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Published: October 4th 2005
I made it to Bratislava and enjoyed my time there. It seemed like a smaller, less hectic version of Prague. It had some great architecture, great food (more on that later) and the people were very nice.
For me, going to Slovakia was one half of a journey to see where my ancestors came from. Poland was from my dad's side and Slovakia was from my mom's. Although I didn't make it to the towns where they came from, I got a better understanding of why they were the people that they were. My grandmother told me that I was Slovak, not Czech, because the Slovak people are more humble (save your comments, please) and come from a more rural area than the Czechs.
I went to an exhibit at the Castle entitled "Until the bride said yes". It showed all of the things involved in making a wedding happen from the 16th through 20th centuries. It explained the roles of the parents, wedding party and guests. It told of how most marriages were arranged and the criteria this was based on. This hit close to home with me because my maternal grandparents had an arranged marriage, even though
they were married in the States. They met 3 weeks before the got married when the wedding banns were published and it lasted more than 50 years until Grandpa passed away. It also showed examples of the traditional attire as well as the items in the trousseau and what the wedding feast consisted of.
Of course, you may have noticed a trend with me.....everything comes back around to the food. I included a picture of halusky bryndzove. It is a traditional dish that consists of soft, potato dough (like spetzel or gnocchi) with a sheep's milk cheese (bryndzove) that is only found in this region and fried bacon bits. It was served in a wooden bowl with a wooden spoon, which represents its peasant roots. It was so rich and creamy; it all just melted in my mouth. I also tried a variation of this dish called strapacky, which is the dough plus sauerkraut and spices. I actually think I liked that one better! The soups I had here were delicious! I would say this is one of their specialties, just like Grandma made the best soup. I had the best cream of mushroom soup ever, plus a hen
soup and a garlic soup. I also highly recommend getting any dish with mushrooms. I don't know what it is, but wherever they source them is an unfair advantage against the rest of us!
As for the beverages....I lucked out because both beer and wine were aplenty and at bargain-basement prices. I noticed on the train trip from Budapest the grapes growing along the side of the hills. I read that this is actually a fairly large wine producing region, so I felt obligated to partake in the local vintages. I was very happy with what I tasted (all whites). I thought I was getting an amazing price based on what was listed on the menu, but the waiter figured I was a wino, gave me twice the normal size, so a glass cost me $1.80. As for the beer, this was a college student's dream. I got a half liter of 10% alcohol Kozel for $.90!!! And that wasn't even the cheapest that I saw it; I saw a place with it for $.70!
As for the pictures I posted, the castle and church are obvious. I included a couple of pieces of art from the street
that can be found around town. Cumli (the gaper) appears to come out of a sewer to check out what's happening. The paparazzi guy is stationed right outside a bar/restaurant called Paparazzi. The other photos are examples of the architecture here and of the food.
I found that the least number of people here speak English. Even the people in the hotel and bars have a very limited vocabulary, but they always tried to help and greeted me at the door with a smile or a nod at the least. Just what I would have expected. They are good people and my only regret is that my mom couldn't have been here to experience this with me. Next time, Mom!!!
P.S.
I couldn't find any pateca, but the white bread and the prune coffee cake were great...almost as good as Grandma's!
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Celia
non-member comment
YUM!
I am glad I was eating lunch as I read your entry, Mary. Your food descriptions (not to mention the pictures) really make me hungry! I'm big on family history, too, but my ancestors have been in America since God was a boy. How cool to be able to visit the countries where your grandparents grew up and see/eat all the things they told you about over the years! I'm looking forward to hearing about your upcoming adventures - y'all take care of one another.