Brno and Bratislava

Back to a region I know well, and always enjoy.

Well, I finally left Asia and have made my way to Europe. I specifically planned to take it easy after all the “new” experiences of recent months. So in Europe I returned to places I know well and enjoy very much, planned to spend a lot of time at the opera and add a minimal number of new places.

First was to Vienna, one of my favorite cities in Europe (though please don’t tell anyone as it’s already crowded enough). It is the quintessential “city of empire”, with a plethora of excellent Baroque architecture, stunning works of art and an eminently walkable city center. I stayed with a good friend, and plan to use Vienna as a bit of a “home base” for the next few weeks.

First I took a short journey north. I spent a day in Brno, a Czech city that I had long wanted to visit. It has a very quaint core, a mini-Ring road styled after Vienna, and a long cultural tradition. I saw an opera and had an outstanding schnitzel at one of the local brewpubs.

There is a broad mix of architectural styles, but it in many ways a microcosm of many quaint European cities. One has to start with the churches.

The center city has a nice of plazas, including one in front of a theatre with a nice farmers’ market.

And other buildings have been well restored. There are also some examples of public art on the pedestrian walkways.

Brno is fine, and this was more of an effort to check off a city that had been on my list for quite some time — probably since I first read Kundera, back in high school. I wasn’t expecting to be wowed, but it was very pleasant and as is often the case, I found myself nicely distracted by some of the scultptural and decorative elements on the city’s buildings.

And then I was off to Bratislava, the Slovakian capital, about 90 minutes away. It also has a lovely old town, an impressive castle overlooking the city and a new opera house that I wanted to see. I was last there about 15 years ago, and the center city has definitely been spruced up. Unfortunately, the large number of day trippers has turned it into one large cafe, with outside tables everywhere. It’s charming, but the glass shops and other vendors that I shopped at last time were not to be found, seemingly pushed out by bars and restaurants. But you can still find an occasional quiet street.

Much has changed in Bratislava, and apparently much has changed in U.S. foreign policy as well – I guess I have been traveling for a while. The embassy in Bratislava sported the rainbow flag, as it was Pride Weekend. To those who flippantly say that elections don’t matter, this is certainly one way in which they do (for the better).  Sadly, the embassy is still cordoned off by large fences and they look at you strangely if you take too many pictures.

While in Bratislava, I saw operas in both the old and new houses. The new one is undistinguished, though handsome in an anodyne, modern way. I still prefer the old house, despite its tiny orchestra pit. It is a true jewel box, a Neo-Renaissance gem with a Soviet-designed basement area that I oddly enjoy for its simplicity and 70s vibe. The singing throughout was generally good, though certainly not world-class.

One small aside for the opera people on this list – the others can skip to the next paragraph. I saw Traviata, Otello and Macbeth – and everyone seemed to be having trouble remembering their lines. Violetta not only needed a rather hearty prompter in the wings, but she messed up lines six or seven times, confusing verses or repeating others when she didn’t know them. And as for Macbeth, I do wonder why this piece has been increasing in popularity as of late, almost getting to the lower realm of “core repertory”. I love Verdi as much as anyone, and I know baritones love to sing it, but the underlying dramatic and musical flaws are tough to overcome, particularly when there isn’t anyone who can actually sing Lady Macbeth, including, alas, the soprano in Bratislava. Isn’t one unsinkable role on the fringes of core repertory — Abigaille — enough?!

Bratislava has definitely worked to restore some of its older buildings, and there are some nice examples, both pre and post-war.

But what I love about going through former Red Curtain cities is that for all their obvious modernization in the last generation, there are always some “lovely” Soviet examples. Along with the ubiquitous Intourist-style hotels that are monoliths on the edge of the city center, I absolutely love to see the hulking, Brutalist structures that plop down like alien ships downtown. My personal favorite along the riverfront in Bratislava is part of the Slovakian National Gallery.