Pozsony - Bratislava

[Sieg]

You got me here, I really haven't seen the coas but it looks very pretty, I would say prettier than most sea resorts at the Mediterranean. I don't say I saw the whole country but I saw more than Brussels and what I saw was pretty much how I would describe it. I guess what I saw was mostly Wallonia though. This is definitely not a question of money, to me Luxemburg (not especially the city itself, but the rest of this minature country) also seemed pretty much dark&medieval.

[seem]

Originally Posted by Windblower

However, this is maybe a wrong topic to discuss about Belgium, it is about Pozsony/Bratislava, i guess

Yes. Admit it now guys!

Have you ever been to Bratislava?

[Vikusz]

Okey,but everybody misunderstand me. I talked about ex-socialist countries. It would be good to reach as a high living standards in Hungary,Slovakia,Poland,Bulgaria etc. as in Belgium or at least in Austria

[seem]

Originally Posted by Vikusz

Okey,but everybody misunderstand me. I talked about ex-socialist countries. It would be good to reach as a high living standards in Hungary,Slovakia,Poland,Bulgaria etc. as in Belgium or at least in Austria

I think living standart in Austria is even better than in France/UK/Spain etc.

but I might be wrong..

Well, Vienna is city with the 5th best quality of life in the whole world.

[Windblower]

Yes Seem, i've been more than 100 times in Pozsony/Bratislava. My most remarkable stay was in November 1989 when we travelled with my very small daugther there to celebrate the czechoslovakian velvet revolution on site, on the Hlavné Námestie. There was a song that time, as i remember it sounded sg like this: "Slúbili ten to lásku, slúbili ten to lásku len". We left a written message on the Main street mesage board: Sme s vámi z Maďarskej Republiky... I spent a long night there in the today's Hotel Carlton where i accidentally met your later state president (who was that time a simple but very good writer yet, enjoying beer and women) and were discussing the whole night along... we had hopes then and now we have realities which do not correspond our hopes from that time. That is life, indeed...

[seem]

Originally Posted by Windblower

Yes Seem, i've been more than 100 times in Pozsony/Bratislava. My most remarkable stay was in November 1989 when we travelled with my very small daugther there to celebrate the czechoslovakian velvet revolution on site, on the Hlavné Námestie. There was a song that time, as i remember it sounded sg like this: "Slúbili ten to lásku, slúbili ten to lásku len". We left a written message on the Main street mesage board: Sme s vámi z Maďarskej Republiky... I spent a long night there in the today's Hotel Carlton where i accidentally met your later state president (who was that time a simple but very good writer yet, enjoying beer and women) and were discussing the whole night along... we had hopes then and now we have realities which do not correspond our hopes from that time. That is life, indeed...

It was just a bit of joke because of that discussion about Belgium.

Your story is really, really nice it was that song (there is also BA) -



Well and I think this is the best video from 89



Some pics from 68 which was maybe even worse year than 89, but I can't compare it though









89 in Bratislava -



and 88

[Windblower]

Oh, my slovakian undestanding is not very good... Thx for the video, at least i see the text now and know where did i make a memorisation-mistake

And nice to see my old friend on the second video... That days were unique and unrepeatable... there was no difference between nations there were only brothers and sisters on that square... i am glad to be able being there that time. However in December 1989 i've been already in Romania as Ceauescu was removed, but that is already another country

[seem]

I believe you that it was such a unique and great time. Did you meet Václav Havel after he became a president of ČSR?

some pics of castle from 2004 -

Originally Posted by vnately

Originally Posted by Kampflamm

From my picture thread...

Winter in Bratislava

Originally Posted by alexander.27

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

and some old random picture of woman taken by me on a tram stop "Nová doba" (New age )

Originally Posted by seem

Ja už sa tu pomaly hanbím posielať fotky

super práca!

[Windblower]

An image from 1989: Protest in Budapest against the imprisonment of Václav Havel



I am somewhere in the crowd

[NeMiroff]

Some my photos of Bratislava











Grassalkovich garden&palace



Staromestska street

[ZevenZonden]

Originally Posted by Sieg

However, Belgium has a grey, dark, medieval atmosphere about it which is not a fault, it's actually its character.

Ha! Before I read where exactly you had visited I already knew that there were only 3 options: you either drove through, visited Brussels or visited some post-industrial city somewhere in the east (possibly Liege).

Try going a little more to the north. Antwerp, Leuven, Ghent, Brugge or so many other places. You will definitely run into more than a few ugly parts if you stay on the main roads, like industrial parks or old worker villages and towns, but Belgium is quite diverse for such a small country. Thermo's pictures are a perfect example of that. It's becoming slightly annoying for the rest of us to always have people judge us based on how Brussels looks...

