FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Kosice

Our day started with a walking tour of Kosice, the second largest city in Slovakia after the capital Bratislava. The city of Kosice seemed less "communist" than those in Bulgaria and Romania, with the majority of its old town intact and seemingly less "grey boxes". It was fascinating learning about the history of each former communist country we've been to. They were all intertwined but yet so different. The varying effects of communism on each country had also been particularly interesting. I realised how little I knew of the region, and of the Austro-hungarian and Ottoman Empire. There's my non-fiction reading material sorted for 2020!

The coat of arms Kosice. The compicated history indicated on it with Hungarian, Roman, French symbols

St Elizabeth Cathedral in the day time

The original bell from the bell tower. It fell down a few years ago.

Used as a decoration for advent candles!

State theatre

Unfortunately all the ice works are melting or has melted because of the warm temperatures :(

Yup please don't complain of wet bums later...

One of the few shops open down the craftsmen lane. This one a pottery store. Handbells for only 5 euros each!

Opa and Oma bought us a matching he and she doctor ones!

Very delicate handiwork

The workshop on display

Our 3 hour walking tour covered the main sights of the old town including St Elizabeth Cathedral, the state theatre, the lower gate of the city from the 13th century, as well as other historic buildings and landmarks. The craftsmen's lane, unfortunately only had a handful of shops open, one of them being the pottery store. We were able to see the potter in action, and there were many exquisiste products. It was such a shame that we could not bring them home.

Our tour ended at the Christmas markets where we foraged for food and dessert. The children discovered "caj" = warm sweet tea and it became their mulled wine alternative. The markets were atmospheric with entertainers on stage, Christmas music in the background and many locals out and about. We saw a gigantic cauldron and our guide informed that it was cabbage soup, one of Slovakia's traditional soup. They were selling it to raise funds for charity. For a mere 2 euros and for a good cause, we joined the very long line for some soup. Although it didn't look appetising while being cooked, the soup was a surprise hit. It disappeared in record time!

The group reconvened for dinner at Le Colonial, an easy stroll from the DoubleTree. Again, it was a restaurant with a rustic ambience and everyone was relieved that the service was significantly faster! The food was also nice, although probably not as tasty as at Villa Regia.