Less than 2 hours from our home in Slovakia is the small town of Donovaly on the edge of the Low Tatras National Park. At 960m it is not particularly high but its situation in a valley between the High Fatras and the Low Tatras creates a cold microclimate. With only 11km of...
In late 1976 David Bowie and Iggy Pop moved in to a flat in the largely Turkish immigrant area of Schöneberg in Berlin – Hauptstraße 155. They moved here to escape the drug culture of Los Angeles, via a short stay in Switzerland. Rumour has it that in 2021, five years after his death,...
After passing through Esztergom, the Danube flows through a 90 degree turn as it heads south to Budapest. This beautiful stretch of the river is known as the Danube Bend, and features some charming little towns and beautiful scenery. The last of these towns before the river heads to Budapest is Szentendre (St....
The Slovensky Raj (Slovak paradise) is part of the Carpathian mountain range in Eastern Slovakia rising to almost 1300m. It is very popular with hikers as it has a number of unusual routes through gorges and waterfalls. Notable and rare animals include the brown bear, golden eagle, common kestrel and the black stork. Quite...
Close to the Balaton Lake area of Hungary is the largest collect of buffalo in the country at Kápolnapuszta. The buffalo is one of the oldest Hungarian animal breeds (the Indian Water Buffalo), and here they roam freely in 120 hectares of fields and occasionally pose for pictures in the mud. Thery have...
Podersdorf am See is a market town in Burgenland in the east of Austria on the shore of the Neusiedler See. It is home to a windmill and lake. The town is a local center of tourism with bathing facilities in the lake. It is a very peaceful place to pass time, and...
The capital city of Slovakia is situated on the Danube close to the Austrian border and a short journey from both Hungary and the Czech republic. The city is dominated by the castle, which sits on a plateau above the Danube. The Old Town is quite compact but has a great...
In the far east of Slovakia, close to the Polish border is the village of Miková – population of around 150. Unremarkable – but as the village signs announce this is the home village of Andy Warhol’s parents before they emigrated to the USA. The Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art is a short drive...
The area of Slovakia south of Nitra and Bratislava was for the greatest time part of Hungary until after the second World War. Until 1990 Slovakia was part of the hard line Czech Socialist republic, and the state of Slovakia was only established in 1993. As I drove down from Sered through the...
Spiš Castle is one of the largest castles in Europe, and stands high on a hill looking down on the town of Spišské Podhradie. It was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier hill fort, but was destroyed by fire in 1780. It was reconstructed after the Second World...
The UNESCO World Heritage town of Bardejov is in North East Slovakia and has a distinctly Gothic feel. It has a beautiful town hall square (Radničné námestie) , surrounded by many Renaissance and Gothic buildings. The two most significant buildings in the square are the Roman-Catholic Basilica of St. Egidius dating from the 15th...
Fortunately the skies were pretty clear here in Slovakia for this event. I took these pictures from a hill outside Nitra looking towards Zobor. Clearly I had chosen a good vantage point as a couple of other photographers appeared, well done to The Photographer’s Ephemeris! The third image was taken in...