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Tags: Slovakia / Monuments / Castles / → All Tags

Chasing the Queen: Today She's Opening a Fence

We didn't think ol' Queen Elizabeth II was getting so many gigs these days, but today she's journeying to the Slovak capital of Bratislava to do a spot of monument unveiling.

In fact she'll be just outside Bratislava at the old ruin of Devin Castle, on the border to Austria. Her Majesty will officially open an iron sculpture sitting on the spot where the Iron Curtain--in this case a barbed wire fence between Austria and Slovakia--used to stand.

Today it'll be all fanfare and nice cups of tea, but it wasn't that long ago that you could've been shot for trying to cross over that part of the border. Of course if the 82-year-old Queen tries walking around the rickety walls of Devin Castle, it'll be just as dangerous for her, so we hope plenty of Slovaks are there to catch her if she falls.

Related Stories:
· British Queen to Unveil Iron Curtain Memorial at Devin Border [TASR]
· Devin Castle [Official Site]
· Slovakia Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: themanwithsalthair]

Tags: Slovakia / Water Parks / Medical Travel / → All Tags

Cold Travel: Freeze Yourself for Health in Slovakia

From the front, the AquaCity building in Poprad looks like a harmless water park with a fun, twisty slide. But what they actually do inside is freeze people.

We're not trying to say that the pool temperatures are just a bit low or something. We mean that you can actually go there for some cryotherapy which involves walking around a chamber where the temperature is minus 184 degrees F.

Apparently doing this for a couple of minutes will give you (surprisingly) a warm glowing feeling and can suppress inflammation and pain for weeks. (Kind of like applying a full-body ice pack.) AquaCity has been winning a bunch of green awards for being all sustainable and eco-friendly, so they're doing something right, although we still wonder if they have a room full of snap-frozen tourists hidden somewhere.

Related Stories:
· AquaCity [Official Site]
· Stripped to Your Undies in Minus 120 Degrees [The Age]
· The Big Chill [Jaunted]

[Photo: xgeorg00]

Tags: Europe / Travel Media / Slovakia / Bulgaria / Slovenia / → All Tags

Times Plugs Eastern Europe Hard

The UK Times went crazy this weekend talking up a few eastern European cities. The biggest wrap went to Slovak capital Bratislava, citing great value for money and fewer crowds than Prague as good reasons to go. All in all, not a bad overview, especially as they plug our favorite hot chocolate destination, Čokoláda.

Slovenian capital Ljubljana also grabbed a headline: the reviewer uses the Interesting Site Per Yard measure and rated Ljubljana very highly (if still somewhat unpronounceable). The value is probably not quite as good here given that Slovenia changed to Euro currency at the start of the year (Slovakia won't until 2009).

Finally, so-called un-cool Bulgaria also rates a mention. A stay at Bourgas and nearby beaches actually sounds pretty cool, especially when they start talking wine-tasting and cheap Bulgarian reds.

[Photo: Friends Friends Friend]

Related Stories:
· Slow Slovak Summer Elates Chocoholics [Jaunted]
· Why I Like Un-Cool Bulgaria [Times UK]
· Chill With the Bratislava Pack [Times UK]
· A Jam-Packed Weekend in Ljubljana [Times UK]

Tags: environment / festivals / Slovakia / → All Tags

Gettin' Green and Ecotopical

Feeling all environmental and activist-like this month? Then your summer holiday should be in Slovakia, at the Ecotopia festival. The 6-20 August camp for those interested in alternative lifestyles, traditional crafts and permaculture is being held this year in Zajezka, pretty much smack bang in the middle of the Slovak Republic.

Along with enjoying a really green (in both senses) holiday in the mountains, the workshops attached to this fest sound impressive: Activist samba drumming, rebel clowning and large costume making are all featured in the program. We suspect the rebel clowns are the rejects from the Bestival fest in the UK, where the organizers were forced to change the fancy dress theme thanks to the high rate of those with a clown phobia. Hopefully the Ecotopia planners have already checked into possible protests from samba drumming phobics.

[Image via Altered Ego/Flickr

Related stories:
Art and Activism Caravan [indymedia]
Quit Clowning Around [Jaunted]