History and Whimsy in Bratislava

The “UFO” Bridge, Bratislava (from the the Viking Vilhjalm docked nearby)

The city of Bratislavia was just a one day stop on the Danube river cruise I took last fall.  There were interesting cities all along the way – Budapest, Vienna, Krems, Linz, Passau – but perhaps the most delightful was Bratislavia.  And though we only spent one day there (well, just 10 hours to be exact), it was one of my favorite stops.

 You know you have arrived in Bratislava when you spot the “UFO bridge”. This modern bridge spans the Danube and is one of the city’s famous landmarks because of its distinctive asymmetric style with a single pylon topped by a flying saucer-style observation room.   The contrast between the modern bridge and the historic old town is one of the things that makes Bratislava so intriguing. 

Slovak National Theater, Bratislava, opened in 1886, with the Ganymede’s Fountain in front of the entrance.

As with most cities visited on a Viking River Cruise, we had a friendly and knowledgeable local guide.  He provided a great overview of the history of Slovakia, and the capital city of Bratislava.  And what a complex history it is! Long part of Hungary, Bratislava would later be part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Czechoslovakia after WW I, then briefly independent.  The darkest period came with Nazi occupation.

After WWII, the area merged again with the Czech Republic to form the combined state of Czechoslovakia. A period of Communist rule followed, then occupation by Warsaw Pact troops.  Communist rule ended in 1988-89.  Shortly after that, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two countries in what is known at the “Velvet Divorce”.  No fighting or bloodshed involved!  Today, Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia (not to be confused with Slovenia which is a different country all together).  Whew! The guide communicated this history along with a great pride in the country which today is independent with a parliamentary system of government and EU membership.

One day was not nearly enough to really explore Bratislava.  But even this short visit left lasting impressions.  Some highlights: One of my favorite memories of Bratislava is the series of statues found throughout the old town.  These are not statues of historic figures or political leaders (although there are plenty of those too), but rather whimsical and fun statues that just make you smile.  They can be found on street corners and in some of the squares, lending a lightness to the historic town center.

The architecture, with ornate facades and graceful buildings, is also remarkable.  At one time the old part of the city was quite rundown, as can be seen in the one building below that has been left unrestored.  By contract, today the old town is filled with pretty buildings, elegant churches with domed steeples, colorful squares, fountains, and meandering cobbled streets.

St. Martin’s Cathedral is tucked away on a side street, not far from the Danube and just below the castle, in Bratislava’s historic district.  The Gothic cathedral, with its tall steeple clad in green with gold trim, dates to the 1400’s.  For centuries, this is where Hungarian Kings and Queens were crowned. 

St. Martin’s Cathedral

A close look at the tall steeple reveals a golden replica of the crown of Hungary way up at the top.  The interior of the cathedral feels serene, with muted colors, stone columns, wooden accents, and a high ribbed ceiling.   The ceiling was especially intriguing – very different from the bright blue, star filled ceilings often found in Italian churches.  I found its colors and patterns simple and beautiful.

Pharmacy Salvator, Bratislave

Across from the cathedral is The Old Apothecary (Pharmacy Salvator).  The building, from 1904, has a unique angular façade and a well-known statue of Christ the Saviour on the exterior (hence the name Salvator for the Pharmacy). 

The restored pharmacy is filled with objects from both the 1904 pharmacy and an earlier Jesuit pharmacy associated with St. Martins cathedral – including the polished wood cabinetry that lines the space.

The cabinets are filled with antique apothecary jars.  The elaborate ceiling is a recreation of the 1904 pharmacy’s ceiling. The intricately designed mosaic floors are beautiful. In the center of the room sits a large marble topped table perched on 6 stone lions.  It is a historic and beautiful space with echos of past transactions and ancient cures.

My visit to Bratislava may have been short, but it left me with wonderful lasting impressions of this fascinating city.

February into March

Clear blue skies and orange trees, beautiful a this time of year

The week when February turns into early March is a fickle one here in Lucca.   Some days are downright gloomy with gray skies, rain, and wind.  If you’re fortunate enough to have a fireplace (I am not, I admit to a bit of envy when I see smoke billowing out of a chimney), then a warm fire, a cup of coffee, and a book are just the thing.  Then, suddenly, a day of blue skies and sunshine comes along, teasing the notion of spring, only to be followed by a chilly day with clouds but no rain. 

