Nick and Cece's European pilgrimage, part two {Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia}

(read part one here!)

next they were off to Slovakia to visit Ľubovňa Castle. what a life! I think this visit will be especially memorable to Cece during this upcoming school year, as the third grade history class always does a unit on medieval castles and the children create their own out of boxes and paper towel tubes.

on their way to the next stop, the group made a quick stopover in Fr. Aron's ancestral hometown and surprise his cousin. his cousin speaks only Slovak but the joy and emotion was palpable when she opened the door to find him standing there. I just love these photos! 

then the bus drove on to Hungary, where they had a traditional dinner of scones, goulash soup, potatoes, pickles, bacon, and fried gypsies (similar to ribs). and finally it was time for bed! 

the next morning they visited St. Stephen's basilica and took a walking tour of the Budapest, including the famous market hall. that afternoon they spent a few hours at the Szechenyi mineral baths, and then the trusty bus took them up to the top of the hill to visit St. Matthias church and look out over the beautiful city.

St. Stephen's basilica

at the market hall. just a little different than an American mall food court

St. Matthias church

at Fishermen's Bastion, overlooking the city. one of the moms on the trip did this cool colorization for them!

why does this give me senior picture vibes?! she's only eight!

dinner was goulash, chicken paprikash, and aranygaluska (golden dumplings with vanilla custard) for dessert!

the next afternoon, their bus took them to Vienna, Austria, where they toured the Imperial Crypt. the remains of over 140 members of the Habsburg royal family are buried here. along with many other visitors, Cecilia left a message in the guest book that is still making me laugh out loud months later. 

the tomb of Empress Maria Theresa

R.I.P. indeed

I don't have photographic evidence, but Nick told me that dinner that night was one of the best meals of his life. they ate at Melker Stiftskeller and the menu consisted of fried chicken, pork schnitzel (Nick said it was the size of his head), sausage, pork knuckle, meat patties, cheese spaetzle, and apple strudel for dessert. all washed down with cold beer, of course. I'm getting vicarious meat sweats just thinking about it! 

the next morning was a full circle moment for Cecilia, although she doesn't remember the first time she was here. the group visited the gorgeous Heiligenkreutz Abbey just outside of Vienna. our family also visited here when we were living in Rome in 2018. Cece was almost two and was not interested in a quiet tour of this holy place. you can read all about her shenanigans here. we somehow survived until the end of the tour and her reward was getting to play in the gravel driveway. seriously, what is it with kids and rocks? she was happy as a clam. 

little Greta and Cece!

Daddy let them "play" the organ when it was turned off

running free at last

OVER IT

what a difference in seven years! 

after mass and a procession in celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi, followed by lunch at the abbey, the group changed out of their churchwear and hiked up to Mayerling, a small village in the Vienna woods. Mayerling gained notoriety in 1889, when Crown Prince Rudolf and his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera were found dead in their hunting lodge there, a presumed murder-suicide. after their deaths, the prince's father, Emperor Franz Joseph I, had the lodge turned into a Carmelite monastery. the nuns there pray daily for the repose of their souls. 

after spending some time at the monastery, they drove three hours south to Slovenia for dinner and to spend the night. 

the group was free to get dinner on their own this night. can't blame Cece for opting for pizza, and the world's fanciest lemonade! 

Nick said she was a great traveler -- open to trying new things, participating in daily mass, making her characteristic Cece observations about the day, writing in her travel journal, and doing her bedtime routine without prompting. I think it was also so good for both Greta and Cece to have some one-on-one time with myself and Nick respectively, and not having to jockey for attention. 

the next morning, they celebrated mass together at the Basilica of Mary in Ptujska Gora. I think it is so fascinating to see the regional and cultural differences in church style -- some more spare, some more ornate, all breathtakingly beautiful. 

view from the organ loft

then they were off to Croatia, another highlight of the trip. every message and phone call from Nick was centered around the theme of wishing I was there to experience the incredible beauty of the Croatian coast. we spent a lovely weekend there as a family in March 2019 when Nick was invited to give an organ recital in Split (was this really our life?!), but that was during the off-season and too cold for the beach. so now Nick and I have decided we need to go back together sometime -- maybe even just the two of us! what a concept. 

in Split, they said farewell to their faithful bus driver, and split into several groups to drive their own rental vans for the remainder of the trip. I would have been quite nervous to drive a rental in a foreign country, but I think Nick was chomping at the bit to be back in the driver's seat! 

ice cream at Posedarje Beach

on the ferry to Brac Island

dinner at Konoba Tomic, a family-owned restaurant operated out of a house

on the penultimate full day of the trip, they visited the church of Saints Fabian and Sebastian. the current building dates from 1562, replacing the "old" 13th century church. 

they also visited the Blaca hermitage on the south side of the island, a self-sustaining community originally founded in the 16th century and then expanded to include an observatory, library, and chapel. 

finally, it was time for some much-deserved rest and relaxation on the beach. I still can't believe the water is that blue. Cece spent hours combing the beach for sea glass, while Nick enjoyed an adult beverage or two and texted me that all he was missing was his bride by his side! 

I promise this is not AI

finally, it was the very last day of the trip. they celebrated Sunday mass at the church of St. Jelena Skrip and toured the olive oil museum.

the tasting room at the olive oil museum.

a very secure little toilet

in the afternoon, they took the ferry back across to the mainland to Split to board their flight to Frankfurt. Nick called me from the airport, where I filled him in on our adventures of the day (going to Kennywood with friends from school) and he reiterated that we need to visit Croatia together again sometime. after an overnight stay at a Frankfurt airport hotel, the group flew back to Washington Dulles in the morning. their flight departed about an hour late but otherwise there were no hiccups. and this text message just sums up the reality of a traveling partner (why does it always seem to happen this way?!). 

tired, sweaty, and happy -- the mark of a good European trip!

fortunately, she was fine the next day, but did end up with an intermittent fever and sore throat -- tested negative for strep at urgent care and ultimately I think it was just a virus, and no one else got sick.

looking back through all of these pictures, I'm overcome again with gratitude for the opportunity Nick and Cece had to go on this trip, to spend time with each other, and to learn more about God and the beautiful world around us. we are truly blessed!

in Ptuj, Slovenia. (be still my heart!)