Bojnice & Trencin

Do you remember the promised 3 day excursion that was suddenly cancelled?  Well, I will admit that I did voice my unhappiness during "Slovak Singing" class when the announcement was made that the trip was no longer an option.  I did not get angry, but when Rustov broke the news, I just couldn't help but tell him that I was extremely upset by the decision.  He certainly does not know this, but Amy will tell you that it was the excitement of this 3 day excursion to the High Tatras that sealed her decision to stay and not just pack up our bags and high-tail it out of this place.

Amy is certain that it was my reaction to the news that prompted Rustov to plan a day trip to help to satisfy those of us who were denied this trip. After all, some of the money that we paid for our stay here was delegated to the foregone trip, and that has become extremely obvious as days go by and we participate in small day-excursions and are not expected to pay.

Today's trip only cost us the admission fee, as the bus had already been paid for by the funds collected from us during the enrollment of the class. And, the fact that Rustov mentioned at least twice today that he hoped that today's trip would help to soothe our disappointment, convinced me that my comments did make an impression on this young man. So, I am glad that I decided to just come right out and tell him my feelings rather than get angry and not mention my disappointment.

Today we headed out to Bojnice Castle, which took us about an hour and a half by bus. Much to our surprise, we found ourselves boarding an air-conditioned bus, which was pretty nice considering that the temperatures rose again to the high 80's here in this area.

Rustov requested an English speaking tour, and he actually thought that the tour would include both English and Slovak, but was surprised to find that only English was spoken by the guide.  It was certainly great for us, as it was the first tour where we actually could learn a great deal about what we were seeing.  I do realize that I am in Slovakia and should not expect the tour to be geared for me, but Amy and I did enjoy finally being able to participate in one of these tours, and about half of the people with us did understand some level of English.  Most of the others were kids who just talked through the other tours anyway, so although I did feel a bit guilty about it, I decided to enjoy the moment.

Marty and I actually toured the castle in May 2010 as part of our trip to Slovakia. We tagged along a tour with a bunch of school -age kids, and made our way through the castle under the direction of a Slovak guide. All I can say is that we sure did miss a LOT of details that Marty will find fascinating.

One was a room with a black and white marble floor. Sure, it was beautiful, but little did we know that it was decorated in such a way so that the black resembled fish tails, something that was supposed to bring good luck. Who knew?

Also, adorning one of the beautiful blue turrets is a gold gilded crown of thorns. Rather large, as a matter of fact. I don't know that I actually realized that it was a crown of thorns when we toured in 2010, But it stood out strikingly today when the young man mentioned it.

Apparently Palffy, the owner of Bojnice, was in love with a French woman whom he wanted to marry. His plan was to give her Bojnice Castle as a wedding gift. But, the required repairs took 20 years to complete. In the meantime, this maiden became tired of waiting, and she decided to marry another. (Really, can you blame her? 20 years is a pretty long time to wait if you ask me!)

Palffy was heart-broken, and he had the golden crown of thorns added to this turret to symbolize the pain and suffering that he endured as a result of this breakup. He lived to an old age, never marrying another. Sad story, don't you think?

As we were walking through the castle, Amy and I spotted a female tour guide, dressed in 18^th century fashion, leading a group of children and their parents on a special tour. But she was not alone. Along with her was a muppet who looked surprisingly like Gonzo. Many of you may not appreciate the humor behind this, but my children will be excited to know that Gonzo is apparently Slovak, because this woman was carrying what appeared to be Babka Gonzo. We weren't permitted to take photos inside the castle, but I did capture this shot of a sign in the entrance way.

We had a lovely lunch in Bojnice, and I enjoyed some lekvar pirohy that were sprinkled with cinnamon, and, to be honest with you, laden in butter as well.  Probably terrible for me, but I enjoyed every bite nonetheless.

Around 2:00 p.m., we loaded up on the bus and headed to Trencin for a quick walk around town. We were only given an hour to explore the place, which certainly wasn't enough time to actually take in any of the sites, but considering that the skies broke open right about the time of our meeting place for the return, we won't complain, since our touring time would have been cut short due to the weather.

While we were waiting for the group near the designated meeting place, Amy and I decided to relax on a bench in town.  We no sooner sat back on the bench when two men came to us and one of them began to address us in Slovak, obviously asking directions.  Amy told him that we didn't speak Slovak, and he went on his way.

About 2 minutes later, another man came along and began to tell us that it was going to rain. He was showing us the gray skies and going on and on about something that neither of us could understand. We just smiled and nodded our heads and he threw his hands up in the air, smiled, and went on his way.

Amy commented that we may not be able to speak the language, but we must look like we are Slovak since this seems to happen to us frequently.

On the way back to Modra, Rustov pulled out his guitar and had a Slovak sing-along which really was quite entertaining, even if I didn't know the words. 

After we returned from the trip, Amy and I headed to Modra for dinner, and ended up being caught in a pretty intense thunderstorm. We decided to take the bus to the stop up the road rather than walk through torrential rain. By the time we got to our room, we were both soaked, despite having rain gear.

So, as I write,  our room is decorated with laundry washed in the tiny bathroom sink because the so-called laundry facilities that I had asked about in my original e-mail, can only be accessed via key request, during the day, when we have class.

Really, does that surprise you? (Thanks, Stacey, for the Tide to Go....it sure came in handy!)