Family in Stara Tura

 We had a relaxed day spending time with family and playing with cats. We needed it and enjoyed the slower pace.

Walking back from the castle

 We made our way through the upper sections of the castle to take in the views of the city and countryside below. Once we made through all of the fortifications we walked down through the forest and back into the old town. The girls cooled down in the fountain and got meet the Vodnik, a spirit living in the well. On the way home we saw a place where tank enthusiasts gathered for an event and drove their various classic military vehicles around. It was such an interesting gathering but unfortunately people were mostly packing up and heading home at the end of the weekend.

Trenčín Hrad

 We finally made it up to the castle which was made more strenuous by the surprising heat. We entered the castle through the main gate which gave us a different perspective as we got to see more of the lower portion. The girls enjoyed the swings near the gate and we had a quick look at the fancy dresses there too. Some of us climbed to the top of the central tower for the view and while there sat in the royal chair. 

 

Exploring Trencin

 We went back to Trencin to show KT the castle since she hasn't been. We walked through the old town below the castle and made sure to have some lunch before heading up the hill to the castle. The old part of Trencin reminded us of Salzburg which has a similar layout, albeit much smaller. We walked up a cool covered stairway which culminated with Jesus throwing peace signs. Well worth the effort to go up all of those stairs.

Flowers and soccer

 As the sun began to set we managed to get in one game of soccer with all of the kids joining in. EV also helped with organising bunches of lavender which were presents. It was a really nice way to spend time and hang out as families.

More pony hugging

 The girls really got to spend a lot of time patting and brushing the horses. We also got to hold the little dog who loved the attention too.

Seeing Auntie Mata's pony

 We got to go visit Auntie Mata and her family at their country house. It is such a lovely property and they have spent so much time and effort making it so nice. They have a couple of horses and this year they had a pony born who is lovely. The pony was very patient as was the mother, letting the girls pat them both.