2014-5 Bratislava, Slovakia
Hello All,
We cruised on the Danube River through the night and the following morning. After breakfast we found a lounge chair on the sundeck of the ship and enjoyed the Slovakian countryside—most of which is mountainous. Villages and small towns passed by slowly—it was quite relaxing. When we saw something of interest on either side of the ship we would get up and snap a few photos.
Near the village of Gabcikovio we passed through our first of many dams and locks on the cruise. Crossing Europe’s continental divide from east to west would require us to transit through a total of sixty-eight locks! At times the river banks behind dams would have dikes so as not to flood the lower lying communities. We understand the requirement for the engineering, but, it still seemed strange to look down on village rooftops when this occurred.
We cruised on the Danube River through the night and the following morning. After breakfast we found a lounge chair on the sundeck of the ship and enjoyed the Slovakian countryside—most of which is mountainous. Villages and small towns passed by slowly—it was quite relaxing. When we saw something of interest on either side of the ship we would get up and snap a few photos.
Near the village of Gabcikovio we passed through our first of many dams and locks on the cruise. Crossing Europe’s continental divide from east to west would require us to transit through a total of sixty-eight locks! At times the river banks behind dams would have dikes so as not to flood the lower lying communities. We understand the requirement for the engineering, but, it still seemed strange to look down on village rooftops when this occurred.
The people of Slovakia are
descended from the Slavic peoples, who settled in the Danube River basin in the
6th and 7th centuries. Throughout history, Slovakians
have been subjected to rule and domination by invading tribes or armies,
notably the Magyars (Hungarians).
Between 1939 and 1944, Slovakia was a German-controlled state. It was then conquered by the Soviets, who wanted to create a new, pro-Soviet and Communist Czechoslovakia. This lasted until the fall of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, during the Velvet Revolution of 1989. In 1993, the Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully. Slovakia joined both NATO and the European Union in 2004.
Slovakia is landlocked and has a population of about 5 million. It is bordered by the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, and Austria. It is nearly twice the size of Wales and slightly smaller than Massachusetts.
After lunch we returned to the sundeck, and shortly thereafter we were approaching Bratislava. Sitting on the Danube River, it is the capital and the political and economic heart of the country.
Between 1939 and 1944, Slovakia was a German-controlled state. It was then conquered by the Soviets, who wanted to create a new, pro-Soviet and Communist Czechoslovakia. This lasted until the fall of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, during the Velvet Revolution of 1989. In 1993, the Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully. Slovakia joined both NATO and the European Union in 2004.
Slovakia is landlocked and has a population of about 5 million. It is bordered by the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, and Austria. It is nearly twice the size of Wales and slightly smaller than Massachusetts.
After lunch we returned to the sundeck, and shortly thereafter we were approaching Bratislava. Sitting on the Danube River, it is the capital and the political and economic heart of the country.
The white building on the hill
with a tower at each corner is Bratislava Castle.
There were a number of other
longships tied up along the waterfront. The length and width of longships is
determined by the smallest of locks they will transit on the waterways. In many
cases we had about a foot of clearance on lock walls when locking through dams.
Once our ship was secured we
departed on a bus tour of the city. We noticed right off that they had electric
powered public transportation. The electric grid, strung throughout much of the
city, does not provide for photos to our liking. But, it falls under the
category of “It is what it is.”
We saw Slavin Memorial
standing on a hill overlooking Bratislava. It was constructed in 1960 to
commemorate Soviet soldiers who died in 1945 while liberating Slovakia from the
Germans.
We could also see Bratislava
Castle which would be our next stop on the tour.
The castle, on a hill above
the old town, dominates the city of Bratislava. Castle hill was populated as
early as the late Stone Age. For four centuries, the border of the Roman Empire
ran through the area. During the Great Moravian Empire, Slavs built a fortress that
became a significant center for the time. In the 10th century, Bratislava
became an integral part of the growing Hungarian state; a stone palace and the
church were built on castle hill in the 11th century. In the 15th century a
castle was built in Gothic style as a fortress and a castle well was dug in
1437.
