We head up the hill to the castle, managing to get ourselves a little lost on the way even though it’s the middle of the day and we haven’t even really been drinking.  We follow a path that brings us to the castle walls but there’s no entrance to be found, we’re not the only people at this apparent dead end, we backtrack and follow the walls around until we find a way in.

Into the castle ground we pass through into some nice gardens, handful of folks mulling about…

Gorgeous grounds for a gorgeous castle

So hamsome

We goof around with the statues a bit.  There are a couple of chicks who are pretty serious about getting the perfect shots for the grams, we try to subtle-photo-bomb them but they’re perfectionists and aren’t falling for our shenanigans…

Red hot castle peppers. 

An army truck pulls up to the castle entrance and drops off brooms.  The place is under some kind of renovations or something so we don’t get in, but we head further up the hill to a vista over the Danube…

This is a good look at the UFO bridge we saw on the way in.  Apparently it’s possible to get up there but not worth the cost according to the Hostel Blues check-in girl.

Up and down the Danube we see a few of these big river cruisers going past…

Despite its looks, apparently the castle we’re seeing only dates back to the 1950s, when it was rebuilt in the style of its predecessor, which was destroyed by fire in 1811.  That castle could trace its lineage back to the ninth century, but archaeological digs on the site show fortifications dating as far back as 3500 BC by the Baden culture.  After them, the Celts and Romans both had forts at the site as well.

Next door is the National Council of the Slovak Republic, the home of the government’s unicameral parliament.  Surprisingly simple building compared to equivalents elsewhere.  We don’t go inside but it’s got a great view of the castle and the river.

It’s well passed check-in time back at the hostel now so we head down the hill and through the old town again.  What a great little spot, our second time walking through the old town just reinforces our initial impression – small enough to be able to get around quickly, not too small to be uninteresting, and very very pretty.