When not visiting relatives, we explored our heritage in Slovakia

The SNP Bridge over the Danube commonly called the UFO Bridge because of the shape of the restaurant on top

The whimsical side of Bratislava is evident in statues like this
which depicts a local legend

Like most cities in Europe, this is Bratislava's monument
in thanksgiving for the end of the black plague

This monument remembers a modern horror - the Holocaust of WWII

This word means REMEMBER

It is also written on the monument in Hebrew



The horror didn't end with the defeat of the Nazis.
Decades later the Communists destroyed the Jewish Temple
and the entire Jewish Quarter of the city to build a highway

A recreation of the temple was etched on the wall
after the fall of Communisn

A view of the highway leading to the bridge
and the Cathedral where kings and queens were crowned
during the period when Budapest was occupied by the Turks

We stayed in this pension at the back door of the American Embassy
Centrally located, we could walk everywhere

Relaxing at the Green Tree Cafe - Healthy food and fast internet.

The castle on the hill dominates the city

There was a festival on the day we visited

Folk Groups performed traditional songs and dances

Artifacts of the medieval period were accessible to all

This eagle had an American connection

His name was Nixon

The castle well

Scaling the Wall

Flipper Wash is the only laundromat in Bratislava. It opened in 2013

We love Bratislava.

Driving northeast from Bratislava, our first stop was Bojnice Castle

The design was influenced by Neuschwanstein castle in Germany

My grandmother Katarina Korshnak
was born in this village (Sambron) in 1882

The Church in which she was baptized is still standing
This is the view from the cemetery

Stara Lubovna Castle, a few km from Sambon
dominates the landscape

Once noble families owned all the surrounding land and villages

This is the view from the castle including the "Skanzen" (open air museum) below

Artifacts in the castle document medieval times

The Skanzen includes original buildings circa 1900
gathered from the area

I was able to converse and sing with the staff in Slovak and Rusyn.
I congratulated the director (2nd from left) on their wonderful exposition of culture and heritage

As we substituted ourselves in the photo of a historical family

we realized that Carrie had a great resemblance to that little girl of 100 years ago

At the castle and skanzen we observed the lives of the nobility and peasants.
In the town of Stara Lubovna we experienced the lives of the middle class craftsmen and tradesmen in the city museum

The Stara Lubovna region is very close to Poland

Our hotel was right on the border near Ceveny Klastor Monastery

This bridge over the River Dunajec is the border
of Slovakia & Poland

There wasn't any sign to tell us that we shouldn't park here

The medieval town of Bardejov

The original wall of the city is being restored

Sampling traditional pastries

It was important to stop in Svidnik,
the site of the Battle of Dukla Pass in WWII

My cousin Pavel had described what he witnessed as a 10 year old boy in 1944. His village was completely destroyed as the Red Army liberated the area from the Nazis

Spis Castle in central Slovakia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

This ice cave is off the beaten path but well worth the visit