Slovakia :: Visiting Family

Bratislavský hrad (Bratislava Castle)

One of the places that we were anxious to visit was Slovakia. My husband's father was Slovak, and so Dave grew up with stories of 'the old country.'  Above our fireplace is a hand carved panel of the Bratislava Castle that was given to him by his father. 

When Dave was in high school he toured Europe one summer with a group called People to People. They visited Slovakia that summer, and at the time the country was still communist. It was rather bleak and he was looking forward to seeing how much it had changed since the 80s.

After spending 8-9 days in Germany and then Austria, there was a very distinct difference as we drove to Bratislava. Only an hour away from Vienna mind you, but a world apart. I talked a bit about it a few posts back, how people in Vienna believe it is a waste of time to head East out of town. You could feel it on the roads. Driving in to Vienna (from Munich) the roads were packed and over run, but driving East to Bratislava the roads were nearly empty. And most of the license plates shifted to Romania, Hungry, Poland, Czech Republic and of course Slovakia. It quickly shifted from a feel of Western Europe to Eastern by driving that 1 hour East of Austria.

Bratislava, Slovak National Theatre

We absolutely loved our short time in Slovakia. Probably the best hotel we stayed at for the entire trip was in Bratislava. At a place called Marrol's. It was a beautiful old boutique hotel right in the heart of the old town. We stepped out onto the narrow, old cobble-stone streets, and it was like we had stepped back in time. It had such a different feel to it. Lots of cafes with street-side seating where locals were simply hanging out watching the day go by. It didn't have that Western tourism rush to buy every tsotski you could find. That was the other thing we realized once we were home that we had bought next to no souvenirs on our trip. Which I am completely good with --- my house is full enough. 

There was a wonderful local craftmans' area set up in stalls just in front of the National Theatre in Hlavne Namestie (or the main square). It is one of the only places I did buy something to bring home. I picked up a beautiful hand painted egg to hang on the Christmas tree and remember our trip. 

Family Plot Borský Svätý Jur, Slovakia

After our stay in Bratislava we headed North toward Prague. But stopped off in a small, very small little town along the main highway. The town of Borský Svätý Jur. A small village where my father-in-law's family is from. Thank God for GPS, or we would never have found this place. The village dates back to the 1300s, established around a church built in the main square. 

Borský Svätý Jur Medieval Cross

It was in disrepair, and a new one has replaced it. A highlight (as strange as this sounds) was the graveyard. You can see the medieval influences in the gravestones and statuary. It is central to town, just off the main square. And holds the stories of the families who lived in Borsky Svaty Jur through the ages. My husband was wandering through the rows, and stumbled upon the family plot. There was much excitement and snapping of pictures. The headstone is actually the plural of the family name (the ending "ovi") since husband and wife are buried here. 

I think one of the coolest things was hearing locals pronounce our last name. It has been anglicized through the generations and is no longer pronounced in the Slovak way. And while my brother-in-laws will swear it is pronounce in a guttural way (saying that is the 'old country' pronunciation), they are wrong. It actually has a much softer sound when pronounced by a local. And it was fun to see their face light up when they saw our last name on the registry, asking "oh, you are a Slovak?" You just don't get asked that every day in the US. All the rest of the Slovakia pictures are over on Pinterest including the hand painted egg.

People Watching, Dogs, Bikes and Street Musicians

Fussen, Germany Boy in Lederhosen

Fussen, Germany Medieval Band

Nothing like getting out on foot to explore a city. Central Europe with its old medieval town squares is a perfect place to do just that. Along with some fantastic people watching, a little dog watching and plenty of street performers to throw in a little ambiance. 

One of my favorite pictures from our trip was this one of a young boy fully decked out in Lederhosen complete with suspenders. The pants are long, heavy leather (not the traditional shorts). You can see by how he stands that he was feeling quite proud of his outfit. I love how Dad is left holding the pack back because it just didn't go with the assemble. 

Fussen, German Bike Scene

So what was the boy and the rest of the crowd so intensely watching? Why a German medieval band of course. They were really rocking out with a very rhythmic beat getting lots of people in the crowd clapping along. In every city we walked there was music. Whether traditional, medieval, classical or otherwise. It was lively and festive and I so enjoyed it as we explored the streets of Europe. 

Accordion Player in Fussen

Notice all the bikes piled up there off to the side of the band? That was a curiosity as well. It would seem that Germans really, really (I could probably throw in another 'really' here) like their bikes. We saw groups on bikes, families on bikes, vacationers on bikes and well pretty much everyone seemed to have them packed on top or in back of their cars. I suppose with all the narrow streets it probably makes sense. 

