The Grand Viglas...

We got up very early the next morning to make the drive to the Grand Viglas, the conference hotel, so Jimmy wouldn’t miss the bus to the military base where the day’s meetings were taking place.

I was shocked when I could finally check into our spacious room, with a four-poster bed...

...and nice views. 

Originally built in the 14th century, the castle was eventually destroyed during World War II. A family bought the ruins in 2007 and set about bringing it back to its former glory. Our room was in the front corner as seen from down the hill.

A wander up to the floor above us revealed lots of dead animals.

That evening we had a traditional buffet dinner followed by Slovakian dancers teaching us a traditional dance. 

Overall, there was lots of medieval decor inside, but outside someone clearly had a sense of humor when they chose these little gnomes to cheer up the rocky hill beside the parking lot.

I went on a few walks, but wasn’t very impressed with the nearby village which had two restaurants and this unwelcoming store.

Avoiding the Bears...

We were thrilled to discover that it was just a short walk to get out into some nature. Our first stop was an old train station...

...with a cool mural...

...and some funky old buildings.

We then discovered that there was a hiking route...

...with some nice views looking down on the city.

It seemed like a very bad omen to be at the furthest point of the loop when we saw a sign mentioning the local wildlife, which apparently included bears. Thankfully the bears left us alone or this blog could have had a very abrupt ending.

We were surprised when we came upon a ski jump as we were making our way back to the city.

While the upper section was quite derelict...

...the lower section was being used by kids taking a class.

We were happy when we made it safely back to the starting point of the short hike and then headed back to our hotel for a traditional dinner on their terrace.

Historic Banska Bystrica...

What today is Slovakia’s sixth largest city with around 78,000 occupants, was once Slovakia’s center of anti-Nazi opposition. The city was briefly occupied by the German forces before it was liberated by Soviet and Romanian troops in March 1945. 

I’ve been trying to remember to look up when exploring a new place and my efforts were rewarded with lots of cool things to see, such as lions...

 ...angry men...

 

...and this particularly strange human bird creature. 

Later I found a miniature version of The Scream attached to a random wall.

Banska Bystrica...

The hotel hosting the conference was full for the night, so instead of going to the opening dinner, we drove two hours to the town of Banska Bystrica for a wander around and to spend the night.

Hotel Kuria was charming, conveniently located and very affordable...

 ...although their choice of artwork was questionable.

The city center was also charming.

Bratislava Castle...

The castle, situated 280 feet (85 meters) above the Danube, was originally built between the 10th to 18th centuries, destroyed by fire in 1811 and rebuilt in 1964. We considered going inside, but between the price and Ashlynn’s desire for a chat, we opted to sit on the lawn with this view and talk to her about what was happening in China.

We also didn’t make it into this nearby church...

...but we did admire the beautiful tiles installed on the outside wall.

We also admired this funky thin building...

...this cool solar-powered “smart bench” by Steora that allows users to charge their phones...

...and this Slovak Post sculpture.

As this photo taken out the front window shows, the passage between the hotel’s parking lot and the street was crazy narrow.

Historic Bratislava...

Once we entered the historic city center, things got much busier with lots of tourists and shops and restaurants catering to them...

...although you can’t tell by my photos since I shot smaller alleys...

...or angled the camera upwards.

We went into a few cute shops selling local knick-knacks...

... and wandered into the bakery to check out the impressive “stained glass” castle made from hard candies.

We made a pretty quick pass through town with the castle as our final destination.