River City

The Danube River cuts through Bratislava, with Vienna to the north and Budapest to the south. I grew up in a city on the Mississippi River in the U.S., so I have a sense of how important such rivers are in trade, tourism, and even wars. (Control of the Mississippi was important to the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War in the 19th century, and the Danube seems to have played an important role in many invasions over the centuries.)

This is a view of the Danube looking north. The bridge is Novy Most (New Bridge), built by the Communists as part of the expressway that cuts through Old Town. The flying-saucer-looking thing on the top is a restaurant and accounts for the UFO nickname for the tower. Various tour and restaurant boats line the shore on the eastern side by Old Town. The highway following the river is a very busy route, with tram lines running down the middle. On the western side of the river are vast expanses of high-rise housing, built after WWII.

I chatted with an American couple yesterday in line at the McDonald’s by the Opera House. They were in a tour group that had already visited Prague and Vienna and were now headed south by tour boat to Budapest where they would spend the night. This seems to be a popular route for tourists. They had a grand total of only four hours to disembark and walk around Old Town, and they told me of their frustration at having so little time. Once they started to walk around, they realized they couldn’t possibly see all the interesting things with such a short stop. (Tour directors, take note!)

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