Even within the same day, chilly mornings still require the radiator to be turned on, while warmer afternoons encourage the opening of windows.  One hardly knows how to dress – winter coat or light jacket?  Warmest scarf or lighter weight one?  In Italy it is most definitely still scarf season – after all, no Italian wants to get that hit of cold air on the throat which surely would lead to illness. 

Should I throw my gloves in my purse when going out in the evening ?  Chissa! (who knows).  All I know is that I am not yet packing away my winter clothing just yet.

The view of Palazzo Pfanner from Lucca’s wall, is always a welcome sight on my return to Lucca.

The nice thing about this time of year is that, unless it is rainy, it’s perfect weather for a walk on the walls surrounding the city center.  The trees are still mostly bare, with just the tiniest leaf buds, but the wildflowers are beginning to bloom. The mountains are visible in the distance through the bare trees.  Mothers walk (or jog) the wall with babies in strollers, dogs explore the new foliage, little kids ride bikes and so do adults. 

Since I’ve just returned to Lucca after 6 weeks away, I enjoy walking through town and along the walls to discover what is new or for the reassurance that some things are unchanged.

In town, the Magnolia trees burst into bloom last week, a recurring yearly event that is the first hint of spring. They only last a couple of weeks (less is the weather is awful) and seeing them against a blue sky is nature’s artistry at its best. We were lucky to have such a day last week!

Magnolias in bloom along Corso Garibaldi in Lucca, last week of February, 2026

Flowering bulbs and spring herbs have appeared in the flower shops, and bright purple artichokes fill baskets at the ortofrutta (green grocers).

On the walls is a new art piece - La Luna Innamorata (The Moon in Love). Colorful and larger than life, the scupture is part of a wellness and health initiative of the group Amici del Cuore. Finding new art installations in “real” spaces around town, where they are accessible to all, is one of my favorite things in Lucca.

The Boldini exhibit will be in town through early June

Early March is also the time to anticipate what is to come.  Art exhibitions are ongoing, perfect indoor activities to be enjoyed on a not-so-perfect day. Soon, it will be time for the Camellia Festival.  Later in the spring we’ll have the annual spring garden show followed by a classical music festival in May.

For me, March means that I will head to Trieste next week. Trieste lies in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, one of Italy’s 5 “home rule” regions.  It is a unique area, part of Italy and yet more autonomous, with a location closer to Slovenia than to Rome. I am looking forward to spending two weeks there attending an intensive language program and exploring the region. I have been told to be prepared for sea views, windy weather, and great cafes with outstanding coffee.  Sounds perfect.  I’ll let you know!

February in Italy, 2026

Watching the Olympic Games in Italy these past few weeks, one would think all of Italy was a snowy alpine landscape. 

Lots of snow in and around Cortina d”Ampezzo for the Olympic Events.

But that is just a small slice of northern Italy and certainly not the case in Lucca, where I returned last week to wet and windy weather.  Not a snowflake or an Olympic athlete in sight, just plenty of rain and gray skies. No matter – I love Lucca in February when the city is quiet and mostly tourist free.  And this week has been very quiet, with the excitement of Carnevale now over and the season of Lent just begun.

Only traces of Carnevale remained when I arrived  – a few of the installations around town, along with some left-over confetti sprinkled in the piazzas.  All are getting a bit soggy from the recent days of rain. The paper mâché figures in the train (pictured below) are looking a bit scary as they slowly decompose.

Here in Lucca, even school kids know to carry umbrellas. This group certainly needed them when their school let out for lunch break on a rainy winter afternoon.

In this sleepy period between Carnevale and Easter most of the color comes not from floats and dancers, nor from spring flowers. Right now the color comes mostly from umbrellas.  Though I am happy to report that after two solid days of rain, today we have clear blue skies and temps in the 50’s. Tuscan blue is the perfect sky color.

February weather is just right for a caffè in an uncrowded bar, dinner with friends, or to watch Italy’s next big event on TV.

