New Delhi, July 26 -- On an early summer morning, Bratislava is still grey but not gloomy. Clusters of clouds are scattered across a pale sky. The sun is a hint behind them, throwing a halo around its immediate vicinity. A burst of overnight rain has washed everything squeaky clean and freshness hangs in the air. Gusts of chilly wind blow from all directions, rustling through leaves and occasionally whistling as it brushes against stone walls. From the low rampart wall of Bratislava Castle, located on a rocky hill overlooking the Danube, the city stretches out to the horizon with the river snaking through like a blue ribbon.

Less than an hour east of Vienna, the Slovakian capital feels like the exact anti-thesis of the Austrian capital. ...