# Experiences of Slovakia



## merlin

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I will start by saying we both loved the country, the people, the food, the trams and of course the beer, which is amazing, the dark especially is to die for. 

Its a small country and we both thought ideal for a weekend or short break, but not really enough for a full 2 or more week holiday. We visited a few local towns by train and bus, and found them picturesque and interesting, but as soon as you roam outside the old town centres, you are in the usual Eastern European Soviet style concrete monoliths, which are depressing to say the least.

The people are friendly and helpful, though not much English is spoken it doesn't matter, they are a very religious people and the churches are packed to overflowing with standing room only, and all ages attend, some of the church interiors are stunning. There is no obesity, unlike our growing UK problem, and everywhere is tidy and completely free from litter, but for some reason there is a lot of low grade graffiti on a lot of the buildings, I don't mind some of the artistic stuff, but this is just tags etc.

The food is excellent and they have a gift for transforming old disused buildings, into amazing restaurants.
We dined in an old cinema, a synagogue and a 16th century ale house.

The public transport system is awe inspiring, all the trams and trains run to the minute and are clean air conditioned and comfortable. I managed to get a free travel card as I am over 70 and in the EU, its a lifetime card but I doubt I will return, because there are so many other countries to explore 

We stayed in a rented room close to the old town, which was very convenient and peaceful considering its central location. There is a nearby tram stop where you can travel anywhere easily.
I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in historic architecture and wining and dining in a relaxed atmosphere, with good travel to anywhere really, as there is a 1/2 hourly service to Vienna and trains to most European countries such as France, Hungary, Italy and Germany etc.

A few photos taken on the first day:

The main square in the old town



The road where we stayed


More Trams


The road to the castle


And of course Tesco are there


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## Glinda

Merlin, thank you for this report and the lovely pictures.  I feel like I've been there myself.  Did you find that the cost of your visit was a bargain?


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## Shalimar

Beautiful pics, Merlin.


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## Ameriscot

Great photos, Merlin!  Love the architecture and I can see it's a very clean place.  Love the description of places turned into restaurants.  Those are always so interesting.  I confess to knowing next to nothing about Slovakia.  But glad you had a nice time.


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## merlin

Glinda said:


> Merlin, thank you for this report and the lovely pictures.  I feel like I've been there myself.  Did you find that the cost of your visit was a bargain?



Yes Glinda it was, the return air fare from the UK was £60 ($90) half the train fare from my home to London?? The room was $50 a night and food a few dollars a meal. Internal travel costs negligible, so one of the cheapest breaks I have been on.


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## merlin

Shalimar said:


> Beautiful pics, Merlin.



Thanks Shali, there were sadly no Slovakian mermaids (or mermen) to photograph, though I guess the absence of any sea may have been why


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## merlin

Ameriscot said:


> Great photos, Merlin!  Love the architecture and I can see it's a very clean place.  Love the description of places turned into restaurants.  Those are always so interesting.  I confess to knowing next to nothing about Slovakia.  But glad you had a nice time.



Thanks Annie, I will post some photos of the restaurants when I get a moment, they were the best conversions I have seen.


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## Ameriscot

merlin said:


> Thanks Annie, I will post some photos of the restaurants when I get a moment, they were the best conversions I have seen.



Good.  Love to see them.  I've always wanted to eat in an old church that's been turned into a restaurant.


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## ndynt

Lovely, lovely.  I too know nothing about Slovakia.  Thank you for allowing us to accompany you, through your wonderful description and photos.


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## Cookie

Good pictures, Merlin.  I see they have a good public transportation system with lots of streetcars.


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## SeaBreeze

Very interesting photos Merlin, thanks for sharing!


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## merlin

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Here is our favourite restaurant set in an old cinema, not far from where we stayed, we ate here four times in all, as the food and atmosphere was so good 

The entrance foyer


The main hall


The Food


A traditional dish, garlic soup served in bread, every restaurant had this on the menu


Goulash is another traditional dish, a lot of the cuisine has Hungarian influences being once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.


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## Ameriscot

Wonderful photos, Merlin!!  Now you've made me hungry!

Speaking of businesses being turned into restaurants, there are some beautiful old buildings that have been turned into restaurants in the UK.  Two of them are former banks with very high ceilings and are now a Wetherspoons.


