Fulbright in Bratislava

Fulbright grantees for 2011-2012

2011-09-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Slovak Fulbright Commission has announced the 2011-2012 Fulbrighters:

http://www.uspages.fulbright.sk/data/Grantees_2011_-_2012_web.pdf

Congratulations to all. I'm sure you will have an extraordinary experience this year.

Fulbright Grantees for 2010-11

2010-08-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Slovak Fulbright Commission has just announced the grantees for the coming academic year:
http://www.fulbright.sk/documents/FulbrightGrantees2010-2011_005.pdf

One American professor received an award for research and four for lecturing (the type of Fulbright I had in 2007-08). Eight American recent college graduates received year-long appointments as English Teaching Assistants. (I have been suggesting this program to my students at Cal State.)

Five Slovak professors will come to the US as researchers, affiliated with universities here, as will three Slovak graduate students.

I'm sure everyone will have the experience of a lifetime, and wish them all the best.

The deadline for U.S. scholars to apply for a Fulbright for 2011-12 has just passed. The next deadline is August 1, 2011, for the 2012-2013 academic year. Complete information is here: http://www.cies.org/

I'm not eligible to apply again until five years after my first Fulbright, but I am seriously thinking of pursuing the Senior Specialist program as soon as I am eligible again.

New book on Slovakia

2010-08-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Let me put in a plug for a new book: Slovakia On the Road to Independence, by Paul Hacker. I found it a fascinating history of the pre- and post-Communist history of the country, by a career U.S. diplomat who knows the country very well. He asked me for pictures I had taken of the Bratislava U.S. Embassy, and I am very pleased that one appears on p. 81 of the book.

Here's a link to the publisher's page at Penn State University Press
http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-03623-6.html

This is the cover image of the book.

Golden Europe

2008-08-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

I visited the Golden Europe Restaurant in Arvada, Colorado, while in Denver to see family this week. It's owned and operated by a family who emigrated from Prague decades ago and is very popular with the Central/Eastern European community here. My students in Bratislava last fall were surprised to hear there is a large immigrant community from the former Czechoslovakia in this western American city. My sister's electrician emigrated from Bratislava in the 1960s and returns to visit every year or so.

Here is the neatly tended restaurant on 6620 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003 [(303) 425-1246]. Arvada is a suburb on the western side of Denver.

The interior features the traditional lace curtains so familiar in Bratislava, along with decorative beer steins and color photographs of central Europe. That's my sister Janet, who kindly drove me over to the restaurant.

The menu features dishes familiar in the Czech and Slovak Republics, Poland, Austria, and Germany -- schnitzel, bratwurst, cabbage roll, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and dumplings, with chicken, duck, pork, and beef. I had a fabulous apple struddle (strudla in Slovak), with layers of flaky pastry and a whipped cream topping. My only disappointment was the American-style coffee - pale, watery, tasteless. They didn't serve any of the fabulous lattes, cappuccinos, or espressos that I so enjoyed in Europe.

Here I am on this very hot, dry August day in Denver, by the welcome sign at the side entrance to the restaurant.

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

Slovak Embassy

2008-08-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

I am in Washington, DC for a meeting, so I thought it would be interesting to see what the Slovak Embassy looks like here. It is located on International Court, a neighborhood in Northwest Washington with several other embassies (Austria, Egypt, Pakistan, etc.).

Here is the building at 3523 International Court NW, looking to the north.

Here's another view of the building, looking to the south.

Here is the setting of the Embassy at the end of a nicely landscaped cul de sac. The Austrian Embassy is out of view to the left.

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

2008-09 Fulbrighters

2008-07-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

The 2008-09 Fulbrighters have just been announced on the web site of the Slovak Fulbright Commission: http://www.fulbright.sk/list.htm

I'm sure that all of us who have had the privilege of being Fulbrighters to the Slovak Republic in earlier years would be delighted to answer questions and help in any way we can as they prepare for this very exciting appointment.

I met some of the Slovak students and faculty who will be spending the next year in the U.S. as Fulbrighters, and it is a very distinguished group.

Congratulations to everybody and best wishes for a successful year abroad!

Slovak publication

2008-07-01T22:38:00.001-07:00

I have just received a copy of a new publication in Slovak, which includes a translation into Slovak of my essay, “Governmental determinations of aesthetic value”: "Urcovanie estetickej hodnoty vládou,” Filozoficko-Estetické Reflexie Posthistorickeho Umenia, Studia Aesthetica X., Prešovská Univerzita (2008), 49-54.

It was translated into Slovak by Erich Mistrík, my department head last fall at Comenius University. I am very grateful to him for translating my work and sending me a copy of the publication.

I just mailed copies to the Fulbright offices in Bratislava and Washington, D.C. They encourage us to pursue follow-up activities after our Fulbright experiences, and I think they will be pleased to see this.

Shared Seminar

2008-06-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

In spring 2009, I will be teaching a seminar for our students pursuing a Master's degree in philosophy on "Mill's On Liberty," and I hope to include some of my Slovak students electronically in some of our discussions.

Here's John Stuart Mill, whose 1859 book On Liberty, has been enormously influential in shaping our thinking on free speech in the U.S.

In Bratislava, I taught a course I called "Free Speech in Contemporary Democracies," in which we studied On Liberty and examined several contemporary free speech controversies, including Nazi speech, hate speech, pornography, and the Internet. For the seminar next year, I hope to include several of my Slovak students electronically in some of the discussion of those contemporary issues. At a minimum, we can communicate by e-mail, but I'm also looking at ways to enroll my Slovak students as guests in "Beachboard" (our CSULB web-based classroom) so we can try real-time chatrooms and other discussions.

I will be contacting Slovak students and faculty colleagues this fall about participating in the class. I'd be happy to hear from people before then as well.

Review: Slovak National Ballet

2008-05-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

My review of the 2007 fall season of the Slovak National Ballet was just published in [Washington] Dance View 25:2 (Spring 2008), 25-29. I'm mailing copies to the company's press office, as well as several other friends in Bratislava. It's only available in print, not on-line.

The Ballet's Press Office kindly sent a wide selection of marvelous photos, and four were printed with my review. I'm posting one here that was not used with the review.

This is Adrian Ducin in the role of James in La Sylphide. He's a very promising young soloist I singled out for discussion in the review.

I hope my review encourages some American visitors to central Europe to make the trip to Bratislava to see the company.

UPDATE-7/18/2008: I scanned the print review into a PDF file for my summer class, and posted it here: http://www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/Slovak_review.pdf

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

Next year

2008-04-08T08:45:00.001-07:00

About one year ago, the 2007-08 U.S. Fulbrighters were notified that they had been selected to go to the Slovak Republic. Among the helpful information we received was a detailed "chain letter" which originated with the 2005 "class" of Fulbrighters, updated by each succeeding class. It was chock full of helpful information about living and working in Slovakia.

This year's "class" is working on an updated letter we will send out to the 2008-09 class as soon as your names are announced. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any of us now if you have questions. Here's a list of the 2007-08 class: http://www.fulbright.sk/list.htm

More follow-up

2008-04-08T08:37:00.001-07:00

The Faculty Center for Professional Development on my home campus is holding a "Lunch and Learn: Fulbright Information Session" on Tuesday, April 22, from 11:30-1:30 at the Anatol Center at CSU Long Beach. I'll be one of several panelists of former CSULB Fulbrighters encouraging more faculty to apply and giving them our perspectives on the experience. For more information, check the center column on their web site: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/personnel/fcpd/

August 1, 2008, is the deadline for faculty applying for Fulbright awards for 2009-2010. Here is their web site: http://www.cies.org/

Follow-up

2008-03-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

The Fulbright Commission asks us to share our experiences when we return home, and I have been very happy to do that. I have warned friends and family that my five months in Bratislava was a major life experience - and I expect to be talking about it for the rest of my life. I also love showing people some of the thousands of digital photographs I took.

My home College of Liberal Arts at CSULB posted some of my pictures from my stay in Bratislava: http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cla/
http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cla/people/news/index.html#Vcamp

I gave a talk at the Women's Business Council luncheon meeting of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce on February 21, 2008.

I also gave a talk for the CSULB International Education program on February 27, 2008. The publicity photo they distributed on campus included one of my favorite photographs, the view from my flat. I'm also using that photo as the new background on my laptop, which means that my CSULB students see it at every class when I get set up to show PowerPoint.

I submitted a lengthy review of the fall 2007 season of the Slovak National Ballet for publication later this spring in [Washington] DanceView. They sent me oodles of great press photos. Here's one of my favorites, the "Dancing Marilyn's" from their new ballet Warhol.

Now I'm working on more essays and articles about my experiences and will announce those later as they are completed.

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

Trip home

2008-01-23T09:50:00.001-08:00

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!!

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

Vienna airport

2008-01-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

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!

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

My flat

2008-01-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

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.

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

Last lunch

2008-01-20T04:16:00.001-08:00

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.

Last minute

2008-01-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

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!

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

Final marks

2008-01-17T11:53:00.001-08:00

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!

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

Telephone booths

2008-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

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.

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

Luxury cars

2008-01-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

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.

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

Veilings and Unveilings

2008-01-12T06:43:00.001-08:00

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!

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

Tupperware

2008-01-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

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.

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

Hidden treasures

2008-01-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

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

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

More statues

2008-01-09T02:54:00.000-08:00

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.

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

Bike Path

2008-01-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

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.

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

Colleague in Cyprus

2008-01-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

My colleague at CSU Long Beach, Nancy Sheley, a professor of English, leaves in a few days for six months teaching in Cyprus on a Fulbright Lecturing Award, the same type of grant I have. My students and friends at CSULB might want to bookmark her blog and see how things go.

http://www.sheleycyprus.blogspot.com/

We have traded some e-mail about our experiences, and I reassured her that she is about to have the experience of a lifetime. Bon Voyage!

Countdown

2008-01-07T23:30:00.001-08:00

I've been swamped marking papers from all my students this past week, so I've been on a blogging hiatus. This week I'm giving their final exams, so I have another grading marathon ahead. I fly home in two weeks, and it's going to be hectic finishing everything, packing, and shipping things I have accumulated that won't fit into my suitcases. The only bright spot in the collapse of the dollar is that I have not gone on any shopping sprees here. But I have collected many precious souvenirs, books, and papers that I want to get back to the U.S. Alas, I have a long list of places I have not yet visited in Bratislava, but I will squeeze in what I can.

I did see something fascinating while walking back from Billa's a few days ago. The "tow trucks" here are actually cranes that can lift a car out of any spot, swing it high above the others, and lower it onto the truck to be taken away. Maybe they have tow trucks like that in the U.S., but I've never noticed one.

I'm paying close attention to the U.S. primary elections - easy, thanks to videostreaming on the Internet, along with CNN-International, etc. A few months ago one of my students here asked me the correct pronunciation of someone that he had been reading about on the Internet: "Obama" -- accent on the second syllable, I said. My student was really impressed with him. Is it significant that university students in central Europe are excited by his candidacy?

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

New Year's Day

2008-01-01T04:17:00.000-08:00

The temperature is a few degrees above freezing today, so the ice and snow are melting off - a nice day for a walk.

The booths on the plaza are finally being disassembled. Most importantly, the portable toilets have been removed, a sure sign that the holidays are really over.

Over on Main Square, the last of the booths and stage are being cleared away. I don't know where they stashed all the benches that used to be here, but presumably they'll be brought back soon.

I thought this might be a good opportunity to look inside the Jesuit Church on Main Square, which dates to the mid-17th century. (It's in the center of the pictue above.) Big mistake! The place was packed for a New Year's Day Mass. Just inside those massive doors is a sign in four languages requesting that visitors not sightsee during the services. It has a gorgeous interior, so I'll have to go back when it's not busy.

I also saw something on Main Square that I had not noticed before. This marks the location of the Town Guardhouse, which stood here from 1767-1860. On the backside is a modern water fountain for visitors, something you rarely see in this part of the world. The building in the background is the Japanese embassy.

While I was Googling to find out more about the Jesuit Church, I learned something interesting about the Maximilian Fountain in Main Square, viz., that it dates to 1572 (two centuries before the Declaration of Independence in the U.S.!) and is the oldest preserved fountain in Bratislava. I took this shot on Christmas Eve. The blue panels are temporary protection from the winter elements.

As for the rest of my day, I discovered that KTLA, a local Los Angeles television station, will show the Rose Parade in Pasadena on video streaming, starting at 10 a.m. PST. All the comforts of home, halfway around the world! That's the channel that rebroadcasts the Parade all day long, without commercials, so you can catch it whenever you wake up.

