Bratislovia, Slovakia Day 40

An abrupt change in the weather, much cooler and gray today with showers forecasted. No bight sunny day pictures today. I had scheduled a walking tour of historic Bratislava today while in Vienna. Met all at the starting point about a mile from where I am staying. The tour was well done, Dominica was intelligent and did not hesitate to answer difficult questions. I knew almost nothing about the history of Slovakia, now I know a bit more.

For those of you who are interested, a very simplistic overview. For those not - skip,to the pictures. 😂. Recent Slovakia history: after 1000 years of Hungarian rule, they merged with the Czechs to become the Czecho-Slovak Republic. (Czechoslovakia) During WW II Czechoslovakia was under Nazi rule and “saved” by Soviet troops at the end of the war, leading to Czechoslovakia then under Communist rule following the war. In 1989, the Velvet Revolution brought about essential political changes and paved the way for democracy. Slovakia became an independent country in 1993 and joined the EU in 2004.
The tour started at 10A in the Old Town. We spent over an hour in the 2 main plazas and adjoining areas. It is a pleasant area, many large shade trees, cafes and many tour groups, different companies. Many shops and restaurants open, unusual for Europe on a Sunday.

The 2nd half of the tour was the story of the Jewish quarter during WW II and then Communism. A sad story an the impressive sculpture and area around it pay respect to the tragedy. Next we climbed the hill and stairs to the castle. The castle was built purely for defensive purposes and it’s not as “attractive” as many European castles. Renovations began in 2013 and took almost 10,years to bring the fortress to its current state. Extensive gardens were also added. Slovakia is working very hard to add itself to the list of major tourist destinations in Europe. Bratislava is very popular with German and Austrian tourists. A very interesting several hours.

Took the rest of the day off from tourism. 😂. Grabbed a bad sandwich and a coke for lunch but had some “to die for” Belgian chocolate gelato for dessert that more than made up for the sandwich. Spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with some sleep, communications and planning for the final phase of this trip. Had no reservations after I leave here. Decided to first revisit a place in Austria neat Salzburg as the first stop wending my way west to Geneva for my flight home on the 13th.Read more