Trip home

The trip home to California from Vienna took almost 24 hours in real time, with a 9-hour time change. Delta operates one non-stop every day in each direction between Vienna and Atlanta. The trip over in September had been over half-empty, so it was surprising that this one seemed almost full. Another surprise: a long line of young boys in blue sailor suits got on this flight together. Yes, the Vienna Boys Choir accompanied me home. We asked them to serenade us, but they respectfully declined.

This was my last view of central Europe as we took off for the U.S.

One of my favorite indulgences at this stage of my life is using my frequent flyer miles to upgrade to first class on long flights. It does ease the pain considerably - worth every mile. This is the first-class cabin on the 767-300ER, the two-class plane Delta uses for this flight.

Here is the view from my balcony in California. For my Slovak students and colleagues, that four-lane road is Pacific Coast Highway (California Highway #1). That's a peek-a-boo view of the Pacific Ocean and, at the horizon, Catalina Island. Would you believe we have buildings here that are over 20 years old!!

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Vienna airport

I went over to the Vienna Airport Monday afternoon for my Tuesday morning flight. I was worried that a snowstorm or traffic foul-up might make me miss my flight, so I stayed at the airport hotel and did some exploring.

My limo driver was right on time. A native of Bratislava, he is fluent in English and German. This company (Airport Service Bratislava) was recommended by previous Fulbrighters; they use e-mail, speak English, take credit cards, and are very reliable, and I would recommend them highly, too.

I’ve only been here five months, but some important things have already changed. The four-lane expressway that was under construction last September has opened, so we sailed over to the airport with ease. And no more passport checks at the national border at Kittsee, Austria. On December 21, 2007, Slovakia entered the EU’s “Shengen Zone,” as did the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia. This means that these countries are now part of “Fortress Europe.” Once inside, you can pass freely across national borders, just as you might travel from Iowa to Illinois in the U.S.

The EU insisted on heavily fortified eastern and southern borders around the Zone; that’s now where the serious checking of passports and visas occurs. Slovakia’s eastern border is with the Ukraine, in what is apparently a heavily wooded, rural area. I can’t escape the irony that, only two decades ago, that Slovak-Austrian border we sailed across today was fortified with electrified fences by the Communists to keep the Slovaks from escaping to Austria. Now the EU is determined to keep the Ukrainians (and many others) from sneaking into the Shengen Zone.

The Vienna Airport is in the midst of a massive reconstruction project, so it’s a little chaotic. The entire Airport is already a free wifi zone, a very welcome amenity nowadays. The NH Airport Hotel is right across the street from the passenger buildings, very convenient.

Austria Airlines is the dominant airline here, but signs for almost all other carriers can be seen, especially in those international alliances with U.S. carriers.

In case you haven’t gorged on enough MozartKugeln, here’s one last chance. They also have a refrigerated cart with SacherTortes. I indulged in one last piece (with cappuccino, what else) at an airport café.

More phone booths nobody is using. But they’d come in handy for Americans arriving with incompatible cell phones that won’t work in Europe.

Yup – they’re everywhere. This one had an interesting variation on the standard fare, the “Almburger hűttengaudi” on a blackbread sesame bun. The “I’m loving it” slogan is translated into nine languages on the containers.

This interesting, but unidentified, art was in the middle of the waiting area outside my gate for the flight to Atlanta, surrounded by benches. Security to the gates was lengthy and thorough. An airline official asked a long series of questions about our purposes in travelling, something they don't do in the U.S. But we never had to take off our shoes for the x-ray machine, which was a pleasant relief!

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My flat

For obvious reasons, it did not seem wise to announce on a public blog where I was living in Bratislava. So I'm writing this in my last few hours on the fabulous high-speed broadband connection in my flat, as I wait for the limo to the Vienna Airport.

