[ May 2016 ] We entered the old town of Bratislava in Slovakia and looked for the tourist information office, because we wanted to know how to get to some of the villages outside of the capital city. At first the staff there were rather reluctant, but gradually got serious and kindly looked on the internet to find the information for us. That is the typical east and north European attitude. They tend to be blunt at first. When we got out of the information office, we heard some folk music. We thought that it would be something for tourists, so we went there, but in fact, it was a part of the attraction of a wedding party. People in pretty costumes were playing and dancing. The main couple was lovely, too.
Then, we came to a large square called Hlavne Namestie (Main square) in the centre of Bratislava. I noticed a souvenir shop with the Japanese flag. I wondered there were so many Japanese tourists and approached the building and found that it was next to the Japanese embassy. Interestingly, a part of the building was used for the souvenir shop.
