Tap into this post to read about some of our sightseeing, fun facts, travel tips and many pictures of our time in Bratislava, Slovakia. We encourage you to get out and see the world if you are able, and if not, we will bring it to you through our posts. We hope you enjoy!
Adopted in 1992, the current flag of Slovakia is comprised of white, blue, and red horizontal bands with the national emblem in left center. White, blue, and red are the consistent colours used in other Slavic national flags. The national emblem of Slovakia shows a red shield containing a white double-cross on three blue mountains. The double-cross originated in the Byzantine era and represents the country’s Christian faith. The three blue mountains represent the Tatra, Fatra, and Matra mountain ranges (the Matra range is actually in northern Hungary, which borders Slovakia).
Beautiful Bratislava
While on a week-long visit in Vienna, Austria, Nina and I decided to take a train for the one-hour journey to Bratislava, Slovakia for a day trip. We are so glad we did! Bratislava is the beautiful capital of Slovakia and the country’s largest city. Located in the southwestern-most part of Slovakia (see map below) it spans both sides of the River Danube. Upon arriving by train, and because it was quite cold, we took a taxi to the Bratislava Castle as our first destination. From there we walked to the ‘Old Town’, which was absolutely beautiful with typical European charm. We spent a full day touring this historic city by foot, returning to Vienna by train late the same night. It was a very easy day trip from Vienna and touring Bratislava by foot was quite easy, even in the cold.
Facts & Figures
— Slovakia was formerly part of Czechoslovakia under communist rule until 1989; Slovakia declared itself a sovereign state 1992 and split from the Czech Republic
— The Slovak economy is dominated by automobile manufacturing boasting the biggest car manufacturer in the world on a per-capita basis
— Until 1919 Bratislava was known as Pressburg, a Germanic name, given by the majority population of Austrian German-speakers
— Population of the greater Bratislava area is around 650,000 people making it one of the smaller capitals in Europe
— Bratislava was settled by Slavic tribes in the 400-500 AD period
Travel Tips
— Taking the train from Vienna was very easy; we purchased return (round trip) tickets at a kiosk with English instructions in the Vienna train station
— Minimum taxi fare in Bratislava is 15 Euro!; quite steep for our short taxi ride in the cold
— The ‘Old Town’ of Bratislava is a pedestrian only section of town; it is easily walkable for tourists and a beautiful part of the city
— The unit of currency for Slovakia is the Euro (EUR)
Psalm 34:10 – New Living Translation (NLT)
10 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
If you are a world trekker like us and want to become more ‘worldly’, then you will want to try our books below. Thanks to the former British Empire and current Commonwealth, the English language is widely spoken across the world, however it is spoken quite differently depending on where you are traveling. We believe the books below are essential to worldly trekkers and think you will find them both fun and informative. The books include a dictionary of everyday words and phrases, traditional cuisine, some history and culture, and other handy information.
Simply click on the book covers below to find out more:
