Palais Lichtenstein and Bratislava

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We arrived in Vienna and were treated to a private concert at the Palais Liechtenstein. Greeted with a glass of sparkling and we were treated to a program of Strauss and Mozart including music, opera and ballet. A very polished performance in a stunning building. The Garden Palace is owned by the Princley Family of Liechtenstein and the Golden Carriage was one of five commissioned in 1738. It is the only one to survive as it was dismantled and stored until being brought to Vienna in 2003.

The following day we opted for a bus tour to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. We travelled out of Vienna past a series of government owned green houses that are heated by the energy output of the nearby incinerators.

Our guide gave us a brief rundown on Slovakias history. In 1993 Slovakia and the Czechoslovakia split and Bratislava became the capital. Slovakia uses the Latin Alphabet and its currency is the Euro. They have a female President in a mostly ceremonial role as there is also a Prime Minister. The Romans were in Bratislava from the 1st to the 4th century and introduced grape growing and began wine making to the country. From the 16th century to 1918 Bratislava was dominated by Hungary and was the capital of Hungary from 1536 to 1784 when it was under the influence of the Ottoman Empire. After WWI Czechoslovakia was created with Prague as the capital. It became the capital in 1993 following the formation of the Slovak Republic. It is now a pleasant and vibrant city with many historic buildings in the many pedestrian plazas.

We tried a local delicacy of with a coffee before joining the others for our trip back to the boat and Vienna.

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