A Brief Hello To Slovakia

Welcome to Bratislavia, Slovakia

If you ever entertained any notions that maybe Communism wasn't so bad after all---- just talk to any tour guides in either Hungary or Slovakia who grew up under it. They spent 40 years NOT making any recovery from WWII, and they feel they are hurrying- hurrying- hurrying to catch up with the rest of Europe. They're doing a good job too!
Slovakia is helped by being in the EU. Hungary is still on its own currency (the Forint), but they will happily take Dollars, Euros , Pounds, or whatever; and every little store cashier has a calculator which can convert it instantly. Capitalism is thriving in Hungary, and they know how to deal with tourists.

Bratislava has all the standard equipment of an old European town:-





An ancient Catholic Church

A Jewish Memorial
Europeans seem distressingly unaware of grafitti- it's everywhere.
Strangely, it looks just like grafitti in the States (I guess we can thank mass media for that)

Crowded streets, an old town wall and gate,

and
























a lot of western European architecture with eastern overtones.

A Plague(s) Memorial

Happy children on holiday

FURTHERMORE........

Mozart slept here

....And Hans Christian Andersen liked it SO well that they built him a statue with depictions of various of his works

(note The Emperor's New Clothes in the second picture)



























BUT WAIT....... THAT'S NOT ALL!!!!!!!!..........

Bratislava is the home (perhaps even the birthplace) of the idea whose time has truly come...

Eat your heart out Starbucks.......

It's the (drum roll, please)...........

BANK/COFFEE SHOPPE

INGENIOUS!!!

Not only that, they still make traditional folk crafts like painted egg ornaments





AND...


They have Zlaty Bazant (Golden Pheasant) Beer

MOMCAT APPROVED

and THAT -o' best beloved- is all you really need to know!!