Brataslava, Slovakia

The Land of My People

I guess we have been good this year.  We left our shoes outside the door and in the morning they were filled with treats from Saint Nicholas.

Today we arrived in the Slovakian capital, Brataslava.  This is the area my grandfather was from.  He left here with an older brother when he was a young teen to go to America to make a better life.  Imagine the sacrifice my grandfather's family made to send off two of their sons, knowing it was unlikely they would ever see them again.

This is a small city with many beautiful buildings.  You can tell this city is trying to improve what it has by sprucing up and cleaning buildings that were quite neglected in tougher times.

They must be doing something right since they only have a two percent unemployment rate.

The photo below is a statue of St. George, the patron saint of Brataslava.  My grandfather's name was George and I like to think his parents named him for the patron saint of their city.