Chronicles on the road: Prešov and Spiš Castle
The third day of our Eastern Chronicles road trip through Slovakia was pretty awesome. Here’s why:
“Being one of the designated drivers, I must confess that driving on Slovakian roads is not the easiest feat. Granted, compared to our previous road trip through Romania, where we literally ran out of tarmac several times, this was pure bliss. While yesterday’s 200 or so kilometers from Debrecen to Prešov (via Kosice) seemed smooth enough, today’s leg of another 200 kilometers from Prešov to Banská Bystrica demanded a lot more vigilance. The D1 highway, which will eventually go all the way across Slovakia from east to west, is still heavily under construction. This meant jumping on and off the highway and spending just as much time on the “mother road.” The last 50 kilometers, from Ružomberok to Banská Bystrica across the Low Tatras, were intense: we fought heavy traffic, mountain roads, lots of reduced-speed areas, and poor visibility.
But, it was all worth it! And I am not even talking about the places where we stopped, which my colleagues will tell you all about — I am talking about the amazing scenery we had along our entire route. You don’t have to take my word for it — see for yourself below.” — Stefan Szakal
“I think the 10th of October will stick with me as a day full of interesting sightseeing, weird music in an empty city, lovely Slovak scenery viewed from above, and, definitely, lots of laughter.
I’m not sure if it was the cold weather, but Prešov felt a little… off. The city center, although it respected this road trip’s fusion leitmotif, didn’t have the cosy atmosphere I’d gotten used to in Košice and Debrecen. I partially blame that on the rather deserted streets and the lack of English speakers to help us navigate around without having to invent a sort of sign language. Combine that with an… intriguing… 10 a.m. street performer (who was less of a performer and more of a wailer with an acoustic guitar), and you’ve got the recipe for a not-so-fine adventure. Its nightlife, however, was another story, one that we’ll surely share after we’ve had some time to let it sink in.
But Slovakia definitely managed to wipe away that bitterness with a wonderful surprise for all of us: Spiš Castle, a royal castle built in the 13th century and preserved in an amazing manner. Despite the fact that the castle suffered a massive fire in 1780 after getting turned into a military garrison, the walls looked almost intact, and the restoration works were impeccably done. A nice touch was the museum inside the castle walls, which exhibited body armor models, weapons, and last, but definitely not least, a torture chamber that gave me the chills. The view from the tower was truly breathtaking (both literally and figuratively — the claustrophobic and steep walk up the stairs was a bit of a challenge), overlooking a very organized, neat, and colorful — thank you, autumn — rural Slovakia.” — Alexandra Dragos
“From one extreme to the other — this is how I would describe our third day of the road trip. Actually, I’ll officially declare it to be the day of paradoxes. Let me explain.
If someone asked me to describe Prešov in a single word, I would go for ‘bizarre.’ The city is certainly pretty, full of beautiful old buildings and various architectural styles. But the people of Prešov — well, I think they’re a little… strange.
First things first, they have a little fetish for all things American. For example, the name of the guesthouse where we stayed overnight was Avenue 7 — I suppose it should’ve been ‘7th Avenue.’ I still laugh my butt off when I remember the text I saw on the wall of a coffee shop: “Stare Dobre Mexiko,” which means ‘the good old Mexican days.’ But nothing compared to the lady with the guitar (see what Alexandra wrote above); some of her songs sounded like Nirvana, but she didn’t know any of the lyrics. Finally, the cherry on top was a pack of cards we’d bought in Prešov (we like to play cards in the evenings), which I’m pretty sure were tarot cards. All in all, Prešov was both a funny and a creepy experience.
As for Spiš Castle — oh my God, that place was amazing! We’d planned to stay one hour at the castle, but eventually spent four hours there. To me, Spiš Castle is the most spectacular place we’ve visited so far. It was the opposite of everything I’d experienced in Prešov. I can’t wait to tell you more about this incredible place!” — Alexandra Palconi
“Well, I must say I have mixed feelings about Prešov. I was expecting much more dynamism, much more life. While the mornings are dominated by elders, in the evening the city seems to be owned by youngsters. On the other hand, each of the houses in the Old Town has a remarkable particularity: artifacts, distinct colors, beautiful paintings and designs. I have to admit that Prešov is very impressive in terms of architecture. But that is all.
Spišsky hrad is one of the castles that managed to easily set me a few centuries back. I believe that Spiš Castle might become a good example of giving back history to the people with a little bit of help. Nothing more to add; go visit!” — Cristian Sitov
Tomorrow morning we’ll go on a four-hour-long guided tour of Banská Bystrica. Follow #EasternChronicles on Facebook and Instagram for live updates of our experience.
Photo credit: Flavius Neamciuc
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