Previous Fulbrighters urged that we live in Old Town, which sounded good to me. I love historic neighborhoods where I can walk around and explore, something I miss in California. After studying real estate listings on the web last summer, I settled on a building right in the middle of everything on Hviezdoslavovo námestie. Its proximity to the Opera House at the end of the Plaza was a huge attraction, as I wanted to attend the ballet as often as possible and was wary about getting home after dark.

My building was the gray one here on the right. My studio, facing the plaza here, is on what Europeans call the third floor and Americans call the fourth. The building has a lift (whew!). On the left you see the ugly gray guardhouse used for access to the U.S. Embassy complex, including the buildings left of mine.

All U.S. embassies are apparently on high-alert for terrorists, truck bombers, and who knows what else. Several uniformed guards were stationed around the outside of that guardhouse 24 hours a day. Indeed, one was usually stationed at the entrance to my building. I was told in September by the management that there was some concern my building might be used as an escape route by a would-be terrorist. I was not so worried about truck bombers, but it was nice to know that, after an evening performance of the ballet, the route to my building was well-lit and swarming with guards. And, if a female with an American accent screamed for help, it was nice to think it would get noticed, although that was never necessary.

I had an absolutely spectacular view. Andrew Sullivan's blog has a feature called "The View from Your Window," and he posted this one, looking west to the Castle and St. Martin's Cathedral.

My neighbor on the other side was the Czech Embassy (the building with the blue doors), a newly restored office building, and the German Embassy at the end of the block. Quite the neighborhood!

I did not have a balcony, although many units do in that building. A much larger flat with a balcony was available in September, but with the sinking dollar, I decided to opt for the smaller studio. As the dollar just kept sinking last fall (and still is), that was a good decision in retrospect, although that meant that I did not have room to entertain guests and visitors.

If future Fulbrighters in Bratislava want to contact me privately for housing advice, I would be happy to oblige. I got some great advice from my predecessors, and I'm happy to do the same for others.

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Last lunch

Today is my last full day in Bratislava, so I decided to go out for lunch. Given my love of beautiful historic architecture, the Roland Cafe in Lechner's Art Nouveau building on Main Square seemed appropriate.

I posted some shots of this months ago, but here it is again.

The entry doors at the Roland are stunning - and extremely heavy.

The interior has an historic feel, too. The paintings on the pillars are reminiscent of Gustav Klimt, the great Austrian painter who worked in the era of Art Nouveau a century ago.

I had a traditional Slovak dessert, jablkový závin -- hot apple struddle with a baked honey pear, sauce, and ice cream. Oh my. . . And cappuccino, of course, with the little chaser of carbonated mineral water. I understand Starbucks is scrambling in the U.S. to protect market share, in the face of an onslaught of high-end coffees from McDonald's. If McDonald's is bringing some of their European expertise to the U.S., Starbucks is in for some very serious competition. Here's an idea: could you find a way to serve the mineral water chaser with cappuccinos and lattes in the U.S.?

In the last-minute department, here's a shot of the beautiful exterior doors of the French Embassy on Main Square. Originally built in 1762, this was once called the Kutscherfeld Palace and was the home, briefly, in the mid-19th century of the great Russian composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein.

There are so many things I didn't find time to visit. I've been here almost five months - where did the time go!! I hope I'll be able to visit again some day and see these things, as well as my colleagues at the University. A few examples of what I didn't get to:

• Trenčín castle: This town of about 50,000 people is a two-hour train ride northeast of Bratislava. The castle, a few blocks from the train station, is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval castles in central Europe. Here's their web site: http://www.trencin.sk/en/12513
• Eva Jaczova Dance Conservatory: The Slovak National Ballet does not have its own school, but its director and many of their principal dancers studied at this school in northwestern Bratislava. The Conservatory is doing something right, and it would have been fun to visit.
• Bratislava Mosque: During a discussion of Slovak diversity with one of my classes last fall, I asked if there was any Muslim presence here. I had not noticed anything, certainly nothing like the traditional dress that is so visible on the city streets in London. Some students said they thought there was a small mosque here. With a little googling, I discovered a listing for one out in the northwestern area of the city, near the dorm complex I visited. That makes sense, given the University's recruitment of international students. Alas, it looks to be a good 8-10 block hike from the termination point of the nearest bus line. I would not have entered, of course, but I was curious to see its size and confirm its existence.

