We spent some time just wandering around the city and enjoying the general splendor of the architecture and random statues.
This is the cave church (I don’t know the official name…) that was built into the side of the Citadel hill. There were monks who built it, but were driven by the Communists in the 50s, and the church was reopened in the 80s. How cool would it be to go to church inside a cave?
Elora was being very reverent inside, whispering and folding her arms. She liked the cave church so much, she asked to go back the next day. Too bad she is not that reverent when we actually go to church…
To get to the top of the Citadella, there is a series of paths that wind up and around the hillside. I am not sure we picked the quickest way up, and I was getting pretty worn out pushing the kids up the hill in their stroller. Chris pushed the stroller most of the way, I wimped out after a couple minutes. It was steeper than it looks in the pic, Really. It was.
Elora really liked playing with the Soviet antiaircraft guns. Not to be mistaken for German antitank guns. They are at the fortress at the top of the Citadella. Chris just informed me that Citadella is the word for fortress. Hm. Didn’t know that… Sorry for the redundancy. Elora said her favorite part of our trip was when she got to play with the cannons at the fortress.
On the hill there is a series of parks (and we of course stopped at a couple). Here is Oliver learning to go down the slide -almost- by himself. He had a nice satisfied grin after going down.
This was one of the smaller slides at this crazy slide park we went to. I can’t even believe Elora agreed to go down it… It’s like chutes and ladders!
We found a little Easter market set up in the city. It became one of our favorite places to stop every day. One day we stopped to pick out some awesome looking pendants.
And the real reason we stopped at the market everyday… was the food! Specifically this awesome 15 inch long Kürtös Kalács (Chimney Cake), or bread wrapped around big rolling pins and roasted over coals. Then it is dipped in different toppings, like cinnamon, nuts, vanilla sugar… yum yum… And served hot. So so good. If I am ever in charge of girl’s camp again, forget the biscuits on a stick!!! It’s Kurtos Kalacs fur alles!
Here is a handsome devil – stealing my pastry! Unhand that pastry you foul beast! Wait… Elora and Oliver both loved this “treat bread” and as you can see, Chris enjoyed his fair share too…
Ah, more pastries. We asked for a recommendation from the lady selling the cakes, and she said this was good… it was chocolate cake with mousse and frosting and then dipped in chocolate. Good stuff.
Okay, so we were at the Grand market hall, and saw this display that showed which mushrooms are edible and which are poisonous in various forests around the world. Hmm. Interesting. So I should not eat those ones that sprout up in the yard, I am pretty sure there was a skull and crossbones next to that variety… But, the vast majority of ones shown were indeed edible.
