Banská Bystrica

Yesterday we took the bus to Banská Bystrica. The weather could not have been more beautiful--it got rather chilly all of a sudden, and the sky was perfectly clear and sunny. Taking the bus here isn't like getting on a bus in New York or Chicago; nor is it like hopping on the Greyhound. You buy your ticket on the bus, for starters. The bus has upholstered seats which are fairly comfortable, but even if it's going between towns, people are allowed to get on if there's only standing room. The driver doesn't make any announcements, either, so you have to keep an eye out for your stop. This wasn't a problem yesterday, but I imagine late at night it could be.

When we got to Banská Bystrica we found that there was a fair going on. It was in the town square, which is really pretty. From what I gathered, from the 11th to the 14th of September are "Banská Bystrica Days." There were lots of booths set up selling mainly traditional crafts, like wooden spoons and medovina (honey wine); there was a stage with children in traditional dress singing, dancing, and playing music; there was a man in old-fashioned dress making rope. It all touched my medieval heart. We also went to the mall and walked around the carnival portion, but those weren't nearly as interesting.

Key vocab of the day: šunkovy sendvič (ham sammich).