Slovakia - Bratislava

Last August we made a trip to Slovakia. We took a flight to Vienna, from where it is only about 45 minutes by car/train to reach the capital of Bratislava.

One of the main attractions of this town is the castle, perched on a hill and overlooking the town. Bratislava Castle. You can visit it for a low entrance fee (prices in Slovakia are in general on the low side, as in all the former East European countries) and it's certainly worth a tour. When we were there, the annual Crowning Procession was taking place. Bratislava is the place where many kings and emperors were crowned, and this is celebrated by a procession in traditional costume.

The procession left the castle grounds around noon and arrived at the market square in the Old Town some town later.

The Old Town is picturesque and has some beautiful old buildings, like the old Town Hall. You can easily spend some hours there, just walking around. Plenty of restaurants and bars to sit down and enjoy the local specialities. Hidden between the buildings and streets are little figurines, which are quite famous here. But you have to look well to spot them!

For those who love to visit churches, there's St. Michael's Cathedral and the Blue Church.

When staying in Bratislava, it is easy (and not expensive) to make a day trip to Vienna. Just take the hourly train in the central station and when arriving in Vienna, the underground to Stephansplatz. This brings you to the heart of the Austrian capital. Stephans Dom and the Graben.  We have been in Vienna before, but at that time the Dom was being renovated and you couldn't take a decent picture.

Another trip I can recommend is taking a boat trip on the Donau to Devin Castle (or rather the ruins of the castle). The boat brings you there, but you have to do some walking (up mountain) to reach the castle ruins. Not a hard walk though, most people can do it. Admission is nearly for free. Where the boats arrive and leave, there are also some small cafés and places where you can have something to eat (and you can do as well on the boat).

So, all in all, we enjoyed our time in Bratislava. The food was excellent and the best part was this trip didn't cost us a lot, as we were able to switch Hilton Honor points to have five free nights in the hotel. This Doubletree hotel was situated near the Ice Rink, and from there it was easy to take a tram into the town center.

The Maltese Islands: Malta and Gozo

Early in July my sister and I made a trip to Malta. We got a direct flight from Brussels, which delivered us at the Maltese airport late in the evening. Got to our hotel (situated at the seaside, in the St. Julian's area), freshened up and quickly got to bed. The first day, we decided to being lazy and spend the day at the poolside, having a nice lunch and dinner there and also enjoying swimming and drinking cocktails.

As of the next morning, we were ready to explore Malta. We had contacted a private tour guide, Joseph, and he took us to the main attractions of the islands. I wouldn't say you can spend two weeks in Malta, not until you are satisfied of lingering at the pool or the beach and getting a tan. But a week is good when you get around, and then you can say you've seen most of what's worth visiting.

Joseph took us to Mdina, and old town sitting on a hill, dating back to the Middle Ages. It's specially known for its quaint streets.

Walking those streets is very relaxing, but can best be done in the early morning. Two reasons why: in summer it gets pretty hot later in the day, and also hordes of tourists arrive by bus to visit.

Another drive brought us to to the Dingly cliffs. From there you have a beautiful panorama over the island and the coast line.

In Mosta, another village, we visited the church. A miracle happened here, according to the Maltese. During World War II, a German bomb was dropped on the roof of the church. It went through it, but did not explode. The roof has been repaired, but there's a marker to see where the bomb hit.

Another site you need to visit is the archeological site of Hagar Qim, dating back to the monolitic era, thousands of years ago, way before the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans. 

For those who love nature, there's the Blue Grotto. Not far away from Hagar Qim, you come to a place near the sea where the water has a most spectacular color. You can take a boat trip to explore the grottos and snap as much pictures as you like.

The capital city of the Maltese Islands is Valetta. There is the seat of government, a cathedral and the Boboli gardens (Upper and Lower, with a lift connecting the two). Valetta was  not far from our hotel, so we took a taxi and spend some time there, doing the things that Joseph had recommended. At the upper level, you have a spectacular panorama and also there is a little cafe, where you can have a drink and a rest.

Gozo is the second biggest island of the archipel. It's quite different from Malta, more rugged, but it possesses a rare charm. Things worth seeing there are the salt mines, where salt is won in the ancient fashion and still by the same family.

We also visited the Citadel, which was the main defence in the old days. High on a hill, with a great panorama.

Typical for Gozo are the windmills. Not like the ones you see in Holland, but used to grind the flour to make bread.

Also on Gozo you can find temples and buildings, dating back a couple of thousand years ago. 

Conclusion: a visit to the Maltese islands is certainly to be recommended. The people there are kind (although they have a dialect nobody but them understands). Younger people know English and everybody will help you (be it with sign language).

Chris and I were very glad we took this trip!