Slovakia officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Slovakia got its independence on January 1, 1993, at this time Slovakia and the Czech Republic became two separate autonomous countries.
We had a wonderful time in Slovakia, Bratislava is the capital, it has a beautiful old town, the main square is where people gather for all sorts of events, they have local fresh produce markets on the weekend. The old town has lots of great restaurants and bars. There are some beautiful churches, the blue church was particularly nice. There is a very nice monument for all the fallen soldiers in wars gone by. We stayed about a 15min walk from the old town.
There is a wonderful transport museum with lots of beautiful old cars, scooters, motors bikes and trains. It is definitely worth a visit. It is about a 20min walk from the old town town and only costs a few Euros.
Bratislava Castle is worth a visit it sits on a steep hill named Little Carpathians which is above the Danube river. The castle was built in the 9th century. There are amazing view from the Castle walls, there is also museum that goes through the history of the Castle, they currently use the Castle for different types of events. It is only a 15min walk from the old town, the hill is quite steep but you can also get a hop on hop off small bus that will take you there.
Bratislava has a very interesting history, the audio commentary on the hop on and off bus was very informative. So worth doing. We met some friends ( Mark and Philomena from Australia) in Bratislava and had a great meal with them in Pod Kamennym Stromom restaurant in the old town. It was so good to see them. This was our favourite restaurant in Bratislava, Pod Kamennym Stromom the food was delicious and so fresh. The owner and staff where very welcoming and the garden courtyard was wonderful, I would definitely recommend. Overall Slovakia did not disappoint, put it on your list of places to visit.
Moldova sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova emerged as an independent republic following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe, its economy relies heavily on agriculture. With the war in the Ukraine agriculture has been effected in Moldova, this seemed to be the main worry of the people in Moldova when we stopped for a visit. We flew from Bratislava to Chisinau in Moldova our nest stop.
We decided to visit the capital of Moldova which is Chisinau we had heard that Moldova is the least visited country in Europe and if it is I do not know why. Moldova has a really nice quite relaxed feel to it. It has a beautiful park in the centre of the city Ștefan cel Mare Central Park It is the oldest park in Moldova and spans about 7 hectares (17 acres). The park boasts around 50 species of trees which range between 130 and 180 years old. This beautiful park with bronze and marble busts and fountains. There is beautiful French café just on the edge of the park, lovely to stop and have a coffee or glass of wine. It was lovely to stroll through the park in the evening time.
Inspired by the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Arc de Triumf in Chisinau was built to commemorate Russia’s victory over the Ottoman Empire, it sits just outside the Cental Park up from the Nativity Cathedral this building became one of the best examples of Russian architecture in Chisinau. It is has a magnificent dome, and six columns decorate the main entrance of the church. Every hour, you can hear the bells chime in the Bell Tower opposite the temple.
We did a tour to Milestii Mici, the largest underground wine cellar in the world, located in the commune of Milestii Mici just 18km from Chisinau, the country’s capital. The tour is very interesting with a wine tasting at the end and lunch if you would like..
Stretching for 250 km, of which only 120 km are currently in use, the Milestii Mici cellar complex is also the largest in the world. In 2007 Milestii Mici wine cellars were noted in Guinness World Records 2007 Yearbook for having the largest (2 million) wine collections in the world. You can drive a car in the tunnels although these days they just use golf buggies. It is also the perfect temperature to store wine, consistently in the mid-50s Fahrenheit 10 to 14 degrees Celsius, plus constant humidity creates ideal conditions for aging to perfection. Several famous people have there wine stored here, including This really is an amazing place, if the apocalypses ever happens I know where I will be heading to.
Moldova is very affordable, we had a beautiful meal plus a bottle of wine for about $40 Australian dollars. Martin loves his steak, and reckons this was one of the best he had. Wine Gogh was the name of the restaurant, the service was also great.
We really enjoyed our time in Moldova, it is a lovely safe city and so worth a visit. We flew from Chisinau to Bucharest in Romania our next stop.
Romania is the twelfth-largest country in Europe and the sixth-most populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest.
We had a 6 days in the Capital Bucharest. We stayed in the city centre and had a great view of the he artesian fountains of Unirii Square, Bucharest boasts the first smart fountains in Europe designed 100% on a computer, with a fantastic show of colour, music, and 3D projections on the water, it really was great to see. Bucharest is also famous for having one of the fastest internet connections in Europe. Bucharest, iconic landmark is the massive, Communist Parliamentary government building, which has 1,100 rooms. There is also the historic Lipscani district which is home to an energetic nightlife scene, full of restaurants and bars, it looks great at night but during the day it looks a bit tired.
