Loaded up on and on the road by 8:00. I did not try to break into anyone else’s room, and checked out without an issue. My guide today was a young woman from Slovakia, and we had a good day together. She likes dogs.
Stop 1: Gyor (Still in Hungary)
During the tour we walked around the Old Town of Györ. It’s famous for Baroque style houses and a Town Hall from 1900.
Györ is known for many of its churches with a 1000-year Christian history in Hungary. While we were there, there was actually some sort of service going on; through the crowd you can see some fancy gold robes. I thought it was interesting that, at the end of their prayer (which was on Hungarian), they say “amen” and it sounds just like in America.
The city has a population of about 130,000 people. It’s located on the Danube River and two other smaller rivers (Raba and Rabca), which brought people, trade, and wealth to the region throughout history. In the 18th century the city prospered, and that is when most of the beautiful Old Town was built. Despite heavy damage to the city in the Second World War, Györ has been extensively renovated since the 1970s.
Gabriella calls it the “City of Meetings” – it was the perfect meeting spot for governments coming from Budapest, Vienna and Prague. We had our own mini meeting with some caffeine. We also checked out this fountain – the Soda Stream was invested here, and this was created in the inventor’s honor.
Stop 2: Bratislava. This is a different country!
I was pretty jazzed that I got to go into another country on this part of the tour – Slovakia. Well, first I learned that Slovakia is a country. Second step was getting excited to go through it.
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia with a population of about 475,000 people. The area of Bratislava has been inhabited for almost 7000 years. The city is on the Danube River which brought people and trade to the area. For a long time Bratislava was part of Hungary. Then, after WWI, Bratislava became part of Czechoslovakia. The city became the capital of Slovakia after the Velvet Divorce in 1993 when Slovak Republic separated from the Czech Republic. This means Bratislava is one of the youngest countries in the world.
The entrance into Slovakia was…lame. Because of the Shenghen Visa, you just drive right through – no one checks anything, and you don’t even slow down. There isn’t even a “welcome to Slovakia” sign.
I was lucky because Gabriella is from Bratislava, so I got a very local tour, and we spent more time here than they normally would. Old Town is famous for its medieval buildings, narrow streets, and little courtyards.
The small main square (and this square is actually square – squares were round in Budapest) includes a historic fountain, built to celebrate the 1563 coronation of Maximillian II — the first Habsburg emperor to also be crowned “King of Hungary.” Back then, Slovakia was part of Hungary, which was ruled from Austria. I double checked that, twice – this history is so confusing for me. G shared that they town square is used for important things – like the Christmas Market, and executions. The story is that at night, the soldier comes alive and climbs down, to find a beer and a beautiful woman.
The city was gated, with 4 separate gates, for a long time. One still remains.
Napoleon was also in Bratislava. He laid siege in the summer of 1809. The Siege was part of Napoleon’s Campaign against the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They’ve left a cannonball in the wall, from the battle in the city.
In addition to learning a bit of history, I saw the castle of Bratislava, and had lunch. Gabriella knew a great restaurant for me, that served local food. Slovakian food tastes a lot like Hungarian food. Please don’t tell either country I said that. I had potatoes for lunch, and for dessert. The lunch potatoes were sort of like gnocchi, with a special sheep cheese sauce (with basically bacon bits on top). It was amazing, but I only ate half the dish, because I had also ordered dessert potatoes. These were a little fluffier, and covered in brown sugar, powdered sugar, and walnuts. All in all, not quite as amazing as Irish potatoes, but very good.
Gabriella also convinced me to order a kofola, which is a (non alcoholic) drink. It tastes sort of like a coke mixed with Jaegermeister. It is produced in Czech Republic. It has 14 herbs & fruit juices, including licorice. Though I didn’t drink any, beer is incredibly popular in Slovakia – and it is very cheap. It actually costs less to buy a beer than it does to buy soda. They also make a hard alcohol – and the tradition is for a family to make some when a baby is born, and then they drink that bottle on the day of their child’s wedding. She also told me to never try to outdrink a Slovak – it is impossible.
