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. . .

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.