Over the course of my trip, I've heard mixed opinions about Bratislava, capital 
of the Slovak Republic.  Some say it's good, others say it's boring.  Most 
travellers visit Bratislava as a pit stop on the way to the High Tatra 
Mountains.

Well, my Eurail pass would cover the trip there and back, and I get to visit 
another country, so I decide to take a day trip.  Bratislava is about an hour 
and a half by train from Vienna.  Most people (if not all) travel to Bratislava 
via Vienna, as it is cheaper and faster than flying in on the rather obscure 
Slovakian airlines.

Similar to my rather complicated journey out of Cesky Krumlov, the train stops 
outside of Bratislava, and all passengers unboard the train.  After a quick 
passport check, we are guided to a waiting bus to continue the journey.

Boarding the bus, I begin to notice some peculiarities.  The bus is remarkably 
old and tacky in appearance - the seats are supported by thin metal rails, while 
aging curtains cloak the windows.  The uniforms of the bus and passport staff 
are plain, similar to uniforms I've seen in mainland China.  

Riding into the city, I see factories and a series of similar (if not the same) 
residential buildings that resemble stacks of Lego blocks in the skyline.  
Although the Slovak Republic shed the Iron Curtain years ago, there is a 
distinctive Communist appeal to Bratislava.

Bratislava's central station is a small and confusing terminal.  I run around 
looking for the tram to downtown, until I discover it's hidden beneath the 
station.

The city is overrun by graffiti, and it seems every building, old and new, is 
tagged by "aspiring artists".  Combining the old playgrounds,  the rickety tram, 
and the run-down tram interior, I feel like I've taken a nostalgic step back 
into the 80's for a moment in time.  

I hop off the tram near the old town and walk over to a bakery, where I order 
whatever looks good and some more kolacky, the poppy-seed jam pastry the Czechs 
and Slovaks seem to like.  Unfortunately, it still doesn't appeal to me, but I 
really enjoy a custard-filled pastry that resembles a hardened French crueller.  
It tastes much different than a crueller though, and in fact, is one of the best 
pastries I've had on my trip.

I pass more than the normal amount of peddlers and beggars as I enter the Old 
Town.  It's not as nice as other old towns I've been to, but I can't complain, 
since having quaint cobblestone, pedestrian-only streets is something of a 
rarity in North America. 
In addition, the tourist board has spiced up the streets with unintentionally 
tacky statues, which I find amusing (e.g. bronze statue of a tourist taking a 
picture).

I pass by a number of sites, including the Slovak National Theatre, which houses 
the world-famous Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra.  I'm tempted to purchase a 
ticket performance, but it would mean I would have to stay a rather expensive 
night in Bratislava.  Due to the lack of popularity, there are no hostels here.  
The only site I enter is the Primate's Palace.  I'm drawn to the name, thinking 
of monkeys and such, as well as an interesting room named the Hall of Mirrors.  

As it turns out, I'm the only visitor during opening time.  There are a total of 
two staff inside the palace - one to take my ticket, and the other to chat with 
the ticket taker.  Well, she's probably a security personnel, but she just 
gossips on while I'm left to my own devices.  The Primate's Palace is unlike 
other palaces I've been to, just because I can sit on all the furniture and 
touch everything, which more than likely are not original.  The Hall of Mirrors 
room turns out to be just a regular room with mirrors on both sides to make the 
otherwise small room look much larger.

Getting a bit of hunger, I pick a pleasant, genuinely old restaurant to warm up 
in.  I order the Slovak national dish bryndzove halusky, a pasty mix of pasta 
and sheep cheese with bits of bacon on top.  It's served on a shallow wooden 
bowl, and I have it with pork and cabbage soup on the side.  Overall, it's a 
really satisfying meal which only costs me around $5 Cdn, generous tip included.  
When I think back, I should have ordered the restaurant's specialty whole roast 
goose meal, which would have set me back $10 Cdn.

Leaving the Old Town, I set a course along the Danube River.  There's a 
pedestrian path along the river, but other than that, there's nothing too 
interesting about the waterfront... maybe except for the lion statue seated on a 
tall pedestal.  Having to look up at it, it's hard not to amuse oneself at its 
protruding genitalia.

I leave the touristy Old Town and turn into the downtown area after passing the 
New Bridge, a rather ugly Communist construction laced with graffiti.  It seems 
the heart of the downtown area is a giant Tesco supermarket and department 
store.  Roaming through the locals and spotting some curious stares, I remember 
that I am the only Chinese person around.  I enter the Tesco supermarket to 
stock up on more packaged wiener schnitzels, because from here on in, the trip's 
not going to get any cheaper.  Even better, I buy an inexpensive bottle of 
Slovakia's famous Modra red wine for the road.

Like all the other cities, Bratislava has a big castle situated on a high 
precipice.  I skip it and opt to photograph other aspects of the city.   
Unfortunately though, I run short on time just when I start warming up to the 
city.  I really would have liked to roam into residential neighbourhoods to 
photograph daily life in Bratislava.  

As I'm leaving, I pass an impromptu lunch kitchen.  i.e., some people  selling 
homemade borstch from their van.  The soup's good (or really cheap) as locals 
congregate around the van.  I'm tempted to join in the melee, but am 
unfortunately very full.  I don't even have room to sample.  Sigh.



Next: Salzburg - The Sound of Music


p.s.  The website of the photographer whose work I saw in Krakow - 
http://www.yannarthusbertrand.com/