Slovakia

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Ahoj (Hello) from my brief visit to Slovakia where I spent a lovely day (8th May) in Bratislava with Mitchell Nganeko from Waiuku, hometown for both of us in NZ. Mitchell is a past-pupil of mine and this year he has been an AFS exchange student in Slovakia. His words in a later email summed it up: "It was so cool to meet someone from your country, your own town, on the other side of the world."

It was very special to visit Mitchell's host family in their home and get a glimpse of his life in Bratislava. His Mum Martina, Dad Jozef and brother Filip made me very welcome. After a chat over coffee and the delicious cake his Mum had made, Mitchell and his German AFS friend Tobias took me to a Slovak restaurant for a traditional meal. It was exquisite! Thank you so much Mitchell and family.

Then it was out to a walk off the dinner as we ambled around the old city. Tour guides were Mitchell and Tobi; one could show me all the cafes and pubs and teach me a few choice words, the other could show me the palace, castle, city wall and churches (I won't say which was which!). So, between the two, I was able to get a balanced view of their host city. Thanks guys, it was fun!

In what seemed no time at at all I was getting back on the train to Vienna. It is very strange for me, coming from an island country that has no close neighbours, to be able to get on a train and travel about 50km from one capital city to another, two different countries within an hour! Bratislava, with about 500 000 people, is picturesquely situated on both banks of the River Danube, at Slovakia's borders with Austria and Hungary, and is only an hour's drive from the border with the Czech Republic. It is the only capital in the world which borders two countries. Bratislava was capital of Hungary from 1563 to 1830. Slovakia, population about 5.5 million, has been a separate country since 1993, before that it was part of Czechoslovakia. Everywhere I go the history is mindboggling!

That's it for this blog, next one from Austria. Take care everyone. Love Dee.

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Photos

All smiles waiting for tram
Mitchell met me off the train and we caught the tram to go to his home.

Meeting the family
Left to right: Me, Filip, Martina, Mitchell, Jozef.

Family and Tobias
Same photo in the family apartment except this one has AFS friend Tobi instead of me.

"Slovenska Restauracia"
Time for lunch at this beautiful place with 5-star service and 3-course dinner. The drinks trolley delivered traditional Slovak Borovicka, to drink from a cute little bottle. Na Zdravie (cheers)!

The dessert trolley
So much to choose from: my dessert was 'Trudla' (nut strudel)...yum! For my main I had traditional 'Bryndzove halusky' (potato dumplings with sheep cheese sauce and bacon). Very tasty, Slovak's know how to eat!

The Slovak National Theatre
It was a beautiful spring day for my city tour of 'Stare mesto' (the old part of the city). Here we are in front of the theatre built in 1886.

Whoops
Not sure who I'm trampling on here as he crawls out of the manhole, but Mitchell said everyone does this. One of the city's humerous monuments.

Who is hiding in the shadow?
The Old Town Hall viewed from the main square (a complex of 14th-15th century buildings) now containing a museum.

You can spot a tourist anywhere!
A nice atmosphere walking through this historic city because there are beautiful buildings, no cars, lots of street cafes and it is not crowded with tourists. Behind is Michael's Gate (early 17th century), the only gate of the municipal fortification still in existence. Nearby is the narrowest house in central (or maybe in the whole of) Europe.

Who's the King of the Castle?
One of the most conspicuous buildings of the town is the Bratislava Castle situated on a plateau 82 m above the Danube. A castle has existed on this site since time immemorial. It has been the acropolis of a Celtic town, part of the Roman Limes Romanus, a huge Slav fortified settlement and a political, military and religious center of Great Moravia. A castle of stone was built only in the 10th century (part of Hungary), it was turned into a Gothic anti-Hussite fortress under Sigismund of Luxemburg in 1430, in 1562 it became a Renaissance castle, and in 1649 a baroque reconstruction took place. Under Queen Maria Theresa, the castle was turned into a prestige seat of the royal governor Albert von Sachsen-Teschen. In 1784, when Bratislava ceased to be the capital of Hungary, the castle was turned into a school for Catholic clergy, and later, in 1802, into barracks. In 1811, the castle was inadvertently destroyed by fire by the soldiers of the barracks and lay in ruins until the 1950s, when it was reconstructed mostly in its former Maria Theresa style.

Tobi and Mitchell take in the view from the castle
Bratislava on the river Danube. Apartment blocks on the other side across the Novy Most (New Bridge).

Old Town as seen from the castle
St. Martin's Cathedral (Gothic from the 14th-15th century, replacing an older church from the 13th century) in which many of the Hungarian kings were crowned.

Paved street in the Old Town of Bratislava
Note the flag hanging from the Embassy building. Do you recognise it Dan? (It's from Costa Rica, where my son Dan spent his AFS year)

Holding the world in my hands!
A big globe in the middle of a fountain (not turned on) in front of the Grassalkovich Palace (built around 1760) which is now the residence of the Slovak president. The historic centre of the city is characterized by many baroque palaces.

Knock, knock. Anyone home?
Tobi and I at the Palace Gate but they're not answering so no afternoon tea with the president today.

They've turned the fountain on now!
The big globe in the middle has doves on it so I took it to mean 'Peace in the World'. It was appropriate to see rainbows in the water on this sunny day and to be here with AFS students since AFS is all about fostering world peace.

Statue of Queen Maria Theresa
Behind the Palace are lovely gardens where we took a stroll.

Wonder if he's related?
One whole side of the garden is called 'The President's Pathway' and has a line of oak trees, each one planted by a visiting world leader and with a plaque. This one was planted by the German leader with name 'Rau', the same name as my maternal great-grandfather who migrated to NZ from Germany a long time ago.

Here comes the tram
It'll take us back to the train station for my departure.

About to board the train to Austria
Bratislava to Wien (Vienna), the closest two capital cities in the world.

Thanks and goodbye
I hope I can repay your hospitality when you visit NZ one day. Dovidenia.

Comments

[steve laffey]

hey hey
D! what a frighteningly awesome place, it has been a few months since turkey however you are still charging. The privileges that you have and continue to experience must make it hard to find the right words to sum up each place. I hope to be able to say something similar about my life experiences one day also. Take care. steve laffey

[Nancy Rae]

Bratislava
Hi Dee, YOur Blog has memories our time in B'Slava in 2004. Your photo's certainly remind us of the beauty of the Old City. Thanks so much for sharing with us. We held a B Grade Squash tourney. Very suc'full 50 entries. All is well.Take care and enjoy the Northern Summer. Winter here, more frosts in July than we can ever remember.Will kill the BUGS thou. Nancy Rae

[nicky]

hold on, i'm coming!!!!!!
hey dee, glad to see your getting out and about, while making the rest of us jealous at home. One thing i will say is that the holiday destination list is growing, thanks to all of those fantastic photo's. Nicky B