Blogs from Slovakia, Europe - page 16

ZHODNOTENIE Paradne spestrenie jesene, len skoda, ze nam neprialo viac pocasie (pred a po vylete slnko a teplo). V septembri resp juni by som sa sem chcel opat vratit na predlzeny kupaci vikend. Biele plaze tu musia byt super. V parku Porto Conte vraj neni problem najst aj ludoprazdne plaze so super morom. Co sa tyka anglictiny, obycajny ludia moc nevedeli, v restikach a obchodoch v starom meste bez problemov. Plati stare zname pravidlo, pozdrav v materinskom jazyku a hned sa ludia na teba budu lepsie pozerat. Alghero - ma clovek pozrete cca za pol dna, potom tu uz neni co robit len sa kupat resp podnikat vylety po okoli. Fertilia - vrelo odporucam (samozrejme nie v lete ked su vysoke teploty) prechadzku do tohto mestecka z alghera resp naopak, inak tu ale neni absolutne nic, ... read more

After going through our first lock and arriving in port at Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, it took our very able Captain 15 mins to fight a river in flood to dock safely. He said that for the first time in 5 years he had to throw out the anchor, have the ship at full throttle yet could only make 3 knots. Impressive. This morning we toured the old part of the city by bus and on foot - again, impressive fortifications and old buildings. We are docked near the newish bridge known as the UFO bridge because of a round saucer-like restaurant on the top of one of the bridge spans. A large separate walking deck is under the roadway. We are impressed with the humour of people we have met in both Hungary and ... read more

I'm standing in front of a tiny 4-table restaurant. The peeled log walls are candy-glazed with amber shellac. A civil defense loudspeaker, loosely screwed onto a corner of the roof, cranks out silly Slovakian Polka music that sounds like a Benny Hill soundtrack. In front of the cabin is a chicken-wire aviary. A couple of peacocks stretch their fans. On the ground inside the cage are a dozen flop-eared bunnies. They are all the same pepper-grey color. Huddled tightly together like trembling Tribbles under a withering Polka assault. Looks like a cake pan of furry biscuits ready for the oven. They're not here for show. Slovakians love bunny casserole. In the back, next to a churning, granite-clogged river are a few cable-spool tables. Chairs chain-sawed out of thick logs. Seats covered with wet AstroTurf. Two of ... read more

On the 24th of April 1944, two Jewish men named Rudi Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia with an incredible story. They claimed to have just escaped from a German concentration camp known as Birkenau located in Poland. The escapees met secretly with Jewish leaders and over the next two days they wrote highly detailed reports regarding the operations in Birkenau and provided detailed drawings of the gas chambers and crematoria there. By this time, Slovakia, an ally of Germany, had already sent 60,000 of the country's 87,000 Jews to their deaths. The publication of the report in Swiss newspapers later that year was too little too late and by the end of the war it is estimated that only 300 Slovakian Jews had survived out of the original 87,000 children, women and men ... read more

Bratislava 2 - 3 August 2014 2 August Saturday Budapest to Bratislava We had a sumptuous breakfast in the Corinthia Hotel, our last meal of the APT Cruise in Budapest. I couldn't resist the omelettes again, and they were even larger than those on the cruise - 2 eggs in these ones. There was a huge array of fruit, cereals, cakes, hot food, and even champagne if we wished. We cut it pretty fine, but somehow managed to break fast, buy stamps and post the post cards, say more goodbyes, order a taxi, get to the train station, buy tickets and board the train with two minutes to spare! Phew! The train tickets were pretty cheap - 38 euros. This train had individual 6 seat cabins even in second class. We shared with a young couple ... read more