This is the 3rd post about our Europe in 360° project. To get a better understanding of this adventure, we recommend you read the introductory article.
Bordering Austria and Hungary, Bratislava is located just short of 100km from where we were staying in Vienna, so it was definitely worth the bus ride. A smaller and lesser known European capital, the Slovak city is rich in history and showcases various cultures. The panorama at the top of the page is a good overview of Bratislava and the Nový Most (meaning New Bridge) crossing the Danube River. The next photo displays close up of the bridge and the UFO restaurant on the main pillar.
We spent some time in the old town and tried the local cuisine in the unique Slovak Pub, a truly magnificent pub originally preserved and gorged with Slovak history. In our humble opinion, though, the place is more noteworthy for the decor than for the rather simple dishes. Nearby is the Roland Fountain, a local landmark and first source of drinking water for villagers, erected in 1572.
Our visit could not come to an end before visiting the Bratislava Castle, the most popular landmark of the city. Built on a 85m hill, the castle overlooks the city and has been a strategic defence for almost 5000 years. The current castle only dates from the 1960’s since it had to be restored after a massive fire in 1811.
Fun fact: on our way back to Vienna, the custom’s officers came into the bus to check our passports. We should have known since we were crossing a border but for a 1 hour bus ride, we never thought about bringing them. Fortunately, when we told them we were from Canada, they just let us go without any questions. 🙂
