Bratislava!

This past weekend I visited Vienna but before going I noticed that the country of Slovakia and Hungry were not far from Vienna.  Did a little research and decided to visit Bratislava and Sopron as day trips from Vienna, the first day trip was Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia.  The train I took from Vienna had a short 10 minute layover at Bratislava-Lamac station.  I know that I would need to transfer here but I thought it would be to a bus, but luckily it was to another train direct to central.

WELCOME TO SLOVAKIA, up until last week I was not planning on ever seeing this sign!

 First things first, I took a bus from the train station with the intention of getting off at central, but I missed that target and ended up at a park-and-ride that was located next to a large shopping mall on the opposite side of central. I had to exit the bus, pass under a bridge and travel back to central, pass back under the UFO.

 Found it, central Bratislava.

 I like this statue, its of a man at work.

 Central Bratislava is small and easy to get around.

 Central even had a small market, I looked around and determined I did not really need anything.

 Another view of centro.

 For a long time I did not have a map of central but if you walk around enough you will find directions to the information office.  You can get a free map at the office and some basic information about were to visit.

 The 15 meters sign to Budweiser is funny because Budweiser beer is not American.  The Budweiser brand is a domestic Czech beer, Budweiser US was second to use this name.  So as a compromise, US Budweiser in Europe is called Bud and beer called Budweiser in Europe is the original Czech beer.  Either way, if you are in Slovakia, Bud/Budweiser is an export.  But Budweiser beer consumed within countries near Czech Republic is as good or better than Bud beer in the US.  It was explain to me that Budweiser is not stable enough to export long distances from Prague.

 The interior of St. Martin's church, it's very nice.

 The church in the middle of the photo is the exterior view of St. Martin's, this is the view form top of the hill of where the castle is located.

 Castle main gate.

 The flag of Slovakia, atop the Bratislava castle.  I had to walk up a bunch of stairs to see this view.

 This is outside the castle, this structure is not so old, I think it was recently rebuild (< 100 years old)

This is a memorial for Russian solders who liberated this city during WW2.  

 It's located on top of the highest hill within the city limits but worth the visit, it's kind of a relaxing quiet place to visit.

 Me with Slovakia in the background.

Grottaglie Monument to the Fallen

This monument is in a park that is usually closed to the public, but on a random weekend about a month ago the main gate was open.

The statue up close, the engraving is for his children of the homeland.

 I also like the statues around the door of the main church in Grottaglie.

 I'm not sure what animal this is but he is doing his best to keep that pillar in the air.

This is the statue in the upper right of the door.

Gothenburg, Sweden

My first visit to Sweden and Scandinavia was to the city of Gothenburg, locally spelled Göteborg.   It's easy to find your way around the city, maps are everywhere.

 Since the mid-90's I have wanted to visit Gothenburg,  in my previous job, I worked with engineers and managers from this area.  I was lucky to be able to find my previous co-workers and meet them for dinner.

 I was also lucky in that my full day in Gothenburg, the rain stop and the sky cleared.  The day I landed in the city was rain, kind of like Seattle, next day was sun and a few clouds.

 The first place I visited in the city center was the botanical garden of Trädgårdsföreningen.

 The garden is small, not quite large enough to isolate it from the car sounds of the surrounding city.

 The green house reminds me of the green house on Belle Isle in the city of Detroit.

 The interior of the green house keeps it tropical.

 A block along the main street, just to the left or right of this intersection was bars and restaurants like Hard Rock.

 All over the city is art and statues, this is a Sweden's Second City view on gun control...

 The Gothenburg Art Museum allows photos of the collection, below is an old painting of locals enjoying the afternoon.

 World's safest limo.

 Just outside the city center is the Skansen Kronan, one of Gothenburg's original fortifications.  

 I really wanted to visit the interior of this structure but by the time I arrived here at 4:30 it was closing and not letting people in.  In the past the city was circled by fortifications but most have been removed for economic expansion.  Luckily this one was not in the way of anything.

Very imposing structure.

 The Skansen Kronan is atop a steep hill, this is the view from that hill.  It's worth the effort.

 At the base of Skansen Kronan is the neighborhood of Haga.

 Haga is a historical district, it's a really nice place to visit and relax.

 It's not very difficult to find 'main street'.

 This building was an old factory converted into apartments.

 Very quiet streets.

 At the base of Haga is a plaza, this is the fountain in the middle of the plaza.

 Art or Laundry?

 No matter where you are, who you are, what time it is, you can always be a pimp if you are rolling around in a car like this.  This guy drove past where I was sitting like nothing special was going on.

 This is Gothenburg Centalstation, you can take a train from here to Stockholm.

 Gothenburg is also very well known for it's tram system, here is tram 10 just hanging out in central plaza.

 The Clarion Hotel Post is not where I stayed but this was the original post office of Gothenburg.  The statue on the three post in front of the hotel is see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,  a copy from Nikko, Japan.

 NFC Fried Chicken, N must stand for Nordic.