Europe Trip - Part One

We were able to go and visit my family in the Czech Republic this year and took our little Lucie so that she could meet her extended family. 

Here she is with my dad.

 And with her aunt Marketa.

And with my brother Roman.

The next day after we arrived we drove to the Slovak Republic for a one week of vacation with my parents. It was a 7 hour drive through a nice countryside with castles and rolling hills with grazing cattle. The weather was really nice. We rented a cabin near the town Bardejov in a picturesque Carpathian valley in the Low Beskydy Mts.  It was a lovely little place with a clay stove to warm us up. The kiddos loved the big yard with fruit trees.

We visited Bardejov Town with a rich history and beautiful town square. As early as 1950's the historical centre was declared an Urban Heritage Reservation and today it is places on the List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Here is The Basilica of St Egidius the most significant monument on the square.

This solitaire building is the Town Hall and it is an example of late Gothic and Early Renaissance period. It is the first renaissance building in Slovakia.

Climbing the stairs to the Tower with a stunning view of the town.

Bardejov Spa is situated near the town Bardejov. The area is rich in mineral waters and is surrounded by beautiful woods.

Here we are visiting an open air museum of folk architecture situated in Bardejov Spa. 

Wooden churches - the most common building material was a larch. Wooden churches in the County of Bardejov were founded from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. They are of Greek- Catholic or Orthodox style.

Getting healing water from natural spring. 

 

 Here is a typical Slovak food. Potato dumplings with sheep milk and sausage.

Here we are climbing to the hill to see a ruin of the Zborov Castle. 

 We took a one day trip to the Tatra Mountains. It was a beautiful day and we were able to get to the very top which is quite a miracle as the weather hardly ever permits it!

 Can you see that little red thing and the thin rope? Yes that thing can carry about 20 people all the way to the top of the mountain.

 We made it to the top!

Due to the strong winds we had to walk down! It was a long three hour walk down, down, down....I can still feel my knees.

We took a few little walks around the cabin. It was a warm fall weather with plenty of sunshine!

Wondering what kind of animal died here.

 Resting in a grass.

Picking fresh rosehips for a cup of tea.

The oldest wooden church in Harvartov. 

Bye bye cabin! IT was fun! Praise the Lord for a safe trip and a wonderful weather!

Eli lost his tooth on the way home from Slovakia!

We visited another castle on the way home. The kids really liked the tour and the nice view from the tower!