A Vienna Getaway Minus the Crowds 翻译.doc

A Vienna Getaway Minus the Crowds维也纳的新起点减少了观众的到来By EVAN RAILATMOSPHERIC churches, romantic cobblestone lanes, cool new cafes or quirky museums: What do locals in the Slovak capital of Bratislava recommend visitors see first?在首都斯洛伐克伯拉第斯拉瓦的当地人会建议游客们先参观什么呢？是气压式教堂、是浪漫的鹅卵石路、是出色的新的咖啡馆、还是离奇古怪的博物馆？“Vienna,” joked Peter, a Slovak friend of mine who had recently moved back to his homeland after several years abroad.我的一个斯洛伐克的朋友彼得，出国几年后最近刚回到他的家乡。他开玩笑说：“维也纳。”That may not be the most useful of tips, but it does highlight the easy accessibility of Bratislava, which lies just an hour outside Vienna, about two hours and 40 minutes from Budapest, and about four hours from Prague, with direct train and bus connections from all three. An intimate, easy-to-navigate city of around half a million inhabitants, Bratislava makes an excellent getaway from the more popular destinations in the region, especially once you get fed up with the big-city crowds.那不可能是最有用的秘诀，但是它却是突出了伯拉第斯拉瓦的易到达性。伯拉第斯拉瓦在这三个城市之间有直达的火车和汽车，它到达维也纳仅一个小时，到达布达佩斯要两小时四十分钟，到达布拉格要四个小时时间。伯拉第斯拉瓦是一个亲近人并且易通行，拥有50万居民的城市，它在这个地区最受欢迎的地方做出了非常好的起点。你会喜欢这儿，特别是当你厌倦了大城市拥挤的人群的时候。The Slovak capital also offers similar, Central European charm (rich history, unusual local flavors, stunning architecture and vibrant restaurants and night life) as I discovered over the course of a weekend there this winter.斯洛伐克的首都也提供了相似的活动，如在这个冬季漫长的周末中，欧洲中部的魅力吸引了我，那里有丰富的历史、不寻常的地方口味,惊人的建筑和充满活力的餐馆和夜生活。A beer lover, Peter had suggested we catch up at Richtar Jakub (Moskovska 16; richtarjakub.sk), the citys first brewpub, which opened in a residential neighborhood northeast of Stare Mesto, the Old Town, in 2008. By the time I arrived, I had already seen enough to laugh off his Vienna recommendation with several Bratislava tips of my own.啤酒爱好者彼得曾经建议我们在全市第一的出售自制啤酒的酒馆Richtar Jakub见面。这个酒馆于2008年建在老城区东北部的一个居民区里。我一到那个地方，就看见足够的风景，对他那些有着伯拉第斯拉瓦的维也纳建议一笑置之。I had gotten a feel for the place by strolling through the labyrinthine pedestrian streets of Stare Mesto, which includes several old city gates and the remnants of the citys ancient fortification walls. After checking out the strange collections of apothecary bottles and ornate, antique medicine cabinets at the Museum of Pharmacy (Michalska 26), I climbed and counted the 110 stone and wooden steps leading up to the top of St. Michaels Tower, just next door, part of the original city fortifications guarding Old Town.At the top, I opened a small door and stepped outside onto the towers narrow observation platform, taking in the sunset over the rooftops of Stare Mesto. Broad-shouldered Bratislava Castle stood high on its hilltop before me, while the sound of church bells echoed up through the medieval-era streets. The panorama took my breath away, and it felt equally surprising to find no other tourists there to block my view.I had a similar private showing at the quirky Museum of Clocks (Zidovska 1), which filled a narrow, flatiron-style building with unusual watches, wall and table chronographs. Why were there no other visitors gawking at the immense, desk-size timepieces, covered with gilt figurines, dating from the Baroque era? Jealous, I imagined they were all enjoying the open-air Museum of Beekeeping in the nearby village of Kralova pri Senci (vcelarskapaseka.sk), which I had regrettably put off for another trip.Despite the lack of tourists, many Stare Mesto cafes seemed to be doing good business, especially Shtoor (Panska 23; shtoor.sk). Taking its name from Ludovit Stur, the leader of Slovakias 19th-century cultural awakening and struggle against Austro-Hungarian domination, Shtoors menu included international flavors, like chai lattes, and clearly indigenous tastes, like the open-face sandwiches topped with tangy bryndza, a kind of creamy sheep cheese that bears one of Slovakias protected geographical indications. Other than the sandwiches, the cafe would not have felt out of place in Berkeley, Calif., or Austin, Tex., I thought, in part because of its airy, unexpected dcor: light fixtures were fashioned out of top hats and bowlers, and a repurposed door turned on its side formed the wall separating one section of the room, where a crowd chattered about coming arts events.Everywhere I went I encountered similar local flavors, like the elegant wines produced from alibernet, a little-known Eastern European cross between cabernet sauvignon and alicante bouschet grapes that can produce surprisingly full-bodied reds. In a corner of the massive Erdody Palace in Stare Mesto, the stylish Elesko wine bar (Venturska 1; eleskowinebar.sk) was pouring glasses of its own 2008 barrique alibernet (a stately, charismatic wine with nicely understated oak) for 5.80 euros (about $7.95 at $1.32 to the euro). And in the covered courtyard of the same