Slovakia Heritage Tour

09/05/2020

So happy to see that Slovakia has been so successful with their early and very strict measures. I was surprised to hear from the family in mid-February that everyone, even little children had to wear face masks and couldn't leave the yard. They had road-blocks between towns for only essential travel. When people came home from their jobs in other countries they were quarantined in government housing for two weeks...not told to go home on their own. Back then I thought it was a bit extreme...little did we know back in Feb. Nice to see what a government can do working with the people. When will they feel it's safe to let Americans travel there? I don't know if the rest of the world will let us in after our dismal corona virus track record.

As the coronavirus continues to kill thousands of people a day across Europe, one country stands out for keeping its death toll low.

11/02/2020

08/12/2019

This video really captures the natural beauty of Slovakia...a wide range of landscapes in a very small county.

After a huge success of our first video about Slovakia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjUHqbdexPQ), which has been seen by more than 4 millions of people g...

30/09/2019

The New York Adirondack Historical Heritage group is traveling with Best Slovakia Tours to learn about architectural preservation in Slovakia and enjoy the beautiful countryside and culture. The is the first big bus joint cooperation for Best Slovakia and Slovakia Heritage tours. A great group. Sorry I could only spend two days with them. What a great chance to get behind the buildings in Slovakia.

20/06/2019

Slovakia is being discovered this year. Here's the latest article from Rick Steves. If you're planning to travel to Slovakia, don't put it off too long. The country is a refreshingly less-touristed destination to explore.

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia and once a nearly desolate ghost town, is one of the big surprises of my recent travels.

05/06/2019

Our September Slovakia Heritage Tour is almost full. Here are some beautiful views of Slovakia from the official Slovak Tourist site to tempt you. Check out the details for this small group tour at: www.slovakiaheritage.com

Explore Slovakia as your holiday destination with Slovakia Travel - the official destination marketin

24/05/2019

The New York Times has discovered Slovakia with this travel piece which captures the stunning countryside and includes many of the places we go on September's Slovakia Heritage Tour. Right now we travel this beautiful country without seeing many other tourists but I think this is about to change soon as travelers look for less-traveled destinations. Check out this year's tour on:
www.slovakiaheritage.com

Empty hiking trails and winding roads suit the the 52 Places Traveler’s mood in Slovakia.

18/04/2019

There are a few spaces open on our small-group Slovakia Heritage Tour, Sept. 6-15. Whether you're a Slovak-American looking to rediscover your family roots or a traveler looking to delve into the history, culture and beautiful landscapes of one of Europe's "off-the-beaten-tourist-track" countries, you’ll enjoy this relaxed-pace adventure into the Slovak heartland. If you like to travel and learn, enjoy music and immersing yourself in local festivals and culture, and like walking into the countryside and villages to discover the spirit of a country for yourself, please join us this year.
All the details are on: www.slovakiaheritage.com

Here's a link to our flyer:https://slovakiaheritage.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/slovakiaheritage-flyer-2019-72-300dpi.pdf

30/12/2017

Thanks to Donna Perhach with the Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union for getting out the word about our 2018 Slovakia Heritage Tour. I love their page with all things Slovak.

29/11/2017

My final post for the 2017 Slovakia Heritage Tour takes us from Kosice to Spis Castle on the way back to Bratislava...what a beautiful, small city to visit and live in. While in Bratislava we had an afternoon at the traditional Modra Wine Festival and sampled the new Burciak wine. Sad to say good-bye as we gathered at Peter and Jane's house.

24/11/2017

Here's another installment of photos from our September Slovakia Heritage Tour. This records are travels from Bardejov through the Saris towns of Tichy Potok and Sabinov to Kosice. Fun to have some time to explore family villages and reconnect with Slovak family during this part of the tour.

18/11/2017

01/11/2017

At last, some time to post some highlights of our beautiful 2017 Slovakia Heritage Tour. What a great group of travelers this year. It was sad to say good bye at our Farewell Party at Peter and Jane's on the last day. I'll do a few posts on the tour as we progressed across Slovakia delving into the music, history crafts, festivals, art, history, countryside and contemporary life of this fascinating small country. In this post we travel from Vienna to Banska Stiavnica and to Banska Bystrica and Spania Dolina.

10/07/2017

While our Slovakia Heritage Tour 2017 won't be climbing any of these peaks, this post gives you a birds-eye view of the incredible landscapes we will be passing through. Slovakia is such a small country with ever-changing landscapes that you don't have to spend much time in a car to experience its natural beauty.

Looking for spots to enjoy the beauty of this mountainous country? We have 15 GREAT locations to visit. High above the ground and from time to time even above the clouds!

22/05/2017

I think we could easily come up with 25 more reasons. Slovakia is such a delightful small country...easy to travel around. Check out www.slovakiaheritage.com to see the many beautiful places we visit on the Slovakia Heritage Tour, this Sept. 8-17, 2017

Indeed a small country, barely the size of Louisiana, but a lifetime may not be long enough to explore the long list of places to see. Unbelievable? Just come and see the plethora of castles, zounds of caves, spas, many tremendous national … Continued

26/04/2017

The Slovakia Heritage Tour spends a morning touring this spectacular ancient fortress with panoramic views of the Tatry Mountains.

