The big Mercedes bus picked us up at the ship and we were on our way for a tour of the city. Like most cities on the Danube there
is very little flat land and what there is very near the river. There was a similarity in architecture to several cities we had visited in Germany and Austria. The bus wound through the narrow streets to the top of one of the hills of the Little Carpathians. On the way we passed the embassies of many countries.
"Hey, look, the American Embassy looks just like the White House," Claudette exclaimed.
"Obama might be there on vacation," I added in jest.
The purpose for our drive to the top of the hill was to view the Bratislava Castle. This castle looked different from others we had seen in Europe and the British Isles. It was rectangular in shape with a tower on each corner of similar height. The white building was almost blinding in the morning sunlight. The current structure was built in the fifteenth century although there had been a structure on the location since the ninth century. The Hungarian royal jewels were once housed in the southwest tower which is also the tallest tower. Since the castle is located 279 feet above the Danube it offers spectacular views. On a clear day the countries of Austria and Hungary can be seen as well as the city of one half million Bratislava residents.
After riding the bus down from the hill we were in the streets of the city. We enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets. Bratislava seems to be fairly new at promoting tourism. One thing that caught my attention were the many sculptures. Perhaps, an explanation is in order. Sculptures in European cities are common. (What would the pigeons do without them?) But not all of these sculptures were of famous notables. Some were quite frivolous, such as the man sticking his head out of the sewer and of the tramp on the park bench. On the square in Old Town were stalls selling touristy things including tee shirts. They also have the antique appearing motor cars to drive you around the city for sightseeing. Naturally, there was a McDonalds. It had a large banner promoting the World Cup. A spirit of frivolity seemed to prevail in Bratislava. And I'm a big fan of frivolity!
We enjoyed our stay in Bratislava and were able to get some soft serve ice cream on the way back to the ship. (Claudette took my photo with the soft serve vendor.)
"Hey, look, the American Embassy looks just like the White House," Claudette exclaimed.
"Obama might be there on vacation," I added in jest.
The purpose for our drive to the top of the hill was to view the Bratislava Castle. This castle looked different from others we had seen in Europe and the British Isles. It was rectangular in shape with a tower on each corner of similar height. The white building was almost blinding in the morning sunlight. The current structure was built in the fifteenth century although there had been a structure on the location since the ninth century. The Hungarian royal jewels were once housed in the southwest tower which is also the tallest tower. Since the castle is located 279 feet above the Danube it offers spectacular views. On a clear day the countries of Austria and Hungary can be seen as well as the city of one half million Bratislava residents.
After riding the bus down from the hill we were in the streets of the city. We enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets. Bratislava seems to be fairly new at promoting tourism. One thing that caught my attention were the many sculptures. Perhaps, an explanation is in order. Sculptures in European cities are common. (What would the pigeons do without them?) But not all of these sculptures were of famous notables. Some were quite frivolous, such as the man sticking his head out of the sewer and of the tramp on the park bench. On the square in Old Town were stalls selling touristy things including tee shirts. They also have the antique appearing motor cars to drive you around the city for sightseeing. Naturally, there was a McDonalds. It had a large banner promoting the World Cup. A spirit of frivolity seemed to prevail in Bratislava. And I'm a big fan of frivolity!
We enjoyed our stay in Bratislava and were able to get some soft serve ice cream on the way back to the ship. (Claudette took my photo with the soft serve vendor.)
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| The ice cream vendor. |
