Monkey Diary: Capital Hopping

For the 9th of January 2018, Bimbino and Bambina had bought plane tickets to South-East Asia. They had found return tickets for € 360 leaving from Praha (Prague). As the monkeys were in Brno and had five days left until their departure, they took the opportunity to visit the close by cities of Wien (Vienna) and Bratislava before returning to the Czech capital. Thanks to RegioJet, a local low-cost bus and train carrier, the journeys were affordable even for monkeys travelling on a shoestring.

The morning after their arrival in Wien, the monkeys went to explore the city. Before visiting the famous old town, they went to the Donauinsel to visit Donau City, a modern district that has been developed in the last 20 years. Characteristic for Donau City are its high rises, like DC Tower 1, Tech Gate Vienna and Andromeda-Tower.

Another great example of modern architecture in Wien are the buildings of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an Austrian-born New Zealand artist and architect who worked also in the field of environmental protection. His masterpiece, the so called Hunderwasserhaus is an expressionist landmark of the city. It features undulating floors ("an uneven floor is a divine melody to the feet"), a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows. Hundertwasser took no payment for the design of the house, declaring that it was worth it, to prevent something ugly from going up in its place.

On the was from the Hundertwasserhaus to Wien's City Center, the monkeys passed by another of Hunderdwasser's buildings: the Kunst Haus Wien, which is also the home of the Hundertwasser-Museum.

Vienna's historical city center has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001. Right in its middle stands Stephansdom (St. Steven's clCathedral), the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wien and the seat of the Archbishop of Wien. Built in the middle of the 14th century on the ruins of two older churches, Stephansdom has, with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the Wien's most recognizable symbols.

Michaelertrakt (St. Michael's Wing) is the Northern façade of the Wiener Hofburg, the former imperial palace of Austria-Hungary and the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations. While The oldest parts of the Hofburg date back to the 13th century, Michaelertrakt is merely 125 years old and stands in the place of the old Burgtheater (Imperial Court Theater.) The wing is named in reference to Michaelskirche (St. Michael's Church) on the opposite side.

As Bratislava is only an 1.5 hours bus trip away from Wien, the monkeys decided to visit the Slovakian capital on a day trip. Right by the bus stop they spotted the Gothic tower of Dóm svätého Martina (St. Martin's Cathedral), Bratislava's oldest church. Consecrated in 1452, the cathedral is especially known for being the coronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary between 1563 and 1830. Today, St. Martin is trapped next to a highway. Where once stood the old Synagouge and Jewish quarter of Prešporok (Bratislava's old name till 1919), today there is nothing more than concrete and traffic.

Once the monkeys has arrived in Bratislava, they decided to ascend to the city's iconic castle. On the way up they had a spectacular view over the Danube and the modern Most SNP, nicknamed UFO Bridge for the structure on its top.

Bratislavský hrad (Bratislava Castle) is located on a 85 metres high rocky hill above the Danube and Bratislava's old town. It dates back to the year 805, but the hill itself had been settled for thousands of years. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers is so iconic, that it has even found its way on the Slovakian money.

Bratislava is a small city, so small that you don't need more than a day to see all important sights. Nevertheless the city's beautiful old town is definitely worth a visit. Michalská brána (Michael's Gate) is the only city gate that has been preserved of the medieval fortifications and ranks among the oldest town buildings in Bratislava. Built about the year 1300, its present shape is the result of baroque reconstructions from th 18th century.

The heart of Bratislava is the picturesque Hlavné námestie (Main Square.) It is the location of Stará radnica, the old town hall. It is a complex of three connected townhouses and is the oldest town hall in Slovakia with the tower dating back to 1370.

Bimbino and Bambina also visited the most famous inhabitant of Bratislava: Čumil. The Man at Work is a bronze sculpture of a man peeping out of the manhole.

Just outside of Bratislava's medieval old town stands the Neo-Renaissance-style Národné Divaldo (National Theatre) of Slovakia from 1920.

Just outside of Bratislava's medieval old town stands the Neo-Renaissance-style Národné Divaldo (National Theatre) of Slovakia from 1920.

Back in Wien, the monkeys went for another walk through the city. Starting in the district of Alsergrund, Bimbino and Bambina passed the Palais Liechtenstein, an Roman style palazzo from the early 18th century.

From Palais Liechtenstein the monkeys took the Strudlhofstiege to get to the city centre. Strudlhofstiege is an outdoor staircase of architectural and literary significance in the Alsergrund district, of Wien. The picturesque construction is a popular setting for open-air choir and concert events.

The monkeys strolled along the Wiener Ringstraße for some time. Wien's circular ring boulevard was constructed in the late 19th century in the place where the medieval city fortifications once stood. Most buildings here were constructed in an eclectic historicist style, using elements of Classical, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. Because of its architectural beauty and history, the Wiener Ringstraße has been called the "Lord of the Ring Roads". Votivkirche however, one of the most important churches on this boulevard didn't appear like it was an UNESCO World Heritage site. The house of God had been taken over by the Evil. Votivkirche had turned into an huge advertisement platform for Nespresso coffee. Wasn't it enough that Nescafe was polluting the world with it coffee capsules? Now they also had to mutilate the heritage of the world.

Also located at the Wiener Ringstraße is the Burgtheater (Court Theatre), which is among the most important German language theatres in the world. The current building was designed by Gottfried Semper and opened in 1888. Before the theatre was located in a building adjourned to the Hofburg at Michaelerplatz, opposite Michaelskirche.

Bimbino and Bambina ended there walk along the Ringstraße at the Wiener Rathaus (Viennese City Hall). What appeared to be a medieval Gothic-style building was in fact quite new. Like all other buildings on the ring it had only been constructed in the late 19th century.

After returning to Praha (Prague) and a day of rest, the monkeys went for a little walk through the city's Mala Straná district. The monkeys could have easily taken one of the old trams but they enjoyed too much watching those old vehicles driving through the narrow streets and past historic sites like Kostel sv. Mikuláše (St. Nicholas Church.)

A stay in Praha is not comlete without a visit to Karlův most (Charles Bridge), The bridge's construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. Karlův most is one of the top tourist attractions in Praha, not only because of its architecture but also because of the spectacular views of Malá Strana and Pražský hrad (Prague Castle.)

Under Karlův Most flows not only the Vltava, Praha's main river, but also the Čertovka, a water channel that was built probably by the Order of the Knights of Malta in the 12th century. Still today, there are two medieval mills situated on the channel.

Probably the most famous view of Praha: the towers of old town seen from Karlův most.

In the evening, a new adventure began for Bimbino and Bambina. Until the 1st of May they will be travelling through South East Asia. They were waiting to board a plane to Dubai. In Dubai they would have 18 hours to explore the city until their connecting flight to Bangkok.