Bratislava
The tiny big capital of Slovakia
We visited the city on a day trip from Vienna, where we were staying. There are different options for the trip. We had found that it was picturesque to do it on the ferry that in season sails on the Danube. Despite the high price we bought the tickets. Well, when we arrived very early at the port Schiffsstation Wien, from where our boat was leaving, we found that all the trips for that day were cancelled due to a significant increase in the water level.
We were very disappointed, but we could not let this minor mishap prevent us from visiting Slovakia. We returned to Vienna's central station by Metro and, once there, found that the Regio Jet bus was another very good way to get to the very center of Bratislava.
How much a good staff member helps! With her excellent predisposition and English, we bought the tickets, got on and off we went. Fun fact, the Regio Jet was significantly cheaper and more efficient than the ferry.
After crossing the border, a field of windmills for wind power preceded the arrival in tiny Bratislava.
Bratislava was part of the kingdom of Hungary, where Hungarians took refuge during the Ottoman invasions. After World War I it became part of Czechoslovakia. Then came Nazism, which was very marked, and it came under the influence of the USSR, which stifled several attempts at liberalization. In 1993 it separated from the Czech Republic in the “velvet divorce” and today belongs to NATO.
The city overlooks the river. The bus actually dropped us off on the riverbank, right where the ferry port is located.
We strolled with the rhythm of a small city, calmly, enjoying ourselves.
First we visited the Blue Church, the one that looks like a cake covered with fondant. It is the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, icon of the city, art nouveau style. Built in 1913, under the direction of a Hungarian architect, admirer of Gaudí, in plaster and blue ceramic, which generates that effect of perfection and illusion.
We returned to the center to start the tour that had been meticulously planned by @tripticity_. We passed by the National Theater, then the iconic sculptures by local artists made famous by Instagram, such as Čumil, the Working Man, which depicts a worker coming out of a sewer. Next up is Schöne Náci, the Beautiful Ignatius, a hapless Bratislava street character who despite everything wore black tie and greeted everyone by taking off his top hat.
The Napoleonic Soldier rests on a bench on the Main Square. The story behind the sculpture goes like this: right behind it, in the Palace of Pressburg, the Peace Treaty was signed in 1805 after the bloody battle of Austerlitz. Napoleon destroyed the army of the Austrian Empire allied with the Russian Empire and sealed the end of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the Main Square, Hlavné Námestie, stands the fountain of the Hungarian King Maximilian II of 1572 to supply the city with drinking water.
The Town Hall building with its tower and the Deputy Governor's Palace, Miestodržiteľský Palác, on its front you can see the bullets of Napoleon's army, stand out.
We got lost through the pedestrian streets to St. Michael's Gate, Michalská Brána, from 1300, the current one was rebuilt in the mid-1700s. This is where Slovakia's kilometer zero is located.
We resume the walk heading towards the Castle. We passed by the St. Martin Cathedral, sacrogothic, where the Austro-Hungarian kings were crowned. Two icons of the city stand out on the pedestrian walkway in front. Posmievačik, the Mocker, a very old stone with a penis, which represents the neighbor who gazed at the wife of the one who built it. And very close the old pharmacy of the city. Impeccable, nice store worth visiting.
On the way up we made a stop halfway. An attraction of the city is Bosorka, the Witch, a statue that recalls the four hundred women of the capital burned alive for witchcraft during the Middle Ages, as well as the many others who threw themselves into the Danube before being caught.
Then an arduous climb to the Bratislava Castle, Hrad, razed by Napoleon in 1805, rebuilt in the 1950s. It now houses the National Museum. The view of the whole city from the top is not to be missed. On the other side of the river you can see the UFO, tower, on the New Bridge or Most SNP, Most Slovenského národného povstania, which commemorates the Slovak National Uprising of 1972. It is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world with a single pylon and a single cable-stayed plane. Its construction forced the demolition of a large part of the old city.
We went down, crossed the highway and walked along the pedestrian walkway to the sculpture of the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, who fell in love with Bratislava during a visit in 1841.
It was then that we decided to try Slovak gastronomy. We chose a traditional food restaurant, where we tasted Bryndzové Halušky, succulent gnocchi covered with sheep cheese and bacon, and Szegedin goulash, a pork meat marinated in its cooking broth with white bread.
Very tasty and recommended for foodies. When we left, well satisfied, we took another walk through the historic center, strolling through the Stará Tržnica, the old market, and the main square, where a group of children performed folk dances in traditional costumes. Colorful and cheerful.
We could not leave Bratislava without tasting Kofola, the local drink that competed with Coca Cola. It really disappointed us with its strong artichoke flavor.
Once we arrived at the bus station under the Insurrection Bridge, very basic and without infrastructure, we thanked fate for having changed our plans of traveling by ferry because the bus was leaving earlier and the forecast in Vienna predicted a downpour, so having sailed in those conditions would have been a waste of money.
Everything happens for a reason! You just need to know how to adapt to the situations that life throws at you. We arrived at the bus station, next to the hotel in Vienna, and after a few minutes the downpour started, putting a nice end to our international day trip.