At the end of 17th century a ridding-hall was build by a project of a famous architect J.B.Fischer from Erlach. The ridding-hall is nowadays the oldest well-preserved building of the castle. At first the manor was in possession of House of Sirotci, but they weren´t skilled in handling so they lost their ownership quite fast. Lichtensteins got rich when they seized fortune of noblemen executed at Staroměstské Square after the battle at Bílá hora. Lichtensteinś fortune grew, thanks to their skills in business activities and soon they gathered enough to build this unique palace. Bold plans of wealthy aristocratic families were crossed by French revolution. Panic-stricken aristocracy turned to dreamery and so it reflected in architecture. Family mansions were build to look medieval. This tendency is evident in all buildings of the „European garden“. Lednice castle got its appearance in 1846 -1858. It was built in at that time very modern English (so called Windsor) Gothic.

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The Demanovska valley is the main touristic center in the north part of Low Tatras´s main ridge. It is considered as one of the nicest valley in Low Tatras with lenght of 15 km. It begins among peaks Krupova Hola (1927 m), Dumbier (2043 m ), Chopok (2024 m) and Derese (2004 m ). Demanovska valley is a national park with 837 ha territory in which a karst system with three wonderful caves can be found. The upper part of the area is remarkable for its shape of regular quadrangle. The valley has been settled since the Primeval Ages. Archeological findings in the cave „Okno“ are proofs about it. Among other local caves belongs famous Damenovske caves, especially the Cave of Freedom and the Ice cave. During the history the valley had been unsettled several times until ore have been mined here. It was at the turn of 18th and 19th century.

At the Ostredok cemetery in Demänovská Dolina, there is a chapel situated at the place called „Na Stodôlkach“, where 146 plates with names of people who have died in the Low Tatras, are placed. A mountain´s Pieta sculpture, Mother mourning the loss of her child, an author of which is an academic sculptor Alfonz Groma, is found there. There is also a six meter high wooden cross situated there, which was carved by a wood carver Emil Halaj from the village of Kriváň.

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Katarínka (German St. Katharein) are the ruins of a Franciscan monastery and church dating back to the early 17th century, located deep in the forests of the Little Carpathian Mountains in western Slovakia. The church was dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and that is where the nickname of the place Katarínka comes from.

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Strbske Pleso with its large glacial mountain lake is a favorite ski, tourist, and health resort in the High Tatras. It is a starting point for a host of popular hikes including to Krivan and Rysy. It also has a picturesque mountain lake of glacial origin of the same name. It is the second-largest glacial lake on the Slovak side of the High Tatras, after Velke Hincovo pleso. Maximum depth is 20 metres (66 ft).

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Smolenice Castle was built in the 15th century but it was destroyed during Rákóczi's War of Independence and Napoleonic wars. In 1777 Count János Pálffy from Pezinok inherited Smolenice but did not reside in the castle due to its poor condition and lack of funds for rebuilding it. The castle was only rebuilt in the 20th century by order of Count József Pálffy. The architect Jozef Hubert designed the new castle by using Kreuzenstein castle near Vienna as a model and the works were supervised by architect Pavol Reiter from Bavaria. During its construction there were masters from Italy, Germany, Austria and Hungary as well as 60 workmen from Smolenice and nearby villages. The main building has two wings and a tower and is made of ferroconcrete.

The castle was damaged in the spring of 1945 during World War II and in the same year the state became the owner. Some reconstructions have been made after 1950 and since 26th June 1953 the castle is property of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The castle serves now as a conference centre and is open to the public in the months of July and August only.

The cave Driny is located nearby the castle. Alas the accumulator in my camera ran out after a few pictures taken. No problem I thought and reached for a backup CR2 lithium battery back. After sitting in the backpack with the camera for several years the battery pack gave up after 2 pictures taken. That is why there are only a few pictures of the cave. Better luck next time...

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Sea-trials (or rather river-trials) for a friend's new catamaran to obtain seaworthiness certification. The vessel has been built at home by the hands of one man over a period of more than 6 years to get to this stage.

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Probably the last trip of this year on one of the river Danube's branches. The trip took 4 hours of moving time with a distance of 15 kilometers covered. Jelka was the end point with excellent local cuisine of home-made pickles and fried hake fish. There is also a choice of local fresh water fish such as the trout. The summer holidays are over, school begins shortly and the weather will be slowly getting cooler and there'll be winter in no time. So long, summer.

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WWII bunkers - the Czechoslovak version of the French Maginot line alongside the river Morava. They actually never got used in real war operations. The river also marks the border to Austria.

Zelezna studnicka (Iron Well) in Bratislava is located in the city, on the foothills of the Little Carpathians. There is a cable-car which goes to Koliba. It is a great route for jogging, ice-skating or fishing with lots of attractions for children as well as adults.

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The Piešťany spa has a capacity of two thousand beds (as of 2004) and treats over forty thousand patients a year. The spa specializes in treatment of chronic rheumatic and arthritic diseases and post-accident lesions of joints and bones.

The spa is located on the Spa Island between two branches of the Váh river, at the site of several hot springs with temperatures of 67–69 °C (153–156 °F). The water originates in a tectonic break at 2,000 meters depth. The sulfate–carbonate water from the springs is used in pools and tubs. Sulfurous mud extracted from the bed of a side channel of the river is also used for treatment in the form of thermal mud pools with temperature 39 °C (102 °F) and for partial and full body packs. Spring water and mud therapy is complemented by electrotherapy, exercise, massage, medication, and diet.

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Devínska Kobyla (German: Thebener Kogel) is a mountain in the Little Carpathians, within the territory of Bratislava, Slovakia, between the boroughs of Devínska Nová Ves, Devín and Dúbravka. At an altitude of 514 m (1686.3 ft) AMSL, it is the highest point of Bratislava. The area has been a national natural reserve since 1965. From the top, it is possible to see Bratislava, Austria, Hungary, the Danube and the Morava River. This is where a missile military base was built in 1980's. This base was closed and missiles were removed after the end of communism. The former military base is not open for public, but courageous visitors can see reinforced concrete silos there.

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Ski resort of Velka Javorina is located in the White Carpathian Mountains, near the village Stará Turá on the Slovak side and close to the border with Moravia. It is situated at an altitude of 822 m to 970 m. Regularly the Slovak and Czech municipal and regional governments located along the shared border hold traditional festivities of brotherhood and togetherness between the nations there.

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Cvicna luka (Drill Meadow) is a public access place roughly in the middle of Bratislava. Situated right under the Kamzik transmission tower it provides leisure time throughout the year.

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