Super Slovakia, Day One

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The morning dawned brilliant and warm, with promises of a lovely day and hope for an eventful weekend. After wishing Amichai a very happy 22nd birthday via Skype, I boarded a bus that took me to a small town called Piešťany, famous for its sulfur healing waters and beautiful surroundings. A few people loitered in the sunshine as they walked to various destinations and I had the chance to meander through the town and see the abundance of shops and aquatic activity centers. The smell of sulfur from the springs was present and unpleasant, but kept largely at bay by the scent that wafted through the air of tulips and other flowers . I did not stay long in that town, but in that short time I wished to partake of the healing waters as well. The sunshine was my medicine, however, and made me feel happy and well.

Slovakia apparently has quite a few castles, one of which is in Trenčín, the city next on my tour. In fact, it is the oldest Slovak castle and I was able to participate in a small tour around the grounds and buildings. After seeing the elaborate castles of Scotland a few years ago, I am less impressed with the smaller Eastern European castles, but it did provide a lovely view of the city from the top. As I looked over the land, the sky began to darken and I feared that I would endure yet another rainy trip, but the sun broke through again rather quickly. After the tour, I dined with my guide, Linka, and a few other international students. (Just a note: many Slovaks and Czechs can understand each other because the languages are incredibly similar, which was great for ordering food and arranging accommodation). When it comes to food, a "traditional" Czech meal usually consists of a meat and sauce dish with dumplings, but an example of a traditional Slovak meal is bryndzové halušky, which is similar to gnocci with a smoked cheese and bits of bacon or ham on top. (Both are absolutely delicious!!!!! I will definitely be sad not to have these foods back at home... ;-(

I was glad I had a full meal because it was quite a long distance to our hostel in ilina (Ubytovna DPMZ), which is the 4th largest city in Slovakia. ilina appeared, at first, to be just a dingy industrial city, but once I (along with a few others) discovered the city-centre, it was quite lovely. It even had two Tesco stores, which I thought was rather excessive. (Tesco is a super-market, if that doesn't make sense...) It is about as silly as having two Wal*Marts in one town, bleh. By the time that we actually located the centre, any restaurants that might have been there were closed, so I was obligated to get food (from Tesco, of course) for the evening and following morning. There also wasn't much in the way of entertainment in the evening, so I simply sat and talked with a few friends who also came along before going to bed early.

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Photos

Piešťany
This building is a hotel at which people who seek the healing waters might stay during their visit.

Piešťany
This building is a hotel at which people who seek the healing waters might stay during their visit.

Piešťany
This is (I think) a building which houses the baths...

Piešťany
Vibrant flowers, smiling in the sunshine.

Trenčín
Castle Trenčín

Trenčín
View from the top of the castle, looking over lower castle areas.

Trenčín
View of the city of Trenčín from the castle

Trenčín
View of the city of Trenčín from the castle...