We left Budapest on the 3rd day, heading for Bratislava which is in Slovakia. There are many locks on the Danube due to the varying river heights as we progress upstream and our first came soon after leaving Budapest. Just enough room to admit two cruise boats and close enough for us to greet our fellow travellers.
We came to Bratislava a few years ago by coach and found it to be a very interesting city. The castle at the top of the hill which due to limited time and location far from the river we were unable to see this time is a national monument which was burnt down in 1811 and laid derelict for another 150 years before it was finally restored to its current condition. The castle has held a strategic position overlooking the Danube for centuries; as far back as 3500BC there have been fortifications here. The arrival of the Slavs in around 500AD led to significant additions and was sufficiently strong to withstand the Mongolian attacks in 1241; as a reaction to these attacks the construction of what we now see started. The Hillebrandt building of 1762 (burnt down in 1811) was restored only around the year 2000 and the reconstruction of the Honorary Courtyard was completed in 2010 with a large nationally televised unveiling ceremony of an equestrian statue of King Svätopluk I by Slovak sculptor Ján Kulich.
We had refreshments in the old town and a wander round until our time to go back to the boat. As Bratislava looked to shed the greyness of the Communist era many buildings were repainted and in an attempt to enliven the city centre, a few quirky statues were installed. Their popularity with tourists led to new statues, filling the centre of Bratislava with funny and quirky items such as that of Čumil, the happy sewage worker climbing out of the pavement. There is some confusion as to his purpose; one says he's a typical communist era worker who doesn't give a toss about the work he's supposed to be doing; the other one says he's peeping up women's! skirts. Ah well, anything to bring in the tourists and he is probably the most photographed statue in Europe! There are many statues and monuments in Bratislava, reflecting the history of Bratislava, some interesting (such as Cumil) some not.
We walked as far as Michael's Gate which is the only city gate that has been preserved of the medieval fortifications and ranks among the oldest town buildings in Bratislava. We met up with a very nice couple (Mark & Chris) who we spent most of our evenings drinking and socialising with (more on this later!)