Another time. . .

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Last minute

I shipped two boxes yesterday and one final one this morning from the main post office. My packing is under control, so I took in a few more must-see sights in Old Town. It got up to 50 today, but with light rain, it was not ideal for last-minute sightseeing.

I often pass Šafárikovo námestie on the tram, so I wanted to explore the neighborhood and get a few pictures. The square is in the southeastern area of Old town. This is the Fontána Poézia ("poetic fountain"), installed in 1958 under the Communist regime. It seems surprisingly risque for that era -- the kind of statue John Ashcroft would want to cover up.

The Administrative headquarters and law school for Comenius University are located on the southwest corner of the square, so this tram stop is normally swarming with students.

This Art Nouveau building is on the southeast corner. With a little googling, I discovered that it dates to 1902, but can't find any other information about it.

Another beautiful Art Nouveau building is just to the north of the green building, but I can't find any information on it.

Here's one of these surprises that I just love stumbling onto - a recent contemporary statue, smack in the middle of the sidewalk (on Dunajská, just south of the big Tesco store). This honors Július Satinský, who died in 2002. He was reportedly a popular actor, comedian, and radio host who suffered under the Communist regime and was celebrated later in life.

Here's a small surprise, but still delightful. Look at the two little statues guarding the entry doors of this otherwise perfectly ordinary apartment building on Gajova, east of the Blue Church.

Beautifully restored buildings are no surprise here. This is an office building for the UniCredit Bank, on Dunajská.

Unfortunately, it's also no surprise to see a horribly decrepit building adjacent to a beautifully restored one. Here's the bank's next-door neighbor. You just wonder how long it will take for somebody to restore this.

One final non-surprise, the headquarters for the national railway system, ŽSR, on Klemensova a block east of the Blue Church. It seems the government buildings here are either beautifully restored historic gems or dreary slabs like this one.

Back to packing and checking for election results from Nevada and South Carolina. I hope the skies are clear tomorrow for my final day in Bratislava!

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Final marks

Today was my last day at the University. I was touched by the many people who visited to wish me well and the little gifts they surprised me with - a beautiful book on the history of Slovakia, a bunch of fresh daffodils, hand-made crafts from the Folk Art Center. They are all deeply appreciated, and I shall treasure them and my memories of teaching here.

I also visited a presentation of the final project of one of my aesthetics students for her "Magister" (Master's) degree. Maria (in the back right) is the teacher completing her degree, with some of the children. She developed a marvelous children's art education project that demonstrated the sophisticated interdisciplinarity and active learning long promoted by the Getty in Los Angeles.

I spent part of the day signing the "index" books that each student has to record coursework with final marks. These little books look like passports with extra pages, something I've never seen before as a way of tracking courses. I left all my student records with my department chair, just in case any questions come up in the future. I understand that the University is installing an on-line system for entering grades, something we have now at Cal State and love for the convenience for meeting this traditional responsibility.

I made a quick stop at the Fulbright office this morning to drop off my final report and say good-bye and especially "thank you" to the wonderful staff. I also had a delightful meeting with a vice-dean and my department head to share some of my experiences and impressions of teaching at the University. Very busy day!

I am now seriously busy with final packing and especially shipping. It looks like it will take four Slovenská Pošta boxes for all the things I need to ship back to California. Thank goodness the main post office is open seven days a week!

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Telephone booths

Last fall, the Slovak Spectator reported that the Slovak government requires all mobile phone providers to install telephone booths. The providers object that almost nobody uses telephone booths anymore. It appears that all of my students and colleagues, as well as most of the people I see on the streets of Bratislava, do have their own mobile phones (as they are called here, not "cell phones," as we say in the U.S.).