Side note about restaurants, that I forgot to mention previously. So far in each country, the wait staff wait for you to ask for the check – they don’t just bring it automatically. Twice I’ve forgotten that, and wandered why no one is coming over.
Gabriella told me a lot of stories about her family and life. When she was born, the doctors said she was too sick and wouldn’t live. Her father went across the street from the hospital, to this church, to pray that she would survive. Spoiler: She did. (She’s actually incredible – she was a voice actor for A Bug’s Life, for the Slovakian version, and is a music composer among other things. She has also helped find homes and jobs for a bunch of Ukrainian families – she and 3 friends started a Facebook page to help make connections as they began coming over the border. The group now has over 1,000 members helping the refugees.)
Her Grandfather went to jail, twice. The first time, he was 18 – he was forced to fight in the war (they were allied/forced by Germany). He said he knew he couldn’t survive – he was on the front line, facing the Russians, and they were drunk and crazy. He decided if he was going to die either way, he’d try his luck at being a deserter. He actually made it home, but it was a crime – so he was arrested, and was lucky that they kept him in jail instead of sending him back. Then, 20 years later, he was imprisoned again – he made a joke, with a small group of friends, about communism. You were not allowed to joke about communism, and someone turned him in. Gabriella said he wasn’t mad about it. People were scared that other people were in the Secret Police – so if I was with two friends, and one told a joke, I might have felt like I had to turn them both in – because that other friend might have been in the secret police, and if I didn’t report him, then they’d come arrest me. So it was just this crazy culture of fear they all lived under. He was in prison for two years, because of the joke.
In Slovakia, hockey is more important than football (football = soccer. American football = American football.), and they’ve had a few great players that now play in the US.
There is also a crazy tradition on the Monday after Easter. Unmarried men travel in groups to the homes of unmarried women, and douse them with cold water. I thought she was making it up, but she showed me picture.
One more post office, before we hit the road again.
Stop 3: Lednice Palace (in Czech Republic now)
We stopped to stretch, and walked around the gardens surrounding the Palace. Lednice Palace and Gardens is probably the best example of English Gothic style in Continental Europe, and was apparently the summer home of the Lichtenstein Family. I don’t really know what that means, but people are very proud of it. The Palace and Grounds are under UNESCO World Heritage protection due their unique architectural landscape. The front gardens are considered French (very neat and well maintained) and the rear gardens are English (overgrown and lovely).
Quick side note on Czech Republic/Czechia. It goes by both names. Depending on who you ask, one name is correct and the other is wrong. Which is which, however, changes based on your audience. According to what I found online, the name Czechia was added to the United Nations country name database in 2016 and the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names which apparently is a thing started encouraging people to use it. Early in 2017, Google Maps officially exchanged Czech Republic for Czechia on online maps.
After the palace (which maybe is more of a chateau?) we headed for Prague. We wound up behind a bad accident, and then a heavy rain, so got to the hotel about two hours later than planned. It gave us time to talk about where else I should travel (she thinks I should skip Berlin and go to Croatia, says Venice is only for boring people and the Austrians aren’t friendly anyway, and Thailand is incredible for my next solo trip, I’d be very safe there alone).
She also talked about toll roads and paid parking (she hates both), and people from Chezia love sandals. They wear sandals everywhere. In winter, they were their sandals with socks.
When they slow down because of traffic ahead, though they’re still driving, they turn their hazards on. She also said Romanians and Italians are the worst drivers in Europe.
Gabriella also said the “fjord broke” twice – it took me a minute to get what she was saying. The dam broke.
Inflation is over 200% in Slovakia. She said they think it is funny when Americans complain about our inflation.
About 60% of their paycheck is taken in taxes – and, college is free for everyone, as is health care. She was with friends in Las Vegas and was feeling sick, so she went to the doctor. They ran some tests, she was there about an hour, and her bill was $3,500. Luckily she had travel insurance, but she said most Slovakians will not spend $3,500 in their entire life on medical expenses.
Anyway…
Checked into my hotel in Prague, ate at the hotel restaurant because I’m tired, and off to bed. But first, I broke the curtains.
