Sheeler European Capitals Tour 2010: Bratislava, SK

We had a great weekend in Bratislava. I’m still trying to figure out why my colleagues and even my students sort of dismissed Bratislava, saying it might be good for a day trip, but that’s all. Maybe the lowered expectations have something to do with it, but I’d definitely return if given the chance. Beautiful weather, lots of activity, friendly people, lots of sites. Did you know Slovakia is on the euro, but the Czech Republic is not? We didn’t know they had made the switch – actually it became official in January 2009, so not that long ago and prices are still listed in Slovak currency as well. I was under the impression that Slovakia was the economically disadvantaged of the two former Czechoslovakian states, and I’m not suggesting Slovakia is somehow a rich country, but Bratislava seems to be doing well. We happened to make the trip on what I can only call “open weekend.” This weekend, all of the local residents were encouraged to get out, shop, tour the sites for free. There were tourist people everywhere passing out pamphlets and local literature, but only in Slovak. I find it interesting that only pretty young women were employed to do this, all dressed in red skirts and even a red fur trimmed coat if working outside. It was quite stylish.

So, there were musicians, performers, booths with people selling local crafts, every site and attraction was open with no admission charges. Everyone was out and the town was bustling with energy. We even met the mayor—really. We went into one of the open palaces which now functions as a government building—just following everyone else really. People were just milling about touring these offices that didn’t seem to be anything special. So we went in. Imagine if all the government buildings, monuments, memorials, and other assorted attractions in Indianapolis, including Daniels’ office, was open for a day of “openness” to the Indianapolis public. That’s sort of what we walked into, I think. A well dressed gentleman was getting his picture taken with people and he walked up to us and said hello, asked us where we were from, and told us it was open weekend and there would be many events going on for the residents. We didn’t know he was the mayor at the time, but as we looked around, we noticed pictures of this dude hanging everywhere with all sorts of world dignitaries. We didn’t think about having our picture taken with him when we were shaking his hand, but suffice to say, we were welcomed to Bratislava by the mayor.

For the most part, everyone is very friendly, and wants to speak English to you. We didn’t have any trouble ordering or getting around. Service isn’t what it is at home, but hey, we’re not in any hurry. A lovely made-to-order breakfast was included in the price of our hotel room, right down to the espresso—two cups please. I am really getting spoiled on the coffee.

As we’re training back to Olomouc, looking out the window, it’s clear that the rest of the region, at least what we can see, is not doing as well as Bratislava. What houses there are, are tiny, maybe 10 x 10 with a roof and let’s face it, we might call them sheds or, generously, cabins, rather than homes. Some might be slightly larger with a stucco-like exterior, which is also what you see in the CR, but land plots, if there is such a thing, are long and narrow. People do landscape what they have and there are flowers, mostly tulips now or flowering trees, everywhere. However, graffiti is also everywhere, on any unclaimed public surface, and there appear to be a great number of abandoned or rundown buildings. It also appears the major industry here is some sort of logging (this seems to be the case in Eastern Czech Republic too). We train by large loads of cut logs, or see large areas where trees have been harvested and are in different stages of growth, or come across what appears to be processing plants with much sawdust in piles.

There are also vineyards—loads and loads of vineyards, in SK and southeastern CR. Now, I have read about Slovak wines, and you can even do a wine tour of the region, complete with tasting. But I was disappointed when trying to order a glass of Slovak wine. I assumed it would be in every restaurant and bar—wrong. I could get a French or Chilean wine. Guess they have a better marketing plan than the local folks. Maybe I should offer my services.

Otherwise, there are large open spaces between Bratislava and Břeclav, the border town into the Czech Republic, and also to Vienna the other direction. The open spaces are green with grass, yellow with some sort of hay fever instigating flower, or just dirt. And there are relatively few fences, making me wonder how people corral their animals. I know people raise goats here, for example, but maybe goats don’t need corralling. I did see one very small barn, well, shed really, for one cow. It was just the size of the cow, and there were fences. But that was it.

Anyway, here are a few snaps of our explorations in Bratislava. Unfortunately the castle was completely under construction, so we walked up there, but couldn’t go in. We did get some great views of the city—not as great as from the UFO tower, but pretty cool nonetheless.

From the Castle

From the UFO tower. They call it the UFO tower because on special occasions they light it up and it apparently looks like a UFO. See the funky looking tower over my shoulder above? That's the UFO tower. We had cocktails up there! Here I am with the castle behind me. But the cocktails are one of my favorite views!

Bratislava also has a sense of humor. Here are some of the quirky things they’ve put around the city. First is the Dandy. It's apparently modeled after an 18th century eccentric who liked to tip his hat to passersby.

Then there is the manhole cover of the "man working." There is a sign next to it that alerts drivers so that no one takes out the man, which apparently happened once. It's good luck to rub his hat, or at least that's the story I'm going with.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

So that's it for now from our jaunt to Bratislava. We loved it, and if you ever are in the neighborhood, be sure to check it out. Until next time kids . . .