It's a wet, grey day in Budapest and surrounds. Is this the mark of spring turning into summer? Or is this just crazy European weather at its best? Nem ertem!! (translation: I don't understand it)Still, the crazy weather did not deter and I was up bright and early to head over the border into Kosice, Slovakia (pronounced Ko-sheet-suh). Ignored by most tourists (good for me, bad for them :p) Kosice, is Slovakia's second largest gathering of inhabitants. I refuse to call it a city, but would settle for something in between town and village. Kosice has the most beautiful centre ever....gothic cathedral, a palace with a breathtaking roof, a musical fountain which belts out hits from the 20th century all day long, beautiful gardens, statues and sculptues, street cafes, bars and ice cream shops. Sounds familiar right? That's what every European town/city/village I've visited has had in some measure. But, the border of that beautiful centre is where Kosice gets different, and consequently interesting and worth blogging about. The minute you step out of the centre, all you see are blocks upon blocks of ugly communist style buildings. The transformation is immediate.
Kosice is located in a valley and after a wander through the centre, we took a bus out into the hills, to a lookout tower which overlooks the town. We took in the views while the tower swayed gently with the breeze. It was bizarre!! Gently rolling hills rim the city, a ring of ugly clumps of concrete come next and the town centre basks happily in the middle. It reminded of the 'feedback giving shit sandwich principle' :)
After a delicious lunch of halusky and pierogi, which probably sent my heart one step closer to cardiac arrest and some giddy headed hilarity over 'special biscuits' we headed back into town to soak in some more of the centre. The blueberry ice cream was good. The shop windows were even better. The ball gowns and shoes in particular were sights to be seen. I would truly have nightmares of my clothes taking revenge on me and turning into ferocious and bloodthirsty beasts if I were to wear one of those outfits. Clearly nothing is too bizarre or outlandish in the world of Slovak fashion :) There were shoes that sparkled with all the colours of the rainbow and dresses that blinded and bedazzled....and could possibly injure too. As luck would have it, we were visiting on a Saturday, which is also when the catheral and the chapel next to it, churn out a married couple every hour. As a result of this, we were treated to some stunning creations on real, live people!!Our day was now complete and after one last scoop of ice cream (this time in a cup of coffee) we headed back home to a land which clearly faces some stiff competition when it comes to fashion disasters.