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by ZevenZonden

Ha! Before I read where exactly you had visited I already knew that there were only 3 options: you either drove through, visited Brussels or visited some post-industrial city somewhere in the east (possibly Liege).

Try going a little more to the north. Antwerp, Leuven, Ghent, Brugge or so many other places. You will definitely run into more than a few ugly parts if you stay on the main roads, like industrial parks or old worker villages and towns, but Belgium is quite diverse for such a small country. Thermo's pictures are a perfect example of that. It's becoming slightly annoying for the rest of us to always have people judge us based on how Brussels looks...

I never said it was 'industrial', but everywhere I went I saw this atmosphere, especially in the very much pre-industrial midtown parts. Like I said it's not a negative assertion, I'm just saying that this seemed to me to be the Belgian character (making the country much lovelier than for example the Netherlands). But you are right, I have mainly been to the Eastern parts and to the South, and mostly Brussels. It was definitely not ugly, but it was not picture-perfect like the above-mentioned countries (by which I absolutely don't mean the picture-perfect=nice and not p-p=ugly, I like Belgium very much).

[Tchek]

Here we go again with the usual "oh you saw something ugly in Belgium, it must have been Wallonia". Belgium is dark and medieval *everywhere*, Flanders included. Nothing to do with post-industry. Even Ghent is dark and medieval if you compare it to Bratislava. Belgians are unconspicuous and hate flashy things. A bucket of yellow or green paint would do the trick like the above cities, but that's not how Belgians want it

[ZevenZonden]

Originally Posted by Tchek

Here we go again with the usual "oh you saw something ugly in Belgium, it must have been Wallonia". Belgium is dark and medieval *everywhere*, Flanders included. Nothing to do with post-industry. Even Ghent is dark and medieval if you compare it to Bratislava. Belgians are unconspicuous and hate flashy things. A bucket of yellow or green paint would do the trick like the above cities, but that's not how Belgians want it

Wallonia is not dark everywhere, generally only the most well known cities like Liege (even there it has improved a lot, at least in the centre) and Charleroi. About Flanders, while some parts are quite depressing (if you stay on the main roads), others are far from. Try going to Antwerp, or even my own small town of Hasselt which looks & feels downright warm and cosy. Ever been to Kanne? It's like being in northern Italy. And let's not mention De Haan.

Also, I go to the NLs a lot, supposedly the cleanest country in Europe, plenty of parts look identical (down to the dirt) to some Belgian areas.

[RawLee]

This thread is about Bratislava I guess, so please...

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by Tchek

Here we go again with the usual "oh you saw something ugly in Belgium, it must have been Wallonia". Belgium is dark and medieval *everywhere*, Flanders included. Nothing to do with post-industry. Even Ghent is dark and medieval if you compare it to Bratislava. Belgians are unconspicuous and hate flashy things. A bucket of yellow or green paint would do the trick like the above cities, but that's not how Belgians want it

Really, this is a typical thing? Well, good to know I also think Belgium is like this because this is how Belgians like it, not because they can't do it in any other way. And it's not like it's ugly, it's - to repeat myself again - dark & medieaval

Sorry RawLee but this is where it came up. But I guess as long as I compare stuff to Pozsony it's still on-topic, so yes, Belgian towns are darker and more medieval than the ones in Slovakia

[seem]

Guys, one question. Do u use more Pozsony or Bratislava in Hungary? Or are there any people who say Bratislava?

I hope I will post some pics soon

[RawLee]

I guess people wouldnt have a clue where or what Bratislava is.

[blogen_]

Originally Posted by seem

Guys, one question. Do u use more Pozsony or Bratislava in Hungary? Or are there any people who say Bratislava?

I hope I will post some pics soon

We say Bratislava only in an official international usage, for example in Railway stations. Because many foreigners do not know its Hungarian name. But this is typical for the the Sci-fi names* only, we use the old slovakian, romanian, etc. names** with a Hungarian pronunciation sometimes.

*Sci-fi names: Bratislava, Sturovo, Partizanske, Mihai Viteazul, Napoca, etc.
**Kosice, Zilina, Bánszka Bitrica, Novi Szád, Fruszka Gora, etc)

[TheLarch]

Originally Posted by seem

Do u use more Pozsony or Bratislava in Hungary? Or are there any people who say Bratislava?

I'm sure you guys don't mix up Wien with Viedeň...

Pozsony is much, much easier to pronounce for a Hungarian speaker whereas Bratislava sounds "unusual" (not in a negative way but in a linguistic sense) so cheers