Harp Player in Bratislava, Slovakia

At one point in our trip we were traveling from the Rhine River Valley up through a pass to the other side to the Moselle Valley on our way to Castle Burg Eltz (blog post on Burg Eltz). As we were cresting the pass and coming down into the Mosselle Valley an older German man was biking toward us and promptly jumped off his bike and starting to wave his hands at us up over his head. A universal sign for STOP. Which we did. Only to find out that he spoke only German, understandably since we were in fact in Germany. But he was speaking quickly and very loudly. Apparently he believed if he increased the volume it would help us understand him better. It didn't. After roughly 15 minutes of this we decided to roll up the window and continue on. As we started the steep decline into the Moselle Valley we realized that the road was completely washed out. Oh! That is what he was screaming about. However the road had narrowed to slightly more than a single lane of switchbacks with absolutely no shoulder to speak of. That makes for an impossible situation to 'K Turn' to head back the way we came. So what do you do? We put it into low drive and slowly, slowly back your way up through switchbacks backwards. The look of satisfaction on the German man's face as we passed him again spoke volumes.

Violins in Vienna, Austria

Fussen, Germany Dog Scene

We thought we were being very smart to bring our own GPS with us to Europe downloaded ahead of time with all the local maps. And it was incredibly helpful to have directions given to us (in English) along our drive. But it failed us when it came to all the local construction on the German roads. We lost several hours on this back tracking, but it was a beautiful place to get stuck!

One other thing we noticed was that dogs are very prevalent everywhere we went. People bring them out to pubs, to walk the city even in to restaurants. We would see waiters slip water bowls under the table for the dog curled up at the owners feet. That is one thing we always found difficult traveling around the US is that it is very hard to bring your loved dog with you on a family vacation. Not the case in Europe!

A Float Down the Rhine River

Liebfrauenk Church, Oberwesel

Rhine from above Bacharach

We started our European adventure just North of Frankfurt in the Rhine River Valley. And it is gorgeous. Seriously. 

We stayed in Bacharach and took a ferry along the Rhine up to the town of St Goar. A short 'float' along the river by about 90 minutes from where we were staying. We sat on the upper deck, which was open to the wind and weather. It was sort of a grey day when we started the trip, which turned to a mist then a rain by the time we were cruising along the river. We toughed it out for quite awhile, and then finally threw in the towel and retreated to one of the lower decks. 

Wernerkapelle Chapel

But by the time we arrived at our destination, the skies cleared and the sun came out. It was a glorious along the banks of the Rhine. I just could not get enough of these old medieval towns with churches and castles in every direction. 

The streets of St Goar

We toured the streets of St. Goar, our destination for our river cruise. And ended in a pub just next to the river as we waited for our return ferry back to Bacharach. Once back in Bacharach we went out for one of the most memorable dinners of the trip. I had a stew of venison with lingonberries that was simply to die for. Truly. The place was run by this sweet older couple who were celebrating their anniversary. Funny thing was that they looked like it might have been their 40th or 50th anniversary, but was actually their first. Which made the story that much sweeter. They had clearly found love later in life and were inseparable. They were side-by-side and snuggled in a corner booth working on the books and reservations and clearly just happy to be with each other. If you are ever in the neighborhood you have to try their old-style German food at a place called Rusticana.

St Peter's Church Bacharach

There is an old history to the area. Bacharach itself dates back to the 7th century and has had plenty of warring local families fighting for control. The Rhine region was the central trade route to transport goods, and by 1356 Bacharach was finally granted town rights and able to control and tariff transport down the Rhine. 

We hiked the back side of town up to an abandoned chapel call the Wernerkapelle which is known in connection to a ritual called a Christian blood libel. The accusation is that Jews kidnapped and murdered children of Christians to use their blood as part of religious rituals during Jewish holidays. In this case, a 16-year-old boy named Werner of Oberwesel was mysteriously murdered in 1287 on Maundy Thursday (holy Thursday before Easter). It is alleged that the local Jewish community killed him and used his blood for Passover observances. The allegations created an anti-Semitic mob who wiped out the Jewish community through the middle and lower Rhine and Moselle regions. The unfinished Wernerkapelle was left as a remembrance to the boy. 

So much old history to learn about through our travels. Some is dark and disturbing, but not all of it.  There was plenty of good and bad to research and explore. I think what is so fascinating to me is that while the history is old, the people continue to live along side it. It isn't locked up in a museum somewhere to be studied and scrutinized. But instead it is discussed and debated openly with much less cautious 'political correctness' to filter everything that is said. I found it truly fascinating. 

The Old Towns of Germany

Dinkelsbuhl, Germany

Rothenburg City Wall Framing the Village

Germany. We loved our time traveling in this lovely country. Especially once off the autobahn. Just South of Frankfurt is the old road that weaves its way through the countryside going from one old medieval town to the next (28 towns in total). 

I can see why it is called the Romantische Strasse (Romantic Road) as the towns are ridiculously cute. All I wanted to do was park the car and stroll from shop window to shop window. 

Rothenburg City Gate

The towns are of course full of history. The concept of the Romantic Road was actually coined in the 1950s as a public-relations piece to encourage a return to tourism after WWII. But the history of the area dates way, way back to a road built by the Romans some 2,000 years ago. The road crosses centuries-old battlefields. In fact, the 30-years' War in the 17th Century destroyed the economic base and depleted the resources of the people in the area. As devastating as that is, today it gives us a look into medieval German. That is because the people lacked the economic means to modernize the area. Lucky us that we can now take a beautiful walk through history as you explore these time-capsule towns. They are a living museum. People still live in the houses, run local shops and the restaurants serve classic German dishes.

