Slovakia with our Neighbors

This past Saturday, Isaac turned 3 months.  He's been pretty lazy - so we figured it was time for him to get moving.  So off to Slovakia we went!

Our first stop was Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.  Our family had never been to Slovakia - and this city is only a little more than 2 hours from Gaming...I don't know why we waited so long to visit!

We went to Hrad (Castle) Devin, which is located in borough of Bratislava.  It was the perfect place to visit!  From the top of the castle you can see 3 countries - Slovakia, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

Outside the castle walls, the children enjoyed the pony rides and trying to feed the ponies!

That evening, we continued onto to our next door neighbor's hometown about 30 minutes away.  Spending time with our wonderful neighbors was the real purpose of our trip -- and we had the best time!

On Sunday morning, we walked to Mass at the Triumph of the Cross Church - and got to see the side chapel, which dates back to 1246!

After a wonderful home-cooked lunch of a traditional food from the area (roasted beef and dumpling bread covered with a delicious sauce), we went to a festival in a neighboring town celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the "Komunita Cenacolo" at this location.  The Cenacolo community is a drug addiction treatment center that accepts lost young people who want to find themselves and the purpose of life.  It was founded in 1983 by religious sister Elvira Petrozzi in Italy.  Today there are 44 homes worldwide, including in the USA and Austria.  It is very unlike other treatment centers - it is a home surrounded by beauty, animals and wildlife.  Here, young people are presented with a simple way of living a family life with discovery of the gifts of work, friendship, and faith.

At the festival, the kids got to see the farm animals, play at the playground, and visit the chapel (the Tabernacle is located on the mural behind the altar where Jesus' heart is!)

Saints Cyril and Methodius ("Apostles to the Slavs") in front of the altar

After the festival, we went to the nearby town of Trnava.  We enjoyed visiting churches, eating ice cream, and spending a little time in the town center.  It was interesting to see the beautiful old buildings next to the ugly, plain buildings put up during Communism.  We got to visit a Jewish synagogue that has been converted to a cafe as a way to preserve the building - there are no longer any Jews in these countries following their eradication during WWII - so it was a bit odd to see it converted to a restaurant, but at the same time nice to have it as a reminder of what was.

Then we headed back to our friends' home for potato salad (thanks, Francis!) and hot dogs roasted over a bonfire in the backyard.  We also had delicious vegetables fresh from the garden!

Our first trip (of many to come, hopefully :) to Slovakia was WONDERFUL!  It was fun sightseeing, but most of all, we loved getting to spend more time with our neighbors.  That's one of the best parts of living here in Gaming -- really getting to know and enjoying time with your neighbors.  We are slowly learning what it means to be a true neighbor - generous and loving.  Thank you SO much to our wonderful hosts and friends :)  See you next door ;)

Hope everyone is enjoying this Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary!  Mother Mary, pray for us!