Bratislava

The capital of Slovakia is quite unlike a western European city, much less like a capital. People attribute that to the Communism that left the country 20 years ago.

It reminded me of a Delhi of about 20 years ago. Old buildings with peeling off paint, ground floors housing glossy shops while the upper floors look unkempt, smart boutiques propped up amidst debris, and a nice central district.

It was my first taste of an erstwhile communist country. With several permanent as well as moving exhibitions on, the city seemed to be stuck with an agenda of highlighting the communist evils of the entire Eastern Europe.

Another peculiar thing about the city was that the churches were mostly closed for renovation or just taking a break which is quite unusual. Plus throughout the city, there are sculptures – numerous random sculptures – modern art as well as statues and busts. They have a sculpture of a pair of women’s thigh length boots in the backyard of the president’s house!
And there is series of sculptures of “Cumil and friends” across the old town. These are statues of men in interesting poses – right from getting out of a manhole to being paparazzi.

Then, there is Petrazalka. A township built by the communist government to keep the people in the city. The biggest township in central Europe is blocks of paneled houses built on top of each other. Some of them are crumbling and some have received new cheerful colors to beat away the generally grey mood of the city. This place reminded of old DDA flats, only that these are much taller and more numerous housing about 200,000 people.

The vegetarian food is primarily based around potatoes and cheese. The best part of my weekend trip was the desserts – Sachertortes (sugar tortes – chocolate cakes with jam fillings), Tiramisus, apple pies and other versions of chocolate cakes – sheer bliss! Overall, it was a decent, fattening getaway for me.