WanderlustandWhimSea

The last time I was in this area, about 34 years ago, it was a combined Czechoslovakia. Today it is 2 distinct countries with Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Two different languages and two different currencies. I have to say the currencies hardly matter any more as most transactions are contactless payment with credit cards. The trip started in Bratislava, lovely old town and the hot chocolate on the town square was pretty good too.

This guy was like the Pied Piper of bubbles. The children were enthralled and he made bubbles for hours and hours. So if you have no musical talent, and need to be a busker, you might consider bubble making as a career choice.

Slovakia has the Tatra mountain range bordering Poland. The weather gods cooperated and we spent a beautiful morning at the top of the mountain. There were many hikers who climbed to the top, I took the mountain geared vehicle. One of the hikers wanted to practice his English and he was fascinated that an American would be in this remote spot in Slovakia. There are a lot fewer tourists in eastern Slovakia. We had a lovely cultural exchange and learned about each others countries, the true gift of travel.

Slovakia has lots of castles, so if you don’t have your fill from western Europe you can add these new ones to your list.

No blog on Slovakia and the Czech Republic would be complete without a discussion of beer. The Czech Republic has the largest annual consumption of beer per capita in the world. And boy is it good! I usually prefer wine, but in these countries a beer is the cheaper and better option over water or pop. Scott Skiple you would have been in heaven cataloging all the craft beers from the small villages. I’m afraid if you came to visit Slovakia and the Czech Republic you wouldn’t want to leave.

In my last blog post I mentioned the Baltics obvious support for the Ukraine. I was expecting the same in Slovakia and the Czech Republic as former Soviet East block countries, but the opposite is true. The recently elected Prime Minister of Slovakia (Robert Fico) is pro Russian and does not support the Ukraine. While I was in Slovakia, there was an assassination attempt on his life, I was in the town where the shooting occurred, the previous day. The country was in shock as an assassination attempt is very unusual.

Today is Prague, and then I fly back to Warsaw tomorrow to start phase 3 of the trip in Poland. Tomorrow is also laundry day as my travel clothes are ready for a fresh start. This trip is nearly 6 weeks in total, so I’ve reached the phase where I can’t remember my hotel room number and the toothpaste is running low.