Some pics of Bratislava (August 2012)

I thought Bratislava was beautiful. It's labelled a "small" city centre, and whilst it's true that you can get around easily on foot, I didn't find it particularly any smaller than a lot of the capitals I've been to over the past couple of years-Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, even Helsinki. Perhaps Bratislava is being compared with it's near neighbours of Vienna (which you can easily reach by boat along the Danube) and Budapest (ditto, but a but longer) or Prague, which is much bigger and more spread out.

I spent 3 nights there this August (2012) and could have easily stayed for longer, especially as I wouldn't have minded doing a cruise along the beautiful Danube. The development along the Danube looks a very recent addition, but gives the city another dimension, and is fantastic when the weather is good. As you can see, a promenade runs along the river so you can walk/jog/stroll gazing lovingly into your dogs' beloved's eyes, should you feel so inclined. Or you could do what I did and stop at one of the numerous cafes, coffee bars or ice cream parlours and soak up the sun, or drink until it goes down.

To wake yourself up again next morning, it's an easy walk to Bratislavsky Hrad (the castle), of which I've taken this rather arty (in my opinion) snap from the bottom of the steps. When you reach the top you have some nice views over the city, but the overwhelming sight is the two rather dramatic gates, which provide seating for various headless or limbless men in suits of armour... There's also a great restaurant, more of that later.

View of the city and the Danube from the Castle

Some rather nice architecture can be found in the old town, along with great cafes and a good quotient of water features like this one featuring a cheeky cherub (above). There's usually an animal involved, seemingly helping the water along by using it's mouth as a spout.

Bratislava street art

In between scoffing and sightseeing I managed to spot a few bits of street art in central Bratislava. Always an interesting juxtaposition in a beautiful, quaint city.

Space cadet hedgehog & his pal

I assume this (left) is wheatpasting, which someone has helpfully tagged with a word I can actually understand! I think it adds to the character of the piece, but I wonder what the original artist thinks?

 The beaver was part of one of my favourite piece of street art, the rather ghoulish full tag you can see below. He looks like he's spraying the name himself, and is pretty cute. His mate Owl is hanging out on the decrepit street, signing the way to Bratislava. I bet those two get up to some high-jinks come nightfall.

 The "gay" tagged sticker was added onto this child-like series of photo-negative images. Maybe they were done by local school kids?

Bus station big-nose

Am I wrong to think this is kind of cute? These two can do my decorating any day