Let’s call it an inauspicious beginning. On other trips I’ve taken, I try to check out beforehand the subway and tram routes of the cities I’m to visit. Bratislava happens to have no subway, which is not a huge problem, but does have trams. I have downloaded the city’s tram and bus maps, and find them absolutely incomprehensible. It’s not really a question of language; trying to collate the stops and routes with a street map is impossible. It’s time for the Slovaks to bring in a real mapmaker. In the event however the old city was sufficiently compact that, though a tram ride or two might have been a little helpful and also a little fun, public transit wasn't necessary.
The 10-11 September flight from Boston to Munich was on Lufthansa. Always long, tiring, and uncomfortable, but a definite improvement over last year’s flight on Delta. I was sitting next to a nice German family returning to Munich, and chatting with them made the flight less unpleasant. Passport control in Munich was straightforward, and I changed planes for Vienna where I was met by a VBT rep who drove me to the hotel in Bratislava, passing scads of wind turbines on the way. As we approached the city the cable-stayed SNP Most (UFO Bridge) appeared over the skyline, and we drove over it and then to the Hotel Arcadia, a lovely building, nestled along a cobbled side street, as indeed were most of the streets in the old city. After checking in, relaxing briefly, and with help from the reception desk, getting a map and a couple of restaurant suggestions, I decided to try to find the opera house in the new arts center (Nová budova SND) where I was to attend the Slovak version of Barbiere the following day. It was maybe a kilometer walk with a few short extensions due to considerable tram line reconstruction, and took me past a new shopping center/mall, the Eurovea, more or less across the street from the arts center. After finding the opera house, I walked down to the Danube and wandered along the riverwalk (with a couple construction detours) back upstream toward the SNP Most. On the bridge I checked out the bike/pedestrian path we were to ride over when the biking part began, giving me with my nascent acrophobia great pause. Caught a view of the Bratislavský hrad (castle) and started working my way back to the hotel, starting with the Hviezdoslavovo námestie, a lovely parklike mall, where I found one of the restaurants (Kogo) that had been recommended. Walking up Michalská toward St. Michael’s Gate were a slew of outdoor cafés. Finally back at the hotel, I wrote out a couple postcards and walked to the nearby post office to mail them, then back to the hotel where I kicked back for a while to recover from the flight and the local excursion before heading out to dinner at the other restaurant that had been recommended, the Flagship across the Námestie SNP. Like other businesses in Bratislava it was tucked in back of other stores, and at first I missed the entrance, but eventually found it. Downstairs was a bar with the actual restaurant upstairs. It was worth the stairs. Decor was Olde Hunting Lodge and the food was really quite good. After dinner I walked a bit, going up Poštová to Obchodná then back to Námestie SNP where I found Pulitzer restaurant, where I was to dine two days hence, then back to the hotel at which point I completely ran out of gas and enjoyed the bed.
Saturday, after a little sightseeing around the hotel, I worked my way down to Rudnayovo námestie and St. Martin’s Cathedral, a lovely Gothic church, where I admired the stained glass, the carvings, and the unusually complex vaulting. From there an excursion to the Bratislavský hrad was indicated, so I began what turned into a rather strenuous climb up the hill to the castle. The reward was a marvelous panoramic view of the Danube valley around Bratislava. Having tired myself out from the climb, I decided to pass on the castle museum, as it was going to require stair-climbing. After getting a few pictures, I left by the Vienna Gate in back that gave a somewhat longer but less steep route back to the city. By then it was lunch time, and I had goulash at the Slovak House on Michalská. I then walked up to Michael’s Gate, the last of the old fortified city gates. One could go in, but it was a steep, narrow, and twisty spiral staircase, and I wasn’t in the mood. Back to the hotel briefly to freshen up, then down through the merchants on Františkánske námestie where I picked up a tee shirt, to Hlavné námestie, and on to Primaciálne námestie and the pink Primates Palace, where the Treaty of Pressburg was signed, and which now houses the mayor and an art collection (photos not allowed.) Back to the hotel to change, and then I set off for the opera. As I turned the corner to head up toward Námestie SNP where a rally going on, there were maybe a dozen armed police, and lots more along the streets around and leading up to the park. I continued on at a faster pace than normal until I was clear of the excitement. Later I learned that there were actually two rallies taking place, one pro- and one anti-refugee. But nothing untoward happened, and the prominent but restrained police presence was certainly prudent, if not preventive. I made it to the opera in plenty of time for the 5 o’clock curtain. The early start and €1 ticket price were explained by the fact that it was a special performance of Barbiere geared to children. And I have to say it was superbly done. A comic actor came out first and explained what was happening as the opera progressed, at various times getting children out of the audience to participate as supernumeraries. He would also explain certain operatic concepts and conceits, and made the whole experience a delight for the children, not to mention the adults. Of course although the arias were in Italian, his patter was in Slovakian, of which I know very little—OK, virtually none—but words like “tenor” and “cembalo” made pretty clear the gist of his explanations. I couldn’t help but feel that a US opera company would do well to import this production. When the peformance was over, I walked back to the hotel, taking some side streets to avoid possible police complication;, changed into more comfortable clothing; and went to dinner. This time it was at Prašná Bašta, a block from the hotel. This was unquestionably the best meal I had in Bratislava, and a fitting cap to an interesting day. Returning to the hotel after dinner, I relaxed a little, then went to bed.
Sunday was an intentionally less busy day, as I was trying to relax a bit and be less aggressively touristy. VBT had suggested a trip to Devin Castle upriver, but I’d seen the local hrad yesterday and didn’t feel like battling the mosquitoes at Devin, so I started out by heading down to the river and finalizing the boat tour reservation that the hotel had made for me on Friday. (An obnoxious British biddy tried to cut in line, but I finally made her understand that the line starts at the rear.) The boat trip was relaxing but uneventful, starting by crossing the Danube to pick up people at the dock on the right bank, then proceeding upriver to the northernmost bridge at Bratislava then downstream to see four more bridges. There was no narration, Slovak or otherwise, but we were able to see the various bridges, assorted tour boats, and a view of Bratislava from the river. It was back to Michalská for lunch, then a stop at the bazaar on Františkánske námestie to pick up a souvenir for Cam who was taking care of my mail. Dropping it off at the hotel, I happily ran into Phyllis and John from the Moselle trip, who were to be on this one as well, and compounding the good fortune, they assured me that Nancy and Bill from Moselle days were also along. Then backtracked to the river bank to visit the Slovak National Museum. There was a mixed collection of things, including paintings and sculpture (only so-so); some historical/political displays (more interesting if you were Slovak than otherwise); a display of women’s clothing (Mom would have like it); and for me the piéce de resistance, the top floor, which was a natural history museum that was really quite well done and worth the price of admission (rather nominal) by itself. After finishing with the mastodons, I worked my way back to the hotel, checking out the buildings for the Slovak Philharmonic (closed); and the old opera house (also closed), the Slovak National Theater, about to present a ballet on Carmen. After a little profligacy in the form of treating myself to a massage at the hotel followed by a shower, I went to dinner at Pulitzer restaurant on Námestie SNP, ranking third among the places I'd dined here. A little walking around the park, then back to the hotel and bed in anticipation of the start of biking the next day. Bratislava had been an enjoyable and worthwhile visit.