By far my favorite town was Rothenburg. It is full of history and charm and surrounded by the original city wall. You still need to enter the city through one of the original stone gates complete with a look out tower. Seriously cool. We spent 2 nights here, and could easily have spent a week getting lost along the side streets, little shops and beer houses in every direction. We took lots of pictures of the Romantic Road, so if you want to see more just click over to our collection of photos over on Pinterest.

Another Day, Another Castle

Hohenschwangau Courtyard Fountain

Burg Stahleck in Bacharach Germany

It is amazing that something as cool as a castle can become, well sort of common place. Both my husband and I wanted to see a castle or two. He absolutely loves the history, the architecture and of course all that armor. It turns him into an 8 year old boy. 

We started our trip in the Rhine Valley where there seemed to be a castle on every corner, quite literally. They liter the banks of the Rhine as they overlook what was the major shipping channel of the age. Today they've been turned into magnets for tourism, hotels, some are hostels and a quite a few are just left as ruins. No matter, we loved them all and could not get enough of them. At least in the beginning. Absolutely every one we saw would be a shout out "oh! look another castle!" We'd pull over, and start snapping away. Several of the them ended in muddy back roads that led to nowhere as the castle didn't have a road and wasn't receiving the hoards of tourists.

Burg Eltz

By far the best castle we toured was one of the early ones. Just over the hills of the Rhine in the Moselle Valley is one called Burg Eltz. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, not strategically positioned for anyone. And likely why it survived the bombings of WWII, and one of only 2 castles in the area that were never destroyed through the ages. The castle is still owned by a branch of the original family who have lived there since the 12th century (33 generations).

Hohenschwangau

One of the most interesting things about this particular castle was the family's ability to share. There were three family branches living here, which meant 3 households, 3 kitchens, and multiple additions to house for their growing needs. So each successor, whose inheritance was too small to build a castle on his own, simply contributed to building a castle together. Today the castle is 8 stories, has fortified walls with over 100 rooms. This also meant 100+ family members could live in the castle, which meant reinforcement when attackers arrived at the doorstep. The family ecosystem was a built-in process to collaboration and sharing. A model to learn from.

Hohenschwangau Swan Fountain

So after touring this castle, we started to compare them all to this one. And we saw quite a lot of them. 

Neuschwanstein in the distance

All along the Romantic Road of Germany (a concept that was developed after WWII to encourage a return to German tourism). It runs through 28 towns (dating to the medieval age) along a scenic route that rambles from the lower Rhine Valley to through much of Bavaria ending at the fantasy castle of Neuschwanstein (the one everyone photographs and Disney uses as it logo). 

We did end our travels along the Romantic road in Fussen as we thought it would make more sense to stay overnight near the castles vs. trying to do a day trip from Munich. Which is smart if you want to visit this area. However, be warned this is hands down the most touristy location of our entire trip. We honestly had no idea it was.  Upon arrival we were swarmed with bus loads of tourists coming in for the day (presumably from Munich). And while we arrived at noon, tickets (yes you must buy a ticket to tour a castle) were completely sold out for the day. The lines were long with waiting times of several hours. We decided that since we were there, we would bite the bullet and try for tickets the following morning. Highly recommend this strategy since you cannot reserve in advance. 

The hike up to Hohenschwangau

Hohenschwangau Two Swan Fountain 

Both castles require a hike up to the location. All castles seem to be built on hills, steep hills. It gives them a strategic advantage to the surrounding area. We decided to tour Hohenschwangau (meaning highlands of the swans, and yes everything seemed to be a swan throughout the castle). This is the castle that the legendary (aka crazy) King Ludwig II grew up in. He decided that he would build a second castle over on the other hill that was bigger, grander and with more bragging rights. This is the famous Neuschwanstein castle, which he supervised the building of, but which was never fully completed (at least on the inside). Had it been completed, it would have had 200+ rooms, but ultimately only 15 rooms were finished. Thus why we toured the original castle and snapped pictures of the other. The castle was still incomplete when King Ludwig died in 1886, and there after became a lucrative revenue source for the Bavarian royal family who opened it to paying visitors.

Due to its secluded location, the castle survived both WWI and WWII. In addition the Nazis used it as a hidden depot for plunder taken from wealthy Jews. Hitler's dream was to create a "Furhrermuseum" with an estimated 5 million pieces of artwork and cultural items he had stolen which included masterpieces from artists like Michelangelo, da Vinci and Vermeer. In April of 1945, the SS considered blowing it up to prevent the building and the artwork falling into enemy hands, but was in the end surrendered to Allied forces. Clearly, we enjoyed touring the many castles and learning more about the history behind each one. They all have stories to tell.