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## merlin

Ameriscot said:


> Wonderful photos, Merlin!!  Now you've made me hungry!
> 
> Speaking of businesses being turned into restaurants, there are some beautiful old buildings that have been turned into restaurants in the UK.  Two of them are former banks with very high ceilings and are now a Wetherspoons.



Thanks Annie, yes we have a couple of local Wetherspoons one in a renovated bank and the other in the old main post office in Worcester, I feel they are one of the best of the chain restaurants, for food, prices and ambience. Yes I must go and do a food shop now after looking at the pics


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## Shalimar

I am so hungry, and it is the middle of,the night here. Lol.


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## Ameriscot

merlin said:


> Thanks Annie, yes we have a couple of local Wetherspoons one in a renovated bank and the other in the old main post office in Worcester, I feel they are one of the best of the chain restaurants, for food, prices and ambience. Yes I must go and do a food shop now after looking at the pics



We are big fans of Wetherspoons.  My hubby claims it's because of the huge choice of great beers that are cheap, but he also likes that the food prices are low.  Definitely not gourmet food, but it's fine with me.


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## ndynt

Your food pictures are just to good, Merlin.  After looking at then, as with Shalimar, I am now very hungry.  My morning oatmeal does not sound at all appetizing.


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## Shalimar

Love your avatar, Nona. Those pants are wild!


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## merlin

Ameriscot said:


> We are big fans of Wetherspoons.  My hubby claims it's because of the huge choice of great beers that are cheap,.



Talking of beers Annie this is the place I mentioned earlier that would be a paradise on earth for Glinda   ..........maybe for your husband as well? Its a micro-brewery in a renovated 16th century alehouse, I have never tasted such amazing depths of flavours in beer before, we had the sample tray of 8 beers for 4 euros, and each one was sublime in its own way. The dark beers include a traditional porter and an Irish Double Stout and were amazing, 1/2 litre of any beer was only 1.5 euros (just over £1) We also had a delicious lunch there which was cooked in beer, all the food has a beer ingredient and is often cooked in it as well. We left very satisfied and more than a bit tipsy....:very_drunk:

The Entrance


Part of the Brewery


The ambience


..and more...its actually a huge place with several rooms and a balcony


The beer..


The video


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## Ameriscot

Oh aye!  Hubby and I would love that.  I don't like dark beers but he does.  He started drooling looking at that pic of you and all the beers.


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## merlin

*The Blue Church*

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Here is a tourist attraction in Bratislava, its called the Blue Church for obvious reasons, it has a fantasy air about it and is very pretty. There was a wedding going on when we were there so we stayed and watched. Come to think of it there were weddings going on in most churches we visited.



The interior


The wedding, its evidently customary for the bride and groom to be seated, while the priest speaks from the pulpit, not sure what he says, how to avoid divorce I guess.


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## Ameriscot

What a beautiful church!  Gorgeous blue colour!


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## Cookie

Lovely photos Merlin.  I can see you had your work cut out for you with those ales, no wonder your smiling!
Nice little blue church, so fresh and bright.


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## Shalimar

Beautiful pics Merlin.


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## ndynt

Once again, wonderful pictures.  Love the church. It is just perfect for weddings.  Wonder why it was painted blue. Had to google it.  Interesting history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Elisabeth_(Bratislava) 
  Even though I do not drink beer...it looks tempting.  Can understand, even with eating, you were tipsy.   What a wonderful holiday, Merlin.  Again, thank your for sharing it.


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## Glinda

OMG, Merlin!  All of your pictures are so incredible!  The beautiful blue church, delicious looking food, the wonderful ambiance of the restaurants!  And, yes, the beer!  I would probably gain at least 10 pounds the first day but this sure does make me want to go there.  And that lovely lady is Lisa?  What a great holiday, Merlin.  Thanks so much for sharing.


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## merlin

ndynt said:


> Once again, wonderful pictures.  Love the church. It is just perfect for weddings.  Wonder why it was painted blue. Had to google it.  Interesting history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Elisabeth_(Bratislava)
> Even though I do not drink beer...it looks tempting.  Can understand, even with eating, you were tipsy.   What a wonderful holiday, Merlin.  Again, thank your for sharing it.


Thank you Nona, I have been meaning to say for some time, your previous avatar picture reminded me of a a friend I have, a wise open woman radiating an inner peace.