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

New Year's Eve

2007-12-31T00:14:00.000-08:00

"PartySlava" is the slogan to attract visitors to the New Year's Eve celebrations in the center of Old Town. For the last few days, I have noticed an unusual number of tour groups walking around Old Town, especially many groups of college-age students. I don't know if they are here for New Year's celebrations or just the usual stop-over on their way to/from Prague-Vienna-Budapest.

The crowds in the early evening included lots of young families. Unlike Times Square, it was possible for ordinary people to walk around and enjoy the sights. This is a shot of the food stands re-opened after the Christmas market, with the Opera House in the background.

Hviezdoslavovo námestie is the location of a large band shell erected yesterday for concerts this evening. Another has gone up over on the adjoining Main Square. Different musical groups took turns performing all evening. Here's a short clip of some very young children performing Slovak folk songs with a lot of help from some older musicians.

Here's another video clip of the plaza, this one taken from the front entrance to the historic Opera House. That music in the background is a Mexican mariachi band taking its turn on the stage. It did not have quite the authenticity I hear in southern California, but heh, it's cold here!

For my New Year's Eve excitement, I saw a program of five short new contemporary ballets, Bolero and more, at the Historic Opera House. It was a festive evening, with free champagne at the intermission and even door prizes. After the intermission, the new company director "choreographed" a brief ballet for the audience to perform while seated, filled with arm-waving, thigh-slapping, and clapping. What a hoot for the cultural elite in evening finery. The Ballet's web site for the new ballets, with photos, is here: http://www.snd.sk/?ballet&predstavenie=bolero-a-viac

Here's my shot of the final curtain calls from Bolero, which uses a chess-game motif.

After the ballet, I heard another band in a rousing rendition (in English) of the Village People's "Y.M.C.A.," but I didn't get my camera out in time to record it. I gather that fireworks were set off over the Danube at midnight, but I didn't have the stamina to brave the crowds and the cold, so I settled for hearing them.

Happy New Year, everybody!

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

Popolvár

2007-12-29T20:14:00.000-08:00

I made one last visit today to the new national theater to see the 5:00 p.m. performance of another children's ballet. Popolvár is a two-act work based on a Slovak fairy tale, incorporating pop music and dance with classical ballet idioms. I continue to be impressed with this company's success at introducing very young audiences to classical ballet, with a mix of athletic moves, fast-paced stories, and lavish production values.

I was surrounded by three generations of families, including very young children, who screamed with delight at the broadly drawn characterizations of Slovak peasants, royalty, banshees, and a dancing chicken who stole the show. I saw some empty seats in the balcony, but not many. My ticket in the second row center of the balcony cost only 100 SKK (about $4.00), with the print program another 40 SKK (about $1.60).

No photos during the performance, of course, but this photo array was in the lobby.

Throughout the lobby, understated Christmas trees were still on display - very classy, highlighted against the marble floors and walls everywhere in this beautiful theater.

Before the performance, I noticed another installation that seemed like a sculptural work of art itself, but without any attribution. This is on the first landing leading up to one of the lobby cafes open before the performance and at intermission, just visible in the background. That orange costume in the top right corner is from a display of historic costumes from the opera and ballet.

For more information on the ballet: http://www.snd.sk/?ballet&predstavenie=popolvar

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

Student dorms

2007-12-28T05:02:00.000-08:00

I took a city bus out today to take a look at the student dormitory complex, housing 30,000 University students. These were built in the 1960s by the Communists. The dorms are in an area of Bratislava known as Karlova Ves, west of Old Town.

The high-rises visible here are just a few of the maze of buildings in the housing complex. It's a small city in itself, with a nightclub on the right and two bus lines that wisk students into town for classes. The drinking age here is 18.

A row of small shops catering to students is opposite the bus stops.

Just to the south of the dorms is one of the city's largest cemeteries, Slávičie údolie, which translates roughly to Nightingale Valley. Here, two flower sellers are set up on the sidewalk and seemed to be doing a brisk business today.

I see teams of street-sweepers everywhere in this city. Here's a group this morning cleaning up the access road to the dorms. The cemetery is to the right.

At the eastern end of the access road to the dorms is the headquarters of Slovak National Television. This unremarkable high-rise is reportedly the tallest building in Slovakia, at 108 meters. Nowadays, the two channels show things like "National Treasure" dubbed into Slovak.

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

White Christmas

2007-12-25T02:34:00.000-08:00

It snowed for a couple of hours on Christmas Eve, so we're having a white Christmas.

This is a view of the north side of Hviezdoslavovo námestie, looking west, with St. Martin's Cathedral in the center. It's below freezing, so the snow did not melt overnight.

This looks to the east. The guards are on duty at the entrance to the U.S. Embassy, as always. Otherwise, the place is mostly deserted, except for a few dog-walkers. I woke up this morning to the clanging of the trash collection truck emptying the bins at my apartment building. That was a surprise. In my city in California, the trash collectors would definitely have a holiday on Christmas Day.

I found a live broadcast of a Slovak Christmas mass on TV this morning, but my attempt to tape bits of it failed miserably. It's cold outside, well below freezing. The fact that everybody kept their coats on during the service was not encouraging. I grew up in a cold climate, but after two decades in California, I've become a complete pansy. I was also surprised to see an ultra-modern church with an electronic keyboard instead of a real pipe organ.

I have been channel-surfing to see what holiday programming looks like here. I get about 50 channels, with several each in Slovak, Czech, Hungarian, German, Polish, French, and even one in Russian. I'm at the point where I can recognize which language I'm not understanding during my surfing! In English, I get CNN-International, BBC-World, EuroNews, EuroSport, and VH1. Several movie channels regularly show American films dubbed into Slovak and other languages. I was pleasantly surprised that Hungarian national TV last night broadcast the complete (British) Royal Ballet's Nutcracker. No dubbing needed for that.

Have a nice holiday, everybody!

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

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a major holiday here, with three days declared as national holidays: December 24, 25, and 26. In the U.S., only December 25 is a national holiday, although many offices close early the day before. According to the government's most recent statistics, the population is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic (68.9%), with atheism second (13%), and all others in the single digits: Protestant (9.1%), Greek-Catholic (4.1%), Jewish (0.04%), unknown (3%).

The Christmas Bazaar officially closed yesterday, so I was curious to see what was left. The performing stages have already been removed, but the booths are still there. One hold-out on Hviezdoslavovo námestie was still open selling food.

The Bazaar on Main Square was completely closed down - just some families, dog-owners, and tourists out for walks.

The Delikateso on Main Square was open today, and quite busy. Almost all the other restaurants and cafes in town are closed today. McDonald's is closed today and tomorrow, re-opening December 26. The main restaurants at the Radisson and the Hotel Danube (the luxury hotel by the German Embassy) are open for the duration.

Almost all the stores are closed, too - no last-minute shopping marathons of the kind familiar in the U.S. The jeweler just south of Main Square is open today for last-minute gifts, if your shopping list includes Rolex.

The jeweler is in the pale green building that workers were scrambling to finish back on November 23, the day before the Bazaar opened. The restoration is beautiful, although understated - no contrasting colors on the decorative trim, e.g.

I didn't make it to Tesco today, but judging from all the people carring Tesco bags, it seems to be open. I did see a few interesting things there yesterday. Outdoor tubs filled with live fish drew a line of buyers.

Live fish also were being sold yesterday from a huge vat on Main Square. I've seen live lobsters sold in the U.S. in stores, but never live fish, certainly not from such huge vats. "Kapor" on his sign translates to "carp," a fish considered a delicacy in central Europe and even China. Midwesterners never eat carp, for reasons I won't explain on a public blog.

Tesco sells live Christmas trees, but Slovaks seem more interested in assembling their own decorations from evergreen boughs and other items. This was outside Tesco yesterday.

In the Now-I've-Seen-Everything category, three American Indians were outside Tesco yesterday, playing what I would characterize as New Age. And talk about coincidences! "Cherokee" on that sign overhead advertises the clothing line carried by Tesco.

I recorded a brief clip of the music. It bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Indian music I heard as a child at the annual Pow-Wows in Blackhawk State Park. Different tribe, I guess.

I had planned to sample the holiday music at all the churches here, either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. When I have mentioned this idea to colleagues, I've been warned that the churches are so jammed that some people stand outside to hear the service. With daytime highs in the 20s, I might rethink that idea. Fortunately, Slovak television broadcasts all the services live tonight and tomorrow.

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

Religious freedom

2007-12-22T08:56:00.000-08:00

Some of my students asked me how celebrations of Christmas compared with what I was seeing in Bratislava. I noted that the U.S. has plenty of green and red Christmas decorations, but we also see a lot of blue and silver recognizing Hanukkah, especially in larger cities and stores.

I have seen this mix of Christmas and Hanukkah colors in only one place here, the Radisson SAS Carlton Hotel, on the left, just east of the U.S. Embassy.

Menorahs can be seen in the windows of the Radisson's main restaurant, suggesting that the blue lights in front were not just an accidental decorating choice.

As part of an international hotel chain, it's understandable that the Radisson would demonstrate such religious open-mindedness. But there is a delicious historical footnote here. On March 25, 1988, Communists officials watched from the windows of this very hotel, then called The Carlton, at what is known as the "Candle Demonstration."

This peaceful demonstration for religious freedom is recognized as the first anti-Communist protest leading up to the fall of Communism in late 1989. Estimates vary, but anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 demonstrators filled Hviezdoslavovo námestie in front of the hotel. The Slovak secret police tried to block entrance into the square, used water cannons to try to disperse the crowd, and arrested 100 organizers, anti-Communist dissident Catholics. The demonstration had been publicized on Radio Free Europe and the Voice of America.

A large engraved rock on the ground here commemorates the demonstration. It is in front of the Church of Notre Dame just east of the hotel.

Here's a better view of the Church, which includes a monastery and dates to the mid-18th century. That tall statue on the right is yet another example of the dizzying layers of history here. The inscription, in Slovak, says it is a tribute to the Soviet Army for liberating a grateful Bratislava.

Here is a clearer view of the Soviet statue. I could not find any inscription with date or attribution at the site. I wonder why this hasn't been moved to a less prominent location.

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

Ministry of Education

2007-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Slovak Ministry of Education has just posted a new English-language web site about some of their programs.
http://www.minedu.sk/index.php?lang=en

I am very pleased that I was able to play a modest role in its development. Earlier this fall, staff at the Ministry asked the Fulbright Commission staff if they could recruit a native English speaker to copy-edit their draft materials so it would read well in English. I was delighted to help, and it looks like they made most of the changes I suggested.

Several Slovak universities have developed English-language curricula to attract international students. You can learn more about those under "Study in English" on the right side of the site.

Train stations

2007-12-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

I saw two more Austrian train stations on my trip from Bratislava to Salzburg. After arriving from Bratislava at the Vienna Sudbanhof (South Station) , I took a regional train west to the Hütteldorf station on the western side of Vienna to pick up the train west to Salzburg. A ticket inspector came through the regional train on the return trip, the first time I've encountered one in the Vienna public transportation system.

Hütteldorf is a charming little station, with just a few tracks. The beautiful interior is impeccably maintained. The escalator goes up, but you have to use the stairs to go down. Fortunately, the station is so small, my train left from a platform on street level adjacent to the terminal, so I didn't need them.

As with all the Austrian train stations, there is an outdoor smoking area on the platform, with bi-lingual signs. Smoking is prohibited completely at the Bratislava and Prague stations, even on the platforms. All trains are completely non-smoking now, although a few outdated signs for smoking sections have yet to be removed.

At the Salzburg station most tracks have easy access at street level. That escalater goes up, while stairs are for going down, but I didn't need either. Burger King is at the station, while McDonald's has an outlet on the main shopping street in Salzburg.

The tourist information office at the Salzburg station will sell you a travel pass or a Salzburg Card so you can take a city bus into town. The Salzburg card is valid for unlimited public transportation, as well as free admission to most of the tourist attractions, and I recommend it highly. This office takes credit cards, and the clerks speak English. The city buses are right outside the station, and several lines go straight into town. Couldn't be easier.

Tourist tip: My favorite web site for figuring out train schedules is the English-language site of the German rail system. The rail schedules for all the European train systems are in their database, and it's very easy to use. The prices they quote are actually higher than I paid at the ticket counter; perhaps they are adding a service charge for buying tickets from the site. Click "timetable-tickets" in the upper-left to use their search capabilities:

http://www.bahn.de/p/view/international/englisch/trains/trains_ice.shtml

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

Painted buildings

2007-12-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Many buildings in Salzburg sport exterior paintings and murals, but they lack the nuanced detail and sophistication one sees in Prague.

This building is on one of the shopping streets west of the river.

This decoration in three-dimensional relief is over a store near Mozart's birthplace.

