Today was one which will hold a special memory for both Marty and me as we were able to connect with my Slovak family living in Bratislava. Shortly after Marty and I decided to schedule this trip, I reached out to my family living in Slovakia to let them know that we would be in Bratislava today.
They immediately responded with a request to meet us while we were in port, even if just for a short time. Marty and I were perfectly happy to skip any planned excursions in order to make that work.
Our ship sailed through the night, apparently maneuvering through several locks along the way while we were sleeping. but the last one was the largest and it was pretty incredible witnessing the transition in elevation firsthand.
Here you can see the ship making its way towards the entrance.
Once inside, another ship joined our's and each were secured to the concrete sides to keep the ships from colliding. The entire process took no more than about 20 minutes but certainly was an interesting experience to witness.
We arrived in Bratislava around 1:30 PM, and eagerly awaited disembarkation.
And how exciting was it to see these three enthusiastically greeting us from the shore?
Let me introduce my Slovak Mrena family: This is Lubos, his son Ivan, and his wife, Teresia. Their other son, also named Lubos, was not able to come along as he had a work commitment that prevented him from leaving.
Soon our cousin, Helga joined us as well, and Ivan treated us to the famous UFO restaurant where he had worked for 6 years in the past.
The views from the top were beautiful.
We were able to get a family photo outside at the top.
And Marty took one of the Mrena cousins.
as well as one of us with Ivan.
The smiles on our faces prove just how much fun we had together.
Just as a quick introduction, let me briefly explain our relationship: Helga, Lubos (Sr) and I have grandfathers who were brothers. We share a great grandfather, Josef Mrena (Mrenna), making us second cousins. This original family had settled in Zavar from Trnava, which is about 40 minutes from Bratislava.
Amy and I had met Lubos, Teresia and their son, Lubos, when we attended the Slovak language class in Modra about 13 years ago. That had been a delightful visit, and I was really looking forward to connecting with them again.
Despite Helga and Lubos living so close, they had grown up completely unaware of each other's families. It would only be my genealogy research that would bring their relationship to light, and today was the first time Helga and Lubos had met each other. And, Teresia and Helga seemed to hit it off well as they were chatting away in Slovak while scouring through a photo album they had brought for us to see. I was exciting to see their connection, and I hope that they will continue to stay in touch in the future. After all, they are family!
Time flew by, and the next thing we knew, it was 4:00, and Lubos, Teresia and Ivan needed to make their way back to Zavar.
We bid fond farewell, and Helga joined us for a walk around the city to enjoy some of its beauty now that the sun had finally popped out.
Isn't it just lovely?
Helga came on board the ship for a few minutes, and soon were saying our goodbyes and she was on her way.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner on this ship with another couple, followed by some lively entertainment by a Slovak duo who sang songs from Abba and ZZ top. There certainly was a lively crowd enjoying the festivities.
Marty and I retired to our cabin just as the ship pulled out of port. We were able to capture some amazing photographs as we said our goodbyes to this favorite city.
We sail through the night and by tomorrow morning, we should be arriving in Vienna shortly after breakfast. We have an excursion planned, and free time to spend the rest of the day. We certainly do hope to make the most of it!
Until next time....
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