Bratislava, capitol of Slovakia
The River Cloud cruised slowly early Sunday morning, making her approach towards the town of Bratislava. This Slovakian capitol city is located near the Austrian, Hungarian and Czech borders. The nearest European metropolises are Vienna (60 km), Budapest (200 km), and Prague (330 km). The streets were quiet this early Sunday morning, and a short walk up the dock gave several of us access for exploration of the Danube area of the city before lunch and our afternoon excursion ashore.
Once lunch was finished, we divided into two groups and joined two local guides, Yana and George for a Slovakian point of view as we were led on a Sunday walk through town. We were guided past a sculpture of Hans Christian Anderson, who once also toured this unusual capitol city on the Danube. Street sculpture is one of the many hidden secrets of this bright, positive, young and vibrant city!
Making our way down one of the many central-walking streets, we stopped to see a collection of Andy Warhol paintings that decorated a local restaurant. He is one of the many interesting Slovakian people who have moved out into the world and made an impression, much as our guides were in telling the story of this small and newly established country.
Bratislava is one of the smallest capitol cities in Central Europe, though as our tour continued many of us began to realize that small capitol cities have a tremendous amount to offer. It is situated in the southwestern part of Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. It is the set of the President, the seat of the National Council, and the seat of the Government of the Slovak Republic. Its population is industrial, but also the cultural and scientific center. It is the seat of universities as well as the seat of the embassies of foreign countries.
Our good weather had continued from Hungary, and a warm Sunday afternoon brought out many residents of Bratislava for the afternoon to enjoy long walks along the narrow cobbled streets and in several small parks in town and along the river, which always includes the obligatory visit to a café. A well-known establishment in the central square boasts some of the finest hot chocolate served in low flat cups with a spoon, as it is more like a pudding than a drink!
The city walking tour ended at the Opera House, giving ample free time to explore on our own. Beautiful afternoon light encouraged many of us to wander the streets in search of unusual visual images to capture, while a small group visited a well-known set of French tapestries housed at the Primatial Palace, while a small group found a shop of fine Bohemian glass jewelry, something this region of Central Europe is famous for.
Returning to the River Cloud, we found preparations were being made for the Welcome Cocktail party and an evening concert presented by a local group from Bratislava, “Aphrodite 5.” While our riverboat remained tied up at the dock, five lovely and very talented young Slovakian musicians serenaded us. The sun had set, and an all too short day in Slovakia had come to a close.
It was only our first day moving from east to west along the Danube River and the days ahead promise to be filled with many more musical and visual gifts exploring the diverse countries that border this long river that runs through Central Europe.
