Bratislava
We didn’t waste any time this morning as we headed straight to the Wien Hbf. Despite crossing a border into Slovakia, it was actually a local train that made the trip. One hour with a bit of a nap and we arrived at Bratislava Station. It was in the plans to come to Slovakia the last time we were in Vienna, but instead we made the trip to Prague. Good call then as Prague is a great city, but we still would have liked to see Bratislava too!
The train station is a bit up the road and up the hill from the main part of town. I wasn’t sure what to think at first since it was a rather dreary walk down the main street. Lots of closed and boarded up shops were suggesting some hard times for the city, despite the current boost of prosperity I’ve read the country is going through. As we headed down the Stefanikova toward the old town, we saw a park off to our right and decided to stop. It was a large park, with a small fountain of girls playing in the water and a statue of Maria Theresa riding side-saddle on a horse. There really weren’t many people about though. In front of us at the southern end of the park was the presidential palace. We walked around the building to check it out.
Our timing couldn’t possibly have been more perfect!
As soon as we arrived around the front they began their changing of the guards ceremony. The soldiers marched to the front of the courtyard as the bugler played, and the guards switched out in a very elaborate display. It was really so cool to watch, as we’ve seen this back home where it is more straightforward, but never overseas where it seems to have more flourish.
The best part was when the new guards marched behind the pillars, and came back wearing sunglasses!
We started seeing a bit more people out and about as we went into the old town. We turned down a small alley and over a cute little bridge towards the Michalska Veza, the Michael’s Gate. The alley way here was narrow and had a nice old-town feel to it. We passed under the tower and onto a nice little walking street lined with cafes and shops. I’ve seen pictures where this area has plenty of outdoor seating, but I guess that is more a summer thing. We were ready for some coffee. Urban Bistro looked like a really nice stop, so we dropped in. Along with their coffee they also had a few beers on tap! We started with their espresso flight, which was a café mélange with a side shot of espresso. Hello!! We also shared a slice of poppy seed cake, which is one of Beth’s favorites. The cake was good, the coffee outstanding, and our server was beautiful… so we settled in to hang out for a while. We got a beer flight, and while slightly disappointed none were Slovakian beers there were a few Danish choices from To Øl and WarPigs that were nice, especially the Sour Mash Pale Ale. We really do love our sours!
We said farewell to the café and lovely server… one day someone will join us on our adventures, but alas it is not today. Full of wonderful coffee, we made our way down that pedestrian street, looking at the menus of all the little restaurants. We turned off the main street down an alley to the Clarissine Church. It was a pretty exterior, but we didn’t end up going in... we were really looking for something else there. A side alley went up a slight hill with the church rising on our right, stone walls of an old building on our left, and the cobblestone road underfoot. All of it was old, and all had a simple sort of charm. Behind the church was what we were looking for - the Kapitulská, a road with old crumbling buildings that is supposedly the oldest street in Bratislava. Apparently this was once a pristine street with a palace that has gone to ruin during the communist years, and as yet has not been rebuilt.
It was oddly beautiful.
Maybe it’s the age difference, but the very modern section of closed and boarded up shops by the train station had dreariness to it, while this street instead had a sense of beauty in its decay. Stray alley cats ran under the gaps of the ruined doorways seeking shelter in the abandoned buildings as we took in the history of this old street. Maybe someday this area will be rebuilt, and may likely be as beautiful and prosperous as it once was. Despite the constant reminder of the failure of communism and the unpleasant memories it may bring to many, I still can’t shake the odd feeling of being thankful I was able to see this old street in its current condition. With the faded colors, decaying wood, and eerie quietness, I can’t shake the fact that I find these old crumbling buildings as having a unique beauty worth coming to see.
We headed down the Kapitulská to the Saint Martin Cathedral. When you typically think of a European Cathedral, you think large and ornate like Salzburg or St. Stephansdom in Vienna. The Dóm sv. Martina in Bratislava was much smaller in comparison, to where one would question where the separation between a cathedral and a regular church would be. That isn’t to say it wasn’t a beautiful place though. As I’ve said previously in Andechs, sometimes it’s the smaller churches that have held my attention more than the huge grandiose ones. There was beauty in the simplicity at St. Martins, and sometimes that is more than enough.
We went around the church along from the main road toward the Panská and the old style apothecary with its amazing architecture that makes it stand out from the other buildings around it. Off in the distance, the aptly named UFO tower sat imposingly over the edge of the city, like a flying saucer standing ready for an invasion. In front of the apothecary there is a little park/plaza area between the small street and St. Martins that was a good representation of what Bratislava was for our time here: old, with the walls a bit crumbling, not many people around, and some overgrown vines… yet very clean, with little sculptures and street art everywhere, the old walls giving the city so much character. There was a sculpture bust against one vine-covered wall, a beautiful building with scenes painted in the covered-over windows, and little easy-to-miss art pieces tucked away to where they were almost hidden in the corners. So much character!
We get to the square after passing Cumil, the statue of the sewer worker popping out of a manhole and watching the people pass by. It’s a unique piece in a fairly random place, which in some ways reminded me of the Pis statues in Brussels, especially Zenneke Pis- the little peeing dog that was just randomly on a street corner. Cumil was also randomly on a corner, his smiling face peeking out at the crowds that come to see him. In the square is another statue, the Napoleon Soldier that spends his time leaning over on a bench. This one is the ultimate tourist picture statue as he looks like he’s dropping in on your conversation or leaning in for a flirt whenever someone sits on the bench. I got a few pictures of the old soldier by himself, but we also had a bench shot of course- touristy for sure, but it would have been a crime if we didn’t get in on that action!
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