sprawling building, a dinner at Flowers Restaurant and Wine Bar, one of the citys best, proceeded from spicy, spot-on Levantine mezze to rich and unctuously tender Slovak veal cheeks (Venturska 1; flowersrestaurant.sk).To finish my first day, I stopped at the chic, rooftop Sky Bar (Hviezdoslavovo namestie 7; skybar.sk), where I was made to feel welcome, despite not being as beautiful, skinny or blond as the rest of the clientele. The bar, on Bratislavas most photogenic square, overlooks much of the city and the vast Danube flowing through its heart.While I took in the view (which for some reason suddenly included fireworks), a bartender patiently walked me through the big names on his list of 80 vodkas, which topped out with a Russian brand, Kauffman Private Collection, listed at 40 euros a shot. Slowly sipping an extremely smooth and charismatic Slovak vodka, Double Cross (7.90 euros a shot), while watching the beau monde in the club and the pyrotechnics outside, I was almost certain I wouldnt have found quite as much unexpected charm anywhere in Vienna.The citys history, however, quickly connected me to the glory days of Austria and Hungary. In the gracefully refurbished Bratislava City Museum (Primacialne namestie 3; muzeum.bratislava.sk), I walked past a chapel dedicated to a Hungarian king, St. Ladislaus, where frescoes from the 15th century brightened the walls under sculptured, Renaissance-era arches. In the next room, a map of Vienna from 1430 showed Bratislava (then known as Pressburg in German, Presporok in Slovak and Pozsony in Hungarian) as little more than a suburb of the Austrian capital. With the Turkish occupation of much of Hungary after the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, Bratislava then served as the Hungarian capital for some three centuries. During that time, 11 rulers of the Austro-Hungarian empire, including the great Maria Theresa, were crowned in St. Martins Cathedral in Bratislava.Walking by the church in the afternoon, I felt as if nothing had changed since the days of the last woman among the Hapsburg rulers. From a distance, the building had the familiar, spiky outline of many village churches, and thus seemed as though it might be a much smaller building. But as I wandered toward it through the winding streets of Old Town, the form became ever larger. Unlike the far more ornate Stephansdom in Vienna or St. Stephens Basilica in Budapest, there were no photographers snapping away inside, giving me plenty of time to soak up the darkly romantic, Gothic-era vastness in solitude.As I related these discoveries the next night when I caught up with Peter, he acquiesced, and pointed out that our meeting place constituted another new attraction for visitors. While Slovakia is usually known for its viticulture, a growing interest in good beer has brought four new brewpubs to the capital, all within the last four years.The first, Richtar Jakub, offered 10 solid microbrews on draft, including its own excellent dark lager, as well as obscure, smaller Czech and Slovak brands like Chotebor and Urpiner.In beer terms, the most recent development was last years arrival of Zamocky Pivovar (Zamocka 13; zamockypivovar.sk), a clean, cocktail-style lounge not far from the Clock Museum. I stopped there for an amber lager after exploring the day before.At least in terms of airy atmosphere and cosmopolitan clientele, the citys brewpub scene probably hits its apex at the Bratislavsky Mestiansky Pivovar (Drevena 8; mestianskypivovar.sk), or Bratislava City Brewery, a beautifully renovated, multilevel pub just off the main shopping street of Obchodna.Finishing our pints, we took a cab to the last of the citys four breweries, Patronsky Pivovar (Brnianska 57; patronskypivovar.sk). The house pale lager supported one of the best dinners of pork schnitzel and potato salad I had ever tasted: the cutlet was audibly crisp on the outside, but steamy and juicy inside, striking a rich counterbalance to the sweet-and-sour, oniony vinaigrette of the potatoes. After saying “dovidenia” to Peter, I headed back to my hotel and quickly collapsed into a deep sleep.The next morning, fueled by the high-calorie evening, I climbed up the castle hill for a final view of Bratislava before my early train back to Prague. Nearing the top, I came upon a teenage boy and girl practicing parkour on the walls and steps, running straight down the middle of a sidewalk. In bigger capitals nearby, I thought, this would have been impossible because of the crowds, but here there was no one to get in the way. They continued their attempts at running, leaping and spinning as I walked past. Just like me, they seemed to love having the place more or less to themselves.Going to BratislavaDirect trains for Hlavna Stanica, Bratislavas