We also did a tour of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu’s mansion it hides far more history behind its doors than first meets the eye. They lived in the lap of luxury, while the people of Romania starved. It is located on one of the wealthiest streets in the capital, which is where many of the senior communist party members lived. It is a very impressive home, and the history is very interesting, but like many governments or people in power, greed and ego takes over and they forget about the every day women and men trying to make a life for themselves and their families. Sad to hear all what went on. But on a positive note the Romanians seem to be doing a good job of getting on with their lives.
We had a very relaxing day at the Therme Bucuresti Located North of Bucharest, just 10 minutes away from the city, it is the largest relaxation and entertainment centre in Europe, the largest botanical garden in Romania with over 800,000 plants, includingover 1,500 palm trees, countless orchids and many other unique species. Therme Bucharest combines relaxation, preventive health, physical activity, entertainment and food in a new concept never before seen in Romania. It turns a former luxury into an accessible every day, all year-round experience for public, while improving health and the quality of life for all visitors. If you ever visit Bucharest make sure to save a day and visit the Therme Bucuresti it will not disappoint.
We hired a car and drove out to Brasov, It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians and is part of the historical region of Transylvania
Brasov is a beautiful old town it is famous for its historical attractions, it is impossible to miss landmarks like the Black Church, its large open squares like the Council cobbled Square where locals and tourists alike enjoy good restaurants, bars and cafes. . It is surrounded by colourful baroque buildings and is home to the Casa Sfatului, a former town hall turned local history museum. There was a number of reasons we wanted to visit the area of Transylvania and Brasov was a great place to base ourselves.
The first place we wanted to visit was Dracula Caste Bran Castle it was associated with the fictional vampire Count Dracula. The Romanian castle resembles Castle Dracula, as described in Bram Stokers novel Dracula (1897), in that both stand on rocky precipices and command spectacular views. But sadly Stoker, an Irish writer, is not known to have ever visited Transylvania. Moreover, (Dracula), the historical personage most closely identified with Stoker’s Dracula, never ruled Bran Castle, although some sources claim that he was held prisoner there for two months. Anyway it was great to visit, it was a bit creepy and just as we went inside, the heavens open and we had very loud thunder and lighting, then the lights went out. But we got out alive so all good. It was a very interesting tour and the history of the castle is very interesting.
One of the items on Martins bucket list was drive the Transfagarasan highway. Passing through some of the highest mountains in the country (Fagaras Mountains), Transfagarasan was named by Jeremy Clarkson, the famous Top Gear presenter “The Best Road in the World”.
The drive on the Transfagarasan highway is breath-taking. The winding road and the steep mountains surrounding it create an amazing scenery, very unique. The Balea Lake connects two sections of Transfagarasan. The lake is just stunning and sits beatifully at the top.
Martin and I had only ever seen Bears in a Zoo, we had been told that there are bears in the Fargaras Mountains so you can image our excitement when we seen bears come out onto the highway as we drove down the other side of the highway.
We also wanted to do the Seven Ladders Canyon. It is consists of a set of metal ladders and platforms cascading up through seven different waterfalls of various heights set in a narrow limestone gorge. From here you can also do zip lining, cost is so reasonable to do both of these activities you would be mad to miss out.
We will start the tour with a hike. This was leisurely stroll through the mountains, with plenty of opportunities to take in the sights and sounds of the Carpathian Mountains. Next, we moved on to the canyon crossing. This is a unique experience that you won’t find anywhere else. You will be able to cross the canyon using metallic structures, suspended hundreds of feet above the ground. This is an exciting and unique way to explore the landscape. Finally, we ended with the ziplining. The ziplines are the longest in the Romania and you will have the opportunity to fly over stunning views of the mountains and forests. It is unique because it combines the thrill of ziplining and canyon crossing with the relaxation of a hike. It is the perfect way to explore the Carpathian Mountains.
We had heard that the set for the (Wednesday Adam series) the Nevermore academy was near Brasov as it was a favourite of mine we just had to go and take a look. We were not disappointed. The scenery is just beautiful. We took a train from Brasov to Busteni a very nice little town, and could walk from there.
We had a wonderful time in Romania, there is so much to see and do, put it on your list of places to visit there is something for all the family. We took a flight from Romania to Lithuanian.