Bratislava Pt. 2
Bratislava was a nice little city with some quirky things around every corner, but we were starting to feel a bit surprised by how desolate it felt. To be fair, it could have been because the holiday or because it was pretty cold, but the squares being large and the people being few gave an empty feeling to the city. Most people we have seen so far were part of tour groups up at the Michael’s Gate, and a small gathering around St. Martins and CumiI. We had assumed there would have been lots going on around the square and were surprised to find it not to be the case.
We wandered around a bit to find one of those pay toilets that seem to be everywhere when we don’t need them, and nowhere when we do. We found one in this basement room of something next to a parking garage. It was in the weirdest place but it worked. A bit disoriented and off our path as a result, we tried to find our way back to the part of the main strip we hadn’t seen yet. We took a long loop around and came out on the Hviezdoslav Square in front of the State Theatre. There were a good bit more people about on this rectangular strip, and stalls were still set up for what looked like a Christmas Market. There were sausages and drinks that we could see, though our Slovak recognition isn’t nearly as good as our German so we weren’t fully sure what everything was. We strolled down this plaza towards the bridge, passing by a log cabin that looked a great spot to sit with some Gluhwein, a very friendly looking Hans Christian Anderson statue, and a very unfriendly looking US Embassy building. The embassy was built up like a military fort, a rather cold display on this seemingly fun block. As for Anderson, I love his writings but wasn’t aware that he had an affiliation with Slovakia…
At the end of the Hviezdoslav Square we were back by St. Martins, and the bridge across the river lay in front of us. On the other side of the bridge sitting atop the supports was the UFO, still seeming to hover over the city. It was quirky and weird, and it really stood out on the Bratislava skyline. We just had to go over and see it! We crossed the bridge that spanned the Danube, and took a moment to look out over the water. This river is really so important to much of Europe, from Germany through Austria to Slovakia, then extending further down to Budapest before eventually finding its way to the Black Sea. As we looked out over the water we wondered about taking a boat down from Bavaria through to Vienna and maybe even here to Slovakia, drawing inspiration from Rick Stein when he took the barge through the canals on his French Odyssey. I’m considering taking the ASA sailing classes when we get home, so maybe leading a trip like that is possible one day…
It was a tight squeeze into the lobby at the base of the tower, though it was nice to be away from the brisk wind blowing off the river. We bought our tickets and rode the elevator up to the top! There was a restaurant in the UFO along with a cocktail bar, and both were surrounded by panorama widows where diners could get a great view of the city as they enjoyed their meals.
Maybe the reason we didn’t see many people out on the square was because they all were here. We shouldered our way through the crowds, deciding against getting a drink at the packed bar, and instead found an access door that led to the rooftop observation deck. The cold hard concrete stairwell contrasted sharply with the posh lounge-like interior of the restaurant. At the top of the stairs we opened the door to the roof.
It was very cold, but the view was spectacular.
The city sprawled out below us, gradually rising up the hills in the distance. The red glow of tail lights flew across the bridge below into the old town, adding streaks of color to the pictures from the tower. Off to our left a bit was the Bratislavsky Hrad, a rebuilt palace-style castle that stood proudly on its hill, the brilliant white walls and rising towers glowing like a crown resting on the city’s brow. We stood for a bit and looked out over the skyline. It’s a nice city here, so beautiful in its own way, and I think it would be well worth a return in warmer months. The castle dominated our sight from atop the tower, and behind that was a whole section of the city we weren’t getting to see today. Somewhere off in the distance was a Soviet war memorial, and there were so many other interesting places we saw in passing and great looking restaurants worth a try. Traveling during the holidays is difficult sometimes, as the normal schedule of the city is so disrupted. But it was a fun spot to see in the short time we were there, and we were happy we made the extra trip.
We stood on top of Bratislava and watched the slow last remnants of the sunset over the Danube. The view from the tower rooftop was amazing and the night was so clear. It was just a pleasant experience being on top of the UFO, like we were literally abducted and enlightened to a new way of seeing the city. But eventually we were beaten by the cold air, and retreated back to that concrete stairwell. A quick elevator ride down and a slow walk across the bridge brought us back to the old town. We were on the opposite side of the main road this time, St. Martin standing proudly across the highway as we huddled in the shadow of the castle. We were getting pretty hungry and right in this area I had marked off a little restaurant I wanted to try. We found a tiny alley stairway that climbed the steep hill towards the castle, the pathway so dim we could barely see the way ahead. Called the Zámocké Schody – "Castle Stairs" as the trusty old translator app tells me – we were reminded a bit of that narrow alley-stairway going up the hillside in Salzburg. It was a nice walk that would eventually lead up to the castle, but we weren’t going that far. Eyes peeled in the dark, we were looking for an offshoot that would take us from the stairs to the restaurant. We found a couple of steps to our right that led off of this path up to another small road, where the orange streetlamps cast an intensely atmospheric light upon the old empty street. This is where we found Modra.
The restaurant was tight, with the WC and some of the walkways being partially outside. We were led to the back, then down a few stairs to a candlelit stone cellar, with small romantic tables laid out in a cove that looked to be cut out of the old walls. If you want to find a place for dinner with an old city ambiance, this is it!
We enjoyed local white wines and chose a couple of regional dishes for dinner. Beth picked the potato dumplings with local sheep cheese and bacon, while I chose the rabbit and sautéed mushrooms, and as usual we shared as family style instead of individual entrees. Both were wonderful, and a great meal with great wine in a beautiful setting is something that just can’t be beat.
The way from Modra back to the train station took us through a different, more residential section of Bratislava. It’s tough to capture the feeling of that walk with writing. There was a sense of calm as we walked through the city, as church bells tolled nearby and echoed off the cobblestones underfoot, kids were playing down one of the small side streets, and the unhurried locals went about their night on their own time. Like you see in movies where someone begins to “get it” about the place they’ve come to, the sounds and sights and overall slower pace break through their normal perceptions and they get to take that step back and appreciate their surroundings. Of all the places we’ve been to and experienced it, for some reason that European slower pace hit home here. Maybe it was the kids and the bells. Those movie scenes always have kids playing and church bells ringing.
After a long wait at the train station and getting to pet a friendly dog who was running around same station, we finally made it back to Vienna. It was getting pretty late and we were still pleasantly full from dinner, so we decided to head out for drinks. We found a place well across town from where we were staying called Mel’s Beer Café. Surprisingly I think the staff was all American and Australian. How do they manage to stay and work here like that? I want in! I want to stay here! Anyway, we hung out in the dimly lit pub sampling some stuff from around the world. A dark ale from Austrian brewery Bevog, a decent pale from another Austrian brewery Schleppe, and a couple British ciders were all on order (between the two of us, obviously). While we’ve been to a few beer spots and had some good drinks, I do wish we found more Austrian craft beers in all those bars. This place did have a decent local selection, and I tried to get them as I could.
Before taking the subway back to the hotel, we stopped at a late night sausage stand for a snack. They take a hoagie roll (sub roll for all you non-Philly folks) and instead of cutting it lengthwise with a knife, they put one end on a spike to put a hole down through the bread. The sausage is then stuffed into the hole (insert joke here). Ok, maybe it’s not quite a Nuremberg Drei im Weckla, but it’s pretty awesome in itself, and a great way to end the night after a long day.
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