Bratislava Castle

The castle and its predecessors have about as long and convoluted history as any I know: neolithic settlements, Celtic hillfort, Roman fortress, on into the middle ages and beyond, when the present structure was built and then endlessly enlarged and strengthened. It stands at the crossroads of two of the most historically important human travel routes: the east/west Danube, all the way from Germany to the Black Sea, and the north/south Amber route, from the Baltic to the Adriatic. Thus it has always been contested ground, withstanding Mongols and Turks and many others, with a history to match. When the Hapsburgs took over, and particularly with Empress Maria Theresa, it became more of a palace and royal residence than a fortress.  

Our estimable guide (Rickie Stevie) recommended climbing the hill to the castle for the views, but not for a tour of the castle/palace itself. We followed his recommendation, as we generally do, although, in our cases, it was very nearly a case of a castle too far. After taking in the views, we descended back to the town, had a nice pizza dinner, and then proceeded, already weary and pressed for time, to the Blue Church, across the Old Town. 

Beginning the climb, the cathedral there to the left, newer Bratislava
in the distance

Old and new

Danube

Cathedral spire

With its replica of the Hungarian crown atop

Looking across the Danube to the miles after miles of apartment
blocks

Capital buildings atop the hill

Helpful maps

Finally, a fuller view of the castle

Artsy shot of entry gates

Hi-Yo, Silver!

Oil refineries...a major target of the USAAF, June 18, 1944

TV tower; I love these juxtapositions

Bratislava Cathedral of St. Martin

Another late Medieval Gothic, completed in 1452, not large, but noted principally for being the coronation church of Hungarian kings, queens, and consorts from 1563 to 1830. (Their main cathedral had probably been converted into a mosque.) Maria Theresa of Austria also was crowned here.

Interestingly, the cathedral was built right into and became part
of the city's wall

Thus

And thus

Nave view

The cathedral was built right over a cemetery, and
through this floor glass you can look down into it;
apparently it's a bit moist down there...

Equestrian statue of St. Martin, donating his cloak to a beggar;
by Georg Rafael Donner, 1740s

Altar, chancel, etc.

Choir

Note: a) the huge figures in the choir carvings, and

b) the figures on the starboard side are much darker than those
on the port side

Chancel ceiling

Miscellaneous chapels, etc.

Much Gothic remains in the interior

Vicki studying this one; the church is noted
for its fine carvings

Nicely carved pulpit

Organ

Helpful guide to the walls, of which the cathedral is part

All presided over by the UFO

Bratislava Scenes, 2

Continuing our walkabout in old Bratislava...

Pretty courtyard

In another square, the bishop's palace...some vow of poverty, right?
now city hall

The dragon not doing so well here

Moving right along...we thought we'd left old
town and were now in the 50s Eastern bloc zone;
but no, this is a Bauhaus structure, Bratislava's first
skyscraper; we'll see more Bauhaus in Vienna; notice
this instance is now a bingo parlor; sic transit, Gloria

Apparently the reason there are no food trucks in Prague is that 

they are all here, in a small square, a dozen or more; it was lunch 

time and we thought we'd give it a go

Very serious about plastic, recycling...

We'd looked forward to eating at the street
food thing, but couldn't find anything
really inviting...pasta with plum jam and
poppy seeds?!

Potato dumpings with beets, goat cheese, and nuts...

Even the possible olie bollen was not tempting; we moved on,
resolving to have an early dinner 

In an upscale art deco arcade

National theater, communist era; note extensive stain-glass windows

"The Peeper," one of the city's several more amusing sculptures

We were sitting on a bench outside a toy store, wondering why all 
police along the street, when we began hearing a large, largely male
crowd, some hundreds I would say, chanting and singling boisterously,
and coming our way; normally we would attempt to keep our distance,
but they were on us very quickly; all wearing the same colors, the
same jackets, the same pennants...a union action of some sort? we
wondered...they disappeared down the street in the direction of the
old square, still singing...later we learned there had been a futbol match
the previous day, and a number of the German fans had hung around
another day to celebrate and enjoy the cheap beer...I guess any futbol
gathering warrants police presence...

Opera

Symphony Hall

National poet...an immense statue, unlike anything you'd
see in the US

Hans Christian Anderson, who visited Bratislava,
probably back when it was Pressburg; "to travel
is to live," is one of our favorite travel quotes

All this along a beautiful 3 or 4 block tree-lined boulevard/park