The San Remo Music Festival begins on February 24th, with 5 nights of televised musical performances.  Singers will perform original songs and eventually a winner will be chosen, in part from viewers’ votes.  The winner will represent Italy in the big Eurovision competition in May.  Past winners include some of Italy’s biggest musical stars and most popular songs.

This year a series of promotional TV ads, named Tutti Cantano San Remo (Everyone Sings San Remo), was filmed in the piazzas of 7 cities across Italy.  Each used local musicians and singers, in flash mob type sequences, singing well known Italian songs. 

Lucca was one of the chosen cities (along with Trento, Parma, Torino, Pesaro, Roma, and Cosenza) and many of us turned out to watch the filming. The ads are running now on Rai TV in the lead up to the festival.  It’s always fun to see the finished product, much more polished than the multiple takes we watched during filming. For a look at the ads, the San Remo Festival has a Facebook page, or just google Tutti Cantano San Remo - the ads are really fun.

As February winds down, I will begin to dream of Magnolia blossoms, warming skies, signs of spring, and an upcoming trip to Trieste in March.  But for now, I will just enjoy catching up with friends, sipping a cappuccino, and being out and about during Lucca’s quiet season, rain or shine.

Is there any color more beautiful than the blue of a Tuscan sky? Even the bare trees look gorgeous on a February day against a cloudless blue sky in Lucca.

Carnevale!

For the last couple of weeks Lucca has been full of events related to Carnevale, including my favorite - the parade along Lucca’s walls. It is a fun procession full of small floats (on loan from the big event in nearby Viareggio), elaborately costumed dancers, acrobats, and music. Spectators young and old line the walls to watch and party along with the performers.

The parade, along with other Carnevale events, is a bit of wild abandonment before the start of Lent. But I am missing all of it as I am currently in New Mexico ! Fortunately, I have friends in Lucca who keep me connected by sharing photos.

As this blog posts, on Monday morning February 16th, I will be boarding a plane to head back to Italy - 3 flights over about 21 hours. I should arrive tomorrow, jet lagged but ready to catch the tail end of the Carnevale events. Fingers crossed I arrive in time for some of the fun and that I will have some more photos to share!

In the meantime - a big thanks to Candace Grass for these photos!

Budapest’s Great Market Hall

The market in Budapest is more than just a place to shop. It is an architectural marvel, a major landmark in the city, and one of its most visited spots. It provides a glimpse into Budapest’s history and its culture.

Opened in 1897, on the site of the former salt warehouse, the market provided a safe source of food for the growing population of the city. Prior to the opening of this market, the smaller markets of the city lacked cleanliness standards for both the shops themselves and the foods sold. For that reason the city’s government proposed building a better regulated and more hygienic central market.

The huge market (over 100,000 square feet or 10,000 square meters) was built in neogothic style. It features a colorful exterior that looks more like a palace or a church than a commercial space. The tile-clad roof is a work of art.

Three floors high, the interior has huge windows, a steel framed roof which provides a visible interior “skeleton” across the ceiling, and ornate iron stair railings. The escalators are a more modern addition.

The ground floor has several fruit and vegetable vendors displaying fresh, seasonal produce. There are also cheesemongers and butcher shops selling all varieties of sausage and Hungarian salami (it was a hard pass for me on the “salami in stomach”)

Pastry shops sell strudel, cookies, and pozsonyi kifli (a curved, not too sweet pastry) filled with poppy seeds or walnuts. The scent of traditional chimney cakes baking filled the air. Locals arrive early to shop these booths.

Also found are specialty shops selling wines, pate, candy, local specialties and crafts.

And then there is the famous Hungarian paprika. At the market are many types, from mild and sweet to bold and hot. They come in simple bags, tins, fancy bags geared to tourists, and ceramic jars.

The second floor is a balcony which wraps around the edges of the building, open to the floor below. This is the place to grab an inexpensive lunch. The north end has several small spots dishing up Hungarian specialties like Goulash and langós (flatbread rounds with a variety of toppings).

The rest of this floor has souvenirs, trinkets, Christmas decorations, cloth goods, and embroidery pieces.

The Budapest Great Market Hall is a can’t miss stop in Budapest. Be sure to bring some local currency (Hungarian Forints) for small purchases and definitely pack the paprika in checked luggage on the way home!