Bratiskava 2

We're on another train.  This time Slovakia National Railroad or something like that.  I mention this because it is part of the next two days.  I had tried to buy tickets with the same rail company we had been using, RegioJet, especially since i now knew how to order a latte!!  But they don't have a direct train from Bratislava to Budapest.  So, SZZK was the only real, not crazy expensive option.  

Unfortunately, when I booked a couple of weeks ago, they only showed one option for the day, at 4 pm.  But I noticed a couple of days ago that there are several trips a day.  Our check-out was for 10 am so the noon train was a much better option.  I tried to change the tickets online.  But first I had to register.  The Slovakian Railway site is bad.  No, you don't understand.  It is BAD.  In order to register, I had to put in my address.  No problem.  But they provide a very specific list of countries that you have to be from.  You cannot just type in 'Canada'.  Nope, if you're not from one of the countries on the list, you cannot register.  If you can't register, you don't have a registration number that is required to sign on which is required to cancel your ticket.  Ok, I give up.

Mom and I had a free walking tour booked for 10 am Tuesday.  I decided to walk to the train station in the morning before the tour to change my ticket in person.  I had prepared my Google translate conversation.  Nope.  The person I got had zero English.  With hand gestures and frowny faces and Google translate, I understood that she cannot exchange a ticket bought online.  And she could not help me register.  Fine, I am willing to eat the 15 euros the tickets cost. I just bought two new tickets.  But it annoyed me. 

I made it back in time for our walking tour, City and Castle essentials (or similar).  Our host was Jakob.  He was very entertaining. and full of history.  He said he is in his 30s and has never moved but has been the citizen of three countries since he was born. 

Bratislava is bordered by many other countries.  Each of which has invaded Slovakia at least once.  Napoleon came through on his way to Russia. We started our tour in a square previously named Adolf Hitler Square, just a few blocks from Lenin Square in one direction and Stalin Square in another.  Of course, they all have new names but it goes to show that Bratislava is very popular with the megalomaniacs of history.  We had the same guide for our afternoon tour, Bratislava in the 20th century.  He is very forthright about the complicity of his own governments in the Holocaust, the arrival of the communists etc.  There were no 'invasions' in the 20th century, just new governments who were accepting of whichever new evil regime was incoming.  

 Let's see how SZZK wifi works compared to our apartment's wifi.  Pictures!  Including some from the day before. 

Jakob

Wifi is not great.  Wondering if it's my computer.  Moved to my phone for the train trip.  It means no horizontal pictures 

Random art in the pavement (well, in the cobblestones)

Old Town Hall

A cannon ball from Napoleon's traipse through town.

This guy's name is Cunil.  The most famous statue in town. 
When I first saw this, I thought it was one of those
painted street performers 

Pressburg Bajgel.  Pressburg is one of the old names
for Bratislava.  The town used to have three common 
languages, Czech, Slavic and German.  
This place has been in business for over a hundred years
and it is famous for these filled crescent cookies. 
We got some of the train. Not my favourite.

Poet who refused to write in German 
even when whichever regime was trying
to suppress the Slovac language and culture

(I am abandoning this for now.  SZZK wifi is even worse than Bratislava wifi, and that's saying something!)

(... I'm back, in our Budapest apartment, more on that later, with excellent wifi!)

This is a very old pharmacy, still in operation
that shows all three languages out front

This is the inside of that same pharmacy.  
The Slovak government sold all of the furniture
and fixtures from the 16th century when it gained
independence and was broke in the 90s.  They bought it 
all back a few years ago for several million euros.  

Here it is in full view.  Quite impressive

Then we did an in one door and out the other for a big church.  Honestly, I'm not even keeping track of which saint is which church.  Just assume it was someone you've heard of (for the christian background leaning readers).  They are all very gorgeous and ornate inside.  

I'm glad we went to than concert where we got to hear the organ in that church.  Every church has a massive organ and I've never heard one played in a big, high ceilinged place before.  It was very cool.  Now when I see the organs, I'm not as jealous of the parishioners anymore.  

Next up, the coronation route.  This seems to be a thing people care about here.  Even though the last coronation was 300+ years ago.  So, when things were getting spicy in other parts of the royal's territory, they packed up their bags and moved the monarchy to Bratislava.  Oh, yes, even those Habsburgs. In fact, our old favourite Maria Theresa was coronated here.  She is still much beloved, pretty much anywhere she ruled.  She was a huge driver of reform.  Ending witch burning, girls were required to go to school.  Introduction of inoculation against small pox.  Etc. 

