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Published: January 18th 2014
Country scene
Farms and windfarms coexistOff early today on the bus to
Bratislava in
Slovakia. After 45 minutes on the bus, we stopped for a twenty minute break and visit to the WC (as they call it) in a large, new, very clean gas station, grocery store and restaurant (hard to tell which attracted the most business). Some Australians and I remarked on our practice at home of driving for at least a couple of hours without a break. The Australians’ theory was the distances are so short that a two-hour drive seems interminable.
Anyway, minutes later we cross the border without being stopped, although we had been asked to bring our passports in case the officials wanted to check the non-EU passports. All the countryside was rural, mostly farming and wind farms – in all directions. The crops were corn, wheat and sunflowers with heads now black and drooping, i.e., ripe. Some fields had already been harvested.
The centre of Bratislava is a lovely small old city. (On the outskirts, though, are ugly Soviet-era concrete apartments.) Walking was certainly the way to experience the historic town; only 30-40%!o(MISSING)f the buildings have been restored, so we were able to appreciate the work it
St Michael City Gate
Shows how gates made cities secure in their time takes to bring all the buildings alive.
We slowly made our way along the street that
Empress Maria Theresa used in her imperial procession – we know this because every few yards there are shiny brass cobblestones in the shape of a three-pointed crown. The way led to St Michael’s Church and
St Michael’s Gate (two arches with a passage between). We continued strolling away from the gate in a circular direction, taking note of the several churches and a synagogue, some restored some not. None of these churches were set in parks or squares. The most separation from other buildings was by narrow alleyways; some were actually joined to the neighbouring houses. This made for a very compact town. (The castle was high above our heads and could not be seen at all – except from the highway.)
In the main square a stage was set-up where children were singing and dancing folkloric works. Our guide restrained us from seeing more by leading in the opposite direction to the City Hall – a magnificent building of baroque architecture in pink plaster. (All the City Halls in Europe are magnificent, in part showing how important they were and in part
Panska Street
A moment of calm in a less frenetic city because the real estate was transferred to the state after the break-up of the Empire and WWII.)
To my complete delight the municipal forecourt was filled with makers of
traditional lace – not just selling but also making the lace on tightly stuffed cushions using pins and bobbins. After lots of pictures and a bit more information, our guide set us free. I had to buy a piece of lace – many pieces were runners which would take up the same place as my crochet. I settled on a sinuous-design round piece that could be framed on a brightly coloured background to show off the design. Deirdre also bought a piece, and she bought some hand-made copper and stone jewelry. The designer/maker/seller was a young woman who spoke a charming amount of English. We all exchanged comments on the country and her work. She was astonished that we had come all the way from Canada.
Our next effort was to have a coffee at one of the restaurants on the main square (
Hviezdoslavovo Square ), where a lot of souvenir stalls were doing business. At the café only one waiter seemed to be working outside, and she really seemed oblivious
Lace makers
Women gathered to work their magic and enjoy camaraderie. to our existence - for so long that we gave up, since we had not enough time to order, be served, drink and pay. Deirdre went over to a takeout place while I waited for Barbara, who had gone inside the café. When Deirdre returned I was bowled over to get a paper coffee cup half-full of espresso. Since it was delicious, I drank it all – and felt buzzed for the rest of the day.
Walking again, our leader took us over a few blocks to a long, long, pedestrian zone and park in front of the
Primate’s Palace. Because this was Saturday and because the annual Craftsmen Days festival was being celebrated all over the old city, blocks and blocks were thick with stalls, clowns, and people. We really regretted not being able to stay but had to get on the bus to return to the boat.
Deirdre wanted to find a pharmacy, so about 4:00 we walked from the boat, along many mooring posts, through an underpass and up some stairs to the main road. The store was only a couple of blocks further (past the “hundzone”, off-leash dog park). This was so easy we walked
Lace making
THe mother of all lace pillows! up several more blocks and turned around. One of the Australians from our ship caught up with us, and we walked several blocks together, commenting on how obvious it was that this was a poorer area of town. She thought the neighbourhood was obviously Turkish, but I thought it was more mixed. Lebanese, Austrian, Thai, etc. The number of cheap restaurants did seem to indicate that a lot of men may be living without their spouses. (Our guide had said the rents were one-tenth of those in the city centre.)
Deirdre and I walked out of our way to get a less-main-street perspective – lots of little, everyday shops. Which led us again to the magnificent Romanesque Jubilee Church. A wedding was coming out for photos. The blustery wind was perfect for showing off the bride’s veil and very long train – I hope the goose-bumps on her shoulders don’t show!
As we walked down to the mooring posts, I realized I was missing my hat! The last time I remembered it was entering the drugstore. Deirdre kindly insisted on our walking back to see if it was found. Back to the main road and along the couple
Pharmacy
The most fabulous pharmacy ever! of blocks (all of which now seemed much longer). Very fortunately, the hat was at the store. The clerk didn’t really understand “hat” or “blue”, but those combined with “head” and patting myself worked. She had it under the counter. Back along the main road, underpass and mooring points – dragging our tails!
This evening was the Captain’s Farewell Dinner, preceded by Port Talk and the disembarkation briefing. They do this on the second last night, recognizing that people want to pack and make arrangements on the last day. A relatively simple ribbon system identified which bags are transported and stored where. During the briefings we were all served a canapé and a glass of champagne as we sailed towards Budapest. The captain made a few remarks and came around to shake hands, although I missed this due to bad timing. In the dining room a photographer came around to take professional photos. (Next morning I found that mine had turned out well, so I bought it – €5.)
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Bratislava
Beautiful architecture.