Topolcany, Trnava and Nitra, Western Slovakia I’ve hardly slept a wink since that blood-curdling visit to Cachtice castle. You’d think the Oldies would have had their fill of castles by now. But what do you think is next on the agenda? Need I ask? But although Topolcany Castle is yet another spooky-looking ruin like Cachtice, I have to admit I quite liked it. For a start, we had the place to ourselves. It obviously doesn’t have as gory a…
Concours d’Elegance, Piestany Every time we go back into Piestany, I fear another spa visit. The Oldies really love the treatments, but I’m not sure if I can take much more of the whiff of sulphur off the pair of them. Thank goodness for outdoor living! Luckily, there are other diversions. The Piestany Music Festival is on at the moment, and the Oldies treated themselves to a classical concert, would you believe. It was performed by the Slovak Chamber Orchestra…
Trencin Castle, Beckov Castle, Čachtice Castle The good thing about Piestany is that there are so many great places to visit within easy reach. I think we’ll be here for a while. Lovely! Trencin, for example, is only 45 km away. There is no mistaking the dominating feature of this city. Dating from the 11th century, Trencin Castle, the third largest castle in Slovakia, looms high above the old town centre and can be seen from all angles. Even my…
Piestany Spa, Slovakia The spas in Hungary and the Czech Republic went down a treat with the Oldies, so it is no surprise that our first stop in Slovakia is a spa town. Piestany Spa is the oldest and best-known spa in the country. Humans have lived here since the early Stone Age, would you believe! Due to the thermal springs, which of course didn’t freeze in winter, there was apparently no shortage of game in the area. Making it…
Who said Hungary is flat? Alps they ain’t, but the soft, rolling hills of north western Hungary were a most pleasant surprise for me. We are weaving our way eastwards along the Slovakian border, our first stop being Dömös where we have found a great campsite directly on the banks of the Danube. Yet another myth can be dispelled immediately. Like any great body of water, and believe me, this is a great body – it’s huge – the Danube…