I decided to start paying attention to telephone booths. After almost five months here, I have never seen anyone in central Europe using one. But I did notice that they add an interesting design element to the city streets and started collecting photos. Here's a sampling.

T-Mobile Slovakia has saturation advertising all over Bratislava. Here they are installing their mandatory phone booths outside a branch office of the post office.

Clunkier ones are under the New Bridge by a major bus transfer point in Bratislava.

It's hard to miss the bold colors on phone booths in Budapest.

Nobody uses phone booths in Salzburg either, but here are two in the tourist area, just in case.

This airy design is on a shopping street in Vienna.

Prague has rather boring phone booths. It's a good thing nobody seems to need them there either.

Perhaps the mandatory phone booths don't make sense, as the providers contend. At least Europe had the good sense to adopt a uniform signal system (GMS) for all mobile phone providers. The U.S. ended up with two incompatible systems, depending on which provider you select. My Sprint phone doesn't work in Europe; fortunately my T-Mobile Dash does.

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Luxury cars

The Czech-made car Škoda has the largest share of the overall car market in Slovakia, with 20% of the market and everybody else in single digits, according to the Slovak Spectator. According to my utterly unscientific observations in Bratislava, the most popular luxury car is Mercedes, both private vehicles and taxis, which seem to favor the smaller C-class car.

Plenty of BMWs and Audi luxury cars can be seen in Bratislava, too. These Audis are parked permanently in front of the Radisson, to whisk away guests of this 5-star hotel.

In the priority reserved parking at the Ministry for the Environment, Audi and BMW seem to be favored. This very elegant building is in a prime location at the edge of Old Town, a block from the Danube. Too bad that nobody is setting a good example with an ultra-small gas-saving car here.

Mercedes has an all-purpose store next to the German Embassy, with Mercedes jackets, souvenirs, motorcycles, and a cafe and sushi bar. I took this in October, when it was still warm enough to sit outside. (I noticed a store like this in Vienna, too, but didn't get a picture.)

I have seen some advertising for Lexus, but don't remember ever seeing one on the streets here. And if anybody here drives the famous American luxury cars (Cadillac, Lincoln), I have never seen one.

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Veilings and Unveilings

One building in the U.S. embassy complex has been under wraps in recent months for some restoration work.

The coverings came off a few days ago and it looks very spiffy, with what appears to be a fresh paint job.

Here's what it has looked like in recent months while the work was underway. These construction drapes are a very familiar site in Old Town, with so many older buildings being restored.

I went out for a walk today in between marking final exams. Some interesting blue-and-gold curtains, red carpets, and kleig lights are being installed at the historic Opera House. A production of Dvorak's opera Rusalka premieres here on Monday, so perhaps that's what it's about. At least, I assume those curtains are temporary!

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Tupperware

American brands are so common here, I'm not surprised anymore to see them. But Tupperware has a special niche in U.S. pop culture. After WWII, when women were urged to go home and pursue traditional families, Tupperware parties in the home became a popular way to earn a little extra money.

Here's a Tupperware truck I spotted last fall. I don't know if they use the house-party model here, but it is apparently still a world-wide brand, judging from the company's web site. As usual, the Slovaks favor small, energy-efficient vans.

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Hidden treasures

It's raining and cold today, but I walked up to the Main Square to see if I could get some pictures inside the Jesuit Church I visited briefly on New Year's Day. Unfortunately, it was locked up tight.

So I walked up a few doors to the north to the Franciscan Church, dating to the late 13th century, the oldest church in the city. It has seen many additions and alterations over the centuries and was used for parts of the coronation ceremony of Hungarian royalty once held in Bratislava. The exterior doors were open, but the interior was so dark none of my pictures came out.

Tucked into a corner in front of the church is this monument, with fresh tulips. The weather-beaten engraving is almost illegible, but I did find the date 1745. I often see fresh flowers in front of statues and memorials around this city. Somebody cares!

