A colorful day trip in the bitter cold.

The city lights of Bratislava strike a contrast with the red stained sky, morning twilight unlike any I've seen. Having climbed to the castle high above, I gazed down at the Slovakian town. It was no easy task to hike up here in the freezing cold of the early morning, but for this view it was worth it.


The week before I only had just enough time to apply for my visas, have a pastry, and then head back. But this time I caught the night train into Bratislava, and I had an early appointment at the embassy, so I had plenty of time to sightsee. Although it was a quite a cold day to be wandering through the streets, the Christmas market was good for keeping warm. Similar to those in Prague, the market was a series of stalls set-up in the main square with all manners of kitsch and food. One stall had a giant block of cheese that people were buying slices off of, I believe. Also most of the food stalls had some form of hot wine or a highly alcoholic punch. Most European cities have these kind of markets set up, but the Bratislava one had its own charm.

Another site I made it to was the aptly named Blue Church, which was, as you can see, quite blue. Sometimes in my photography I use my camera's color accent setting, which removes all but the selected color. This church looked almost identical to shot like that, where nothing but the blue remains. The building was constructed in the early 20th century in Art Nouveau style, and was dedicated to St. Elisabeth, who was the daughter of a Hungarian king who grew up in the city in the 10th century. I like blue.

And so with this second trip I have finished applying for my working visa, so hopefully in two months I will return once again to pick up my papers, and do a little more sightseeing. Until then you can enjoy a few photos of the city in my web album.