With the population less than 1 million, Bratislava, the capital of Slovak Republic (Slovakia) may not look like a big city to some people. It's the only national capital in the world that is at the border of two countries - Hungary and Austria. In the past it was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, and due to the series of political changes Bratislava went through for centuries, its history and culture have been strongly influenced by Austrians, Hungarians, Germans and Jews, besides Czechs and Slovaks.

The trip to Bratislava was a half-day excursion from Vienna. It was relaxing to walk through the streets around the main square, where you'd notice their people have added some fun to make their capital look not to serious to amuse the tourists, such as the statue of the soldier who is happily watching (photo 26), and Napolean with the French Embassy standing behind him (photo 27 & 28).

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