Europe - Beguiling Bratislava

Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital is one of the youngest in Europe. The old town is small, with cobblestoned streets lined with picturesque restored baroque buildings, elegant mansions, art nouveau houses, gracious pedestrian streets and leafy squares.

Slovakia was part of Hungary for more than 1,000 years and suffered 40 years of totalitarian rule in the mid 20th century, before becoming an independent nation when the Czech Republic and Slovakia separated peacefully in what is known as the Velvet Divorce in 1993.

Today in pride of place St Martin's Cathedral - between 1563 and 1830 Hungarian kings and queens were crowned here; one of whom was Maria Theresa - her gem encrusted gown weighed 20kgs, which must have been a trial as it was a hot July day. The procession through the streets lasted 8 hours, the road lined with silk, the fountains bubbled not with water, but wine. What a sight that must have been!

On our walking tour we also learned that Andy Warhol’s parents were Slovakian and Johann Hummel (1778-1837), a successful composer and pianist was born in Bratislava, his music spanning the Classical and Romantic eras. Not only a pupil of Mozart, but also a great friend with Beethoven. Hans Christian Anderson spent time in Bratislava too, writing some of his fairy tales.

As a university town it’s filled with young people, lazing in vibrant cafes and bars. Ice cream is popular too with lots of street art dotted about.

To learn a little more of Bratislava view the 5 minYoutube below:

We saw the New Bridge from our ship but didn't have a chance to dine at the UFO restaurant nor visit the Castle. The city was a lot busier during our visit than shown on the video - obviously the secret is out! We were only here for around 3 hours, yet Bratislava captured our hearts.

Stay tuned as Vienna the capital of Austria is our next port of call.