graffiti from europe

I wanted to write about my anti-government sentiments, but I need more time to craft it out properly, so I will settle for something else. Vandalism has always been part of growing up and I realised that the "fashion" these days is to comment on signs/warnings/notices put up across NUS by writing on them. It almost feel like these students are writing on a wall - like the ones found on facebook. Photos of these comments can be found at the facebook group Overheard at NUS.

All these remind me of graffiti I have seen while I was in Europe. For example, the photos below showed a building that is vandalised by graffiti. These photos were taken at Bratislava (the capital of Slovakia, one of the two nations that formed after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The city is just an hour away from Vienna). On first sight, I was wondering what the building was as the whole place was full of graffiti and that includes the road. Cigarette butts were littered all over the place. I asked a local what it was and he replied that it is a university. I was shocked. The guy told me that it is a holiday (either Christmas or Boxing day) and that is why it looked so devoid of people. I really wonder how the place would look like with youths.

The photo below shows another interesting graffiti which I came across while touring the devoid Bratislava's Old Town (thanks to the Boxing day). It reads "No God, No Skills, No Money, The Square one. Here I come". I felt really sad after seeing it.The next two are from various places. The first was on the stairs leading to the Budapest castle and the second was found at a children's playground in Vienna.

I must admit that I've felt sad when traveling across Eastern Europe. They cast a gloomy picture of the entire place. I saw this brand new train which was probably a train from Austria in another country which was vandalised by graffiti. Too bad I didn't have time to whip out my camera and take a photo of it. However, I must admit like those two photos above, graffitis do add colour to our life.