Rainy days

It’s rainy, windy, and chilly my first few days in Bratislava, but that’s probably better than the killer heatwave sweeping southern California this week. I’ve been walking everywhere to soak up the look and feel of the historic Old Town. It's supposed to be clear this weekend, and I hope to get better pictures on a clear day. I’m glad I have the wool lining zipped into my trenchcoat.

The Slovak Philharmonic plays in this gorgeous restored building. The huge construction crane looming behind it defines this city. Everywhere you look, historic buildings left to crumble under the Communists are being restored and sleek new buildings are going up on the perimeter. To the right of the Philharmonic building is the Radisson hotel. I took this shot standing on the plaza in front of the Slovak National Theatre, another Hapsburg era treasure.

This morning I bought a three-month pass for unlimited transportation on the city’s superb system of busses, trams, and street cars – for the equivalent of about $82. I understand it’s just about the only legacy of the Communists people today value. The older clerks at the transit shop didn’t understand much English but between pointing to things and a little help from a young woman in line, we got the forms filled out for my application and I now have my photo ID pass.

The transit shop underneath Novy Most (New Bridge) seemed a less desirable throwback to the Communist era – a rundown building with minimal signage and ample grafitti. The vendors nearby didn’t know where the ticket office was when I asked. I found it through a process of elimination, although I hesitated, thinking it looked like an abandoned shed.

I also went to a big bank to trade Euros for Slovak Korunas. The conversion to Euros is on schedule for early 2009 and the national bank has stopped printing new Korunas. Those Euros I bought last summer have turned into a good investment, as the dollar continues its sickening slide.

I went to T-Mobile Slovakia to see about a local number and cheap cell phone. On my American account I’m paying $0.99/minute for international roaming for voice calls, even if I’m just calling another number here in Bratislava. The clerks were fascinated with my T-Mobile Dash, a blackberry style phone, and one offered to buy mine, as they are not for sale in Slovakia. Sorry, I love that phone too!

One of the T-Mobile clerks was a young university student studying business with very fluent English. I asked him how long he had been studying English -- twelve years! I complimented him on his fluency and he beamed with pride. I got the same reaction from a clerk here at the hotel who made me a cappucino. Not only is her English very fluent but she has a nearly impeccable American accent. She is also studying business at the university, but she spent a year abroad studying in Virginia. It seems the most appreciated praise you can give here is singling out someone’s excellent English. These business majors seem to have figured out that English fluency is the ticket to success in their career aspirations.

This city knows great coffee, especially espressos, lattes, and cappucinos, my great addiction in life. Everywhere I go, the coffee is just superb and very reasonable ($1.50-$2.50 for a delicious and very large cup). It seems odd that Starbucks has invaded Vienna, famous for its great coffee houses, but they’re not here in Bratislava. At a stop at a local grocery chain, Billa, I was astounded at the huge racks of specialty coffee of every type imaginable, including all sorts of instant capucinnos that make up very nicely in a hotel room.

One local chain, Bank + Coffee, has an interesting marketing idea, combining a coffee/pastry shop with a real bank – not just an ATM, but tellers and the whole bit. And if that won’t get you into the store, they also have free wifi internet access. I haven’t seen that combination of services anywhere else – perhaps it will catch on.

My big success was securing a great apartment. It does not seem wise to announce on a public blog where I'll be living. Suffice it to say that I'm in a great building, with a lovely view, hi-speed Internet access, cable TV with English-language channels, and a short stroll to the National Theatre, where I hope to see a lot of ballet this fall. It's not available until next week, so I'll be spending a few more days in the hotel.

Another mundane travel tip: On restaurant meals in the U.S., I typically add the tip on the credit card slip, but nobody accepts that here. Be sure to have some local currency in appropriately small denominations to leave the tip in cash.