This painting is over a church side building near Festival Hall.

This archway leads to a courtyward on the west side of the river.

Here's one more on the archway over the street.

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

War memorials

2007-12-20T06:23:00.000-08:00

I saw two very unusual war memorials in Salzburg. Austria, of course, was on the losing side of both world wars in the twentieth century, so perhaps they are not eager to be reminded of that part of their history. In the first, they fought to defend the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with their allies in Germany. In the second, Austria fought with Nazi Germany.

This contemporary memorial is on the eastern end of the Mirabell Palace grounds. A single plaque quite a distance from the monument says in German that it commemorates 250 victims of "euthanasia" in 1941 in Salzburg. This was apparently one of several sites where Hitler had ordered the use of carbon monoxide to exterminate undesireables in hospitals. The only inscriptions on the memorial are the dates 1941 and 1991.

One of the strangest exhibits in the Rainer Museum up at the Hohensalzburg Fortress is devoted to the soldiers from Salzburg who fought in WWI. This is the poster explaining it.

All of the signage in this exhibit was strictly in German, unlike the other signs at the fortress, which were in German, English, and Italian. I wondered if the museum directors did not want international visitors to learn too much about their role in that war. The exhibit takes up several large rooms in the museum, showing uniforms, documents, and other artifacts.

One room was dedicated to a large plaque naming the Salzburg soldiers who died in that war, with wreaths and candles.

This exhibit reminded me of the Confederate Cemeteries in the U.S. The families appropriately want to mourn the dead, but this was the wrong side of the war. It also seemed peculiar to place this exhibit at the Fortress, so popular with international visitors. I saw no mention of WWII in Salzburg.

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

Sound of Music

2007-12-19T20:30:00.001-08:00

Another huge attraction, at least for American tourists, is The Sound of Music, the 1965 Rodgers and Hammerstein film shot on location in Salzburg and neighboring areas. Reportedly, the Austrians didn't know about the film for a long time and were puzzled at the interest of tourists. They know now and reminders are everywhere. In my hotel room, one channel is devoted to round-the-clock showings of the movie. It's fun to watch for locations you have visited during the day.

You can pick up a list of film location shots at the city's tourist information office on Mozartplatz, complete with the bus routes you need to reach some of them. Commercial sightseeing tours are also available.

This is Residenzplatz, just west of Mozartplatz, filled with booths for the Christmas Market. The Residenz building in the center is the one used in the film to hang the Nazi flag and show a parade of Nazis marching on the diagonal across the square, taking over control of the city.

The fountain in the center of Residenzplatz is covered for protection in the winter and Christmas trees are for sale here. Maria splashed in this fountain in the film on her way out to the Captain’s villa for the first time.

This is the Horse Pond, built at the end of the 17th century to provide a watering place for the Archbishop’s riding stables. Maria and the children dance in front of this in the scene singing "My Favorite Things." This is in the northern area of the city west of the river.

The gardens at Mirabell Palace, on the east side of the river, were the location of some of the "Do-Re-Mi" scenes. Of course, the film was shot in the summer.

At the far western end of the Mirabell Gardens are statues the children mimicked in that scene.

The final concert was shot at Festival Hall, carved out of the side of the mountain below the Fortress. I could not see the inside, as there was a private party when I visited. This is the south side of the Hall where the Nazi commander races up in his car to make sure the Von Trapps do not escape.

You then see the Nazi car stop at this set of stone steps leading into the Hall.

The film has many beautiful aerial shots of the city. I climbed an outdoor flight of steps behind Festival Hall to take this, looking to the south at a view familiar from the film. The Cathedral is in the center, with the Franciscan Church to the left.

Even though this city seems to have a church, cathedral, or abbey on every block, the church used to film the wedding scene is in the little town of Mondsee, which I was not able to visit. Leopoldskron Castle, which was used as the back of the Von Trapp villa, is a bus ride south of the city. The gazebo in several important scenes used to be located there, but it was moved to a park south of the city by Hellbrunn Palace.

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

Hohensalzburg Fortress

2007-12-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

High above the hill on the west side of Salzburg is Hohensalzburg Fortress, the most distinctive landmark in pictures of the city. This location was occupied as early as 700 A.D., with construction of the current Fortress commencing in the fifteenth century.

You can see the Fortress from everywhere in the city. I took this from the east side of the Staatsbrücke Bridge in the center of town. The towers to the right are the Cathedral on Domplatz.

To visit, you take a cablecar to the top, a short fast ride with a spectacular view. An historic railroad up that mountain dates back to the late nineteenth century and you wonder what travel was like in the centuries before that. Here is a shot of the cablecar tracks with the Fortress at the top. I took this in the courtyard outside St. Peter's Abbey.

The fortress is a huge, rambling complex of buildings, a self-contained city. Here's a view of just some of the complex, looking to the southwest.

The views are incredible from all directions. You can see why this was a good place from which to defend the city from foreign invaders.

Another Christmas Market is set up in the area between the buildings, but it is only open on weekends.

The Archbishop of Salzburg lived well here. This ornate furnace is in what used to be his apartment. Informational signs throughout are in German, English, and Italian.

Kohler it's not, but at least the plumbing was indoors.

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

Mozart City

2007-12-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

Salzburg is justifiably famous as the birthplace and principal residence of Mozart, and tourist attractions are everywhere you turn here.

Mozart’s birthplace is on the west side of the Salzer River that runs through town. It’s the yellow building, centrally located on Getreidegasse, the main shopping street.

Here's a view of the entrance, with the museum's cafe next door. This is a large, impressive house. Mozart was obviously not born in poverty.

No pictures were allowed inside, but it underwent a very strange renovation in 2004 by the American artist Robert Wilson. It does have lots of historic objects under glass, including the 1/2 size violin he learned to play, and a piano he played. But Wilson has created exhibits in several rooms that are jarring. E.g., inspired by Mozart's statement that he wanted to turn music "upside-down," Wilson created an upside-down room. The floor is speckled blue to represent the sky. The ceiling has a sculptured relief of the city of Salzburg hanging upside-down. On the walls are beautiful framed drawings of historic buildings -- all hung upside-down. Okay. We get it.

Mozart’s residence for many years is on the opposite side of the river. Much of it was destroyed in 1944 in Allied bombings, but it has been reconstructed and is filled with historic documents, scores, and pianos Mozart played. It also has an interactive map showing Mozart’s travels around Europe, and a film, with music and audio sets in a range of languages.

Here’s a store selling the famous Mozart candy MozartKugeln, by Mirabell, sold in just about every location with a cash register in Salzburg. You can actually buy this all over central Europe. The ingredients statement on the back of the box is in nine languages. It's delicious, by the way -- chocolates filled with praline paste and marzipan.

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

Salzburg

2007-12-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

I am visiting Salzburg, Austria, for a few days. I had originally thought this would make an interesting visit during Christmas week, but the hotel rates soar then, so I’m here early. The place is jammed with holiday shoppers, but I didn't hear many English-speakers, so perhaps these are locals and visitors from nearby places.

This is the Salzach River that cuts through town, with plenty to see on both sides. It’s cold here (in the 20s). Snow is on the ground and visible on all the mountains that surround the city, but it’s clear and sunny, and the scenery is quite beautiful.

Salzburg has two world-famous attractions. It was the home of Mozart and the city extolls him at every opportunity year-round, not just at the famous summer festival. The other big attraction, at least for Americans, is the classic Rogers and Hammerstein film The Sound of Music, which was shot on location here and in neighboring areas. I'll do separate entries on those.

This city celebrates Christmas -- no PC here, no "Season's Greetings," no "Happy Holidays." Bill O'Reilly and Mike Huckabee would love it. The city is filled with stores like this one, "Christmas in Salzburg."

The outdoor Christmas markets popular in central Europe are jammed into every square available. Austrians take their dogs everywhere. I saw some in the subway passageways in Vienna. A woman with her dog walked into a restaurant where I was having lunch, although they didn't stay. But I also noticed that they are conscientious in cleaning up after them.

A performance artist, dressed in green as the Statue of Liberty, was in one of the Christmas market areas. He would slowly bow whenever someone gave him a donation.

A skating rink is in constant use outside the Salzburg Museum by Mozartplatz. It was brisk for outdoor skating, but this is a country that produces an inordinate number of world-class skiers, so I suppose they are used to the cold.

Salzburg is as bicycle-friendly as Vienna. Separate lanes for pedestrians and bicycles are marked throughout the city, and bike racks are in use all over town, even in this cold. Here, bike racks outside Mirabell Palace are covered for protection from the elements.

Philosopher Friederich Schiller is honored here, as he is in Vienna. This statue is by one of the buildings of the University of Salzburg.

The University has several buildings in the middle of town. This one is across from Festival Hall where the Mozart concerts are held. The University traces its origins to 1622, but it was closed down for centuries. It re-opened in 1964.

Salzburg is an easy train ride from Bratislava. First I took the one-hour shuttle from Bratislava to Vienna. It’s then a picturesque three-hour ride west to Salzburg through snow-covered villages and mountains, with trains leaving almost every hour. The round-trip first-class fare was only $96, far less than half what RailEurope charges. I have never bothered with seat reservations, although I suppose they might be useful during the busiest holiday season.

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

Children's ballet

2007-12-17T21:43:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I attended a matinee for children at the historic Opera House by the Slovak National Ballet, Snow White and the 7 Racers. The place was packed, including very young children, from about 3-10 years of age. And there seemed to be just as many young boys as young girls, as I had noticed at Swan Lake earlier this month.

Pictures are not allowed during the performance, but I took this as people were packing up to leave.

I don’t know if anyone has studied the sociology of attracting talented young boys, as well as girls, to study ballet. But this ballet seemed tailor-made to send a very positive message at a young age. The cast included only two females. The real stars were the male soloists playing the seven racer/dwarves, athlete-artists in the best sense. They jumped on trampolines, raced around the theater aisles on tiny bicycles, turned cartwheels – all interspersed with athletic dance moves, leaps, and turns. After absorbing this, nobody could grow up thinking dancers are sissies, as they too often do in the U.S.

I had a lot more fun at this ballet than the standard Nutcracker staged over the holidays. This company does have that ballet in its repertory and is performing it in China next week, but not in Bratislava.

For more photos of the program, here is the link to the Ballet company’s site for this ballet:
http://www.snd.sk/?ballet&predstavenie=snehulienka-a-sedem-pretekarov&termin=476

High school teachers

2007-12-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

I went out to the Slovak Fulbright offices Friday to participate on the interviewing team for the High School Teacher Exchange program. Teachers in the U.S. and another country literally trade jobs and even apartments for one year. This year two U.S. teachers are spending the year in Slovakia.

This is the building at Levická 3 housing the Fulbright offices and several other educational organizations. The flags in front are the Slovak and the European Union flags. There's a lift to their offices on the third floor.

We learned that this high school program is being discontinued after the 2008-09 exchange. Instead, shorter exchanges of six weeks for high school teachers will be instituted. That seems to have the advantage of making it easier for more people to participate. A year is a long time, especially with complicated professional and personal obligations for so many.

But it also struck some of us that six weeks is not a very long time. You still feel like a tourist. With exchanges of at least a semester, as we have enjoyed, you get more of a sense of what it is like to live in these other countries – finding an apartment, figuring out the transportation system, learning where to shop and how to solve emergencies. We also have the luxury of getting to know colleagues and students well enough to discuss in depth wide-ranging issues, from the differences in educational systems to the perceptions we have of each other’s countries.

I had the privilege this fall of participating on three interview teams, with other Fulbrighters, representatives of the U.S. Embassy and Slovak educational groups, and Fulbright staff: the programs for Slovak students, Slovak academics, and now Slovak high school teachers. I have learned more about the subtleties important in making these selections, and I look forward to advising colleagues on my home campus in California on their own Fulbright applications in the future.

For more information about the Fulbright program in the U.S.: http://www.cies.org/

Holiday parties

2007-12-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

I went to three holiday parties yesterday. First, my department (Ethics and Civic Education) had an extended meeting with all sorts of treats, especially pastries, along with wine, champagne, and brandy. (I'm going to miss those pastries when I return to the U.S.!)

We then went over to a lovely dinner party with faculty from other departments in the Šoltésovej cafeteria. The menu featured a delicious, traditional Christmas soup, Kapustnica, with smoked pork, sauerkraut, and plenty of spices. Dessert was two types of strudle, with coffee. Here's a view of the room before dinner started.

Here's a shot of most of my colleagues, taken by someone else. Yes, that's me at the end of the table with the gray jacket. Standing behind me is Erich Mistrik, the department head.

