July | 2016 | herdaughteranderson

I took the train from Prague to Bratislava, the capitol of Slovakia. Slovakia has a very interesting history, most recently with the “Velvet Divorce” in 1993 when they separated Czechoslovakia (again) into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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As I was walking from the train station to the hotel there was a torrential downpour. There were several of us ducking into doorways to try to wait it out. After an hour I headed out in the rain anyway.

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Sunday morning I found the church a little late, but it was a good day to be late since they were watching the Western European Regional Conference broadcast (after a 30 min Sacrament meeting).

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I caught the bus to Devin Castle along the Danube River (which was not blue, but really brown due to the recent storms). Built in 894 AD, it is mostly ruins now. It was an interesting day to be there because they were having a big festival (like a Renaissance Faire–but at a historic castle) with jousting, folk dancing, plays, games, etc.

I took the bus back into town and went to the top of the UFO Tower also along the Danube.

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After waiting out another downpour under the bridge, I hiked to Bratislava Castle, recently (1957) renovated, but there in various states for about 2000 years. The Crown tower is one of the highest points in the city.

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I hiked to the top of another hill to Slavin, a war memorial built in 1960 to commemorate the 1945 liberation of the city from the Germans by the Soviet Union. 6,845 Soviet soldiers are buried there.

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I wandered around Old Town and the Town Square to see some of the famous statues.

I toured St. Martin’s Cathedral, oldest in Bratislava (1221 AD). It was the coronation church for the Kingdom of Hungary between 1563 and 1830.

I saw the Presidential Palace on my way back to the train station.

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In between conferences I was able to tour around Prague in the Czech Republic.

Prague Castle:

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St. Vitus Cathedral is the main landmark within Prague Castle Complex. The castle goes back to 870 AD. The Cathedral was huge with lots of beautiful stained glass. This version of it was built in 1344.

Golden Lane had the suits of armor and torture tools and a dungeon.

Mala Strana (Lesser Town) is the area between the castle and the Vltava river.

The Charles Bridge crosses the Vltava river. Also called the Moldau River. There are lots of famous statues along the bridge. Built in 1357.

The Klementium has lots of famous old books and library as well as astronomy tools from 500 years ago. We got to go up lots of rickety old stairs to the top of the tower.

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One of the most famous landmarks in Prague is the Astrological Clock. Built in 1410, the clock still works. Each hour the clock has a little show. The 12 apostles circle around the windows above the clock. The skeleton rings the bell as a reminder of our ultimate fate. The clockmaker was blinded to keep him from making another.

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Wenceslas Square is actually a long rectangle open space. There’s a statue of Saint Wenceslas at the top end in front of the National Museum. This is where the Velvet Revolution (separation from the Soviet influence and communism in 1989) demonstrations were held.

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The Museum of Communism shows the history of communism taking over in Czechoslovakia. There are sections for “The Dream, The Reality, and The Nightmare.” Very interesting.

Vysehrad Castle is most famous for its fascinating cemetery where most of the famous Czechs are buried.

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I went to the highest point in the city: Petrin Tower on the top of Petrin Hill. It looks a lot like the Eiffel Tower. I climbed 300 stairs to get to the top. Amazing views.

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I did a mirror maze on Petrin Hill, and one on Wenceslas Square. The second one even has some plexiglass panels to make it trickier. Pretty cool

St. Nicholas Church in Old Town was interesting.

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I dropped by the LDS Mission Home and church.

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Letna Park is also famous for its view, especially at night. There’s a giant metronome at the top of the stairs. There used to be a huge Stalin statue in that spot, but it was replaced in 1962.

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