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Up early and went on a guided walking tour around Bratislava which is the capital of Slovakia. We walked through the lively Pedestrian Zone where there lots of statues and tales to tell. We saw St Michaels Gate and Street which is a quaint street lined with many shops and restaurants teeming with tourists, street bands, and locals enjoying one of the many cafes and bars. There were also a number of quirky statues. One was Cumil - the Watcher - made out of brass it depicts a man inconspicuously peeping from a street manhole. Also the statue of Schoener Naci (Beautiful Ignaz), an elegant symbol of the city life of the early 20th century, is greeting people walking down Rybarska brana street. The legend says he had lost his mind because of an unrequited love. Although he was very poor, he was walking the streets in Bratislava always well dressed for almost 40 years. The townies used you give him some food and he was, in return, giving flowers to the ladies passing by. There is also the French army soldier, looking like Napoleon himself, leaning on a bench right on the historical Main Square (Hlavne namestie). Napoleon's armies attacked Bratislava twice and Napoleon himself has visited the city in 1809. The legend says, that a wounded French soldier called Hubert fell in love with a nurse from Bratislava, decided to live here and started to produce a sparkling wine based on the French tradition. Hubert is now the name of the most famous Sparkling wine in Slovakia.
Most of the building on the Michalska Ulica (street) date from the 18th Century and have survived several wars, occupations, and Communist rule, which was notorious for tearing down old, historic buildings throughout then-Czechoslovakia and replacing them with unattractive cell-block like high-rise apartments.
On the top of the street there is St. Michael's Gate - the only preserved gate of the medieval city fortifications. Its Gothic foundations were laid in the 1st half of the 14th century. During 1511 - 1513 it was heightened, and during 1753 - 1758 it was rebuilt into its present appearance when a statue of St. Michael was placed on the top of the 51 metres high tower. At present, the Museum of Weapons and City Fortifications is located within the tower.
We also visited Old Town Market Square, Main Square, and Primates Palace which was built in 1778 and located in the centre of Old Town is considered as one the most beautiful building in Bratislava. Its pale pink and white exterior is topped with various marble statues and a large cast iron cardinal's hat. The hat is a symbol of the Archbishop, for whom the palace was built, and of the various cardinals who lived here throughout the years.
The palace is filled with large oil portraits and six English tapestries from the 17th century that had been hidden in the palace walls and discovered during renovations in the early 1900s.
Another major attraction in the palace is the ornate Hall of Mirrors. It was here that Napoleon and Francis I signed the Treaty of Pressberg (Bratislava's former name) in 1805, after the Battle of Austerlitz where 50,000 Russian, French and Austrian troops were killed.
We visited St Martins Cathedral which is Bratislava's foremost Gothic structure. The church, originally built in the 13th century in the Romanesque style, was replaced by a 3-nave Gothic Dome in the late 14th century. The new St. Martin's Cathedral was consecrated in 1452 and underwent several lengthy reconstructions in later centuries. In the 16th century, the Dome became the coronation church of Hungarian kings and there were 19 Hungarian Emperors (including Maria Theresia) crowned in the cathedral until the 19th century. The cathedral was actually built into the town's outer walls as part of its fortification.
The cathedral has three naves, with several chapels added from time to time over the centuries. Its most famous work of art is an 18th century statue of St. Martin and the Beggar sculpted by famous Austrian baroque sculptor Raphael Donner. Another sight was the St. Stephen's Crown, a 1m high copy of the Hungarian royal crown placed on the church tower, some 85 meters above town. Over the portal that used to be the cathedral's main entrance, there is a Gothic relief depicting the Holy Trinity.
Facing the rear of the church after walking in, there is a gallery where the king could sit above the congregation during services. On a tablet underneath this gallery on the rear wall of the church is a notice commemorating Beethoven's op. 123, which premiered here during the 18th century. The especially vivid stained glass in St Martin's draws the viewer forward into the main body of the church, where thick columns support the church roof.
The surroundings of St Martins are as memorable as the structure itself. A small but significant neighbour of the cathedral is a monument to the synagogue, which stood next door for centuries until the communist government demolished it around 1970 to make room for the new bridge.
Then we walked up to Bratislava Castle or Hrad which sits on a hill overlooking the city. Initially a Roman frontier post, there has been a castle at this site since the 9th century. In 1881, it was reduced to rubble due to a fire and wasn't reconstructed until the mid 1900s. Its appearance has been likened to an upside down table with four corner towers that look like table legs. The panoramic views o Bratislava were magnificent.
There was also a History Museum and a National Museum with a large section devoted to art - approximately 3500 paintings, statues, and prints.
Back down the stairs and over the bridge to the UFO Restuarant on the Novy Most Bridge and went up to the observation deck. The bridge was completed in 1971 situated about 300 feet above the Danube River. The 360 degree view of Bratislava was magnificent and well worth the effort.
Had coffee in the restuarant and used the rest rooms. What a surprise. Pee with a view. The mens had a silver bucket to pee in with a magnificent view also. Back down the elevator, along the bridge to the main square and had a weiner snitzel and chips. Then we hopped on a choo choo train and went around the industrial area and then up to the castle again.
We walked to the blue church which is one of the most beautiful pieces of Art Nouveau architecture in the world. The Second Church of St. Elizabeth or the Blue Little Church (Modry kostolik) was built from 1907-1913 according to the design of Hungarian architect Odon Lechner. Today, the Blue Church also has a high school and rectory.
The Blue Church has one nave and a cylindrical tower and the exterior design is of the Hungarian Art Nouveau style and is decorated with bright and beautiful blue majolica tiles. Majolica is a tile indigenous to Slovakia and is manufactured in the city of Modra (Western Slovakia). The roof is also decorated with glazed blue tiles.
Back to the square for ice cream then back to the boat. It was the Captains Dinner and Garry and Betty were invited to the Captains Table. After dinner we entered our final lock which is the largest lock on the Danube.
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