Bratislava

Day 13 - Bratislava (September 11)

I was up around 5:30 AM to take my shower. The sun was just lighting the eastern sky and it promised to be another warm and beautiful day. Tina was thinking about getting up as I left our room for the lounge with computer in hand. Grabbing a cup of coffee I went to work organizing yesterdays photos for upload to the web. Tina joined me about 6:45 AM to read the morning news before we went down to breakfast. Before long Shanda and Denise showed up and the ladies went downstairs for breakfast. After taking the NetBok back to the cabin I joined them for a bite to eat. We wanted to eat early as we had another early morning walking tour of Bratislava, capital city of Slovakia.

Slovakia is relatively young country with a long cultural heritage. Formed in 1992 when the Czech and Slovak prime ministers decided to split the state peacefully and fairly to be representative of the two national identities. Landlocked and mostly mountainous, Slovakia is about the size of West Virginia. Slovak people populated the region during the fifth century becoming the Great Moravian Empire in 833. In 907 the area came under Hungarian rule adopting Roman Catholicism and the Latin alphabet. Modern Slovakia has suffered under communism and various bursts of nationalism but today the republic is stable and the country has become a member of the European Union. Blessed with natural resources such as timber, copper and iron ore the country is maintaining forward momentum with plenty of jobs available to young people.

Leaving the ship we boarded a tour trolley with our guide for the short trip into the heart of the city. We got out in the square fronting the National Theater and walked along a broad cobblestone park flanked by towering chestnut and plane trees. Along one side of the side of the park were restaurants and small shops with residential apartments above. On the other side were luxury hotels such as the Carlton and Savoy. Along the way were lots of statues, fountains and benches. Reaching the end of the park we came out next to the Maria Teresa Church. Across the highway were the last remaining city walls surrounding the National Museum.

Walking along the first of many pedestrian only streets we entered the heart of the old city where all the streets were lined with shops, residences and interspersed with public squares and churches. We passed the only remaining city gate, St Michael’s Gate and ended up in front of the Primatial Palace. At this point our guide finished the walking tour and we were free to spend another hour in the city for a walkabout on our own. We spent some time visiting the many street vendors selling souvenirs and slowly winding our way back to the ship. All around the city center, there are buses, electric trolleys, cars and bicycles filled with people going to work and shopping. Bratislava is definitely a vibrant city filled with young people attending university. Like most of the cities we’ve visited, things don’t really start to come to life in the shopping districts until almost noon, but we had an enjoyable visit.

Returning to the ship we had lunch and spent the afternoon reading, watching the scenery or attending a lecture on Hungary. Later we attended the Captains Farewell dinner where the crew and staff were recognized. All the while the ship continued down the Danube to Budapest where we docked around 11:30 PM. It was really stunning to come in by water at night with Parliament and all of the government buildings along with the Presidential Palace and the Chain Bridge lit up providing a spectacular light show.

To see all of today’s photos, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski