Banska Bystrica

So since the DTS hasn't actually started yet, I've had some time to unpack (that actually didn't take very long at all... It seemed like alot but really it was just all clothes) and to go sight seeing a bit.

It is really nice here so I took myself on a little walk. I actually went for a walk with Steve and Emma (his daughter) and Katie last night so I kinda feel like I know my way around already. So after lunch I took my camera out in the sunshine.  (Mom: yes I went alone. Yes i asked if it is safe to do that first. No I didn't get robbed.)

So our street actually is a pedestrian only street that connects up to the pedestrian only main square. I absolutely love that part of these Slovak towns.  Its about walking everywhere! Well.. maybe not but it makes me feel better about not having a car.

So this is the friendly neighborhood butcher who is maybe 3 or 4 buildings down from here.

Cute huh?

Then at the end of our "block" (i don't know if you can even use that term here...) there is this beautiful huge building which they said is the Slovak National Scientific Library. Steve says that someone told him that they have an english section, but I'm not sure it would be that interesting anyways. 

So there is another 200m or so before you reach the actual down town square.  And this square is actually pretty big!  It goes on for a long distance in my mind.  I also just realized that I didn't climb up the town tower to take a picture... but I can't read the signs so i don't actually know where you go to climb the tower. Those pictures will come later i guess.

But this is the tower and a church that is also at that end of the square.

And a really sweet building that incorporates the old and new:

Then also at the top of the square (it kind of slopes downward from here toward the West) is this really cool building which may have used to be a church but now is a  restaurant. This is my first favorite picture of the trip. 

I think I'll skip over all the monuments until i know a little bit more. I went to see them though. 

This is the view from the Slovak National Uprising monument.

So we have hills (no this is not a mountain) covered in leafy trees as well as flat plains (and I think there is a river around here somewhere too but I haven't been there yet.

Forestry is a big deal. You actually can have a bust of you in a public square put up for making important forestry decisions. 

This is what it said on his plaque (he actually got english and slovak, way to go dude!): 

Jozef Dekret Matejovie

chamber chief forester (1814-1837)

 applied progressive methods to save

 forests ruined by mining and smelting industries 

thus laying the foundations for orderly 

forest management throughout 

the land.  

He totally deserves a huge bust. 

Hmm... now what else should i show you all?

I have decided that I really like windows, especially when they have flowers in them.

Or windows with men with green hair under them..

As you can tell its still pretty warm here. The flowers are still in bloom. I think there actually has been alot of harvesting already done as there are fields cleared, but I still saw sunflowers in the fields.  And they say it has been raining alot lately but I was very happy to not have rain today.

Now at the bottom of the downtown street it gets a bit more modern. This is a bank where the street stops being pedestrian only. And within walking distance from there is a very modern mall that we walked through yesterday.  

So now all of you know as much about banska as I do.  (I've found out that everyone here just calls in Banska which will make pronouncing it alot easier).  Maybe I'll practice some slovak with my free afternoon.

Ciau! (pronounced chow)