Bratislava

I've always thought that the greatest part of traveling is the little, unexpected, unplanned adventures you find. They usually come in the form of an art exhibit, landscape or festival. You're walking down the street and suddenly, WOW! That sudden realization you're not in Kansas anymore.

Yesterday this happened in Bratislava, Slovakia's capital city. I walked along the Danube, looked at the National Gallery, ate bagels, drank coffee and tried desperately to stay warm, (the temperature was in the low 20's not including the wind-chill factor). Then, as I was up at the castle admiring the view, I came across a sign for an archeological exhibition, "Treasures of Slovakia's Long-Gone Past", 20 koruna. Well, that's less that a dollar. Sure.

And I walked in.

And I was amazed!

There in this old section of the castle were earrings from 4,000 BC, coins and swords from 400 AD, Roman helmets, Celtic crosses, more jewelry, a mirror and comb,..., all found on Slovak soil.

The icing on the cake, though, was the Moravian Venus. This figure, only several inches tall and made from mammoth tusks, dates from "around 22,860 BC, give or take 400 years, and was used during magic rituals which we can barely imagine." It was made by the Gravettian peoples who traveled around Europe 20 to 30 thousand years ago. This figure was found in the Váh valley, around Piešťany, only a 15 minute train ride from my house.

To see a picture go to the link at the bottom. It is from The Slovak Spectator, which is our English newspaper.

http://www.slovakspectator.sk/clanok.asp?vyd=2005003&rub=spect_cult&cl=17719

The grocery store

Uvidime
The grocery store is another place where things are almost "normal", but not quite. To start with, you need to have a grocery cart, even if you are only planning to purchace one item. I have been told that if you don't have a cart they assume you are shoplifting.

Now here is where the Slovak system is ingenious! The carts are locked together in front of the store. To use a cart, you must insert a five or ten krown coin into the appropriate slot and the chain between the carts releases and off you go. When you are done shopping, you bring your cart back, reinsert the chain and it pushes out your coin. No carts surrounding the parking lot, rolling into and denting cars, blocking parking spaces, or being dragged around town for various reasons. No one in the store is required to go out and collect the carts in the rain or snow. They are always where they belong.

The other big difference is the need to bring your own bag. Most stores don't supply them, and if they do, you need to pay for them. Everyone shows up with their own plastic bags and reuse them time and time again. In my flat there is not that large collection of plastic bags that builds up and you never know what to do with them. I only have three.

There are no paper bags. Anywhere.

According to my students, there were no large grocery stores during communist times. Instead there were small shops that sold different items; some sold just bread, some just meat, etc. These shops are still around town, but are not so common anymore. These new large chain grocery stores, like Tesco, Lidl and Kaufland come from England and Germany. There is a huge selection, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and all the sauerkraut you could ever imagine.

Kava

Uvidime

Why is life in Slovakia nice?

Take for instance, your coffee, (kava). In America you run into the local Starbucks, order your grande non-fat lattee, no foam with a shot of vanilla, pay three dollars, and you are given a paper cup, plastic lid and a cute little sleeve so you don't burn your hands and sue them. You run out the door, back into your oversized car, and drive off into traffic.

Not in Slovakia. Here you can walk into any number of coffee shops, and being a small town, there are no chains. Each shop has its own feel and atmosphere. You sit down at a table and order your Lattee, only here it's a late and I'm not sure if you can get non-fat, or soy milk. They bring it to you on a silver platter (I'm not joking), and you are forced to sit down and enjoy it. No paper cups, no counter to order at, no choice in size, no orders to go. It is a pleasant, relaxing experience. And to top it off, it only costs about a dollar.