Thursday, December 13, 2018: Bratislava:

            This morning was spent exploring Bratislava - regular markets and Christmas markets, plus the Blue church.  Breakfast and lunch were eaten enroute. 

Bratislava Blue Church

Although Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia, it is a kind of a village city.  In other words, it is not a large city and has a village feel.

I have not mentioned anything about our hosts lovely apartment.  It is very large by European standards.  They are on the 3^nd and 4^th floors of an apartment building, so it feels like a house instead of an apartment. The floor plan is open, modern, and feels like an American apartment. 

Architecture of Bratislava

Young Children on an Excursion

Historic Bratislava Theater

Lunch at the Christmas Market

Michael City Gate of Bratislava

This afternoon we drove to the Devin Castle ruins.  The castle was built on the top of an outcrop of rocks.  From the 1^st to 5^th century, the Devin Castle was the northern most point of the Roman Empire – It was a frontier post.  In the 9^th century it was a major strong hold for Great Moravian Empire. It withstood the Turkish invasion but was blown up in 1809 by the French.  Today it is regarded as a symbol of the Slovaks who maintained their identity despite a millennium of foreign rule. 

We could not go the whole way to the top, as it is closed during the winter months, but we were within the ruins area.  From there we could see the Danube River flowing southeast, eventually through Romania and into the Black Sea.

This evening we had a wonderful homemade meal prepared by our host.  The rest of the evening was spent relaxing along with booking hotels in Krakow and Bucharest for the following weeks. 

Devin Castle Ruins

The Danube River

Scenic View from The Devin Castle Ruins