An unexpected day in Bratislava.
Roman is late; uncharacteristically, I haven’t heard from him.
The day before he texted as soon as he knew he was going to be nine minutes late. And then again when he was four minutes out.
I’m standing at the meeeting point and fifteen minutes after our scheduled pick up time I finally text him. He tells me the tour has been canceled. He’s surprised the operator hasn’t notified me. Given the experience of the two women on our tour the day before I’m not surprised.
I’m not unhappy that the tour has been canceled. There’s more to see in Bratislava, and I had traded it to see more of the countryside. Roman tells me that the tour I had booked is even longer than the day before when I didn’t get home until after 22h. I’m tired and could use the rest. I head home to nap.
For lunch I head back to OMA. I never made it back the day before. For lunch they serve only one item; today it’s an orichetti with meatballs. I ask for a glass of red wine and am offered a local red made near Bratislava by friends of the restaurant.
A couple with their dog arrive along with me and as they are on their way out the man introduces himself. I ask him the name of their dog. She’s a rescue, Sunny. He tells me they live around the corner and come often; Sunny’s very popular there.
I take the underground passage to get back to the Old Town. Passing the main square I see people atop the clock tower. It’s the Old Town Hall and I buy a ticket for the view along with entrance to the museum and palace.
The Town Hall is comprised of a series of buildings, and houses the oldest musum in Bratislava, the City Museum, founded in 1868. On entering I’m directed one way so that I visit one building before the other.
I wind my way around the exhibits until I find the stairs to the top of the tower to begin my climb.
I love standing on top of towers looking out over town squares. It feels like the “thing to do” in so many European cities, and I’m happy to oblige. It’s a perfect day for the views and I circumambulate the outdoor area of the tower to take in the birds-eye view of the capital..
I head into the Apponyi Palace and am initially presented with an exhibit on the life of Slovak writer Hana Gregorová. It’s an interesting overview of her life as a feminist, intellectual, and culutral organizer. I’d like to read one of her books, but unfortunately, I find no books of hers available when searching my online libraries.
Continuing my tour of the building I come across the grant of arms issued to the city of Bratislava by Sigismund of Luxembourg in 1436, which gave the city the right to use its own coat of arms. It’s a beautiful document, illuminated with gold leaf, and it introduces the ornate rooms to follow, with beautifully decorated ceilings and walls.
I catch a glimpse of the Primate’s Palace, from the windows of Apponyi Palace as I continue my tour. The rooms showing city life from centuries past catch my eye as I observe the costumes and customs on display. They’re some of my favorite displays in city museums as I love seeing glimpses of past lives.
To complete my tour of Bratislava I enter the Primate's Palace. Now the seat of the mayor, it was built from 1778 to 1781 for the Archbishop József Batthyány. In the Hall of Mirrors the fourth Peace of Pressburg was signed between French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, effectively dissolving the Holy Roman Empire.
Inside, the rooms are done up with paintings and tapestries on the wall, tables and chairs arranged just so.
A statue of St. George and the Dragon rests in the courtyard and as I exit a group of tourists stand before it for a photo. They’re just finishing as I arrive and file through a doorway out to the city.
A statue of St. John of Nepomuk stands against a verdant wall in another corner of the courtyard. The patron saint against calumnies and a protector from floods and drowning, a legend around his execution has also lead to him being the martyr of the e Seal of the Confessional. It’s said that he refused to divulge the secrets of the Queen's confession to Wenceslaus after which he was executed for disobedience and thrown into the Vlatva river.
For dinner I find a place for poke bowls in the old town. It’s raining by the time I’m done, but it’s my last night in town and I want to linger. I duck into a pharmacy to pick up some allergy medication and am thrilled to find it’s preserved its old architecture and design.
A couple passes eating ice cream and so I walk back in the direction from whence they came to find the shop and buy a cone. I sit outside under an umbrella to finish it before walking back home. The wet streets wet reflect the warmth of the city lights and the city positively glows. 🇸🇰
