Today began our final day in Bratislava. We stayed up late last night. The girls were reading while I was otherwise detained doing the ‘blog’ in the basement computer room. We all commented on what a better night’s sleep we all had. Sadly, our original booking for our room was only for the first two nights. In extending our stay by an extra night, we were unable to keep the same room and therefore unable to keep a room with private facilities. So first thing this morning, after our usual sumptuous breakfast, we had to pack everything and officially check out, and then keep our luggage in storage until a private ‘dorm’ room became available after lunch.
However, having done all that, we set off for the old town just after 10:30am to link up with an advertised ‘free tour’ of Bratislava. There is, of course, no such thing as a ‘free’ tour. However, the young lady who was our guide was superb, and worthy of the ‘tip’ that was always her expectation. It was a 2 hour tour, starting in the beautiful main square (one of two main squares). It was a great tour. The guide was a local post-grad student from the local communist university that still operates from its founding under the communist regime of the late 60’s. She was well versed in Slovakian history, which I cannot do justice to in these few lines. Suffice to say, she was quite captivating, humorous, intelligent and informative.
She connected with us in a way that communicated her passion for her lovely nation, typical of her generation. Sometimes she reflected on historical events with humour, such as the great HRAD castle withstanding centuries of military attack including twice by Napoleon, but was burnt to the ground when Italian workers living in the castle and doing restoration work on the castle, partied late into the night one night, oblivious to the fact that something they had ‘on’ in the kitchen caught fire and was getting out of control.
She was passionate about the history of her people, the struggles over the generations, the resistance over the years to the oppressive regimes of Nazism and Soviet aggression. She was respectful that her former generation had chosen communism but which looking back was not a good step for her country, but glowed with hope and inspiration when talking about the way her country was now developing, leading the world per capita in small car manufacturing, and now being the new focus for large business enterprises such as IMB and AT&T.
We really fell in love with this young, bright intelligent lady, and felt that she deserved all the money we saw being pressed into her hand after our two hour, mind broadening experience. We strolled away in the sunshine (today was another 20 degree day!), bought lunch and sat in the cobbled square surrounded by gracious trees, flowers and coffee houses taking in the sights as people, bikes, and distant vehicles passed by.
The afternoon was slipping away but we had one more project for the day. SJ and I had decided we would get the bikes out, and ride the 12k or so west along the Danube out of Bratislava to the place where the Danube and Morava Rivers meet, where also an ancient and magnificent castle has been watching from a very high point the traffic up and down the rivers for over a thousand years. The Devin Castle is a national cultural monument and sits at the confluence of the two rivers. It was blown up by Napoleon in 1809, but ironically in the 19th century it became an important site for the awakening movement of the Slovak National Revival.
In this respect, there is a very moving memorial at the foot of Devin castle to the 400 or so Slovakians who lost their lives under the communist regime while trying to cross the river from Slovakia into Austria between 1945 and 1989. According to the memorial another 2.2mill were deported from Slovakia from 1945 to 1989, and a further 20,000 sent to Gulags. It is little wonder that this place is a place of inspiration and courage for national renewal of the Slovakian people.
We discovered that the bike path kept heading north west into the Czech Republic, following the Morava River. If you look closely at the sign below, it tells of the 'Iron Curtain Greenway'. Maybe this is a path for future exploration!
We enjoyed the late afternoon ride to Devin. Without the load of our panniers weighing us down, we ‘put the hammer down’ on the long straight road at speeds up to 40kph. The Danube was beautiful, especially as we made our way back into the outskirts of Bratislava. The Danube was busy with cruise boats coming and going, with dozens of rowers out on the water for their afternoon training. The trees along the Danube were simply glorious with their yellowing leaves radiant in the bright sun as well as the carpet of yellow over which we were riding our bikes.
We are a little sad to leave this beautiful place which has grown on us in a way that other cities have not impacted us. We are nevertheless excited though at the thought that tomorrow morning we are heading further east for the first of three days journey to another great city – Budapest.
When we remember Bratislava we will remember many things. We will reflect on the pride of the Slovakian people, their passion for growth and development as a nation. We will remember the sacrifices of the people throughout the years with war and terror that has been their experience down through the generations. However, I think most of all we will recall the fabulous vision of the mighty HRAD, the Bratislava Castle that stands tall, high and erect over the city where it has sat for over a thousand years. We will remember the safe place that it has proven to be over the centuries, withstanding even the mighty armies of Napoleon. Many a time, the Slovakian people have sought refuge and safety behind the mighty walls of the castle which has protected them.
In the Scriptures, the Psalmist reminds us that God is a fortress, a safe place, a place of refuge for us, and a shield from the dangers that may abound in our lives. The Psalmist says of God "He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield in whom I take refuge". (Psalm 144:2)
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