Spiš Castle in Slovakia, one of Europe's largest castles

UNESCO declared Spiš Castle a Heritage Site since 1993, but it rose to fame long before that.  Traces of human habitation since 5th millennium BC were found on the rock where the castle stands, and by 1st century the Celts had built themselves a fort here.  It kept expanding and became an important Hungarian political and cultural center in 12th century.  In the 13th century it was one of the few castles in Europe that played a defensive part during the Mongol's military expedition. Since then the castle had been owned and occupied by Hungarian royalties and nobilities.

In the late 18th century, the castle was almost completely burned down.  It is now in ruin; in 2013 when I visited, restoration and archaeological work are earnestly being carried out.  

Following the road from Spisská Kapitula (see previous blog post) one needs to park the car at a clearing and then scale up the mountain to the castle.  It's an easy hike, and the view is spectacular.  Inside the castle, the reconstructed buildings are now part of a museum.  It has two parts, the main level and the upper castle, both of which are now opened to public.

Coincidentally, it is where the movie Dragonheart was shot, and makes into the list of top 10 largest castles in the world. 

Official website: http://www.spisskyhrad.sk/en.html

Spišská Kapitula, an UNESCO Heritage Site in Eastern Slovakia

An hour away from the Polish border lies one of the biggest European Castles, Spiš Castle, or Spissky Hrad in Slovak.  The castle and its surrounding villages have long been an UNESCO Heritage Site.  Here is Spišská Kapitula, the town that sits underneath the castle.

Spišská Kapitula has a 13th century cathedral, one through street with a gate on each end, medieval buildings that were occupied by its 200 inhabitants, all protected by a stone wall built in the 17th century.  It is a seat of the Spiš Holy See; a plaque commemorates a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1995.  Its inhabitants are mostly Holy See officials and servants, as well as students from the Theological College.  All the buildings are very well preserved.  With the Spiš castle looming at the distant hill, the town leaves you completely speechless.  

More information on Slovak Heritage: 

http://www.slovakheritage.org/Unesco/spiskap.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tokaj vineyards in Northern Hungary

The French boasts of their Sauternes, the German their rieslings; Hungarians answer back with the Tokaji wine.  It is one of if not the most famous Hungarian wines in the world, made from grapes grown in the Tokaj region of Northeastern Hungary.  Hailed as one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world, it is now declared as an UNESCO Heritage Site.

You can't go to Hungary without seeing this opulent wine.  I first tried this years ago and fell in love with it, and it has ever since occupied a little area in my wine collection.  I finally made the pilgrimage to the region and tasted to my heart's desire.  The most common grape type you'll see is the Furmint, accounting for over 60% of the grapes grown in the area.  You can read more about the wine here.

The main village is Tokaj, with wine shops and restaurants lining the main street.  I arrived on a rainy day so traffic was scant; only the locals were popping by the wine shops from time to time while I was doing a tasting.  The different Puttonyos (sweetness level) and the grape type affect greatly the bouquet, the texture, and the after-taste.  Some were more syrupy while others were velvety smooth; the older ones exhibit the complexity and delicacy of barrel ageing.  
  Like in France, there are producers outside the village that have a shop front for tasting, some more elaborate than others.  I would definitely come back to do a more comprehensive visit of the region, which comprises of no less than 28 villages.

Going from Budapest is a hefty 250km, or 2 1/2-hour drive.  It is less than 100km from the cultural and university town of Kosice in Slovakia. 

Homepage of Tokaji pilgrimage, with history and info, restaurants and hotels recommendatiosn: http://www.tokaj.hu/?useLang=en

Kazakhstan Series: Recital in Shymkent

Shymkent is the capital city of South Kazakhstan region.  It is the last place I expect myself to appear on stage, and yet there I was, in a beautiful concert hall that has a calendar as filled-up as Carnegie Hall, giving a recital to local South Kazakhs of all shapes and sizes who rushed to the recital like it was sales at Harod's.  A translator who spoke as much English as I could speak Kazakh read out a brief bio of me (I can only hope!) and announced each pieces as I happily banged away on a 7-foot white Yamaha concert grand.  I played the whole recital without an intermission - I couldn't look up "intermission" in Kazakh.  The audience loved it nevertheless and the concert was really well received.  One lady audience even rushed up on stage, gave me a rose and a kiss!  I can only hope that isn't a Kazakh proposal of marriage...