Before dinner, we were treated to a marvelous concert by music majors - a trumpet solo, string trio, and several vocalists. Songs were sung in English, ranging from Frank Sinatra's "Something Stupid" to Henry Mancini's "Moon River." It never ceases to amaze me how much American pop culture has permeated central Europe.

For the finale, a wonderful a cappella choir offered Christmas carols in English, German, and Slovak. They sang the first stanza of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" in English and I recorded the second stanza in Slovak. The lighting is poor, but here's a sample of the great sound.

We then went over to a student-organized party at the huge dormitory complex west of the Old Town area of the city. About 30,000 students from the University live in a maze of high-rise dorms built by the Communists in the 1960s. The students in my department started this annual tradition in 1990 when the department was formed, the "Ethical Dragon," a ceremony to welcome first-year students and congratulate third-year students for completing the program. I took a lot of pictures, but the lighting was so low, they are all quite blurred, alas. I'll have to visit the dorms in the daylight and get some pictures of the buildings.

An academic quiz was conducted, along with drawings for prizes. Each and every faculty member was introduced individually (including me). I was impressed at what seemed the genuine respect and admiration of the large gathering of students for the faculty.

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

Favorites

2007-12-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

I have now visited "The Big Three - and a Half" - Vienna, Prague, and Budapest have become a very popular holiday for Americans, with a quick stop in Bratislava for at least some. Here are my verdicts on some things important to tourists.

Best train station: No clear winners here, but some are better than others.

Bratislava: Although the station is rather dreary, signage and station announcements are in Slovak, English, and German, a huge help for befuddled visitors. Clerks speak English and take credit cards. My only complaint is the necessity of dragging luggage up and down stairs to reach the platforms. It's possible to go outside and cross the tracks on a sidewalk to avoid the steps, but you don't figure that out until it's too late, and it's dicey with six busy sets of tracks.

Vienna: Those escalators are a welcome site at the South Station when you get off your train. Information counters with English-speaking clerks are on the lower level, but I was sent out of my way to a subway stop when the D tram outside the station would have gotten me to my destination much more easily.

Budapest: All signage and announcements are only in Hungarian, not a language many non-Hungarians understand. You can decipher the sign of platform listings and international symbols help with some things, but I'm surprised this city is not more tourist-friendly, for EU visitors, if not Americans. I also was disappointed that the station management allowed all those taxi drivers to pounce on passengers getting off the train. Here's a picture of the Budapest station taken as I was departing.

Prague: Ramps for the disabled (and your luggage) are appreciated. But the pickpocket/scam problem is the worst here. One of the younger Fulbrighters here to teach English in the schools was picked clean of wallet and passport in September in the Prague station, even though she was a seasoned traveler taking reasonable precautions.

Best public transportation: All have excellent networks of trams and busses, and all but Bratislava have good subway systems. But some cities run them better than others.

Vienna: The clear winner. The system has several tourist-friendly lines for sightseeing. The #1/#2 trams make complete loops around the inner ring, a great sightseeing option. They also have three wonderful mini-bus lines (1A, 2A, 3A) which crawl through the central sights, clearly designed for tourists, not commuters. They take credit cards at the stations for passes and one-trip tickets. They also will give you a very readable free map, with the subway system on one side and the trams on the other, for the central city. For 1.5 Euros, you can buy an extremely detailed map of the entire system for the metropolitan area.

Budapest: The clear loser. You must have Hungarian currency to buy passes and tickets, a real problem for international visitors just arriving in town. You cannot even buy your own map for the tram/bus system, let alone get a free one. The signage and announcements are only in Hungarian. It is often difficult to figure out which direction to take on the subways, given the cryptic signage in many stations.

Bratislava: Honorable mention for the most polite riders anywhere. Younger riders routinely stand to offer their seats to older riders, male or female. I never saw that anywhere else. You can buy a pass at transit offices with a credit card. The maps of the system are free, but not easy to decipher until you are familiar with the street lay-out.

Best Christmas Bazaar: These are very popular in central Europe and all the cities have them.

Bratislava: I liked this market the best. It is less commercial, with lots of crafts and a variety of foods. With locations in two adjoining squares, it is large without being overwhelming.

Vienna: This was the most disappointing. Too many stands (especially at the Old City Hall) seemed like little more than mass-produced junk available in any souvenir store.

Most tourist friendly: There is plenty to see and do in all four cities, although Bratislava is one-third the size of the others and not really on the tourist map yet.

Bratislava: Perhaps because it is trying harder, it is very tourist-friendly. Signage is typically in English, along with Slovak. English-speakers are easy to find when you need help. And Slovaks seem genuinely delighted to welcome you to their city and help you with questions.

Least tourist friendly:

Budapest: I could find English-speakers to help in stores, hotels, and restaurants, but I was surprised at the near-absence of dual-language signs anywhere to help. I've already noted the problems with the public transportation system. The city is definitely worth a visit, with so much history, museums, and beautiful architecture. But I did not leave wishing I could stay a bit longer, as I did with Vienna and Prague.

I would be interested in the perceptions of others who have visited several of these cities. Comments welcome!

Slovaks and Hungarians

2007-12-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

In two of my classes here this fall, we have looked at diversity issues -- especially national origin, race, gender, and religion. I have learned a great deal about the two major challenges in Slovakia -- the Roma ("gypsies"), an issue across central Europe, and the Hungarians.

I can understand the latter intellectually when I look at the long history of Hungarian rule over the Slovaks and the numerous disputes over national borders and property which continue to this day. Some 50,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Slovakia, especially south of Bratislava. The simmering tensions between the governments of these countries, both admitted to the EU in 2004, are regularly covered in the Slovak Spectator, the weekly English-language newspaper I read cover-to-cover to understand local issues.

I got a reminder of the visceral tensions between these two countries in Budapest when I noticed this poster for a temporary exhibit at the House of Terror on "Hungarian Fate in Czechoslovakia." The subtitle at the top reads "Banished from Home-Hungarian Tragedy-1947."

One faction in Slovakia urges that these tensions be addressed and that they not be exacerbated for short-term political gain. But this is not the Balkans or northern Ireland. As one politician quoted in the Spectator said: "We might spit on each other, but we won't shoot at each other."

As a U.S. citizen, I don't pretend to understand the intensity of these ancient tensions, and I certainly don't presume to give anybody advice on what should be done. I was heartened, though, in one of my classes to hear some students argue that the younger generation does not share the intensity of anger of their parents and grandparents, and I hope that is true.

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

House of Terror

2007-12-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

One must-see site in Budapest is the House of Terror, once the location of the Nazi secret police and then the Communist secret police.

It is located at Andrássy út 60, the street that is home to such elegance and sophistication nearby. It's impossible to miss, with those huge black borders, just north of the Oktagon and a stop for the #4/6 trams and the gold-line subway.

All along the building outside are small photos of the heroes of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the Communists, with a plaque "They died for you" in Hungarian and English and several bouquets and wreaths.

The extremely heavy doors are difficult to pull open and the ominous mood of this building with the chilling history strikes you immediately. Admission is 1000 HUF (about $5.00), but it's free if you have an "International Teacher Identity Card" (ITIC), which I had obtained at the recommendation of the Fulbright Commission.

Pictures were not allowed inside. The first thing you see is an old Soviet tank in the middle of the first floor, floating in a smelly oily substance, surrounded by several floors of offices looking down on this center area. Staff send you to the top floor by elevator, where high-tech displays show the encroachment of the Nazis on a map of Europe and historic film footage showing first the occupation of the Nazis and then the Communists. As you work your way down through the levels of the building, you are led through displays of artifacts from the Jews sent to their deaths by the Nazis, the uniforms of the Hungarian Nazis and then the Communists, and more historic footage.

You walk through rooms for interrogation and torture, with tools of the trade on display. Another room shows the listening devices used to spy on citizens. Offices of the staff and the head of the secret service for both regimes are on view with their original furniture. Each room has a hand-out explaining the exhibit in both Hungarian and English.

For the final stage of the tour, you enter a glass elevator for the descent into the basement cells. But the elevator goes at a snail's pace and a film of a survivor on a flat-screen TV describes the process of execution and torture used in the building (with English subtitles). The cells in the smelly, dark basement are crude, small, and terrifying. The room where people were hung by kicking out a stool under the noose is on view there too.

As you head for the exit, you are greeted by film in color from June 1991 showing the Soviet troops happily packing up their equipment on trains for their peaceful departure from Hungary. But that's not the final stop for the exhibit. One more room has a rogue's gallery of what they call the "victimizers," with the photos, names, and dates of birth and (sometimes) death of the people who carried out their crimes against humanity in this building -- some of whom seem to still be living.

This was the most emotionally draining exhibit I have seen in a long time. I understood that it is surrounded by political controversy, with right-wing politicians accused of short-changing the displays on the Nazis. A new Holocaust Museum opened a few years ago in Budapest, reportedly in response to this criticism.

I could not help but wonder what future generations will think of waterboarding, wiretapping U.S. citizens without warrants, and the belittling of the Geneva Conventions -- and whose pictures might be hanging on a future rogue's gallery of Victimizers.

The cafeteria favored by the secret police who worked here is just down the street at Andrássy út 70, now a chic espresso bar called Lukács Cukrászda. A cafe has operated there since 1912 and the Baroque decor is beautiful. But I was relieved when they said they do not accept credit cards, as it gave me a good excuse to leave the land of torturers and find a more welcoming environment.

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

Layers of history

2007-12-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

This fall I have been learning about the layers of history in this region, not just in books, but in the physical presence of buildings, streets, museums, monuments, and parks. Just in the last century they have lived politically with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, two World Wars, Nazism, Communism, and now the European Union.

Today I went over to the Roosevelt Terrace on the east side of the Danube. I have discovered several streets and parks this fall named in honor of Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt for their role in ending those wars. "Roosevelt Ter." is on the street signs, but I could not find any plaques to explain the name. The square has plenty of statues, but none of American heroes. It's understandable that the Communists would not want to praise the Americans, and apparently, once Communism fell, this must have seemed like old history.

I tracked down one more Art Nouveau building by Lechner, this one for the Hungarian Institute of Geology on Stefánia út northeast of the tourist area. Lechner is the Hungarian architect who designed several buildings in Bratislava a century ago. The Slovaks and Hungarians have a very complicated history politically (more about that later), but his buildings are quite extraordinary.

The beautiful Hungarian Opera House was funded by the emperor Franz Joseph in the late 19th century. It is located on Andrássy út, an elegant tree-lined broad boulevard that looks like Park Avenue, with the classy shops, restaurants, and apartment buildings of Fifth Avenue. Today workmen were taking down those ridiculous red wrappings. I thought they were Christmas decorations, but apparently they were promoting the opera Elektra, which they just performed.

No ballets to see this week, and I missed the guided tour of the theater. But I did get a few pictures inside the intricately detailed lobby.

I also stopped at the Cafe Callas immediately adjacent to the Opera House and named after Maria you-know-who. I had a big green salad, cappuccino, and goulash -- what else. Authentic goulash is a very spicy soup, not the stew-like mix Americans call "goulash."

The interior of the cafe is beautiful, too. The dinner entrées are pricey, but it's very reasonable for lunch or early supper.

I had planned to stop for coffee at the Eckermann Cafe, just north of the Opera House in the Goethe Institute. It's recommended in the tourist books as an example of Bohemian atmosphere, but it apparently just closed down.

The most powerful history I visited today was just a few blocks north of the Opera House -- the House of Terror, location of the old secret police of the Nazis and then the Communists, but I'll do a separate entry on that.

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

Rainy day

2007-12-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

It's rainy and in the high 30s in Budapest today, but I bundled up to take a look at some sites of special interest.

This is the Museum of Applied Arts designed by the Hungarian Art Nouveau architect Ödön Lechner. He designed Bratislava's Blue Church and a few other buildings there over a century ago. This is on Üllői út, just north of a stop on the #4/6 tram line.

Lechner designed this Post Office Savings Bank in 1901. It's located at Freedom Square, east of the U.S. Embassy. Between renovation on the ground level, traffic, trees, and rain, it was difficult to get a good shot, but you can get a sense of the intricate design here.

Another striking landmark is this Jewish Synagogue, the largest in Europe, designed in the mid-19th century by Ludwig Förster. Reportedly, it seats 6000 people. It's located just north of the National Museum, on Károly körút.

I also visited the Christmas Markets to see how they compared with those in Bratislava and Vienna. This is the biggest and nicest, located at Vörösmarty ter., at the north end of the pedestrian shopping area. The crafts and food were Hungarian, but the idea was essentially the same. Even on a chilly, rainy day, plenty of people were visiting. That huge modern building on the left houses the New Yorker clothing chain on the ground level and offices upstairs.

