Bratislava

We boarded a boat on the Danube in Vienna to cruise to Bratislava, Slovakia. Being the knuckleheads we are NONE of us realized we were going to another country until yesterday! We had an seats in the enclosed section of the boat and were kind of disappointed we couldn't go outside. Well...they announced 10 minutes in we could so off Wendy and I went. It was INSANELY windy and we learned why the boat was called a "speedboat". Wendy said "forget a Brazilian blowout...just cruise the river for a Danube blowout"!

Upon arrival in Bratislava we met our tour guide Eve. Here are bullet points from her (she talked SO fast I could only get so much and her voice was like a song):

• The city sits on the Danube which is 3,000 miles long
• The coronation church was built in 1460
• The country is 80% Catholic and unlike other European countries they actually attend mass regular. We can confirm this as we passed by one of many churches and it was FULL for Sunday Mass.
• There is a large modern bridge that was built in 1973 that connects the more modern side of the city to the older part of the city on the other side of the Danube.
• In 1918 the city was part of Czechoslovakia. In 1993 the two countries split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia.
• Here is a shocker -- Maria Theresa of the Hapsburgs had a palace here. I think the Hapsburgs would give Scarlett O'Hara a run for her money on the acquisition of property :-)
• Slovakia is apparently famous for wine making and would supply wine for royalty but all we saw was "meal" wine or "honey wine" and it was NASTY!
• In the 16th century the city was occupied by the Turks but was never taken. They marched on to Vienna where they lost the battle to overtake Austria/Hungary
• It is only 20 minutes to Austria and 20 minutes to Hungary from the city. This was especially hard for the citizens during communism when they were so close to Austria but unable to reach it. Many tried but were killed.
• The name of the city means "Brothers of the Slavs"
• Communism started in the country in 1948. After 1989 and the fall of the Iron Wall it was very difficult for families to go back and claim their original residences that belonged to their family before the communist government took them. Some did but some still sit in disrepair.
• During communism no one was allowed to go to church yet the Catholic faith remained strong. Since 1989 the churches have been full for mass services.

Tonight is our last night on this wonderful trip. Randy asked me to do some calculations on what we have walked and because I have my Apple Watch I was finally able to do just that! MY stats (deduct about 25% for everyone but Wendy) are: 140,000 steps and 60 miles walked in 12 days. This was actually a mid range walking tour for me. I can't even begin to imagine what I have done on past trips with students!

It has been SO wonderful to travel with this group. The Mississippi group all had positive attitudes and even we some didn't they were at least comical about it! We made friends with the other groups from Idaho, California, Texas, Wisconsin, and Maryland. We all (well most all of us) look forward to even more adventures. 

I will end with an Irish blessing that I believe means that you have to see the world to truly understand what part of the world you have a hand in:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back. 
May the sun shine warm upon your face; 
the rains fall soft upon your fields 
and until we meet again, 
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.