Bratislava is Cruising
Bratislava – Bratislava’s old town is one of the best preserved in central Europe and is always a joy. Though the city is Slovakia’s capital, it is far smaller, say, than Prague or Budapest – and perhaps more accessible because of it. Like Budapest, Bratislava is not showing overt signs of recession, but my friends tell me that the smaller cities and the countryside are hurting. Indeed, there is impressive new construction in Bratislava’s Incheba neighborhood, where the trade show fairgrounds are located. I was told about ambitious plans to renovate the city’s Danube waterfront and that much of the riverbank will be covered with broad promenades and docking space for Danube cruise ships.
Bratislava Street Man
Corruption is still an issue in Slovakia, though I was relieved to hear that there seems to be less criminal activity than in years past. In the late 1990s there were gang wars between the Slovak, Ukrainian, Hungarian and Italian mafias. It was well known which mafias controlled which hotels or sections of Bratislava, but this is less clear today as the gangs have moved into more legitimate activities and are run on more businesslike lines.
There is an undeniable air of entrepreneurship in Slovakia, something that struck me fifteen years ago and, to my eye, is still evident today. At the time of the breakup, it seemed to me that the Slovaks were perhaps more ambitious than the Czechs, but the latter were starting their new country with more resources. I’ll be interested to see what has happened on the Czech side of the border.
But first, let’s check out some vineyards in Austria.
