Slouching Through Slovakia

Driving north through hundreds of wind mills (the tall white skinny kind, not the picturesque Dutch stereotype), we crossed the border into Slovakia. What a beautiful country! And compared to most Eastern European countries, looking quite prosperous.

And a relatively new country, having been birthed in 1993. Once a part of Hungary, once dependent on Germany, merging in and out of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia became its own after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. It is now part of the EU. Once this country gets on the tourism map a little more for Westerners, Tour-o dollars WILL be spent here, if you ask me!

I didn't take any photos, but if you care to click here, and skim over all the flag, coats of arms and map images, you can get a peek at this beautiful country.

We passed through the city of Bratislava, curved around some ex-castles, and puttered through some quaint mountain villages, passing through the Czech Republic for about 5 min. before entering Poland. I became keenly aware that I was no longer with artists as I automatically drew out my camera for a couple of intriguing shots outside our first pit stop in Poland: grillwork and a blue umbrella upside down in a green basket. I'm not sure anyone else in our caravan even saw these wondrous sites, let alone thought to take a picture of them! "If these were artists," I thought, "there would be a half-dozen cameras out by now!" So sad...I took my shots, removthe my 'Art Junkie' pin from the lapel my jacket, and braced for re-entry into the world of the left-brained. But isn't this beautiful, this grillwork?! On a bathroom?!