Blogs from Slovakia, Europe - page 44

Bratislava is one of those cities that people simply reject off hand; case in point: when I was in Vienna 3 years ago, there were 3 Swedish guys who wanted to take the bus to Bratislava for the day, and everyone asked why - their reason: EuroTrip, the movie where the 4 Americans live like kings in the city for pennies. Now, to be fair, there is not a whole lot in the city, but it is worth the visit for a day. It does have a lovely area that feels very European with the outdoor cafes and the squares with churches and the weather was lovely. It also has a kosher restaurant (I’m not sure why) and provides real easy access to Vienna, as the two are the world’s 2 closest capitals. Thursday, May 29th: ... read more

Today we had even more trouble finding someone to pay, and ended up being quite late to leave because of this. We stopped along the way at a small town called Levoca. It has a fully intact town wall, and inside there are a number of beautiful Renaissance houses and other buildings, with a central square. There was the Cage of Shame - near the town hall where women who had done something wrong were held to be publicly disgraced. We went into the cathedral there, and a school bus tour came in, kids about 15 and 16. They all went and sat down and prayed for about 10 minutes, some were kneeling, and there was no noise—we were astounded!! We have noted that the kids in Slovakia seem very happy—the little kids are always with ... read more

Vratna valley, Terchova So our base for the next 5 days was here. With the weather still good, we made our way up Boboty peak as a warm-up for the larger peaks. The climb was 400m, but very steep. The descent involved a bit of clinging on to a chain over a bit of rock. The day after we went via Stefanova for the climb up to Poludniovy Grun and the 1608m Stoh. It was tough going, as it was very steep, and I got very hot on the lower slopes, carrying all my crap. Maybe it’s because I was brought up in the Yorkshire Dales, but waterproof, spare food, jumper, all seem essential to me, unlike this wee Polish lass who wandered up in plimsolls/pumps and no rucksack. How she got up is a ... read more

Sunday morning marked the perfect weekend trip - the first trip I have gone on since my arrival in the Czech Republic where it did not rain during some part or most of the weekend! Yet another glorious, sunny day! After breakfast, I went with everyone to the Demänovská Ice Cave. The caves were quite pretty, but not as impressive as the Macocha Abyss, located near Brno (I have pictures up on an earlier blog). The tour lasted only about an hour or so. It was fun, but I would have preferred to be outside in the sun than in a cave! The last event of the trip was lunch and a tour of Vlkolínec, an UNESCO World Heritage Village. It is special because it is a relatively untouched preservation of traditional folk architecture for the ... read more

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. ... read more