In the 16th century, King Ferdinand ordered the rebuilding of the castle in the Renaissance style, while in the 17th century it was rebuilt in the Baroque style. Since independence, the castle has served as a representative venue for the Slovak Parliament and houses collections of the Slovak National Museum. In 2008, a comprehensive restoration project was launched which is expected to take years. As a result, the interior is currently closed to visitors, but the exterior fortifications and their views over the Danube are open to the public.
This appeared to be a barracks and stable area outside the castle.
In the 16th century, King Ferdinand ordered the rebuilding of the castle in the Renaissance style, while in the 17th century it was rebuilt in the Baroque style. Since independence, the castle has served as a representative venue for the Slovak Parliament and houses collections of the Slovak National Museum. In 2008, a comprehensive restoration project was launched which is expected to take years. As a result, the interior is currently closed to visitors, but the exterior fortifications and their views over the Danube are open to the public.
This appeared to be a barracks and stable area outside the castle.
We then walked up the hill to
one of the gates to the castle.
This is the main entrance into
the castle. We walked through into the enclosed courtyard but weren’t allowed
access into the residence portion of the castle.
From castle hill we had an
excellent view of the Danube and city below. This shot is of the Novy Most Bridge
which is more commonly referred to as the UFO Bridge. The flying saucer looking
restaurant on top of it is named the UFO Restaurant. Note in the background all
the square box type apartment buildings built during the Soviet occupation of
the country.
Our next stop was at the entrance to the Old
Town of Bratislava where we would start a walking tour. We entered through Michael's
Gate, the only gate that has been preserved of the medieval fortifications and
ranks among the oldest of town buildings.
Within the gate the
cobblestone streets were narrow, colorful and crowded. In this photo we are
looking back at Michael’s Gate where we entered old town.
Sidewalk eating establishments
were constant and seemed to take up about half of the width of the narrow
streets.
Meals being served looked and
smelled wonderful. Many establishments had their menus posted on sign boards on
the street. So if you wanted “Huhnerbruhe mit Fleischstucken, Gemuse und Nudeln”
to eat--no problem. You just pointed to number 4 on the sign board, as the
English translation was written below it “Chicken broth with meat, vegetables
and noodles.”
Old Town is known for its many
bronze statues throughout. One of the more famous is “Man at Work.” And yes, it
is in a manhole in the street! Check out the photo.
While we were enjoying a drink
at a sidewalk café Dave observed a group of smiling young folks walking down
the street. He smiled and motioned with his camera at them--and they stopped
and posed for a photo. We have no idea what they were doing or the story behind
their colorful outfits—but in our eyes they were beautiful!
The building with the clock
tower is the City Museum and is located in the Main Square in Old Town. It was
established in 1846. The museum documents the history of Bratislava from the
earliest periods until the 20th century.
Miss Barb and her cuz Karen
found a new bow. He was as hard as steel and as strong as iron—but not very
talkative!
From Old Town we casually strolled back to our
ship enjoying the sites along the way. This is the Slovak National Theater located
in the old section of Hviezdoslav Square. The Baroque concert hall was
constructed in 1773.
A couple of blocks away, a new
Slovak Philharmonic Concert Hall was built in 1886. Both the concert hall and
national theater are still in use today.
It was a warm beautiful
afternoon as we walked along the shoreline of the Danube. However, the river was
anything but blue. So much for the popular classical waltz!
This hydrofoil water taxi was
departing as we walked by. We hadn’t seen one since our cruise on the Yangtze
River a few years back.
Arriving back at the Viking
Sky we kicked back until dinner was served. Take note in the following photo
the radar mast, ship’s bridge, and awnings on the sky deck. The mast and
awnings will all lay down flat on the deck and the bridge will hydraulically
lower into the body of the ship. A few times on the cruise crew members directed
passengers to clear the sky deck. Everything was then lowered for passing under
a low clearance bridge on the river—quite interesting to watch how quickly they
could handle this process.
Passengers had to be onboard
the ship by 10:45 pm and shortly thereafter we departed Bratislava for Vienna,
Austria. Hope you can join us on that leg of our trip.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns