Went for a short break in Slovakia this May and stayed in Bratislava visiting a few nearby towns by bus and train. A really interesting place to visit for a few days and it has a very good public transport system for getting around. We came across a wedding in the Blue Church which was interesting to watch.http://www.bratislavaslovakia.com/
Finally a train ride to Trnava http://www.slovakia.org/trnava.htm This was a lovely tea room in a very old disused synagogue
Thanks for the lovely Photos, Terry! Are prices decent? I know most Eastern European countries aren't too expensive if you stay away from the tourist traps.
Yes the prices were very low and being a member of the EU and over 65 all bus and train travel was free, I was issued with a free rail pass which is valid for life if I ever go back. There was a wonderful restaurant in an old cinema in Bratislava which we went to most nights for excellent food in an unusual setting, again prices very reasonable.
Thanks...all I need is a cheap flight and Im there....actually Id fly to Hungary where I still have relatives I can stay with and then take the train here and there....maybe talk one of my sisters into joining me. I so want to go back!!
Oh, Terry, what awesome pictures ! That must have been such a wonderful trip ! I would love to be able to travel and see some of the older countries and castles and the old-style churches and buildings like you took photos of. My daughter gets to travel with her job, and they have sent her to the Czech Republic, which is what used to be part of Czechoslovakia, and she took some really beautiful pictures, too. She just loves traveling to those historical countries. When she was in the military, she was stationed in Germany for quite a while, and she loved it there, and sent pictures of castles and other interesting places that she was able to visit. She also enjoyed the fresh, rich milk and cream that they seem to still have in the European countries, as opposed to the processed stuff that we have here for milk. Thank you for sharing these photos of your vacation with all of us !
Yes it was Yvonne a fascinating country, as are most of the eastern European ex Soviet Block countries, there is of course some pretty awful modern architecture dating from the '50/60s around, but most towns have an old quarter where the past is preserved. I haven't been to the Czech Republic yet, but its on my list. We were hoping to go to Tbilisi in Georgia next spring, and planned on going via the Ukraine but they have stopped flights now, and the only alternative is via Turkey so it will have to wait. So many places to visit and so little time before I check out
Another favourite spot was a pub restaurant in Trencin which had a micro-brewery where you could have an 8 beer sampler for a few euros great value and wonderful beer.
I had a cousin who died earlier this year. He was raised in Rajec, and later taught in Vilina. In 1949 he had to flee the country. Seems he spoke out too often against the regime and refused to join the communist party. He eventually made it into the USA, settled in Massachusetts where he taught languages in a university.
Yes it never paid to speak out in those times, though it is getting more and more that way again in Russia, as the state controls all the media and has destroyed any opposition.