Bratislava, Slovakia. Friday, 12th May 2017
Sleep broke at 04:15! Tried to laze in bed. Perhaps I must have fallen asleep for a short while again; woke up at 05:00. Got ready by 09:30, ate breakfast and took bus no. 50 to Aupark, on the right bank of the Danube. A bit cloudy since 06:00 but luckily no rain. Apollo bridge across the Danube was nice. From Aupark, we followed the route downloaded from Google maps, to Berlitz franchisee centre. The path was charming - through a clean and neat park and then parallel to the Danube. Fantastic view of the city on the opposite bank! Found the centre easily - housed in an attractive building. Handed over our papers at the reception on the first floor. Checked out the rear of the building, which faced the river. It had a compact garden cafe- AU Cafe. Occupied the chairs to have Latte Machiato premium and Zlaty Bazant Pivo (beer). Sun hidden by clouds; gently flowing river; cool climate; beer in hand; miles away from home and work; and in my favourite continent - life cannot be better!
Walked back to the main road after clicking pictures of the river. Instead of going back to Aupark and taking the bus, we walked along the pedestrian path adjoining the SNP Most (bridge) - a decision that paid instant dividends, as it turned out. Not only did we click pictures of the gently flowing river with the city in the background but also landed at a fantastic square, the Hviezdoslavovo Namesti; Bratislava's answer to Praha's Vaclavske Namestie (Wenceslas Square). The square (which, like the Wenceslas, is actually a rectangle) has completely cobbled roads, only for pedestrians. To the left stretches a row of restaurants, bars and pubs with their charming pavement seating. Nearer the centre, along the square's length are lined rows of clean benches on either side. To the right, beyond the boundary of the square sit stately buildings which house star rated hotels, among others. After strolling in the alluring ambience for a few metres, we came upon a row of fountains that had a petite bridge across, in the centre.
The entire scene was surreal: the sun shining brightly, people-young, old and kids alike strolling gently and enjoying the atmosphere, customers engaged in conversation sipping different beer types at each of the restaurants, teenagers proudly riding their electric scooters and every third or fourth person licking ice cream off a cone. At the far end of the square to the right were lined three or four souvenir shops. Every six minutes or so came a group of collegians, freshly graduated; its group leader holding aloft a placard on which were posted pictures of the batch, each group singing and shouting - happy that it was out of college!
Purchased a couple of refrigerator magnets and sat on one of the benches, soaking in the heavenly atmosphere. Finished off the Toblerone purchased yesterday. Then strolled leisurely in the direction of SNP Most (bridge) and following directions, started ascending towards Bratislavsky Hrad (Bratislava castle), along a flight of broad stairs. The climb became easier on the cobbled roads, once the steps were over. We were reminded of Cesky Krumlov, with the cobbled path snaking between stone buildings, a few of them housing petite restaurants; another cobbled path branching off the main path and disappearing after a bend. The castle building was fantastic, the views of the city from the top even more so. The sun was now out in its full glory and the threat of rain of the morning had now evaporated. Soaked in the atmosphere of the Hrad and rested on one of the benches in its courtyard, clicking away. Took in breath-taking views of the other side of this charming capital of Slovakia, before descending the way we had come, back to Hviezdoslavovo Namesti, straight to 17's Bar. Occupied sunny chairs outside and had my favourite - tap beer. This was lighter and more to my liking than the one tasted at Slovak Pub last afternoon. French fries covered with parmesan cheese, for snack. Urmila enjoyed 'Lime Zazvovora' - a drink that included ginger juliens, mint leaves and thin ginger sticks.
Thoroughly satisfied with the day so far, we made for the bus stop of bus no. 50, by the river front, the same stop where we had first boarded a bus for our hotel on the day of arrival. Back at the hotel by 15:40. Clothes given for laundry yesterday; had been placed in the room. They were badly ironed so called up reception and had them ironed again by the chambermaids. It is now 17:55.
Stepped out again at 19:00 to sit at the square just outside our hotel. A few drops of rain made us scurry back into the lobby. After five minutes or so, I stepped out again to check the status - no rain! We decided to take a bus ride to nowhere in particular. A little earlier from our room on the 5th floor, we had observed tiny kids playing and chasing one another around the fountain in the square below, on their bicycles and scooters; hence had thought of watching them from close quarters but apparently they had gone home after the unwelcome intrusion of those raindrops. The bus took a long time coming so we abandoned the plan and took a quiet walk along a street on the other side of our hotel, the side nearer the main road. Once again, we were sauntering along the boundary of a residential colony. Once again, we couldn't help marvelling at the neatness and cleanliness. We came upon a small square at the junction of four to five buildings and that space had been turned into a mini playground for kids, complete with a sand-pit, slides and swings! Two tiny tots were amusing themselves in the sand under the watchful eyes of their parents. We have observed many kids here in Bratislava, far more at any given time, compared to the other European cities we have visited. We have seen parents, especially mothers devote a lot of time to their kids, which really surprised us. Pet dogs are very common here - dogs on a leash. However, unlike at Praha, the dogs do not have their mouths covered by a net. We passed by the rear of Autobusova Stanica (bus station), entered a crockery shop, observed the residential buildings closely - these are the old type buildings with residences on the ground floor too; with tall windows facing the pavement. The windows had bars for safety and the entrances to the buildings were protected by closed doors that could be opened only on keying in the password. The petite, charming balconies to each flat added character to the pastel coloured constructions. A far cry from the high rise monstrosities that have become the norm in developed cities, these days!
Returned to the hotel and ate dinner - chicken fried with rice, chicken grilled with potatoes, vodka with tonic, full cream cake with raspberry sauce and orange ice-cream. Delicious! back to our room at 21=15. This city is sweet and charming - a perfect place to unwind.
