We awoke today at 8:45 a.m. just as the boat had finished entering a lock. This was just one of eleven locks that we will pass through before our river journey ends.
Following breakfast I went to the choir rehearsal at 10:00 a.m. followed by a presentation by one of the maestros on listening to music and analyzing a Mozart piece. During this time Darwin relaxed in the cabin.
We ate lunch around 11:15 a.m. prior to our shore excursion in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The motor coaches departed the dock at 12:30 p.m. to take us into town. We first visited the new opera house which is a wonderful space seating 900 people with a great large stage for operatic productions as well as ballet. The building also contains a smaller theater for dramatic productions.
Next we were driven to the old town district. We walked through Michael’s Gate, a city gate built in 1300, passing by St. Martin’s Cathedral, built in 1452.
Our walking tour took us to the Zichy Palace with a small recital hall where we heard a nineteen year old violinist, Anabela Patkolo, perform four pieces. She had won her first violin competition at the age of six!
Next we walked to the old opera house where the official tour to the day ended.
Darwin and I opted to continue on an optional tour of the city castle which involved quite a lot of walking up cobblestone streets and stairs, seeming to never end.
Once up on the castle grounds we were rewarded with wonderful view of the Danube River as well as parts of old town Bratislava.
Walking back down wasn’t necessarily easier due to the rough and loose cobblestone, but we managed and were back on board the boat at 4:45 p.m. We had some time to freshen up and change clothes for the evening, then attended a presentation on what to expect in Vienna beginning tomorrow. That was followed by the captain introducing the other officers of the ship and then we the cruise director gave us information on the tours we would be having on our first day in Vienna.
Then it was on to dinner which was followed at 8:45 p.m. by a local group called Jana and Her Swing Boys who performed music from the 1940s. It was quite enjoyable. We even danced on the last song, Stardust.
Once the band had packed up and gone back on shore the ship departed Bratislava around 10:15 p.m. for our journey on to Vienna, Austria as day six drew to a close.
