Bratislava and Bojnice

After my trip to Kiev was Easter break, so I went to Slovakia with a good friend of mine (my son’s godmother) from Geneva. She has a flat in Bratislava so we stayed there the first and last night.

My son loved Slovakia. I’m not sure if it was the air or the weather (indeed we left cold Kiev and came to sunshine and warmth), but he was incredibly happy. We walked through the square and I had a duck liver wrap that was heavy but actually quite good. There were many little stands open for Easter, so I bought a few souvenirs. Some of the cafes were very child friendly, with small play areas for kids.

He father picked us up and drove us to the small town that she is from, Bojnice, which has both a spa and a castle. Her parents were really sweet and played with my son. I slept early and woke early and got to have home cooked food. We also went to a few nice cafes in Bratislava.

Apparently around Easter there is a tradition, from pagan times, in which the men hit the women with sticks and splash water on them for good health. My friend told me that traditionally, the women would then hit the men back a few days later, but they got rid of that part.

I like Eastern Europe a lot so far! I would really like to come back and visit some other countries in the region.

Kiev

I had to go to Kiev for work, so my mom came to help take care of my son and the three of us travelled there together. I don’t think Kiev is necessarily a popular tourist destination, but it is a beautiful city. Several golden domed cathedrals, and some of the best food that I have had in a long time. I didn’t have a lot of time to do touristy things, but I did make sure to check out Saint Sophia’s cathedral, with its green spires and intricate artwork. There was a mural made with individually painted Easter eggs, and some other more modern artwork too.

I actually had a lot of Georgian food in Ukraine, which made me realize that I should also visit Georgia too. People in Ukraine we so friendly—possibly the nicest people in Europe. Everywhere we went, people offered to help with my son. Once, he was screaming his head off in the street, and a lady came out and offered to let us sit in her office so that I could breastfeed him. There is a nice playground for children, next to a really good Ukrainian restaurant. Some of the food I had including zucchini pancakes, borscht, dumplings (variniki), and roasted meat. I had chicken Kiev which was just okay (I’m not sure if this is even really a Kiev thing). I also had Georgian style dumplings, eggplants stuffed with walnut paste, chicken stew with cream, and grilled lamb.

I bought a pair of socks for my husband with dumplings on them, and the store owner gave me a flask of liquor for free. I was really astounded by how warm and generous people there were.

The weather was super cold, even for April. Kiev is very safe, but in the eastern part of the country there is an armed conflict that continues to result in many casualties. It makes me sad that the country is going through this. It’s a beautiful place and I would like to go back, especially since I did not get to see the monastery. We stayed next to Volodymir’s Cathedral, so I got to see that. I walked to the independence square and got a glimpse of St. Andrew’s cathedral too.

The airport was a bit difficult, but every step of the way people offered to help me. With how the airport is set up, I had to go through security three times with my enormous stroller. The staff let me skip the lines though, since I had a child with me. They were so understanding. My son had a meltdown in a restaurant, and instead of getting angry a waitress ran over with a toy for him. I didn’t get dirty glances from people at all.
The highlight of this trip was definitely the food and the wonderful Ukrainian people.