This is the first of many crowns marking the coronation route.  

This is the last. 

Oh wait, I remember, that church was the cathedral of St. Martin's, where the coronations took place.  Whew, I knew you would want to know! 

Original city wall with St. Martin's there at the end.

This is all that's left of the old Jewish Quarter. 
It survived WWII but was destroyed by
the communist government to make 
way for a road and bridge in the 60s

More random street art

It was quite foggy that morning but we trekked up to the castle to enjoy the view.  

The Bratislava Castle (fortress)

The view.  Not so great but that hill in the back is 
actually in Vienna.  

Site of the first witch burning (1602)
Agatha Toott Borlobaschin

That was the end of the morning tour.  We had a burger for lunch and went back to the apartment to rest up for the afternoon walk, 20th century Bratislava.  

Not so many pictures of this one. Plus, I've covered most of the highlights above. There is some interesting Soviet era buildings and wall art on those buildings though. 

This one depicts the resistance that finally ousted the communists

This is the Radio and TV building that the Communists built
It took them 20 years and they only just finished it before the
regime fell.  Apparently it is quite innovative.
And was voted the 17th ugliest building in the world.  I like it.

I'm giving this tour short shrift even though I think it was the better of the two. Much more insightful on how Slovakia and Bratislava came to be the way they are.

I'm sure you will be disappointed to hear but I have to speed up the next day since I am getting tired.  

It was our last day in Bratislava and we didn't have anything booked so we were just going to wander a bit and take a slow day.  We had heard about the Blue Church so we headed in that direction.  We got there but it was closed.  Here are some photos of the outside and through the glass door. It's very pretty.

After my disappointing trip to the train station the day before, I did some more online research to see if I could figure out how to get a refund. There was some info on the SZZK website that said it you want to cancel an online ticket, one option is to go to the main office/bus ticket/info counter.  It wasn't too far beyond the blue church so we decided to go there.  I knew it was a long shot, but 15 Euros is 15 Euros!  

The office is in an area called Sky Park.  Once you get out of Old Town, Bratislava is quite a modern city.  Big new skyscapers being built as we speak. 

We found the building. We tried the door. It was locked.  We peered inside.  It looked deserted.  We tried al of the doors.  It was indeed deserted.  The signs were still there:  Info desk, this way, but alas, no desk, no info, no refund.  At that point, I was well and truly done with my refund.  Slovakia Rail has an excellent scam on tourists going.  Hmmph. 

Here is the building so you know where not to go.  

We were far from Old Town now so we picked a half way point to focus on.  The Duck's Fountain.  Well worth a visit, but even more so for the abundance of benches to rest on. 

Yes, since you're asking, three pictures of a duck fountain IS speeding things up. 

We made it back to Old Town and had some lunch.  Mom is on a soup kick.  This time cabbage.  

We were going to have an early day but we thought we might pop into the Old Town Hall before heading home.  It is the oldest building in Bratislava, from before it was even declared a city in 1209.  

As it turns out, the entrance fee was super cheap and included so much.  Too much to be honest, but man were we going to get our 8 euros (4 for seniors) worth out of it!  

First there is a museum. 

Then you move along into the rooms from the 16th century.  The ceilings!  I lament our boring flat while ceilings of today. 

This is the ceiling in the 'court'. 

The faintest traces of painting from before it was the town hall

There's those coronation people again.

At some point, we got to the 'tower'.  I climbed the circular stair case while Mom waited on level two.  When I got to the top, there is an outside walkway that goes completely around. What a view.  

Michael's Tower near our apartment

There was also an exhibit of tiles.  Some guy went around to historical buildings and asked to see their old tiles.  Then he made a book of them.  What a cool project. And such beautiful tile work in the city over the last 150 years.  

And last and also least, there was entrance to some palace which just turned out to be a couple of rooms about wine growing in the region over the centuries. and then a wine cellar where you can taste and buy wine. We did a very quick spin and tasted and bought nothing.  We were dragging by this point and it was time to go home.  

After 30 minutes of rest, I left mom to go check out one more church that was just on our corner.  I had heard it was impressive.  It was closed but here is a through-the-door picture. 

A quick visit to a gift shop and a toy store across from our apartment.  A couple of gifties for the kids.  I tried to buy items that were flat.  At some point early in the day, I bought a coffee mug, another heavy, bulky, awkward,  breakable object to fit into my bag.  But when I packed this morning, it is all still fits!  

The next test will be trying to cram in a couple of bottles of Hungarian wine!  But that will be for the next and last post.  

A couple of last pieces of public art.