Slovakia 2016

Two iconic symbols of Bratislava
Medieval Castle above the Danube	"UFO" Bridge spanning the Danube. The "saucer" is a restaurant


Our classmates gathered at the National Theater for a city walk	Most sites are accessible on foot, but there is also an efficient tram and bus system

Slovak poet, dramatist, translator and member of parliament	Hans Christian Anderson

Memorial in thanksgiving for the end of the black plague Most European cities and towns have similar sculptures	Cathedral of St Martin - Coronation Church of the Kingdom of Hungary (1563-1830)

Memorial to victims of the Holocaust: "Remember" (in Hebrew & Slovak) Note the image of the synagogue on the wall	The synagogue and Jewish Quarter survived WWII but both were destroyed by the Communists to build this highway

Part of the original city wall	18 Rulers were crowned in St Martin's Cathedral

The interior of St Martin's Cathedral includes a stained glass window of Saints Cyril and Methodius, missionary brothers who brought Christianity to the Slavs in the ninth century Also responsible for the Cyrillic alphabet




	The gold crowns in the pavement mark the route of the Coronation procession

	At left: St Michael's gate is the only one of 4 entrances to the medieval city still standing Below: The oldest store in Bratislava featuring local products and historical artifacts

Main Square of Old Town	"Men Working"
Site of nightly concerts during the summer

This classroom building of Comenius University is adjacent to the Danube	This "new" bridge recently replaced the one built during WWII We walked across it one evening to see life on the other side

A panoranic view of "Old Town" Bratislava

This area is mainly local people having fun This is a Zumba class	In 2008 we visited Bratislava on the only cruise ship stopping here Now ships dock side by side along the shore

We ate in a popular local restaurant with the largest schnitzel I ever saw

	We walked back to Old Town on the UFO Bridge

This evening concert was by a Rusyn band	Sunday Mass in a Bratislava church

We travelled by bus to this building which reminded me of the "upside down" Center for Innovative Technology in Reston, Virginia	We saw a concert of the Slovak Youth Orchestra They were excellent, but I took no pictures as they performed


Back in Old Town I followed this troupe of medieval performers processing through the city to a constant drumbeat. They were recreating an execution complete with the woman's champion fighting the executioner for her life. Unfortunately, he failed