Castles over Castles - Around Zilina

I slept rather well in a strange family's house, and in the morning I was woken up by the hustle and bustle of 5 heads getting ready in the morning. At 7.30 am on a Sunday - can you believe that?
Apparently, Martin had to go to work, so that was fine. But the others? Wow. If I wake up at 10 am on a Sunday, I'll consider that early 🙈 Okay, let's say 9.30 am nowadays.
I was offered some breakfast (bread with cheese and home made marmalade which was actually really nice - I usually dislike marmalade) and drank my tea whilst chatting about politics with Ludo and planning on what to visit during the day.
My first stop would be Hričov Castle, an old ruin on top of a hill (who would have guessed?). The way there was scenic but extremely steep and therefore exhausting. The castle was under construction and I couldn't see most of it because of very dubious looking ladders that I didn't want to risk my life for. Also, I couldn't handle the ladder and Aluna at the same time and not freak out/kill myself.
Next stop was yet another castle: Považský. This one was much more accessible and yes, the walk was steep, but alright after the first one. I actually really liked the vibe of that one - idky.
I was getting hungry, so I searched for a little spot along the Hricovsky Kanal and sat down with my second beloved Pistachio donut. And because it was so nice, the cronut had to give its life as well.
Next on my list was Trencin, which would be the European capital of culture in 2026 - I wanted to be ahead of time and check out whether it's worth it or not. As I found out - it wasn't. Yes, there was one nice street with colourful houses, and they had the beautiful old Trencin Castle atop the city. But other than that it looked rather uneventful and dull. So, I actually wouldn't really recommend it. Although: If you want to try a Raspberry Iced Latte - Go to the Paddock Café right across the Trencin 2026 sign. They've got the best - and maybe they're the only ones, too.
On my way back to Zilina, I drove past a cute looking monastery (?) built into the mountain. It's actually a Pilgrimage place called Skalka. And I also saw people wearing traditional Slovakian clothes around the area, so maybe they were pilgrims?
On the opposite side of the Skalka, there was a lovely green area and a river, and I couldn't help myself but to go there to cool my feet in it once more. I really like sitting by a river or lake or whatever and just enjoy the sounds and the feeling of the water.
It got dark and my tummy started growling, so I went for a quick grocery shopping trip and settled into a park near Dubnica Castle. I enjoyed my bread, hummus, antipasti and cucumber on a park bench and watched some YouTube during my dinner. Then I drove back home where I updated Ludo and Alexandria about my day. And I got to know Betty, the daughter with whom I've shared the room. We talked about the bad night life in Slovakia, our travels and her school life. She had to wake up at 5.30am because her bilingual school was somewhere in the middle of nowhere and she had to commute there every day. She seemed fine with that, actually. And so we went to bed early (at 10 pm) and I didn't even need my Channie ASMR to fall asleep tonight.Okumaya devam et