Signs of winter

Last night the temperature dropped below freezing for the first time, and signs are everywhere that winter is on the way.

I still see tourist groups, but not many. This tourist train, that loops around the interesting stops in Old Town, is sitting empty this morning, although I imagine it will be busier during the winter holidays.

A huge evergreen has been erected in the Main Square, but it has yet to be decorated for the holidays.

Colorful flowers that filled windowboxes and decorative garden spots just weeks ago have been replaced with evergreen boughs. Windowboxes adorn the second level of this interior courtyard in the Old Town Hall in the Pedestrian Zone.

The booths are being set up in the Main Square for the famous Christmas Bazaar, although they apparently don't open for business until the end of November. The statue of the Napoleonic soldier leaning on a bench stands guard. The pale green building in the center is the Japanese Embassy.

More booths are being set up in Hviezdoslavovo námestie in front of the Opera House.

I hear on CNN-International that U.S. stores are already promoting their Christmas specials. I have seen only one store here with any holiday decorations, Tesco, and they are hardly extravagent compared with displays I have seen in the U.S.

Plenty of gifts are available inside. These foil-wrapped chocolate religious figures seem to be very popular at Tesco (and Billa). "Akcia" translates to "action," the single most common sign I see in grocery stores.




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