MARCH 1, 2007
Today we spent the day exploring the city of Bratislava.
The city of Bratislava has an interesting mass transit system. Parts of the city are connected by trams like the one shown in this photo. They ride on a track laid in the street and are powered by an electric overhead cable.
Another way to get around is to ride on an electric powered trolley bus or trolejbus as they are called in Slovak. It’s driven like a regular bus (you can see the driver through the window in this photo). The two poles on top of the bus connect it to a pair of overhead wires, which connect it to the electricity. The bus can move one lane to the left or right of the cables and still remain connected to the wires above.
Finally, there are double buses like the one in the photo above. It uses bottled gas for fuel. Other buses run on diesel.
Our day in Bratislava began riding on the trolley bus. Denisa and Bandy gave Dianne and I a one-day transit pass, which cost around $3 US each. When we got on the bus, we inserted the pass, which looks like a ticket, into the red box shown behind Dianne above her head. The box stamps the ticket with the date and time. This is done on the honor system but the ticket is good for exactly 24 hours from the date and time stamped.
We went to see the Bratislava Castle. During the winter, most of the castle is closed so we didn’t take a tour. But we did enjoy the view of Bratislava as seen from the top of the hill where the castle is located.
This is the Danube River and the Nový Most Bridge (New Bridge). The bridge was built around 1970. The saucer shaped object at the far end of the bridge is The UFO Restaurant. There is an elevator in one of the supporting legs to go to the top.
This photo also taken from the castle shows the old section of Bratislava.
The gift shop at the Bratislava Castle has many hand crafted toys and gifts.
Dianne and I quickly learned that Slovak people are not afraid of walking. We went up and down many stairs.
Behind us in this photo is the United States Embassy in Bratislava. It is surrounded by high fences and patrolled by police officers. We saw no other buildings in Slovakia fenced off and guarded this way.
We had to have our picture taken standing next to this bronzed worker.
It was one of our wishes to worship at a church in Slovakia, even if the service was entirely in Slovak. This is the Blue Church in Bratislava. We arrived just a few minutes before Mass started.
Although we did not know any Slovak, Dianne and I were familiar with the order of the Mass so we were able to follow along. We received communion and are shown here returning to our seats.