The people of Slovakia are to be commended for looking to the future (145Cong.Rec.H4213)

Heading into Slovakia from Olomouc, we needed to obtain another toll-road vignette sticker, but this time, we were prepared. Still, due to our stop in Stramberk, we arrived at Kosice after dark. As we checked in at the restaurant part of our guesthouse, Villa Regia, diners' meals looked pretty tempting.

But because we knew we would get breakfast there the next two days, we crossed the small square to Golem Brewery (top left), where we had big glasses of beer and large plates of food with lots of locals (top right). There were so many locals at Pokhoi that we couldn't find a seat (middle left), but we opted to stay and stand in order to try some of its craft-beer offerings, including Matuska Brewery's Raptor IPA. As we headed home, we noticed that, once again, the downtown Christmas market was already being deconstructed, but lights lingered in the central pedestrian mall, including near St. Elizabeth's Cathedral (middle right). The next morning, we discovered that the farmers market right outside our accommodations was fully operational, albeit sparsely attended (bottom).

 

 

We selected Kosice as a place to stay mostly due to its proximity to Spissky Castle, which emerged above the clouds as we approached (top left). After hiking to the fortress from the nearby town of Spissky Podhradie, we realized we could've driven almost to the main gate (top right). Given the views on the way up and down, our route was infinitely more rewarding (middle). Less rewarding was the walled city of Levoca, which is included among a set of structures, along with the castle, recognized collectively as a UNESCO World Heritage site (bottom left). Sadly, the town was lacking appeal, mostly because it was devoid of people; perhaps they were scared off by the "cage of shame," a wrought-iron reminder of medieval punishment (bottom right).

We found plenty of convivial charm upon our return to Kosice. At Dobre Casy, we were able to sample some beer from Chomout, the brewery we were shut out of two days before (top left). While there, I talked TJ into trying steak tartare, which he loved, then he talked me into some bargain-basement beers at U Kamaratov, which I loved (top right). At Barrique TJ continued on the craft-beer track, while I diverted to Slovakian wine, known for its balance of quaffability and affordability (middle). We soaked all of it up at Haluskaren, where I finally got the chance to order Slovakia's national dish, bryndzove halusky (bottom left). The dish was filling, but not so much that I would forgo the full breakfast spread at our guesthouse the next morning (bottom right).