Goulash is Good

Day: 42

So all I really want today is to see the castle, wander the old town and eat another great Slovak meal. I grabbed my camera and a couple of lenses and headed out the door not even bothering to look out the window. I make it about 10 steps out the front door and turn around. It’s freaking cold and wet outside! I have been spoiled with beautiful weather the last couple of days. I go back to my room and change into my dirty Dickies, and put on my sweater, hoping the combination will be enough to keep me warm on the cold Slovakian April day. It wasn’t, but I was half way to the Castle by the time the driving rain started coming down and I’d be damned if I was going back. After a few wrong turns I made it up the hill to the castle which supposedly had a museum inside. Soaking wet I paid for my ticket (1/2 price for students of course, that card has already paid its way in my pocket.) wondering what I’d get to see in here.

I went up the 3 flights of stairs and wandered though room after room of Slovakian furniture and silverware. Boring (no offense to you silverware connoisseurs out there). Then I stumbled into what I found the most interesting, two rooms full of the history of Slovakian war and its weaponry. Mostly weaponry. It turns out for about 300 years, from the 16^th Century to the 19^th, Slovakia was a battle ground for the Turks, Hungarians and Europeans. This cause Slovakia to be on the forefront of war technology for that entire time period, it was not uncommon for everyone to walk around armed because they never knew when another battle would break out (there you go dad, I threw some history in). I can see why everyone here seems so peaceful now, hundreds of years of war drains it from a culture and only leaves room for Sunday afternoon walks and handholding, although I don’t claim to be an expert so don’t quote me.

I headed back to the hostel through what seemed to be sleet and went to my room dripping wet to do a little writing and shower (just to let everyone know, in hostels I prefer to shower in the afternoons for two reasons; 1: the usually have just been cleaned, 2: If I am leaving the hostel I won’t have to pack my towel wet in my bag) before my Slovakian meal that I am planning to eat later this afternoon.

I had a great lunch of more dark beer, mutton goulash and pork shnitzil, it was great. Since the weather was still crap, and I was too stuffed to do anything else I walked the ½ hour back to the movie theatre and saw Inside Man. After the walk, and the beer in the theatre (which I bought there for $1.25!), I was feeling great. When I went outside the wind had died down and the walk back was so nice that I even stopped to take a few pictures. I stopped by The Slang Bar, where on of the guys in my room said he may be, but no luck so I just headed back. When I got to my room I found 8 Mexicans, who have been studying in Germany, having a little party, complete with absinthe. I had a few drinks, but unfortunately not green fairies, just a bad taste left in my throat. We had to wrap the little gathering up around midnight when one of the hostel staff came up and told us we were being to load. I just went off to bed, I think some of them headed out for a huge night on the town.