Those temporary Christmas booths are shoehorned into every available open space around the city, especially subway stops. This one is on a little side street just south of the Oktagon.

I found a post office opposite the National Museum to mail some postcards. As in Prague and Bratislava, they only take local currency, but they do provide currency exchange that is reliable and fair. (The Austrian post office takes credit cards.)

I didn't stop for coffee at the California Coffee Company on the west side of the Museum, and couldn't tell from the menu in front what was Californian about it.

I also didn't stop at any of the underground WC's, which are everywhere in this city for the truly desperate. I do see a lot of homeless street people here carrying around shopping bags, and I wonder if they use these as "apartments," as they do in Santa Monica. I'll let somebody else find out the answer to that question.

As for that National Museum, it was a huge disappointment. It was designed by Pollack, who designed the glorious Pest Concert Hall I saw yesterday. This seemed just a very pedestrian, unimaginative neoclassical monument.

Before I found the Museum, I saw this beautiful building on a side street to its southwest and thought this must have been designed by him. Unfortunately, I could not find any information about this at all.

In between all of this trooping around, I took another spin on the #6 tram -- a great way to rest your feet and absorb more of the city out of the rain. No ticket inspectors on the trams today, but teams of inspectors were waiting at almost every subway exit.

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

Embassy in Budapest

2007-12-09T12:59:00.001-08:00

I've been interested in the security at U.S. Embassies. As a Fulbrighter, we received an e-mail this fall with security alerts from the U.S. State Department. Nothing was surprising, but it seemed concerned about terrorist threats at embassies around the world. The Bratislava Embassy is surrounded by heavy fences, barriers to stop truck bombers, and plenty of guards roaming the grounds.

The Embassy in Budapest is located on a lovely park-like square, Szabadság tér ("Freedom Square") and looks perfectly normal from a distance. It's the pale yellow buiding on the left.

Closer up, you notice sturdy blue pillars of the sort they use to stop truck bombers surrounding the entire building and grounds. At least it's an attractive, discrete form of security.

Just to the south of the Embassy is a statue of a U.S. General from World War I, Harry Hill Bandholtz. I had never heard of him either. With a little Googling help, I discovered that he was a hero to the Hungarians after the war for stopping the Romanians from looting the National Museum in Budapest. After the Communists came to power here after World War II, the statue was removed from the park for "repairs." Forty years later, after the fall of Communism, it was returned to its original location here.

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

Public transport

2007-12-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

Budapest has a good public transportation system, with three subway lines, trams, and buses, but I did get some unpleasant surprises.

For starters, yesterday I expected to head from the train to the adjacent subway station and buy a pass for several days, as I had done in Prague and Vienna. Surprise: they don't take any credit cards or Euros - you must have Hungarian currency. The tourist books have convinced me not to trust taxis, mystery ATMs, or change bureaus in this part of the world. Fortunately, I had studied maps of the city to plan my visit, so I decided to head in the direction of the hotel and look for a bank where I could either trade Euros for Hungarian money or trust the ATM. Alas, as it was Saturday, I didn't find any that were open and ended up just walking to the hotel. It's a good thing I have learned to travel very light!

On the bright side, Budapest has several tram lines which provide great introductory tours of the city. This is the #19 tram, which runs north-south on the west side of the Danube. I also rode the length of the #2 tram, which runs north-south on the east side of the river.

The larger, more modern trams on lines #4 and #6 make a loop around most of the city and I saw a lot of the area that way today. Here's one at the Oktagon stop. They don't make a complete circle, as the #1 and #2 do in Vienna, but you can turn around and come back to your starting point or you can connect with the other trams or the subway.

It's easy to find a subway map in guidebooks and tourist maps. Detailed maps showing the tram lines are posted at all the stops and in the subway stations, but they are not available at the transit ticket offices, even for sale. I marked up some of my maps with tram lines, but it would be nice if I could buy one of their maps.

The subways are very far underground. Here's a typical escalator -- amazingly long and also amazingly fast. These things really fly, and you need to make a quick exit at the end so you don't block the way for the people behind you.

The prices are very reasonable. A 3-day pass costs 3100 HUF (about $18) and a 7-day pass costs 3600 HUF (about $20). Don't even THINK about travelling without a valid pass or ticket. I had to show mine today to inspectors three times -- once on the #19 tram, once as I left a subway stop, and once as I entered another one. In over three months in Bratislava, I've only encountered one inspector. In Prague and Vienna, none. If the Budapest inspectors catch you without a valid pass or ticket, you have to pay an immediate fine of 7500 HUF (about $43).

Here's one bright spot for those who are so inclined: Budapest is as bicycle-friendly as Vienna, with separate bike lanes on all the busy streets. I took this on the west side of the river, by the Batthyány tér subway stop.

Let me mention another thing to watch out for at the train station. Budapest is the last stop on this Eurocity line, and I noticed a lot of people on the platform as we were pulling in. At first, I assumed they were getting ready to board for the return trip, but nobody seemed to have any luggage. These were taxi drivers, waiting to pounce at every door opening on the train, offering to carry your language and take you in their taxi. Hang on tight to everything you own and just keep moving. I haven't encountered that in other train stations, although the tourist books are full of warnings about pickpockets and scam artists in the train stations throughout Europe.

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

Budapest

2007-12-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

With my lecturing finished at the University, I am visiting nearby Budapest for a few days. It's south of Bratislava on the Danube, an easy two-hour train ride. I even got two new stamps in my passport, one from the Slovak border agent and another from the Hungarian, a first.

This is the National Gallery in the Palace complex on the Buda (west) side of the Danube, taken on this very foggy day. With major historic buildings on both sides of the river, it evokes Prague, although that's a different river.

This is the Pest Concert Hall, one of the most beautiful buildings I saw today. Designed by Mihály Pollack, it traces to the mid-19th century. The mix of historic architectural styles in Budapest is strikingly similar to Bratislava, no surprise since some of the same architects worked in both cities and, indeed, since Bratislava (then called Pressburg) was the capital of Hungary for a couple of centuries.

I spotted just one building with an exterior painting, of the kind so common in Prague. This one (in the middle) faces a major construction site by Szabadság híd (Freedom Bridge), where the new fourth subway line is under construction.

On the other side of the street is Corvinus University of Budapest, in an architectural style I never see in Bratislava.

Budapest has a bustling pedestrian-only shopping area in the middle of town, just like Vienna, Prague, and Bratislava. This is Váci utca, running north and south, a couple of blocks east of the river.

On Régi Posta utca, a little side street off that shopping street, McDonald's has gone up-scale with McCafe, serving high-end pastries and great coffees in china cups. This was Budapest's first McDonald's, opening in 1988.

I've gotten used to seeing American pop culture absorbed everywhere here, but I did a double-take at the "MTV" sign on this historic building on "Freedom Square" -- until I realized that was short for Magyar Televízió (Hungarian TV).

These huge photographs of Los Angeles and Times Square in a Burger King by the Oktagon are not uncommon in central Europe.

Travel tip of the day: My round-trip first-class ticket on the very nice EuroCity train was 902 SKK (about $37). I bought it at the Bratislava train station an hour before I left. The clerks speak English and they take credit cards. The RailEurope web site, for the identical trains on the same days, charged $64 for round-trip second-class and $94 for round-trip first class. I am not making this up. I'm seeing a lot of on-line articles with tips for how Americans can cut costs on European holidays, given the collapse of the dollar. Here's another: wait until you get here to buy your train tickets.

This blog entry has gotten very long, so I'll do separate ones for some other things that caught my attention today.

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

Last lecture

2007-12-07T12:48:00.001-08:00

I presented my last lecture class today in Bratislava, a one-time seminar presentation for 10 doctoral students on aesthetic theory in the U.S. in the 20th century, focussing on key figures from John Dewey to Monroe Beardsley to Arthur Danto.

I'm feeling a little sentimental today as I reflect on the past few months. Teaching here has been an extraordinary experience for me. I shall always be grateful for the patience, helpfulness, and graciousness of my students and colleagues. I have learned so much from them and hope I have conveyed some worthwhile insights in my teaching.

I will miss these funky old buildings with fascinating histories. I taught my aesthetics classes here, in a century-old building, once a Slovak orphanage. Not exactly hi-tech, but that orange plug on the wall in front was all I needed for my plug adaptor, laptop, and mini-projector to show PowerPoint on that white wall. Notice how clean that blackboard is. A cleaning woman visits every classroom after every class to clean the blackboard, empty trash, and pick up litter. At my California campus, we consider ourselves lucky to get cleaning services once a week.

I will miss the surprises everywhere I turn, like the poster of Lenin on that middle balcony on the back of an apartment facing the classroom building. It's illegal here to publicly display a swastika (a topic we discussed in my class on "Free Speech in Contemporary Democracies"), but Lenin is still censor-free. And notice the double windows I shot this from -- the standard here in all the buildings and my flat, with a good 6" between the two sets of windows -- something I'd never seen before.

I will really, really, really miss the great coffee from this machine in the hallway. A nice frothy cappuccino costs only 10 SKK ($0.40). At the end of the hall is the door to my aesthetics classroom.

I will not miss this staircase. Elegant and historic, yes, but no fun in a building with no lifts and my classrooms one or two floors up from street level. The main thing I dreaded about teaching days was lugging my computer case up and down these stairs.

My students and I still have a lot of work to do to complete the term. All of them had to write papers, which were due yesterday. My goal is to have all of them graded, with comments, no later than their final exams, which are the week of January 7. The grade is based on their ideas, but I also correct their English to help them improve -- although my grade is not based on their English proficiency, as I constantly reassure them. I will spend the week of January 14 marking the finals and meeting with my department head to turn in my records and final course grades. I fly back to the U.S. January 22; that gives me a few days to recover from the 9-hour time difference before classes start at Cal State January 28.

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Swan Lake

2007-12-07T01:16:00.000-08:00

I saw Swan Lake last night at the new Slovak National Theatre. Every seat was filled. I love Swan Lake as much as the next person, but this was a stunning contrast with the half-empty house two nights earlier for Warhol.

Pictures were not allowed during the performance, but flashbulbs went off like crazy during the final curtain call, so I sneaked a shot, too. You can see the huge stage and orchestra pit, as well as the very effective set for the final scene by the lake.

A photo montage in the lobby gives a sense of the production. The lead role of Odette-Odile was danced by Alexandra Timoffeva with extraordinary technique and an other-wordly shimmering presence worthy of the bravas she received all evening. The production values throughout (sets, lighting, costumes) were first-class. The all-important corps of swans was impressive, although a few of the second-tier soloists were not ready for prime-time.

Here is my view from the fourth row center of the balcony. It doesn't get much better -- especially for a ticket that cost only 200 SKK (about $8). I was impressed to see so many young people, both boys and girls, sitting in the balcony. I would expect to see groups of young girls at an American performance of Swan Lake, but I would be shocked to see so many young boys.

I posted several photos of the theatre interior a couple of days ago. Here's a shot of the night-lit exterior entrance. Smokers are outside, as this is a no-smoking building, even in the cafe/bar areas.

Serious balletomanes will share my surprise that this company performs the Soviet ending (in which the Prince defeats Rothbart in the here-and-now) instead of the traditional Russian ending (in which the Prince and Swan commit suicide by diving into the lake to escape their torment here in an afterlife together). But I understand from recent published reviews that even the Kirov Ballet from St. Petersburg still performs the Soviet ending. Some things inherited from the Communists are apparently worth keeping.

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Warhol-mania

2007-12-05T01:02:00.001-08:00

Artist Andy Warhol's parents emigrated to the U.S. in 1913 from Miková in eastern Slovakia, so he is something of a national hero here. Last night at the new national theatre, I saw an ambitious full-evening ballet Warhol, choreographed by Mário Radačovský, the new company director.

Photos were not allowed during the performance, but this photo montage in the lobby gives you a sense of the contemporary flavor of the life of Warhol depicted in the ballet.

Giant soup cans in the lobby also captured a sense of Warhol's art and played a role later in the performance.

This huge "television" screen was visible as we entered the theatre and again during the intermission. Here it shows a film of Warhol sleeping, one of his more notorious works, with the role of Warhol in this film played by the dancer who took the role that night.

I was surprised at the poor attendance. When I tried to enter the balcony, the usher said we should all go downstairs to the orchestra level for seating; that was still about 1/3 empty when we were all seated. I was unable to get tickets to their productions of the 19th-century classics La Bayadere and Sleeping Beauty, and my ticket for Swan Lake tomorrow night was one of the last available. Slovaks revere Warhol, but don't seem as comfortable with contemporary, experimental ballets.

