Bratislava in a few soggy shots

Years ago, before the Czech Republic joined the Schengen Area,  I'd find myself on a bus to Bratislava a couple of times per year to procure my foreigners' work visa - along with about 300 Ukranian laborers. (You had to do it out of the country back then.) Once I went down the afternoon before my appointment and stayed in a hostel so I could tour the city a bit.

Maybe I was missing something, but... there just wasn't... that much... to see. (Sorry, Slovaks!) 

I saw art at Palffy Palace, strolled under the Medieval St. Michael's Gate, had coffee in the Old Town, and walked into what I thought was a lounge but ended up being a nudie bar. Signage, please.

So it was with trepidation that I agreed to make a Bratislava stop with BW and Frenchwoman on our way back from Budapest a few weeks ago. And we didn't stay there long because the skies opened and unleashed a torrent that would've sidelined Capt. Ahab. 

BW and Frenchwoman brave the rain

Central Bratislava was prettier than I remembered it, even in the sloppy downpour.

Wet and windy

Cumil the bronze pothole man was still there. 

He needs an umbrella

It was a Sunday, and a number of eating establishments were closed, even in the center. So we nestled into an overpriced place for lunch and I ordered a palicinky (crepe) filled with "meat cooked in red wine." It ended up being huge chunks of liver in an oily reddish-brown gravy. Hrgh.

This was my final, rain-fuzzy shot on our wet way back to the rental car. Apparently it's Roland Fountain, the oldest fountain in the city (1572) and a Slovak National Cultural Monument.

I sincerely would like to go back and get to know the city better, because hipster blogs like Tonbogirl.blogspot.cz make it seem so much cooler. But we'll go on a sunny day, thankyouverymuch.