-Červený Kláštor (Red Monastry)
-Stará L’ubovňa
-Podolinec
Saturday I was pretty tired in the morning because we had to
be ready at 7 so we could leave at 7:15 and had been up late the night before
in the lobby. Needless to say I fell asleep promptly after getting on the bus.
Our first stop was this amazing monastery on the Polish-Slovak border. It was
nestled right up against the mountains and had some beautiful frescos inside. The
monastery currently is not in use but houses a museum. The monastery itself had
quite a history and is associated with the legend of Brother Cyprián. The story
says that Cyprian had a nack for inventing and so he invented wings so he could
fly from town to town. However, it is said this was forbidden and against god
so he was sentenced to death. In reality he was a traveling monk who was very
educated in healing and the word of god. His travels were outside the typical
behavior of a monk at that time and so he was remembered for it.
After this we went to a nearby town to have an early lunch. We were told that this area is very different because it has a heavy Polish influence while still maintaining many Slovak customs. They have different food, music, and even sometimes words. Here I had the most delicious pirohy (pierogies) and we listened to an authentic band. After we went out back to see some very old, but still working, farming equipment. However, many of us got distracted by the wooden playground and decided to swing. Also, we got to see a number of bunnies, a calf, and some others things. The bunnies we absolutely adorable and we kept feeding them flowers so we could pet them. Then back inside for some dancing to the live band…. We even did the chicken dance (apparently universal).
The wooden playground!
After this we went to a nearby town to have an early lunch. We were told that this area is very different because it has a heavy Polish influence while still maintaining many Slovak customs. They have different food, music, and even sometimes words. Here I had the most delicious pirohy (pierogies) and we listened to an authentic band. After we went out back to see some very old, but still working, farming equipment. However, many of us got distracted by the wooden playground and decided to swing. Also, we got to see a number of bunnies, a calf, and some others things. The bunnies we absolutely adorable and we kept feeding them flowers so we could pet them. Then back inside for some dancing to the live band…. We even did the chicken dance (apparently universal).
All the dancing and what not put us an hour late leaving…
but it wasn’t a big deal to anyone. Our next stop was another castle… much
larger, higher up, and impressive than the one Friday. So here we did a little
tour… My favorite part was either going down in a short underground tunnel
where they used to put canons for protection or seeing the trainers fly big
birds across an audience or the sights from the big tower. Each was unique and
interesting in them self. I thought it was especially cool that in the tower
each window had the next significant point in that direction and the distance
to it.
After our castle journey it was getting late and everyone was exhausted but we still had one more stop: a little town with some medieval structures still standing. This place, Podolinec, had a church that was constructed in 1298. The walls around the alter still had the most beautiful gothic wall painting. Also there were a number of smaller alter and at least one of them had a symbol of the guild that sponsored it on the front! (Meaning it was made sometime in the middle ages!) Then we went to see the grounds of a famous school. It was as famous as Oxford/Cambridge in its time and taught Latin not only to the rich but to all without discrimination. It was a sponsored Catholic institution but it taught Catholics and non-Catholics alike; Slovaks and non-Slovaks alike. People from all over came to study at this school but once important political borders were established teachers of different nationality had to leave. The importance of Latin began to fade as each area began promoting local dialects: Slovaks speak Slovak, Polacks speak Polish, etc. The town itself was extremely small and had a very large gypsy population but had an amazing history.
After all was said and done we headed back to the hotel for dinner: spinach halušky in alfredo… amazing. Showered and went to just relax in the lobby with people. A large group of student went the a discotec at 10/10:30 but I decided to stay and hangout with Mária, Vera, and Veronica, the Slovak assistants. Then at like 12 they decided to go to the disco so I went as well along with another guy who had stayed behind, Simone. Truthfully it was pretty fun to just dance with the girls and we didn’t stay to long but when we got back to the hotel there was another group of people I had made plans to hangout with and so we set up a foosball tournament. It was quite fun and pretty competitive. Tons of fun! And as people were coming in we kept grabbing people to play; it was awesome. I passed out as soon as I hit the bed.
Tunnel on the way down
Birds that they flew
After our castle journey it was getting late and everyone was exhausted but we still had one more stop: a little town with some medieval structures still standing. This place, Podolinec, had a church that was constructed in 1298. The walls around the alter still had the most beautiful gothic wall painting. Also there were a number of smaller alter and at least one of them had a symbol of the guild that sponsored it on the front! (Meaning it was made sometime in the middle ages!) Then we went to see the grounds of a famous school. It was as famous as Oxford/Cambridge in its time and taught Latin not only to the rich but to all without discrimination. It was a sponsored Catholic institution but it taught Catholics and non-Catholics alike; Slovaks and non-Slovaks alike. People from all over came to study at this school but once important political borders were established teachers of different nationality had to leave. The importance of Latin began to fade as each area began promoting local dialects: Slovaks speak Slovak, Polacks speak Polish, etc. The town itself was extremely small and had a very large gypsy population but had an amazing history.
After all was said and done we headed back to the hotel for dinner: spinach halušky in alfredo… amazing. Showered and went to just relax in the lobby with people. A large group of student went the a discotec at 10/10:30 but I decided to stay and hangout with Mária, Vera, and Veronica, the Slovak assistants. Then at like 12 they decided to go to the disco so I went as well along with another guy who had stayed behind, Simone. Truthfully it was pretty fun to just dance with the girls and we didn’t stay to long but when we got back to the hotel there was another group of people I had made plans to hangout with and so we set up a foosball tournament. It was quite fun and pretty competitive. Tons of fun! And as people were coming in we kept grabbing people to play; it was awesome. I passed out as soon as I hit the bed.
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