Last September, I shot this statue of Warhol holding court outside a restaurant in the pedestrian zone of Old Town.

This poster in my faculty office here publicized a major retrospective of his work.

I should avoid playing pop-psychologist, but I wonder if Slovaks might appreciate the fact of his celebrity more than the content of his artistic innovations. Or perhaps his innovations in visual art have not yet permeated the performing arts audiences. I'm writing a lengthy essay for another publication about this ballet season, so I won't go into critical detail on the ballet here. Suffice it to say that it was a worthy and ambitious effort -- sometimes too ambitious -- to portray highlights of Warhol's complicated life through dance.

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New theatre again

2007-12-05T00:18:00.000-08:00

I went to the ballet Warhol at the new national theatre last night and saw the interior of the theatre complex for the first time. It opened just last April after 21 years of funding and construction delays. It is magnificant -- elegant, welcoming, and very classy.

This is the main entrance lobby, gleaming with marble, glass, and understated greenery. There are three theatres in the complex: one for Drama, with 635 seats; one for Opera and Ballet, with 901 seats; and a Studio with 149 seats.

Here's a view of one of the staircases leading up to bar/cafe areas and seating outside the theatres, with skylights overhead.

I took this on the promenade outside the balcony level, looking down onto the main lobby.

This marble installation in the main lobby is elegantly presented as a work of art in itself, but I couldn't find any attribution for the artist.

The seating design gives almost everybody great sightlines, with ample space between rows. With only 901 seats, this is a small house, compared to the Opera House at the Kennedy Center, e.g., which seats almost 2000 and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, which seats almost 3000.

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Soviet square

2007-12-04T06:10:00.000-08:00

Soviet Square was promptly renamed Floriánske námestie after the fall of Communism in 1989 in Bratislava. Blumentálska is the street on the right of the church.

It is a decidedly unimpressive small park surrounded by traffic and tram lines. This was an odd location in the first place, given that Blumentálsky Church from the 19th century is standing guard at the north side and given the Soviet hostility toward organized religion.

An old statue (or possibly a fountain) is being restored behind this commercial facade. This work has been underway for many months, and there is no indication when it will be finished.

Here's a peek under that commercial veil at the restoration work. I couldn't spot any identifiers or attributions, so I don't know its story.

I understand this had been the site of a mass grave for Red Army soldiers who died in 1945 defeating the Nazis, until they were moved to the Slavin monument in 1960. This Slovak-language marker, slightly askew from its base, is the only remnant of that history.

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Soviet realism

2007-12-04T05:20:00.000-08:00

An annonymous comment alerted me to the Mladá Garda ("young guard") student dormitory complex north of Old Town as an example of Soviet realist architecture from the 1950s. Today I took a tram north to Račianska 103 to take a look.

The main building has some interesting dark red decorative paintings and trim. The row of spikes along the roofline has a peculiar charm, too.

This is a very large complex, with the red decorative trim repeated on the dorm buildings. Green space and evergreen trees give it a nice park-like feel, although the graffiti everywhere is oppressive.

I found just one statue, a young female at the front entrance, but I could not find any attribution or date on it.

The McDonald's across the street must come in handy for all these students. Presumably, this was a post-Communist addition.

The complex is quite far north of the tourist area, but the tram stop right in front makes it convenient for students on tight budgets. The site advertises hostel rooms as cheap as $16/night for a single. http://www.mladagarda.info/uk.htm

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War monument

2007-12-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

In October I wondered about the extent to which Vienna had acknowledged and learned from its Nazi past. Yesterday I visited an impressive public commemoration just west of the Sacher Hotel and across from the Albertina Museum.

This was built in 1988 on the site of an apartment building bombed by the Allies. It's a powerful monument, with compelling representations. I don't know why this took over four decades after the end of WWII -- better late than never.

On the north side is this chilling human form crouched on the pavement, covered with barbed wire. It represents the humiliation Austrian Jews endured at the hands of the Nazis when they were forced to scrub anti-Nazi slogans off the streets with toothbrushes.

At the side, the story of the monument is told in three languages (English, German, Italian). This is the English sign, which you can read by clicking the image full-size. I was interested in the repeated tributes to innocent civilians in Austria, along with the victims of the Holocaust. I wonder about the extent to which Austrians, like the Germans, have pondered the issue of whether ordinary citizens were unwitting victims of Nazism -- or tolerant and even enthusiastic supporters.

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Vienna coffeehouses

2007-12-02T06:14:00.000-08:00

Vienna is famous for its coffeehouses, so you would think they'd be magnets drawing me to try each and every one. I didn't have time to get to many, but here are a few of the more famous and also some I particularly liked.

The cafe at the Hotel Sacher is on the right on the corner here. The hotel is famous for its Sacher-Torte, dating back to a secret recipe created here in 1832. The hotel takes up the entire block immediately behind the Opera House, at the lower end of the shopping street Kärtnerstrasse. I was planning to start my day here yesterday, but it wasn't open yet, so I went across the street to Starbucks.

Cafe Central on Herrengasse is recommended in the tourist books. I found it walking over to the Rathaus yesterday and planned to make this my last stop of the day, but I was so tired by then I skipped it.

The Schönbrunn Palace has a wonderful full-service Cafe, where I stopped to have lunch. I was thinking of something with protein (hamburger? soup?), but couldn't resist the apple struddel and cappuccino. The cafe seating includes elegant settees along with the brentwood chairs and the wait staff never seemed to rush anybody wanting to linger.

And here is one of my favorites from my visit in October, the rooftop cafe at the Leopold Museum in the Museums Quarter. The great view and even better food made up for the cheap plastic furniture.

Almost every sit-down cafe in Vienna, Prague, and Bratislava follows the wonderful practice of serving a small glass of mineral water with cappuccino, to wash down the richness. I wish American restaurants would do the same -- but first they'll have to learn how to make a decent cup of coffee.

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Painted buildings

2007-12-02T01:55:00.001-08:00

Since noticing so many detailed paintings on buildings in Prague last month, I've been looking for them elsewhere. I haven't found any in Bratislava, but did spot just one yesterday in Vienna.

This one is on Kärtnerstrasse, the pedestrian shopping street south of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

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

Schönbrunn market

2007-12-01T23:46:00.000-08:00

The Schönbrunn Palace, where the ruling family the Habsburgs used to spend their summers, had a big Christmas market, too. I didn't get to this Palace on my earlier visit, so I took the U4 subway line to its location southwest of central Vienna. The subway was jammed and almost everybody got off at the Palace stop. (I used to spell that "Hapsburgs," but upon checking, that's an Anglicized spelling of the name.)

Tour buses jammed the streets and parking lots around the Palace. I didn't notice any obvious American tour groups. People seemed to be visiting from all over central Europe. This is at the huge parking lot outside the Palace.

Here's the main palace, with the bazaar stalls on the north side.

This bazaar had much smaller, more inviting, less commercial stalls than I saw at the Rathaus in the morning. One nice touch were the white ceramic Schönbrunn mugs that all the stalls used for their mulled wine and other beverages. No need for pony rides here -- that Palace is attraction enough.

This stall had rarely-seen bilingual signs to help English-speaking visitors. Those prices are in Euros. Multiply by 1.5 and you have the approximate cost in dollars. Ouch! English has become the common language in the EU, so it still surprises me that Vienna so rarely uses bilingual signs to help other Europeans (never mind U.S. visitors).

With the balmy weather, visitors could sit outside at this self-service cafe just inside the main entrance. I had my usual cappuccino for 2.3 Euros -- about what I paid for a latte at Starbucks in the morning.

On the walk out, I saw this Santa on a tractor advertising a flea market ("flohmarkt"). So many of us were trying to take his picture, we kept getting into each other's shots, so he kindly pulled off the main road and waved on cue whenever he spotted a camera.

I saw several of these green "no camping" signs in central Vienna in October, the only all-English sign you see here. This one is outside the Palace parking lot, a warning to those pesky English-speaking Winnebago drivers.

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Vienna redux

2007-12-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

After a week of sampling the treats at the Bratislava Christmas Market, I visited Vienna today to compare their Markets. It seems all of Central Europe features these popular outdoor bazaars, with local food specialties and holiday gifts and crafts. With clear, sunny skies and balmy temperatures in the 40s, Vienna was jammed with tourists and shoppers everywhere I went.

The train from Bratislava to Vienna seemed to have a lot of one-day visitors, like me. My round-trip ticket, including a one-day travel pass for Vienna public transportation, cost only 402 SKK (about $16.00).

This is the pedestrian shopping area near St. Stephen's Cathedral in the middle of Vienna. In all the cities I've visited so far, large pedestrian-only shopping areas in the middle of the city are vibrant and alive, just the opposite of so many American cities that have abandoned their city centers in favor of suburban malls.

In the morning, I visited the Christmas Market by the Rathaus (Old City Hall) on the west side of the Inner Ring. It's an easy trip by the D tram from the south train station, where I arrived.

The stands for food and gifts were much larger than those in Bratislava -- but also much more commercial. Many seemed to be selling mass-produced souvenirs available in town. Some also accepted credit cards.

The big attraction here seemed to be the ambitious programs for children. Here's the entrance to the winding sidewalks in the park in front of the Rathaus.

Charming structures along the paths in the park housed puppet shows and other entertainment.

Pony rides, with attendants for every child, were available on the north side of the park.

They even had a train that trundled around all the paths in the park.

More traditional horse carriages are available across the street at Joseph Meinrad Platz.

This blog entry has gotten so long, I'll do separate entries for other things I saw today in Vienna.

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Slavin monument

2007-11-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

The Slavin monument, on the highest hill north of Old Town, is visible from just about everywhere in Bratislava. Today I decided to make the trek to see it up close.

Here is the main monument, with a mausoleum used for official events. The site is a military cemetery built by the Communists in 1960 to honor the 6,845 Soviet Red Army soldiers who died here fighting the Nazis.

Here is the main monument from the west. The names of Slovak cities "liberated" by the Soviets are engraved on the sides. Slovakia had been a separate nation from 1939-45, with a Nazi puppet government. The Communists took control in 1948, leading to a skeptical view of what "liberation" had meant.

At the far west of the site is a Peace Garden, installed at the urging of Alexander Dubček, the Slovak who led Czechoslovakia during the doomed "Prague Spring" in 1968. The signs are in both Slovak and English. It's easy to miss unless you are looking for it.

A map and sign are in several languages, including English. I wonder when that was installed. I understand that the teaching of English was prohibited by the Communists -- but many learned it anyway from television and radio signals they picked up from nearby Austria.

The site has a few rows of named markers, but most soldiers are buried in mass graves. I understand that some had been buried in Soviet Square closer to Old Town, and the remains were moved here when the site opened. As soon as Communism fell in 1989, that square was renamed to Floriánske námestie. This row of snow-covered markers looks to the east and a spectacular view of the city below.

This is the entrance marker with steps up to the site. The signage is entirely in Russian. I understand that the Communists required everybody to study Russian in school, but now hardly anybody admits to knowing it.

Visiting this site takes some effort. A small parking lot by the entrance is available for visitors who drive, but none of the public transportation lines goes near it. I took a tram headed toward the main train station and got off on a busy east-west street, Šancová. From there, I headed west over a pedestrian bridge crossing a busy north-south street, Štefánikova, then south for a block on Križková

From there, I trudged up endless flights of sidewalk steps to the site. It's impossible to get lost -- that monument is visible from everywhere. Here's one flight of steps. I took pictures of each flight, but you get the idea. For the trip back into town, I caught a south-bound bus on Štefánikova.

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Ambassador's residence

2007-11-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

We drove by the residence of the U.S. Ambassador back in September during our sightseeing orientation for the Fulbright program. Today I went back to get some pictures.

This road is the west side exit from the Soviet-built Slavin Memorial, a military cemetery for Soviet soldiers killed defeating the Nazis in Slovakia in 1945. The Ambassador's residence is down the block on the right.

Here's a better view of the residence, with the American flag in front and rounded balconies that remind me of the Truman balcony on the real White House. I knew from our earlier tour that this is heavily guarded with ominous security fences, so I decided not to prowl around too close to the property.

This is the highest elevation in Bratislava. The world's remaining superpowers after World War II knew a good location when they saw it. I took this a little to the east of the residence. The Bratislava Castle is visible in the distance.

Back in September, I said that these narrow winding streets carved into the hillside reminded me of the Hollywood Hills, with those spectacular views of Los Angeles. But there's no snow or ice in the Hollywood Hills! I have seen some evidence of shoveling and plowing after the snow here, but no trace of ice-melting salt or sand to help drivers or pedestrians avoid calamity. I'm glad I'm not doing any driving here -- and I'm sure the other drivers appreciate that, too!

