24 hours in Bratislava!
Bratislava, quiet but vibrant capital of Slovakia, perched along the Danube river which also runs past the neighboring countries of Austria and Hungary.
The popular tourist 18th century Old town is a pedestrian only area with traditional bars, souvenir shops and restaurant serving slovak as well as continental cafes and fusion cuisine lined along its cobbled street.
Right in the Main Square, is the Old Town Hall which has a museum dedicated to the history of Bratislava. The old town hall looks like a church and I was a bit confused when I got there but I liked the unique look it had, distinct from other town halls across Europe.
Stare Mesto – Bratislava
Old Town Hall
Roland Fountain in the Main Square
The Micheal’s gate is the only one standing of the four city fortified gates used for entry and exit in the medieval times. Built around 1300, it’s thought to be one of the oldest buildings still erect in Bratislava. Today it is used as a museum to exhibit weapons of Bratislava.
Micheal’s Gate
Bratislava is also known to have some beautiful sculptures around the city and one of the popular ones is the Man at work, a bronze sculpture of a labor man in a manhole probably watching ladies like me go by, smiling and making snazzy comment to get our attention 😜.
There was also another sculpture that I found fascinating and took a very silly photo of myself.
I remember something hilarious happened with another tourist while I was taking a photo. I’m about 173cm so I was able to stand on my toes so that my head sat in the hat of the sculpture. This guy must have really loved that pose and tried to stand on his toes but sadly his head was still about 4 inches away from the hat 😂 and everyone in the crowd burst out laughing. Well I honestly could only reach that high because I had an Afro which just about touched the hat to give an illusion of it sitting on my head. I thought it was funny and so did many others but he still took his photo anyway and everyone had their happy faces on 😃.
Walking to the Old town, I went by the Grassalkovich Palace which is also the residence of Mr President. It’s also known as Slovakia’s “White House”. I didn’t know it was the presidential residence until I looked at my tour map. Almost no seen armed presence and everywhere was quiet with people moving about the streets casually chitchatting and pointing at old styled buildings.
Slovak’s White House – Official résidence of the The President
I went through the old town into the premise of the gothic styled Roman Catholic Church, St Martin’s cathedral. It is the largest and one of the oldest churches in Bratislava, known especially for being the coronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary between 1563 and 1830 (excerpt from Wikipedia). The cathedral is said to hold the remains of Saint John the Merciful who died in the early 7th Century.
It’s about time for dinner and in front of me is the Danube river and the Most SNP bridge running across it. The most SNP bridge is the world’s longest bridge to have one pylon and one cable-stayed plane. I look up on the Most SNP bridge and there was the UFO tower 🙂
Most SNP or UFO bridge
UFO observation tower
Danube River
Dinner was at the UFO restaurant. The view is panoramic and just breathtaking. I just sat there looking over the city and wondering how beautiful and peaceful life is. Dinner was duck with Madeira sauce, truffle and lentils. The pan seared duck was beautifully cooked and the Madeira sauce was so delicious i wanted to lick my plate 😆. It is somewhat pricey, I think it was almost €40 but I did enjoy my food and it was filling.
After dinner, I climbed up to the observation deck and damn that sunset and view was everything. The chilly winds, the quiet, the city view, the river, the castle, the old town… all made up this halcyon mood I can’t really explain. It was a serene moment to myself, and somehow I wish I shared it holding hands with someone, just for memory sake 🙂 and a perfect way to end the day.
View of the Bratislava castle atop the hill
With my happy pleasant mood, I continue walking around the city, taking in the view, the people, the tram going by, cars, bikes and everything in sync.
Walking back to the bus stop to head back to my hotel, I go past the Church of St. Elizabeth, commonly known as Blue Church, Dedicated to Elisabeth of Hungary, daughter of Andrew II. It is a beautiful work of art and somewhat reminded me of a birthday cake with blue fondant icing.
Blue Churh
The bus ride back to my hotel had me thinking how beautiful and unique every part of the world is, made out of their very own history and it’s people….
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” -Gustav Flaubert
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