November 29: Bratislava, Slovakia

Last night we went through one of the locks. Alyx woke up when we stopped and put her phone in the window and set it to record a video and then went back to sleep. It took about 20 minutes for the lock to fill and for us to sail out. Sister Cindy woke up and saw the wall outside her window and freaked out.

Breakfast was 7:30–9:30 am, and the tour departed at 10 am. They took us through town and up to the castle on the hill. There is nothing inside, so we walked around the grounds.

And then on the way out, we discovered a Medieval Market in the courtyard – it was so charming! We wished we had spent the entire time in there, but had to go quickly to get back on the bus.

The bus then took us around more of the city sights and then left us near the Christmas markets. The guide took us past more iconic sites and statues, and then the tour ended. Sister Cindy and Alyx had left the group when we got off the bus, and I caught up with them.

Information:

Population & Education:

• Slovakia has 5.4 million people, with 500,000 in Bratislava.

• There are 50 universities with more than 50,000 students.

History:

• A thousand years ago, this was northern Hungary and served as the capital.

• The oldest part of the city is a tower from the 9th century.

• Bratislava was not damaged during World War II.

• In 1993, Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia because two politicians each wanted to become prime minister. It took about 10 years for the economy to recover.

Government & Society:

• Locals say they were socialist, not communist. After the Berlin Wall fell, the country became democratic.

Economy:

• More than one million cars are manufactured here, across many different brands.• Many residents live in Slovakia but work in Austria, where wages are two to three times higher.

Culture & Local Life:

• Outdoor dining areas provide IKEA blankets, since everyone already owns them at home.

I was here once before, about a year and a half ago, when I sailed the Danube from Budapest to Vilshofen in April 2024. On that trip we did an active tour up to the castle hill and then were on our own. We wandered around town a bit, but I didn’t feel like I really got to know the city, so I was glad to have a more complete tour this time.

The three of us went up into the Town Hall to see the museum and climb up for views over the city. Then we did some shopping and tried some of the local foods. Well, Alyx and I tried the local foods. First we had something that was like a rolled-up crepe, and we got one with cheese and one with chocolate. The cheese one tasted just like a cheese quesadilla. Then we tried another dish made of a bunch of small pancakes covered with various toppings, and we chose chocolate and strawberries.

Our river cruise line, Riviera, has a brand new ship called the Radiance. It was parked next to us in Budapest, so I had reached out to see if I (and my two agents) could have a tour. We made arrangements to meet at the ship at 3:45 pm and had a tour, and it was a beautiful ship. There were lots of really nice updates and thoughtful changes from our current ship.

Sister Cindy and Alyx had gone back to the ship, so I walked over and changed boots, and then Alyx and I went back into town for more shopping and food. The all aboard time was 5:45 pm, and I think we were the last ones to board because we left the dock very shortly after.

We had dinner and then headed to our rooms for the night.