If I had to pick just one city we visited during our 2 weeks in Eastern and Central Europe that I would want to live in it would probably be Bratislava – a quaint old town with sidewalk cafés and art shops, a booming economy, a cool vibe.
The city of Bratislava has been an important center for a number of different nation-states throughout history – during the medieval Great Moravia, a former capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, a major city in Czechoslovakia, and now the capital of Slovakia.
While in Bratislava, we sampled the local café specialty – hot chocolate. If you’ve never had European hot chocolate before, you’re missing out. There’s no powdered formula to speak of, just melted chocolate mixed with milk and heavy cream.
It was delicious paired with this freshly-baked apple strudel.
Just 35 miles upriver from Bratislava is Vienna, Austria.
The final evening of our trip we attended a classical music concert at Palais Auersperg in Vienna. The concert, given by the Vienna Residence Orchestra, featured the works of Mozart and Strauss. While the music was exceptional, it was extra special because Mozart had actual performed original works in the palace in the late 18th century for Queen Maria Theresia.
Becky A. Johnson 