Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. The city has a population of about half a million people. Slovakia has been an independent state since 1993. Prior to that it was part of Czechoslovakia and before that it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bratislava is extremely close to the Austrian border. I was in two world capitals today (Vienna and Bratislava) within an hour via train. On the way back I decided to take a slightly longer route. I took an hour and a half boat ride along the famous Danube River which connects these two cities.

A view of the Danube

Bratislava Castle by day

the "UFO Bridge" over the Danube

Bratislava Castle by night

City of Music

Vienna's nickname is the "City of Music." There are many theaters and opera houses in the city. One of the most famous opera houses is the Vienna State Opera. Here you can see world class productions of many famous operas. For example, when I was here I want and saw a performance of La Boheme. This is the opera that the musical Rent is loosely based on. They also sometimes do concerts here. There have been many famous musicians that were either born or lived in Vienna; Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Strauss are just of few who left a musical legacy in Vienna.

the inside of the Vienna State Opera

the outside of the opera house

looking down from the gallery

Serbian Dinar

The Serbian Dinar is the currency used in Serbia. The current exchange rate is about 1 US Dollar to 85 Serbian Dinar. The amount pictured below is worth about $3.75.

Pictured on the 200 Dinar banknote is Nadežda Petrović, a famous Serbian painter.

On the 100 Dinar banknote is Nikola Tesla, a man of Serbian descent who was an electrical pioneer.

On the 20 Dinar banknote is Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, a statesman, philosopher, and poet who is sometimes considered the father of modern Montenegro.  

Greek Food

While in Greece I had the pleasure of trying many different types of food that I had never tasted previously. I consumed a lot of french fries, Greek salad, olives, gyros, tzatziki, souvlaki, and moussaka. Greeks love french fries and they are served with many meals. They are typically cut thick and are not especially crispy. Greek salad has lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, onions, and olive oil. Olives exist in ample amount in Greece and are incorporated some way into every meal. Gyros is a type of sandwich on pita bread with slices of meat, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce. This type of sauce is extremely popular in Greece and is served with almost every meal. This sauce is made from Greek yogurt, garlic, cucumbers, salt, and olive oil. Souvlaki is Greece's version of a shish kebab. Moussaka is a type of casserole with ground meat, pasta, and eggplant.

Greek Salad

moussaka and french fries

gyro

Greek Orthodox Church

The Greek Orthodox Church is the most practiced religion in Greece. 98% of the Greek population are part of this church. As opposed to the Vatican in Rome, the patriarchs of the Greek church are located in Constantinople, which is modern Istanbul, Turkey. The outside of the Greek cathedrals are not always elaborate as some Catholic cathedrals, and the Greek Orthodox rarely have statues, however the mosaics and paintings inside Greek churches are still very impressive.

Parthenon

The Parthenon is one of Greece's, and now the world's, most famous and ancient buildings. This masterpiece of architecture is located on top of the Acropolis, the highest point in the area. The Parthenon is located in Greece's capital and most populated city, Athens. The building is a temple dedicated to the Greek god of wisdom, Athena. It was completed in the 5th century BC and was mostly undamaged all the way until the 17th century AD. During this time that the Turks were occupying Greece. The Turks were in Greece for about 400 years and for a time used this Greek temple as an arsenal. Unfortunately, the site was bombed and the explosion drastically damaged the Parthenon. However, now there are many restorations being done on the structure so that it can continue to survive the millennia.

here you can see the crane being used for restorations 

the Greek flag flying atop the Acropolis

a shot of the Parthenon from further away. in the background some of the surrounding mountains are barely visible

a close up of the columns. you can also see more scaffolding being used to reinforce the structure

Greek Alphabet

Many of the words we have today in the English language have Greek origins. However the two alphabets look completely different. Our alphabet has 26 characters whereas the Greek alphabet has 24.

SPQR

SPQR is an acronym that is seen on many public works in the city of Rome. The acronym in its original Latin is "Senatus Populusque Romanus." The English translation of this phrase is "The Senate and People of Rome."

German Food

One of my connecting flights was through Munich, Germany. Germany in its native language is called Deutschland. A couple typical and iconic foods that are eaten in Germany are sausages and pretzels. The mean came with two different sauces, mustard and another kind with which I was unfamiliar.

Murano Glass

Murano is the name of an island in Venice. This island specialize in the production of different glass products. There are many different glass products like sculptures, necklaces, bracelets, paper weights, and even chandeliers. There are many different techniques used to create the different colors and shapes of the glass. The artisans of Murano have been honing their skills for centuries.