The Best of Bratislava’s Old Town District

The historic old town district in Bratislava, Slovakia is a fascinating area with wonderful medieval architecture. It is a very popular area for tourists as well as different artists selling their crafts or playing music. Like many other medieval cities where the city center was originally surrounded by walls, most of the walls have been removed to allow the city to grow, but some of the original walls remain as well as one of the original gates. St Martin’s Cathedral is also a dominant feature of the old town with its bell tower making it the tallest building.

St. Martin’s Cathedral
Walking the Cobblestone Streets
Michael’s Gate
Building with Part of the Original Wall
Colorful Architecture

The wealthy citizens of the area all built their homes within the walls of Bratislava, each trying to show their prestige, which makes walking the streets of old town architecturally interesting. Michael’s Gate, or St. Michael’s Tower, is the only remaining entrance to the fortified city of the four original gates that previously existed. It is certainly one of the most recognizable features of Bratislava with its clock tower and it was the gate that future Hungarian kings would enter through while on their way to be coronated in St. Martin’s Cathedral.

Looking Up at St. Michael’s Tower
Walking the Path of Kings
Schone Naci Statue
Inside of St. Martin’s Cathedral
Ornate Artwork Inside of the Cathedral

Like all cities in the region, the history of Bratislava is one of occupation from a variety of different conquering armies. Much of its history was under the rule of Hungary and for several centuries it served as the location where the kings of Hungary were crowned. There are crown emblems in the cobblestone streets that denote the path that the king would follow from his coronation to the celebration of the citizens. During this period, from 1563 to 1830, the kings were coronated in St. Martin’s Cathedral making this church an important location for both Slovak citizens as well as Hungarian.

Historical Piece in St. Martin’s Cathedral
Figurines on the Pews
Interesting Features Inside of the Cathedral
Walking Towards Michael’s Gate
City Wall

In addition to the different buildings in Bratislava’s old town, there are also several statues and monuments that are worth seeing as well. Some of the most well known are the Watcher, which is a worker coming out of a sewer to look up women’s skirts, and the Schone Naci Statue, which is a statue of a former citizen who was extremely friendly and had a childlike demeanor. Crowds gather around these statues to take photos of themselves with them, which isn’t particularly our style.

The Watcher
Family Pews with Figurines
More Artwork in the Cathedral
Another Church in Bratislava
Old Building in Old Town

We spent about three hours wandering around the streets of Bratislava’s old town and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. The buildings are quite colorful and architecturally interesting making every street unique. Although there were quite a lot of people on the streets, we found our time in Bratislava to be quite relaxing and even bought a piece of art from an artist near the main square.

Bell Tower of a Church Above the Streets
Clock Tower in the Town Square
People Walking in One of the Squares
Monument in Bratislava
Roof Inside of St. Martin’s Cathedral

Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Hallgrimur) and Stjornarrad (Cabinet House) in Reykjavik, Iceland

When visiting Iceland, the highlight for most people is the natural beauty of the island nation. From the Golden Circle, Ring Road, and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, there are some pretty amazing sights to be seen. But we also enjoyed our time in Reykjavik as well with its charming architecture and wonderful restaurants. Among the things that should be seen when spending time in Iceland are the Hallgrímskirkja, which is the church that looms high on a hill above the city, and the Cabinet House (Stjornarrad). The church has an observation tower that provides incredible views of the city, but we were there in winter and it was too cloudy to take advantage of the views.

The Clock Tower of Hallgrímskirkja
Leif Erikson
Large Pipe Organ

There is a statue of Leif Erikson, the famous Icelandic explorer, located in front of Hallgrímskirkja that was a gift from the United States. The statue actually predates the church and was erected in 1930 to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the first meeting of Iceland’s parliament. Construction of the church began in 1945 and took 41 years to complete in 1986. The design of the church is meant to represent the mountains and glaciers that can be found in the landscape of Iceland. The most prominent feature within the church, other than it’s high arching ceiling, is the large pipe organ that was added in 1992.

