A Tour of the City*

Let me start this post by making it clear that I understand the difference between blog entries that describe big events or new places and those that simply go on about life in the same setting. Any time that I mark a title with an asterisk, it means that the post is recommended reading but NOT on the test.

That being said, here's what I scraped together while walking through Bratislava.

I stood here for about 10 minutes watching these pigeons.  They alternated between this fountain and the top of the National Theatre, switching every 2 minutes or so.

If you're going to Eastern Europe to escape consumerism, go elsewhere.

EU Parliament elections are coming up soon, and this guy looks ready.  I probably see his face about 3 times every day at various points in the city.  I asked my law professor friend if this election was a big deal, and she said that Slovaks are relatively apathetic about it.  After all--"what is the EU going to do for Slovakia?"

The tramway on the street leading up to my office

The one embassy I haven't been able to just walk up to--but that's not a surprise.

The view from Bratislava Castle

A quick note on that expanse of buildings: it is a Soviet-built housing complex called Petrazalka--the largest housing complex in central Europe.  Just beyond that complex and to the right of this picture is the border with Austria.  Tens of thousands of people under Soviet rule lived right next to the Iron Curtain and freedom in "the West" before the revolution in '89.  Apparently there is a nearby memorial to those who tried to escape and failed.

A more direct view of Austria from the castle.  This view of the Danube points upstream, which is why the boat ride that I'm taking to Vienna on Friday (yeeeah!) will take longer than the return trip on Sunday.  The building on the far right is the Slovak Parliament building.

And of course, the castle itself.  It is stuck in the middle of renovation for the 2nd summer straight now because the city can't find the money right now to restore the castle to its original white color.  The scaffolding still looks pretty nice, though.