Vienna oh Vienna… but Bratislava!!!

Excited we headed out to explore Vienna with that song, that vision in our heads.  Belvedere Palace and its grounds our first encounter and the imagery of opulence flashed across the mind.

Splendid buildings with many blending one into the next.

We searched on for the atmosphere and alas the sight of the  Danube left us feeling flat, completely different from the sight we witnessed in Budapest… the graffiti telling a sorry story of a lack of respect.

Vienna …the immortal lyrics “It means nothing to me” which incidentally is about classical composition not about Vienna itself, sort of fits with how deflated we felt.

The very next day we took time out from Vienna and travelled the short distance to Bratislava!  First on our list was a visit to the Slavin Memorial, a recognition to the Red Army and over 6000 Russian military personnel buried in six mass graves.

The soldiers took part in the liberation of Slovakia over the German Nazi occupation. Noticeable are the ages on the memorial stones, many of the men who fell here were between the ages of 24 and 31 years old. It’s hard to believe so many had lived half my lifetime. 

Sitting there, contemplating and writing this I felt immense sadness in the tranquil calmness high above Bratislava.

On reflection Bratislava was a joy, the old town had real character, a true vibrancy and definitely worth a visit.

On this trip across Europe, the impact of World War II on so many countries and so many people is varied and significantly apparent. The memorials are majestic but stand to tell the story about a terrible period of time in world history.

Just like in Slovakia, back in Austria there is a similar memorial to Russian troops who gave their lives to liberate Vienna. However, at this moment in time the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag is painted boldly behind the memorial.