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## merlin

Glinda said:


> OMG, Merlin!  All of your pictures are so incredible!  The beautiful blue church, delicious looking food, the wonderful ambiance of the restaurants!  And, yes, the beer!  I would probably gain at least 10 pounds the first day but this sure does make me want to go there.  And that lovely lady is Lisa?  What a great holiday, Merlin.  Thanks so much for sharing.


Thank you Glinda I thought the beer might tempt you, it was a truly memorable experience and yes the lovely lady is Lisa, who who has persuaded me to go on these trips.


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## merlin

.
A few street scenes in Bratislava









A Tourist Street of restaurants, an Irish Pub next door to this one


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## Ameriscot

merlin said:


> Thank you Nona, I have been meaning to say for some time, your previous avatar picture reminded me of a a friend I have, a wise open woman radiating an inner peace.



It gave me the same image.  A peaceful, poetic woman.


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## Ameriscot

Love the Scottish pub.  What a charming town!


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## Jackie22

Lovely.....I enjoyed seeing the photos.


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## merlin

A few more photos of Slovakia, this is a small town called Trvna about 100Km east of Bratislava, it was a grey day but we enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, with its many old buildings, and a couple of disused synagogues amongst them. The one was an art centre the other a rather sumptuous sort of cafe/bar/tea room.





A disused synagogue now used as an art centre


A beautifully restored synagogue now an upmarket cafe bar, we had a couple of G&Ts (they served very large ones) here and left very happy 


The ceiling, with the ladies gallery


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## Josiah

Tell me Merlin was there a great deal of concern in Slovakia about the serious goings on in the neighboring Ukraine?


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## hollydolly

Good Question Josiah..


  Hi Merlin this is the first I've visited this thread since you posted the first lot of pictures...and I love them all...however I don't know why but the place gives me a feeling of a lack of atmosphere..a kind of cold feeling. Please correct me if I'm wrong it's hard to tell from a photo of course, but much as they are charming pictures I kinda get that feeling of a kind of lack of warmth to the place.


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## Ameriscot

Merlin, I love the shots of the buildings.  Interesting architecture.  Love the character of the buildings.


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## merlin

Josiah said:


> Tell me Merlin was there a great deal of concern in Slovakia about the serious goings on in the neighboring Ukraine?



I can't really say Josiah, as tourists and only being there for a few days, I didn't have any conversations with the locals, but I would guess there is a general fear of Russia's intervention in the Ukraine, and Putin's desire to rebuild another Russian empire.


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## merlin

hollydolly said:


> Good Question Josiah..
> 
> 
> Hi Merlin this is the first I've visited this thread since you posted the first lot of pictures...and I love them all...however I don't know why but the place gives me a feeling of a lack of atmosphere..a kind of cold feeling. Please correct me if I'm wrong it's hard to tell from a photo of course, but much as they are charming pictures I kinda get that feeling of a kind of lack of warmth to the place.



Very good point Holly, and thinking about it you are probably right. To be fair the last posing of Trvna was on a Sunday morning, and the place was deserted with everyone in church, they are a very religious country. 
I do find northern European and ex soviet block countries to be very lacking in warmth compared to say Spain, Italy Greece etc.
Communism also seems to have the effect of destroying the nations/peoples spirit, which I guess will take generations to recover from. I found Poland and Croatia to a degree the same with beautifully restored buildings, but lacking in warmth. Food for thought


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## Cookie

Thanks for sharing the great photographs, Merlin, very interesting little town and old buildings.


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## hollydolly

It's funny how I could pick up that vibe from the photos Merlin but I'm glad you can see it too.. and thinking back to your trip realise it did have that kind of feel..

You're right the Greeks Italians and Spanish are so much more friendly and warm hearted...not necessarily honest about their feelings but they do at least give the impression..LOL...Slovakia reminds me a lot of parts of Eastern  Germany .

Incidentally...I just looked at your profile and I looking at your latest photograph on thsi thread I cannot believe you're 73 years old !!!!...I hope you don't mind me saying, but you look at least 10 years younger than that...!! ...and no I'm not flirting with Merlin before anyone says it..LOL..I just thought I would mention it.


