Day 7: Storming the Castles
So, the last time we were in Slovakia we were also ill-prepared as far as research, and didn't realize that only the major attractions are open on Mondays (leading to my first word in Slovakian--"pondelok"). As someone with intense FOMO, I knew I would need to go back to the two castles I missed and go inside on this visit. First up, Beckov Castle! Per the internet, this is one of the oldest castles of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1208), built to protect the Hungarian border. It was reconstructed over the centuries and eventually fell into Banffy hands, which was especially interesting to me since we saw their family name all over Romania. And what is a castle without a roaring dragon? My second word in the language, "drak!" Ever energetic, I wanted a panoramic view of the castle from the side--so I sprinted up a nearby hill to get my views while Taylor waited below. On the way back down, I stumbled upon an old ce...