Cameraman John Marton, who has names such as the Science Channel and the National Geographic listed in his resume, has decided to take his drone for a spin in Orava and… … And create a …

26/03/2017

While the Expedition Slovakia post focuses on the Liptov region, it gives you a good view of the spectacular landscapes...forests fields, mountains, rolling hills...that you see all over Slovakia. From the vast Danube plains and fields outside of Bratislava to the High Tatry mountains, there's an ever-changing landscape.

It´s size is incomparable to vast European regions such as Tyrol or Bavaria, but I think we can agree that size does not matter. What matters are the possibilities for exploration and in this categ…

25/01/2017

Lively Harvest Festivals, Folk Arts & Music, Beautiful Countryside, and Medieval Cities…

06/01/2017

12/05/2016

On this fall’s Slovakia Heritage Tour (September 9-18, 2016), travelers will enjoy Slovakia’s beautiful culture and countryside through its lively festivals, charming small cities, picturesque country villages and mountain peaks, music, and food with plenty of time to meet the people and discover your own family roots. September is the perfect time to travel to Slovakia…the summer tourist season is over: warm days turn into cool evenings; the fruit and nut trees lining the roads are bountiful; fields of sunflowers and corn are ready for harvest; and the grapes are picked and slowly fermenting to Burčiak, the new wine… a main-stay of the many fall festivals that spring up in cities and villages across the countryside. [ 423 more words. ]

http://slovakiaheritage.com/2016/05/12/join-the-slovakia-heritage-tour-this-september-9-18-for-lively-harvest-festivals-folk-arts-and-music-beautiful-countryside-and-medieval-cities/

  On this fall’s Slovakia Heritage Tour (September 9-18, 2016), travelers will enjoy Slovakia’s beautiful culture and countryside through its lively festivals, charming small cities, picturesq…

28/04/2016

This Expedition Slovakia post shows the beauty of Slovakia's untouched small cities. Our September small-group Slovakia Heritage Tour will visit most of them.

Catastrophe for the Kingdom of Hungary followed when in 1526 the Turks defeated King Louis Jagellon at the battle of Moháč. Many towns on the territory of modern-day Hungary, Croatia and Serbia wer…

21/02/2016

As those of us who have traveled in Slovakia know, it's a small country with many surprises....joining the history of Eastern and Western Europe, beautiful countryside and age-old cities. Thanks to my Canadian friend Anezka for connecting me with this interesting blog.....Expedition Slovakia.

Last post was mostly about the jaw-dropping sights that will take your breath away once you see them. This list will be different. These are not that kind of sights but mainly places that are very ...

18/12/2015

Check our Jednota's article on the 2015 Slovakia Heritage Tour

We had a wonderful energetic and fun group of 16 travelers this September. They were into all things Slovak....music, history, walks into the countryside, and, of course, good Slovak food. We h...

25/11/2015

By special request, here our a few photos from our first Slovakia Heritage Tour and the wonderful early adventurers who were there at the start....Dolores, Ben & Janny, Ma**ca & Rudy.

22/11/2015

Fall is the time of many festivals in Slovakia. We were lucky to explore 3 of them on this September's Slovakia Heritage Tour: Banska Stiavniica's Salamander Days which bring mining fraternities from all over Europe; Banska Bystrica's Harvest Festival which brings craft and food booths, and music to the center of town; and the Modra/Pezinok Wine Festival in the small carpathian mountain wine region. While in the Modra region, also known for it's ceramics, we visit the famous Modra Ceramic Factory.

02/11/2015

We heard lots of music on this September's tour...music from the many regions of Slovakia. An incredibly-talented musical family from Orava shared their music and dance traditions with us.

18/10/2015

Slovak Fujara player Dusan Holik performed for the Slovakia Heritage Tour at our Welcome Dinner in Banska Bystrica. The Fujara is a totally-Slovak instrument used by shepherds at they tended their sheep in the mountatins. One of our musically-talented travelers, Dale Olsen an ethnomusicalogist from Florida, joined Dusan for a very moving performance. We were spell-bound.

08/10/2015

Lots of photos and stories to tell about our spectacular 10-day Slovakia Heritage Tour that finished on Sept. 20 in Bratislava. By the end of the trip, I felt like I was traveling with my Slovak cousins...a very energetic, enthusiastic group from all over the US & Canada who wanted to absorb all things Slovak. I'll let the photos tell our story over the next few posts of Festivals, Folk Music, Family, Food and lots of Fun!

01/07/2015

So many of us Slovak Americans grew up without learning the Slovak language because our parents and grandparents wanted us to speak English. I grew up with my mother and grandmother speaking Slovak each day so that the children wouldn't know what they were saying.

As a result I've been working on my Slovak all my life. Forty years ago you could only find Czech language learning books and study programs. Now, the internet has opened up some very visual and interactive ways to study Slovak. If you're committed to learning this complicated Slavic language here are a couple of great sites. I'll post one here and follow up with another post for the more advanced site.

1. Slovak Radio has a great 10 lessons program for beginners that also gives you a lot of cultural information. A must for anyone planning to travel in Slovakia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFj8mqH07-Y

To see the latest lessons, follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Slovakia-International-_English/211157745569330), or Google+ (https://...