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Bratislava
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Slovakia
August 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