Okay, enough silliness. Back to communism!
The Novy Most (New Bridge), with its Trekkie-esque tower, represents Soviet design at its most enthusiastic. Back in the late 60's or early 70's, when the cement on the bridge was still wet, someone carved this into the pedestrian walkway:
The construction crew either didn't see it or just left it there.
In a delicious twist of irony, the New Bridge today is en route to this:
Aupark, the shopping center that the taxi driver pointed out to me when I first arrived. Now, this mall is huge. I mean, really huge. The only vantage point from which I could get a decent picture of the exterior was (irony again!) from the top of the Novy Most's tower, also know as "the UFO":
See those two illuminated red signs, and all the shorter buildings surrounding them? That's it.
One can satisfy any desire at Aupark. Need a TV? Fur coats? Insurance? A workout? You can get it all right here! (I settled for a sweater.) The sheer wealth of consumer options was not the only difference between Aupark and the American malls of my personal experience, however. Unlike the mall of my hometown, whose atmosphere leans toward stressful and depressing, Aupark is a happy place. The rather chic cafés were filled. Children were entertained. Adults were smiling. One gets the impression that this shopping mall is quickly becoming the new center of daily Bratislava life.
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