within the mountain massive. One of such example is Veľká Studená Dolina (The Great Cold Valley), a valley situated near the highest number of mountain tarns among all the valleys in the Tatras.

The valley branches into many trails of different difficulty. The way to the valley is just as adventurous, as one can choose trails varying from two and a half hours to more than six hours. They lead to many popular tourist spots, including the chalet Zbojnícka Chata (The Bandit Hut) which provides much needed time to unwind after a long hike. The chalets provide not only sights but a also a place to sit down and eat, as some are open all year long. Possibly the easiest (and the safest) way to reach Zbojnícka Chata is from the resort Hrebienok.

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MORE TRAVEL TIPS

  • KOŠICE: Just nearby the municipality of Košice lies a horse riding club in which you can try recreational riding and trips on horseback.
  • BRATISLAVA: Comenius University is not only a well-known learning faculty. Wander into the depths of the university botanical garden. Here’s where to find it.

Art

Film photo and cinematography

What’s life like near a nuclear power plant? A temporary exhibition in Nová Synagóga shows a project portraying the ordinary day to day life of people living in close proximity to nuclear powerplants in the USA. Captured on 16mm film, the five-minute sequences add up to an hour of footage. The artist Lynne Siefert (USA) is also currently on residence in the municipality of Žilina, in which Nová Synagóga resides.

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Fun

Grab a coffee in furry company

A café tucked away in Bratislava near the main station has a staff like no other. The café-adoption centre hybrid Mačinézy is divided into a clean dining space in which you can grab coffee and cake, and a space dedicated to cats behind a closed door. The café takes care of a few cats that are up for adoption or simply willing to cuddle curious guests. In the closed area, you’ll be able to find other stray cats that sometimes take shelter there and enjoy some cat food provided by the café. There is one other, in the centre of the Old Town district called Mačkafé (Cat Café), with the same aim of providing a comfortable space for both human and cat visitors.

MORE FUN TIPS

  • NITRA: Learn more about the life of birds in the Nitra exhibition V Hniezde (In the nest).
  • BREZNO: If you ever wanted to pick up a racing career, you can try it out now on a slot race in Bombura, a club in Brezno.

BEFORE YOU GO

WHERE TO RELAX: Spring cleaning should come with some mental cleansing too. Take a break and read more about unusual sauna tents.

WHAT TO TRY: For those that are interested in the life of amphibians, lizards and more, there's an exhibition showing their day-to-day life. Check out more than 200 species housed in aquariums and terrariums.

WHERE TO HIKE: Bratislava might be a busy city. It is however, a city surrounded with opportunities for hiking too. Not far from Rača, a trail awaits.

WHAT TO LEARN ABOUT: Slovaks are making noise. Read more about the fine work of Slovak bell-making from a self-taught enthusiast.

WHAT TO LISTEN TO: With weekend coming, classical tunes from the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra come with a bit of ease. Check out the compilation of their work.


That's it for this week. Take care, and have a restful weekend!
-Mária

Do you have any tips? You can reach Mária at maria.jurikova@spectator.sk

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