We were in the neighbourhood, so we thought we’d pop by Bratislava. Which [just in case] is the capital of Slovakia. Which used to be part of Czechoslovakia, until 1993. It turns out that we love it; it’s absolutely stunning! We wish we could stay longer and are seriously thinking about spending a few months here in the future. If only it weren’t in the Schengen zone… Here’s a quick take on what we like about the place.
People/Culture
Everyone has been astonishingly friendly. We communicate in a mix of the fifteen words of Polish and Czech and Russian we know, which works better than you’d think. And a lot of hand gestures and foolish grins. Most people in restaurants and shops speak a little bit of English, often a lot, and they are quick to smile at our mispronunciations. In a nice way.
In fact, we have found Slovaks utterly charming! Of course there’s a booming tourist trade, as you can tell from the souvenir shops and cruise ships lining the Danube. But there’s also a lot that feels authentic, even in the midst of the magnets in the old city. We love the way food comes on wooden plates and the lace doilies that decorate tables. One afternoon, we got caught in an unexpected rainstorm and ducked under a restaurant umbrella. So did everyone else: we all huddled together, sharing a companionable half-hour. And later, in a very groovy bar, the Mirror at the Radisson Blu/Carlton on Hviezdoslavovo Square, a bartender lovingly explained to us that they made their own vermouth, and that the glasses we were drinking out of had been hand-blown in a nearby village.
And Slovaks seem to be unusually cultured. There are bookstores everywhere (yay for a bookstore!). There are loads of musical venues, big and small, and what look to be lectures on all kinds of subjects abound. We’ve spotted French, German, and Italian cultural centres, without even looking. And the fountain outside that groovy bar spouts classical music, along with a show, several times a day.
Sights
Bratislava is a beautiful place. It’s a lot like Ljubljana, if that helps. That is, it seems to be a city designed for its inhabitants, very walkable with tons of squares and fountains and cobblestoned streets going off at quirky angles. There’s a castle on a hill, overlooking the Danube. The castle has gardens and a national history museum and an art museum. There are a couple of interesting churches in the historic city centre, including the gorgeous Blue Church, which might be our favourite religious building ever. (Though the mosques of Sinan give it a run for its money.)
But the thing we liked most about Bratislava was that there were not a million sights to haul ourselves off to see. Mostly, we spent our time sitting out on various squares, watching people, or wandering around the streets.
Food
The local cuisine is not at all bad. Think starches and meats and cabbage. Bryndzové halušky (above) is the national dish, according to many. It’s small, irregular-shaped potato dumplings with sheep’s cheese, usually topped with crispy-fried bacon. The epitome of comfort food, actually. There are also placky, which you might know as latke: grated potato pancake, here with garlic, and served with sour cream.
Plus several ancestors of the bagel, including the bajgel and the bublik. Also guláš, which is similar to the Hungarian version, and usually served with yeast dumplings. Sauerkraut and other pickled vegetables star as side dishes or in soups (borscht, made from beets, but also kapustnica, made from sauerkraut, with pork sausages and mushrooms). And for breakfast or dessert or any time in between, there are palačinke, crepe-like pancakes served with berries and/or whipped cream and/or caramel syrup. (Ours had mango puree!)
And among the many winning qualities of the people of Bratislava is the way they put a gelato shop every fifty paces or so, just in case you need one quick. The gelato is very good, and flavours are really interesting: few of the extra-sugared candy ones, but instead things like lavender and dragonfruit (what a stunning combination that would make on your cone…)
Then there’s drink: Slovakian wine is very good, and they make a nice bubbly or two. The beer is predictably excellent, given where in the world we are, and Zlaty Bazant, the local pilsner, is one you could drink all day. Also, a new discovery for us: beet juice (better than you’d think!).
So this place is an absolute winner: we are already plotting how to get back for a good long time!
