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 cemetery, with both Jewish and Christian headstones.

Our next stop was Cachtice Castle, the home of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian noblewoman who married into the Hapsburg family in the 16th century. This castle appealed to me entirely on a macabre basis, as Elizabeth was allegedly the most prolific female serial killer in history--she supposedly tortured and killed hundreds of young women, starting with maids and moving on ladies of the gentry who were sent to her to learn courtly etiquette. 

As news of the murders spread, the king assigned an investigator to go to Cachtice, and the investigator found dead and dying girls in the courtyard; Elizabeth was put on trial and bricked into her rooms in her tower, though they left slats open to pass through food. (They couldn't put her to death because she was noble.)

If ever a castle was haunted, it would be this one--though it's hard to imagine all sorts of murder and mayhem on a beautiful sunny day when the wind is blowing and butterflies are fluttering around. 

Marking the road to the castle is a wooden statue of the Countess and what I assume is one of her victims, who appears to be screaming under her skirts. 

After Cachtice, it was back to Bratislava, where I spent the afternoon wondering the streets of the Old Town and shopping while Taylor rested. Below is one of Bratislava's most famous statues, Cumil--"the watcher."

I also had some A+ ice cream from Luculus. One scoop was donut--which tasted very lemony--and one scoop was macaron, which was a swirl of pistachio, apricot, and almond flavors. 

After I fetched Taylor, we went to Baci Mille, which is a tiny-tiny Italian place right outside of Old Town (owned by an actual Italian, which makes it legit). There are only a few tables with one granny-chef cooking right in sight, the menu changes monthly, and the ingredients are seasonal and mostly local. Below is Taylor's spinach and cheese ravioli, which was delicious. We ate there last time too, and I remember the pomegranate gnocchi I had very fondly, so I would recommend it highly to anyone visiting Bratislava.