Let’s take a little trip to Slovakia today. We were there a couple of nights, and it really was nice. It was a much cooler climate the further east we went, even in the summer. We were wearing jackets and sweaters during the day and especially at night. 
Depending on your love and appreciation for architecture, churches around Europe are fantastic, but they are also very similar with the typical pews and stained glass or decorative altars and a variety of art work around the place depending on its age. But this little gem was very unlike the others. It’s an all-wooden church which there are a handful around Slovakia. The acoustics were pretty cool. This particular one is in Kežmarok. That cool looking Z is pronounced “gsh.” Keh-gsh-mer-ock. It was built in 1717 without the use of metal nails. It is now owned by evangelical Lutherans.
Below you can see the massive wooden altar.
It has some really nice scenery and, of course, we explored a cemetery to enjoy a walk through time.
I have to say when we got to Slovakia, I didn’t expect much as far as communication goes. I spoke a small amount of German, but only attempted to sing in Slovak. And I figured the further toward Russia we got, the more we would find that people weren’t interested nor required to speak English as much as they were Russian. Imagine my surprise when I found not just bilinguals who spoke English but multi-linguals galore in Slovakia. USA, Europe is showing us up… as usual. I did end up speaking a fair amount of German in place of English, but it was a relief to hear the young people trying to practice their English with us. I felt bad that none of us knew their language. We couldn’t very well say “I’m sorry, but no one but Rosetta Stone offers classes in your language.” That’s just rude, no matter how true. And if there’s one thing that Americans do not need to perpetuate around the world, it’s that we are rude and uninterested in anything outside our borders. While Slovakia might not have been the first country on your to-visit list, certainly don’t leave it out because there is some amazing scenery you want to see.
