Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovakia felt very different than Slovenia. Less playful, more serious, more closed rather than open. It could be because Slovakia is the recently appointed 6 month home of the rotating President of the European Counsel, a political governing instituion  of the EU. According to a Slovakian web site:

"It is not enough for the country holding the Presidency to be merely the 'manager' of the Council and the Council's voice for its six monthis in office. It must also act as an honest and neutral broker, working towards consensus between all Member States and the other institutions of the Union."

Slovakia as established as a country in 1993, has a population of 5.4 million, more than twice the size of Slovenia. It joined the EU in 2004, and like Slovenia, its currency is the Euro. Slovenia was part of the ex-Yugolsalvia and Slovakia was part of the ex-Czechoslovakia. George W. Bush, remember him? got the two confused when he was president, so try hard not to follow his example! Bratislava is in Slovakia. Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia. Ok, back to Bratislava. It was HOT, HOT, HOT while we were there so not too many photos.

The main square with surrounding embassies.

This is a picture of Michael's Gate, which is the only city gate that has been preserved from the medieval fortifications. It was built around 1300.

On to the food...Well the national dish is dumplings, cheese and bacon. What's not to like with that except 10,000 calories?

I must say it was very delicious, but one was enough for a day's meal.
We had lunch in a gastropub that reminded me of a place I ate in Oakland, Ca.

We stayed at a very nice hotel in the Old part of town.

The airconditioning worked great, and the service, once again, was outstanding.

Conclusions on Bratislava. I was glad we visited, but the old part of town lacked the charm of Ljubljana. Probably would not return unless there was a special reason to go.

Next stop....Poland.