Our contributor Victor Block writes:

"My wife Fyllis and I visted Slovakia´s capital as part of the route of Grand Circle Cruise Line´s M/V Adagio along the Danube River as it flows through Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria (with a land extension to Prague). It's a route which took us to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague, three of the grandest and most stunning capital cities in all of Europe. plus Bratislava, which replicates some of their splendor in a more compact setting, and smaller towns that claim their own charms.

The massive Bratislava Castle, perched on a rocky hill overlooking the Danube, was erected in 1430 at the place where a defensive fortification had stood since at least 800 AD. A close inspection of its exterior walls and inside corridors reveals fragments remaining from Gothic and Renaissance times. The fortress-like white structure, set off by a stocky tower at each corner, houses a museum which traces the history of the area from the Middle Ages to the present."

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