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Foreign affairs

2007-11-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

I've passed by this beautiful building so many times on my way somewhere else that I decided to track down some information on its history.

This is the ceremonial office for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It's located a couple of blocks west of the main train station on a busy street, Pražská. Known as the Palugyay Palace, it was built in neo-Renaissance style in the late 19th century for a wealthy wine merchant and restored in 2000.

There is also a Palugyay House on the Main Square, also from the 19th century, but with a French Baroque style. The wine business must have been good back then. I took this last Friday while it was being decorated with Christmas lights. If you like the smell of chocolate, you'd love the Maximilian Delikateso on the first floor. It has a chocolate "fountain" -- and fabulous coffee of all kinds.

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Police station

2007-11-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

This police station at Račianska 45 caught my attention on my way to the tram stop.

This one has wheelchair access ramps on the right, something I rarely see here.

And more statues, which I seem to see everywhere in this ponderous style . . . . I couldn't find any attributions or dates on these. This is the statue to the left of the main entrance.

This one is to the right of the entrance. I've had some interesting discussions with students about the meaning to them of all these relics from the past. One said that the Communists used to crank out multiples of these statues and install them all over Slovakia, so it's not unusual to see the same things again and again.

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Communist headquarters

2007-11-27T07:07:00.000-08:00

Back in September, I mistakenly went to the Račianska 59 building looking for my office building. It houses the Dean's office for the Faculty of Education at Comenius University, and it had previously been the local headquarters for the Communist party. I went back today to take some pictures.

It's a very ordinary-looking office building from the outside, surrounded by some nice landscaping and green space.

The interior also looks like any typical administrative building at a university -- except for this huge wood-carved statue of patriotic figures in the lobby. I didn't see any attribution to the artist, but you have to think this was installed by the Communists in their day.

The office building is surrounded by acres of high-rise housing. The complex to the north needs some serious attention. Is it a coincidence that all those weather-beaten balconies are red?

The housing immediately to the south appears to be getting a nice facelift. Amazing what a coat of paint will do.

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Opening night

2007-11-23T19:59:00.001-08:00

The first night of the Christmas Bazaar was jammed, with crowds no doubt encouraged by the balmy weather in the high 40s today.

This is the Radisson Hotel and the Christmas tree in front of the Opera House.

Lights and crowds fill Rybárska leading to the Main Square.

A marionette show draws attention outside McDonald's. He welcomes donations in that orange boot.

The tree on Main Square looks enchanted after dark. A musical group was playing Christmas carols on the temporary stage right behind the tree, but I couldn't get anywhere near it.

The stalls sold all sorts of Slovak craft items and what seemed to be great food. But the crowds for the food stalls were so jammed, I decided to skip them tonight, especially as I need time-consuming remedial help ordering from Slovak menus. I'll try again tomorrow during the day. That's the tower for the Old City Hall in the center.

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Final preparations

2007-11-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

I walked through Old Town this morning to look at final preparations for the big month-long Christmas Bazaar, which opens later today.

Workers use a crane to decorate the tree in front of the Opera House on Hviezdoslavovo námestie as a glass-enclosed nativity set is put in place.

Another worker repaired some missing stones in the intricately patterned plaza. The sign behind him announces the music performance schedule from 4-5 pm on weekends for the next month at the "Old Town Christmas Bazaar."

A shopkeeper perches on a ladder to post the menu at his food stand on the Main Square. I noticed signs that many stalls accept Slovak Crowns, Czech Crowns, and Euros, but no signs welcoming credit cards. I decided to cash in another precious Travelers' Cheques in Euros so I had currency for the bazaar. I bought those last summer when the Euro cost $1.33 and thought that was expensive. Today the Euro hit $1.49 -- and I only wish I had bought more of them.

Another crane lifts workers decorating the tree on the Main Square. Another temporary stage has been set up here for musical performances throughout the month. This will be one busy place!

The sheeting just came down from this newly restored building on Rybárska, the little street that connects the Main Square and Hviezdoslavovo namestie, and a crew of painters is doing final touch-up. I hope the scaffolding comes down soon so I can get a good view of the building.

Every detail is ready for the grand opening later today.

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Lost history

2007-11-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

The abandoned buildings here can be as intruiging as the restored ones. On U.S. buildings, you can typically find a cornerstone recording the year in which it completed and something about its history, but I cannot find anything comparable on Bratislava buildings.

I've been fascinated with what appears to be an abandoned hospital on Bezručova and Gajova, just opposite the beautiful Art Nouveau Blue Church. A small sign on one of the doors directing visitors to the Lekaren (pharmacy) makes me think it was a hospital. The plain concrete structure suggests it was built in the 1950s, but perhaps it was earlier.

Especially intriguing about this building are two statues on either side of what was apparently the main entrance. They have a ponderous Soviet Realist feel to me, but both have small plaques saying 1936 -- and the Communists did not take over here until 1948. Is it a coincidence that 1936 was the start of the Spanish Civil War? Were the statues originally located somewhere else and moved here later?

Here is a close-up of the one on the right. The small plaque on this says "R. Ban 1936."

Here is a close-up of the one on the left. The plaque reads "L. Majersky 1936."

Sometimes I see what appears to be an abandoned building, but on closer inspection discover that it is still used for flats or offices. Not this one! Here is the other entrance on the north side of the building. The entire place has broken windows, boarded-up doors, and no evidence of occupancy.

I have googled every which way to try to learn more about this building, and especially those statues. If anybody reading this has some information, shoot me an e-mail or post a comment.

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Unveilings

2007-11-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

The scaffolding and sheeting covering restoration work on three historic buildings in Old Town came down in recent days and the results are magnificant.

This building is on Štúrova, a busy street with several tram lines. It appears that the street level will be shops or restaurants. Perhaps the upper levels will be flats. The sheeting remains on the side street, so it will probably be some time before it is completed, but the work so far is impressive.

The sheeting just came off a restoration project on the pink building between the Czech Embassy (left) and the German Embassy (right). It appears it will be used as an office building, with one of the occupants Holcim, a worldwide cement supplier based in Switzerland.

This building is located on the opposite side of Hviezdoslavovo námestie. It is not yet occupied, so I don't know what is planned, but the restoration is quite beautiful.

Old Town is filled with these on-going restoration projects. I hope I will be able to see progress on a few more before returning to the U.S.

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Christmas bazaar

2007-11-18T04:12:00.000-08:00

This morning I walked up to the 17th Annual Christmas Bazaar, a big charity fund-raising event sponsored by the International Women's Club of Bratislava and the unofficial kick-off of the Christmas season. The event started less than two years after the fall of Communism here.

The Bazaar was held at Stará Tržnica, the "Old Market" building dating to 1910 at the northern edge of Old Town. Normally, this is the site of a modest farmers' market, with fresh produce and flowers. Admission was 100 SKK (about $4.00). The place was absolutely jammed today.

Embassies in Bratislava set up stands selling food and other wares from their countries, with all proceeds going to charity. In the middle left here is the Italian stand. It took a long time, but I eventually worked my way to the counter for a perfect espresso for a mere 20 SKK (about $0.80).

The French were selling fabulous pastries and other goodies at their stand to the left of the Christmas tree here. I had a huge slice of the best bacon quiche of my life here for only 40 SKK (about $1.60).

Staff from the U.S. Embassy were selling quintessential American convenience foods -- Jiffy muffin mix, graham-cracker pre-made pie crusts, pancake mix, etc. No pumpkin pie, alas, even with Thanksgiving next week.

A sign listed the corporate sponsors, a "who's who" of investors in Bratislava in recent years. Many had also donated prizes for the drawings throughout the day.

For most of the event, recorded American Christmas music in English blared from the sound system. One modest improvement for future bazaars might be more international holiday music from the many countries represented, whether recorded or live.

A group from Nitra, a nearby city in Slovakia, wore authentic costumes and sold a wide range of pastries and other goods. Here is a brief clip of their singing of a traditional folk song.

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National holiday

2007-11-17T08:14:00.001-08:00

Today is a national holiday, the Day of the Fight for Freedom and Democracy. November 17, 1939, had been the day of student protests in Prague against the Nazi occupation of what was then Czechoslovakia. Those rallies resulted in the execution of nine of the student organizers, the transport of over 1000 student protestors to concentration camps, and the establishment two years later of International Students Day. Protests to mark the fiftieth anniversary in 1989 are recognized as the final events leading to the fall of Communism.

I wondered if this might be celebrated as something like the Fourth of July independence day celebrations in the U.S., with parades, concerts, and rallies, but my students had warned me not to expect much. Here is a shot today of a deserted Námestie SNP (Slovak National Uprising), site of the rallies in 1989 to celebrate the fall of Communism. Apparently there were more visible celebrations today in Prague. I could not find anything in Bratislava.

One of my students remembers being carried on his father's shoulders to the 1989 celebrations in this square. All my students know of the historical significance of the day. One of my University colleagues told me of attending the peaceful celebrations in this square in 1989, with everyone wondering when the Soviet tanks would roll in and crush the protest, as they had in 1968, but the tanks never appeared. I don't know how to confirm this, but the Slovaks are under the impression that the order to the Soviet troops occupying Bratislava to stand down during those demonstrations came directly from Mikhail Gorbachev.

One more surprise today: I wondered if this national holiday had been turned into a shopping event, like Presidents' Day or Veterans' Day in the U.S. Nope! Many stores, including many that cater to tourists, were actually closed for business in honor of the holiday. I guess they didn't get the memo on how to exploit national holidays to improve sales.

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New theatre

2007-11-17T06:45:00.000-08:00

Today I went over to see the new Theatre complex by the Danube just east of the Old Town area. Some of the ballets I am seeing next month are performed here, so I wanted to check out the bus routes. One line runs from two blocks from my flat to within one block of the complex -- perfect!

The complex has several theatres. The front facing the river has a mirror-like quality that reflects some of the many construction cranes nearby. Construction on the theatres began in 1986, while the Communists were still in charge, but it took 21 years to complete, due mainly to a lack of funding. It finally opened on April 14, 2007.

The back of the complex houses offices and rehearsal halls. The silver dome protects an outdoor spiral staircase leading to the lower level. The parking garage is underground below the complex.

A sprawling construction site surrounds the theatre complex by the river and to the west. This will be the new Eurovea complex with shops, offices, and housing, built by the Irish development company, Ballymore. The complex will include a 5-star Sheraton Hotel.

Southeast of the theatre plaza is the Apollo Bridge, opened in 2005. The Theatre complex is located on the site of the Nazi Apollo gas refinery, obliterated by U.S. bombers in September 1944. Soviet ground troups from the east defeated the Nazis here in April 1945.

The web site for the new Theatre is here: http://www.snd.sk/?home

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More snow

2007-11-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

Our first snowfall last Sunday melted off by Tuesday, with temperatures well above freezing. More snow returned with a vengeance Thursday while I was at the conference.

The view from the conference center is whited out as the snow started Thursday. Light snow continued Thursday night and Friday. Temperatures are only in the high 20s and low 30s (Fahrenheit, obviously), and they're predicted to be in the 30s next week, so this will probably melt again.

Here is the Main Square Christmas Bazaar on Friday, with fresh snow on the booths being set up. I understand it opens November 25.

That Napoleonic soldier is covered with snow too now, as the Bazaar booths get set up.

No decorations on the tree yet, but the snow looks nice.

From the signs, it appears that the courtyard of Old Town Hall (adjacent to the Main Square) will be for wine-tasting. Slovakia has a wine-growing region and wineries in the Small Carpathians north of Bratislava. I hear that Slovaks prefer wine while Czechs prefer beer, although both seem plentiful in Bratislava and Prague.

Previous Fulbrighters have recommended the Cafe Mayer on the southwest corner of the Main Square for its scrumptious pastries and coffee, but it's usually jammed. As it was deserted today during the snow, I finally tried it and would recommend it myself. I tried the truffles torte. In the fall, those doors now guarded by evergreens were opened for outdoor dining.

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Communist secrets

2007-11-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

Today I attended the first day of an amazing three-day international conference in Bratislava organized by the Slovak Nation's Memory Institute: "NKVD/KGB Activities and its Cooperation with Other Secret Services in Central and Eastern Europe 1945-1989."

The conference was held at the SÚZA conference center operated by the Slovak government. It houses several large meeting rooms, a hotel, restaurant, and bar.

The location northwest of Old Town has amazing views of the city, here, looking to the northwest. City bus line #41 stops one block from the entrance, so it was easy to get to the conference.

The entrance flies flags from the Slovak Republic (left) and the European Union (right). The entire complex has a ponderous 60s/70s Soviet feel to me, but perhaps I am getting jaded about Communist architecture.