As I was heading back down to Billa's, I spotted this painted wall on a narrow little side street, Biela. No signs explain what this is. It appears that the blue paint has been carefully removed to reveal the drawings underneath, which seem quite old, and work remains to be done.

That bronze plaque on Biela, in Slovak and English, was another surprise. This building was the home for most of his youth of the great sculptor Arthur Fleischmann, who was born in Bratislava in 1896. As an adult, he travelled extensively and studied art and medicine in Budapest and Vienna, finally settling in London. For more on Fleischmann:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/dom.fleischmann/index.html

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More statues

A nice pedestrian park along the Danube has three interesting monuments. I have ridden by them many times on the tram and took a few minutes yesterday to get a close-up look at them.

Here's the park, often filled with people of all ages out for a walk. It's on the edge of Old Town, just south of the Philharmonic Concert Hall and the Slovak National Gallery. I took this looking to the east.

This one, at the far end of the park, commemorates October 18, 1918, the date of the establishment of the First Republic of Czechoslovakia after the First World War. This was the first time it had existed as an independent nation-state and it lasted two decades until Nazism intruded. The plaque at the base of the monument is only in Slovak. The building to the right is the Slovak National Museum.

This large engraved stone by the river is just a few yards from the monument above. The engraving, in Slovak and Russian, notes the liberation of Bratislava from the Nazis by the Soviet Red Army on April 4, 1945.

This one is the most mysterious, surrounded by trees in the center of that little park. The inscription on the statue itself, in Slovak, with no date or attribution, translates roughly to "After the battle, freedom does not die." A newer marble plaque, also in Slovak, has been added to the base, but the only word I can translate is "liberty/freedom". I don't know enough about military uniforms or paraphernalia to identify the soldiers.

UPDATE: 10 January: Today I asked a student with almost flawless English to take a look at the other shots I have of that mystery statue to help me with the translation. She would translate the one on the statue as "He who dies in a fight for freedom does not die." We also blew up the picture I have of the marble plaque and it translates to: "For heroic Bulgarian partisans who died for our freedom." Please also see the comment below from Erich about the Bulgrians who fought at the Slovak National Uprising (against the Nazis) in 1944.

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Bike Path

Bratislava and Prague are not bicycle-friendly, in the way that Vienna, Salzburg, and Budapest are. But Bratislava does have a very welcoming bicycle path along the north side of the Danube that I need to mention.

Today it's in the high 30s (Fahrenheit, obviously), sunny and clear, so it seemed like a nice time for a quick walk around the neighborhood. This is the sign marking the start of the path. The bridge in the background is the New Bridge built by the Communists. That railing on the lower edge is the pedestrian sidewalk on the bridge, which seems to get a lot of use.

Here's the path headed west on the Danube. A path for runners and walkers is marked out separately. To the right just out of view is the Bratislava Castle on the hill.

If you head north from that bicycle sign, you enter the Pedestrian Zone of Old Town, but the path seems to end just on the other side of this building, by St. Martin's Cathedral.

And wouldn't you just know it. . . while I was looking for the end of the bike path, I discovered yet another museum I have not yet had time to visit. This is Bibiana, the International House of Art for Children, established in 1987, two years before the fall of Communism.

Here's their web site: http://www.bibiana.sk/uvod_e.htm

To the side of the Museum is a Bibiania poster. It appears that the children have decorated the overpass with colorful paintings that are a refreshing change from the all-too-familiar graffiti. In the background in the right is the lower part of the hill for Bratislava Castle.

The most intriguing thing about Bibiana is a plaque in Slovak and English commemorating the deportation of thousands of Hungarian children in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was posted in 1998 by the Ministry of Culture.

My students have educated me about the long history of tensions between Slovaks and Hungarians. Many blame current nationalistic politicians for pouring salt in those ancient wounds, and they praise those politicians who are trying to pursue healing.

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