Slovakia 2016


	Our apartment was in a renovated palace in old town. It was one of many constructed by the Empress as residences for the nobles who traveled to Bratislava to visit her in the castle We couldn't figure out how to open these imposing entrance doors
Suddenly there was a great creaking noise and	the doors opened all by themselves
	to reveal a beautiful courtyard
Our apartment was on the 3rd floor. A parking garage was in the basement	Watching a car exit, we learned how to use the card key for access

Plants decorated every exterior walkway	The courtyard contained artifacts of the Imperial age like these stone canonballs

Our 3 room apartment had all the comforts at home including a large screen TV to watch the summer Olympics

Now that we understood how to gain access

We went out to explore the neighborhood
The National Theater was down the block	A few minutes walk to this main square, the site of festivals and activities

Another square adjacent to shops and restaurants	A great local restaurant was next to our apartment

Where we were served terrific local food


We were only a 5 minute walk from the Danube with a lovely path heavily used by walkers, runners and bicyclists. I started my day here most mornings before class with a 5k run.

The scenery included a view of the Cathedral	and the "UFO" bridge

The Castle dominated the high ground above the river	Some days began very early

The path continued down river toward the university	Passing cruise ships on the Danube
In fact, the path continues all the way to Budapest, Hungary

While the Golden Arches provides a taste of the USA	We preferred the atmosphere of the Green Tree Cafe for a quick bite