This is the auditorium where the panels are being held. I asked staff about the history of the building and was told it had been built for a worker/labor group by the Communists, but I have been unable to confirm this. One pointed to the big red stripes decorating the walls and laughed -- Communists!

Panelists are representatives of the memory institutes and scholars from the various countries of the former Soviet bloc, all of which had secret police collaborating with the KGB. Those records are now being opened and studied. Panelists urged Russia to open up its old KGB files so studies of their activities throughout the region can continue.

A Slovak panelist showed chilling images from records of the Communist regime in Slovakia. Simultaneous translation was provided in Slovak, German, and English. As we entered, we were handed a headset with a radio receiver with a dial to select the language we preferred.

Several documentary films about KGB techniques and one about people who survived the Soviet Gulag are playing throughout the conference in an adjoining theater. With or without translation, I look forward to seeing these remarkable stories.

The conference literature provided information about the Slovak Memory Institute, with this quotation from the legislation that established it: "Those who do not know their past, are condemned to repeat it, and no unlawful act on behalf of the State against its citizens may be protected by secrecy or forgotten."

After the conference, I checked my favorite Internet news sites for the latest information on another country which spies on its citizens without probable cause, engages in torture, scoffs at the Geneva Conventions, and refuses to release government records on the grounds of "national security" -- not the first time I have been depressed by the current state of affairs in my home country.

For more information about the conference: http://www.upn.gov.sk/konferencia-kgb/en/

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First snow

2007-11-11T06:53:00.000-08:00

We have had light rain off and on for the last week, and more was predicted for today, with the possibility of snow flurries toward the end of the week. Imagine my surprise this morning when I walked out of Tesco to a serious snowstorm that lasted a good two hours. It made this historic city look even more enchanting.

Here is Tesco with its first dusting of snow.

This is the Radisson SAS Carlton Hotel, with a glimpse of Symphony Hall to the left, with the first snow of the season.

This is Hviezdoslavovo námestie looking east, with the U.S. Embassy on the right.

The Opera House is barely visible at the east end of Hviezdoslavovo námestie.

Looking west, the German embassy is the pale yellow building on the left.

The north side of the plaza, looking to the east, at buildings with flats on the upper floors and shops, restaurants, businesses, and galleries at street level.

The north side of the plaza, looking to the west. The belltower of St. Michael's Cathedral is prominent in the middle.

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Signs of winter

2007-11-11T04:45:00.000-08:00

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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Folk art

2007-11-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

One of the nicest stores on Obchodná in Bratislava is the ÚĽUV Gallery, home to the national Centre for Folk Art Production.

The building features a courtyard where various crafts people demonstrate their techniques.

Here are some charming lifesize folk figures at the entrance to the courtyard.

The Gallery sells a wide range of beautiful Slovak crafts. They take all major credit cards. Alas, they do not have shipping services, so you're on your own for gifts you want to send.

The Gallery is located on the street that long served as the main commercial street for the city, during the Communist era and before the restoration of the historic old town in recent years. It is now filled with souvenir shops, clothing stores, and bars. Here is a shot looking south, with Bratislava castle visible at the end.

The Centre has a smaller retail store on Námestie SNP 12, just north of the Pedestrian Zone in Old Town, to the left here of the KFC store.

The web site for the Centre, with locations throughout Slovakia, is here: http://www.uluv.sk/en/web/home/

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Slovak Radio

2007-11-10T05:01:00.000-08:00

Another of the more bizarre Communist legacies in Bratislava is the upside-down pyramid building for Slovak Radio (Slovenský Rozhlas), built in the 1980s. Reportedly, at the time, it was called the "Building of the Century" -- not for its architectural greatness, but for its endless construction delays.

It is located on Mýtna, very visible from the trams heading to the main train station.

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Lost Time?

2007-11-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

A powerful and moving exhibit, "Lost Time? Slovakia 1969-1989 in Documentary Photography," is on display at the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava. November is a special time here. Communism fell in November 1989. Since 1991, Bratislava has sponsored a "month of photography" in November at galleries around the city to promote the work of Slovak photographers, some of whom have gone on to international recognition.

Here is the promotional banner for the exhibit above the entrance to the gallery, with three of the many photographs on display.

That 20-year period was the darkest in the 40-plus years of Communist totalitarian rule in what was then Czechoslovakia. The "Prague spring" of 1968 had been crushed by Soviet tanks rolling in across the country, and they didn't leave until two decades later with the nonviolent fall of Communism behind the "Iron Curtain" in the Soviet satellite states. The Communists perversely referred to those two decades as "normalization." The curators for this exhibit scoured Slovakia for two years looking for images taken by Slovak photographers, many amateurs. Reportedly, professional artists shunned by the regime also found an outlet in photography; their work now can be seen for the subtle critique they dared to make at the time.

It is an extraordinary exhibit, with images both chilling and touching about what life was like for ordinary people in that era. It was a time of hardship, propaganda, and repression. I was especially fascinated by scenes of landmarks and streets I have seen in better times this fall. Here is a billboard of Communist leaders in the ground below the Bratislava Castle (by photographer Pavol Breier, 1978).

I have seen the Communist-built expressway that cuts through Old Town. Here are shots by photographer Rudolf Lendel in 1970 of the destruction of the old Jewish Community in order to build it. In the top image, St. Michael's Cathedral is in the center, with the medieval wall to the left.

The final section of the exhibit is called "The Iron Curtain Opens." Here are shots by Ondrej Simek in 1989 of the electrified fences that kept people from escaping for all those years.

This one shows celebrants on the banks of the Danube River, that had been heavily guarded by the Communists to prevent escape to Austria and the West.

I bought the catalog for this extraordinary show, which includes every image in the exhibit and extensive discussion in both Slovak and English. It cost 630 SKK (about $25), more in line with what I would expect to pay at a U.S. museum for a comparable catalog, but it is well worth it. Here is a link to the Gallery's information page (in English) about this exhibit: http://www.sng.sk/?id=1&nid=2689&loc=1&lang=1

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Slovak National Gallery

2007-11-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

After a week of marathon grading of essay mid-term exams, I visited the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava, a marvelous little gem at the southern edge of Old Town, on a busy street along the Danube.

You enter through the Esterházy Palace, on the right here, a lovely historic building which was restored in the 1950s for the Gallery.

That monstrosity on the left is an addition to the gallery built by the Communists. It must rank as the ugliest museum addition on the planet, and it's even uglier in person. The surface appears to be flimsy corrugated aluminum sheets, like those you see on a backyard shed. I can think of only one reason not to tear it down immediately, viz., that nobody would believe how hideous it is without seeing it in person. The billboard for a new model of Ford cars is presumably an addition post-Communism. If it seems scandalous to use an art gallery as a location for commercial billboards, it's not as if it were covering up anything more valuable aesthetically.

Immediately to the west of the Palace are the so-called Water Barracks, with more galleries for the permanent collection. The graceful arched walkway surrounds a lovely courtyard. Alas, it is almost invisible from the street, thanks to that addition. Here's a vew of the Barracks and courtyard, with the aluminum addition overhead.

Here's another view of the addition, this taken from inside the courtyard. You can see a glimpse of the UFO-bridge, also built by the Communists, under the addition.

Attached to the backside of the water barracks is the world's ugliest office building. I could not determine whether these offices are used by the Gallery or for other purposes. At the end of this street, you can see a glimpse of the back side of the U.S. embassy. Did the Communists have a contest for Ugliest Architecture Ever and this was the "winner"?

Inside the Gallery, you cross from the Palace to the Water Barracks and the courtyard through a narrow hallway. On the walls are several old photographs of what the place looked like pre-addition, but without any captions at all. I wondered if this was a silent commentary by the Gallery staff: "Don't blame us. The Communists did this to us." This one shows the Water Barracks pre-addition.

The interior of the Palace wing is beautiful, with a light-filled atrium and modern glass-walled lift.

The permanent collection spans the centuries. The most uniquely interesting treasures to me were the extensive displays of alterpieces, sculptures, and other religious art from Slovak churches dating back from the 13th-16th centuries.

Other rooms showcase the work of Slovak painters over the years. This portrait of "Woman Spinning," by Josef Hanula in 1902, was one of my favorites. The camera does not adequately capture the luminescent shadings in her costume.

Like most museums today, this one has a suite of interesting things for children.

The nicest thing about this Gallery was the welcome I received from the guards stationed in each of the exhibit rooms. Unlike the usual blase and suspicious guards in U.S. museums, they seemed genuinely pleased to see me, and many pointed out their favorite works to me. Part-guard, part-docent, despite limited English, you could see their pride in the Gallery and their delight at welcoming visitors.

Admission to the Gallery is 80 SKK (about $3.20). For another 50 SKK (about $2.00), you can buy a license to take pictures, which I was happy to purchase. The Gallery's web site, with information on other locations in Slovakia, is here: http://www.sng.sk/?id=0&loc=0&lang=1

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Political art

2007-11-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

One of the most powerful exhibits of political art I have seen in a long time is on display in Prague's Václavské námestí. As the project manager Karel Strachota writes, it is fitting that it is on display right below the monument to the national hero who first led the Czechoslovakian nation after its establishment in 1918 at the end of WWI.

"Stories of Injustice -- From the Files of Political Prisoners" shows a Communist prison camp surrounded with barbed wire and guarded by a rough-hewn watchtower. Some Czech secondary school students talked with me at length about the importance of this exhibit to them. They said the sign over the entrance roughly translates to the infamous sign at the Auschwitz concentration camp, that work will set you free.

From the other side, you can see images of people who died at the hands of the Communists. The one at the far left is a mirror where observers can ponder what their own fate might have been in this era.

Fresh flowers had been left in front of the "monument" to one of the victims.

This is a view of the site from the east side.

Here is a better view of the guards' watchtower.

Signs in Czech and English provided chilling details about the Communist era from 1948-1989, drawn from the records of the Office of the Documentation and the Investigation of the Crimes of Communism: 248 political prisoners were executed. Over 600 did not survive their interrogations at the hands of the Communists. At least 282 people died trying to cross the border to escape to the West. A book was for sale that consisted of archival materials of the Communists, but it had not been translated into English.

Just to the west of this display is another plaque honoring Jan Palach, the martyr who set himself on fire in 1968 protesting the Soviet invasion after the Prague Spring. Fresh flowers and candles surround the memorial.

Communism fell in November 1989, so this is an important time for these remembrances. I was impressed that so many young people were helping with the set-up and information desk at the exhibit. If anyone believes they don't care about their freedom from Communism, think again.

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Old Town Square

2007-11-03T08:26:00.001-07:00

I keep thinking that Prague is Bratislava-on-steroids. Both cities have an "old town square," with a similar look and feel, but of course Prague's is much bigger. Both squares have welcoming outdoor cafes, room for pedestrians and celebrations, and an enticing mix of architecture spanning the centuries -- baroque, gothic, nouveau.

Both cities are filled with historic buildings in pastel shades of blue, yellow, green, pink, and salmon, part of the characteristic look of this part of Europe. Staroměstské náměstí (Czech for Old Town Square) has been Prague's town center since the 10th century. Reportedly, the Nazis destroyed part of the Old Town Hall and the first Communist leader declared his triumph here, so it has not all been happy memories.

One distinction between cities is the traditional representational painting on building exteriors in Prague, and this Square has several. This one is on the south side, next to a house where Einstein practiced his violin, according to a plaque by the door.

Here's another, on the western edge of the Square.

This one is just one block to the north.

A big tourist attraction in Prague is the Astronomical Clock on the west side of the Square. Throngs of people crowd around just before the hour to see some little figures pop out at the top. They're easy to miss if you blink.

A huge, garish advertising sign for Skoda automobiles is in the center of the Square. It's more tolerable when you read (in English) that the proceeds from the ad are paying for the restoration of the statue behind the screen. Welcome to capitalism!

Here's a brief movie clip to give a sense of the size and bustle of the crowds, even in early November.

Charles Bridge

2007-11-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

After visiting the Prague Castle, I walked across another popular tourist destination, Karlův Most, the pedestrian-only Charles Bridge across the Vltava River.

The entrance from the Castle (west) side of the River is Mostecká, a narrow street lined with souvenir shops that starts at St. Nicolas Church at Malostranské square. I liked the modesty of this store: "probably the best Czech Art Glass."

Even this late in the year, the bridge was packed with tourists. I can't imagine what it must be like in the summer in the height of the tourist season. This is the tower at the eastern side.

The bridge is lined with ominous statues. Here's just one:

The bridge is also lined with artists who will draw your caricature, as well as various musical groups, who will happily accept your donations or sell you their CD. Here's a brief clip of a couple playing traditional folk music.

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