In the new Bradt guide to Slovakia Lucy Mallows - who for many years worked as the Style Editor for The Budapest Sun - ventures further into a country that she first scrutinized in her 2005 Bradt guide to its capital, Bratislava.Few foreigners, perhaps, have gone as far east as Medzilaborce - a town near the Polish border where the pop art icon Andy Warhol's parents were born, and Mallows must have felt at times like a true explorer during her travels to the remote parts of the country.
With her characteristic humor and acute sense for detail, Mallows reveals all a tourist needs to know about Slovakia's magnificent medieval towns, castles, ski slopes, caves, national parks, spa towns, and a lot more.
Each of the nine regions has a dedicated chapter in which Mallows writes about the history and the attractions of these places.
The author, however, adds extra color to these descriptions by highlighting fascinating legends and less well-known stories. These insights make the detailed guidebook a real reading treat .
We learn about such legendary figures as Jánosik, the Slovak Robin Hood, or the story of Cachtice Ruins - the remains of the castle where the Hungarian noblewoman Erzsébet Báthory, known as the "Bloody Countess," lived and who, according to legend, bathed in the blood of 600 girls in order to preserve her beauty.
At the end of the book (Apendix I), the reader will find a smaller chapter on the Slovak language and its history, and a list of words for some of the situations a tourist might find him or herself in, on public transport say, or going to a restaurant.
This is followed by a list of books and websites that will be very useful to those interested in getting more in-depth knowledge about Slovak culture.
Although there are several nice color images (some taken by Mallows herself), which offer a glimpse of Slovakia's UNESCO's sites, such as the town of Bardejov and Spis castle, the guide's main focus, and its strength, is the comprehensive, detailed and skillful writing .
In compiling this book, Mallows' dedication to exploring Slovakia seems to have nurtured a genuine awe and affection for its landscapes and cultural treasures which, the author thinks, are too often overlooked.
Slovakia - The Bradt Travel Guide
By Lucy Mallows
Bestsellers Book Shop
Pest, District V.
Október 6 utca
Price Ft6,375.
23.05.2007