Cabinet House
Statue of Christian IX
Interior of Hallgrímskirkja

The history of the Cabinet House is quite interesting. The original intent of the building was to house homeless people and to find work for them. Instead, the Danish government that ruled Iceland until 1904 turned the house into a prison, which it was until 1816. After 1904, when Iceland was granted home rule, the house started to serve as the home of the government ministers. Today it still houses the offices of Iceland’s Prime Minister. In front of the Cabinet House is a statue of the Danish king, Christian IX, who was in rule in 1874 when Iceland celebrated a millennium of people occupying the island.

View of the Church with the Statue of Leif Erikson
Statue of Hannes Hafstein, the First Minister of Iceland in 1904
Church Tower Looming Over the City

Visiting Iceland is definitely one of the most interesting trips that we have taken over the years. The people were extremely friendly and the scenery was absolutely amazing. We certainly recommend spending some time in Reykjavik in addition to seeing all of the natural beauty that the country has to offer.

What to See When Spending a Weekend in Nuremberg, Germany

We took the train from Frankfurt to Nuremberg during the first week of January during our time in Germany. It was more or less a spur of the moment trip, so we hadn’t researched anything about Nuremberg before deciding to go there. We loved living in Germany as we would pull up the train app on a Thursday and book a trip for Friday and away we would go. It was a quick trip and very cold at the time, but we had a wonderful time there. As with any trip, just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere of the city is the most important thing, but there are a few places that should not be missed when visiting Nuremberg.

Medieval Features
Castle Tower
Looking Up Towards the Castle
Walking along the Wall
View of Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg Castle – The castle in Nuremberg is a must location to visit for a variety of reasons. First of all, since it sits above the city central, as many castles do, it provides wonderful views of the city. It is also part castle, part fortress, and part medieval village. Whether just walking along the fortress walls and enjoying the views or going through the castle rooms, you can easily spend a couple of hours touring the castle grounds.

One of the Towers of St. Lorenz Church
Sculptures on the Columns in St. Lorenz
The Most Stunning Feature Inside of the Church
Gothic Architecture of the St. Lorenz Church
High Ceilings Inside of the Church

Saint Lorenz Church – As with many cities in Europe, the main cathedral dominates the skyline and is worth taking time to visit. Although the church was originally a Catholic cathedral, it was converted to a Lutheran church after the reformation. With wonderful artwork and typical gothic architecture, it is certainly worth spending about an hour visiting the church.

View of the Nuremberg Court House
Famous Courtroom
Ornate Doorframe
Entrance to the Courthouse
Courthouse Rooms

The Nuremberg Trial Courthouse – You don’t need to be a history buff to visit the famous courthouse in Nuremberg where the trials of the leaders of the Nazi party were held following the end of WWII. It is a stark reminder of the horrors that people are capable of when their power is left unchecked. It was also probably the most notable use of international law to punish those who committed the atrocities of the Holocaust as well as other war crimes. The courthouse is a short distance from the old town area of Nuremberg, but it is worth taking the time to visit this famous location.

Medieval Bridge in Nuremberg
Walking the Streets of Old Town
Executioner’s House
Square Outside of the Church
On a Bridge in Nuremberg

Old Town – We found a wonderful little boutique hotel in the Old Town area of Nuremberg called the Hotel Drei Raben (the three ravens). It was the perfect location to tour the medieval old town area of Nuremberg and simply walk the historic streets and walk along the Pegnitz, which is the river that runs through the city. There are many wonderful restaurants and pubs to enjoy as well, especially when needing to find some warmth on a cold winter day.

Ship of Fools Statue
Inside of the Castle
View from Our Hotel Room
Medieval Buildings
Views of the River

We truly enjoyed our time in Nuremberg, perhaps partially due to not having any preconceived expectations prior to our arrival. Our trip there was very short as we really only had one full day in Nuremberg, but we certainly made the most of it.