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## merlin

hollydolly said:


> It's funny how I could pick up that vibe from the photos Merlin but I'm glad you can see it too.. and thinking back to your trip realise it did have that kind of feel..
> 
> You're right the Greeks Italians and Spanish are so much more friendly and warm hearted...not necessarily honest about their feelings but they do at least give the impression..LOL...Slovakia reminds me a lot of parts of Eastern  Germany .
> 
> Incidentally...I just looked at your profile and I looking at your latest photograph on thsi thread I cannot believe you're 73 years old !!!!...I hope you don't mind me saying, but you look at least 10 years younger than that...!! ...and no I'm not flirting with Merlin before anyone says it..LOL..I just thought I would mention it.



Thanks Holly I get that comment all the time, a decade ago I was always being taken for my daughters husband, flattering for me, but not so much for her :upset: 
My partners have always been over ten years younger than me, so maybe its a mistake on my birth certificate, I am only 63 really  

I am disappointed you are not flirting with me though


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## Cookie

What one person might interpret as lack of warmth in atmosphere, I would interpret as lack of prosperity.  It looks like the area hasn't even completely recovered from the second world war and cold war and these buildings seem to be still in the process of getting upgraded. 

 Mediterranean towns in their hot climate with their pretty white buildings with blue trim and pots of geraniums have a healthy tourist trade and more money, so of course the atmosphere and inhabitants would be quite cheerful, even if it is a bit of an act to cater to tourists. 

If you have ever seen the movie about the East Berlin Stasi (The Lives of Others, 2006) it gives an idea of what life was like behind the iron curtain.  I don't find it surprising that the people in those places would not be very 'warm and fuzzy' or lacking 'warmth', but as Merlin mentioned, they did serve a generous G&T.


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## merlin

Cookie said:


> What one person might interpret as lack of warmth in atmosphere, I would interpret as lack of prosperity.  It looks like the area hasn't even completely recovered from the second world war and cold war and these buildings seem to be still in the process of getting upgraded.
> 
> Mediterranean towns in their hot climate with their pretty white buildings with blue trim and pots of geraniums have a healthy tourist trade and more money, so of course the atmosphere and inhabitants would be quite cheerful, even if it is a bit of an act to cater to tourists.
> 
> If you have ever seen the movie about the East Berlin Stasi (The Lives of Others, 2006) it gives an idea of what life was like behind the iron curtain.  I don't find it surprising that the people in those places would not be very 'warm and fuzzy' or lacking 'warmth', but as Merlin mentioned, they did serve a generous G&T.



I don't feel its entirely a prosperity issue Cookie, I concentrated on posting old buildings and decaying ones, because I find them more interesting than the modern or fully restored ones. The main street in the town is pedestrianised with flower baskets everywhere and new shops with designer clothes etc. Here you could have been anywhere in a prosperous European town. 

Your second point about living behind the "Iron Curtain" is I would say most definitely the main cause of any coldness, the film you mention "The Lives of Others" is excellent and frighteningly accurate as Lisa has verified. The population were brainwashed into being suspicious of everyone, friends neighbours and strangers. There was constant surveillance by the state and citizens rewarded for betraying friends and neighbours. 
I would say the warmth is still there in these people, but more deeply buried because of their past experiences.






The full movie, but may not work in your country and is not the best quality   The film does have both an inspirational and hopeful end.

[video]https://archive.org/details/TheLivesOfOthers-EastGermanZionistPigsTrueStory[/video]



Another series of films worth watching are set in Poland loosely based on the ten commandments "The Decalogue" directed by Kieslowski, these are beautifully crafted and give an insight into peoples lives during the Soviet period.

A review by Robert Ebert


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## Cookie

Thanks Merlin, that makes a lot of sense.  I like your word 'pedestrianized', the flower baskets, etc. in the main shopping drag, in contrast to the stark properties and grounds in the pictures which do evoke some sadness, but that's life. I like the architecture though, including the textures and colors of the decaying old buildings. 

I can understand how people in that area would still have suspicious feelings as a result of the soviet era, maybe now mostly in the older generation and glad that its not because they are poor. I met someone in the 90s who was taking a trip over to one of the eastern bloc countries and told me she only took her least favorite clothes there because all her relatives there had so very little that she would end up giving everything she had brought away.  I suppose things have improved now. I'm going to try to find 'The Decalogue' somewhere, it sounds very good.


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## Glinda

Merlin, all great shots.  Thanks for posting.  I like the fact that most of the buildings are so old.  I try to imagine what their society was like perhaps 100 years ago or whenever the buildings were new.


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## RadishRose

I really enjoyed these photos Merlin. Thanks for the trip!


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