Ptuj, Slovenia. Pronounced, well, I don't really know. I could take a stab at it and probably even say it close enough that Slovenians would know what I was talking about. But to try to write it phonetically? There's a kind of a ptoohey bit that I really can't descibe using the sounds American English gives me. pa-TOY maybe gets us there, so go with that if you need to ask someone about it, okay?
Ptuj represents every single thing I am missing about living in Europe right now: charming small towns, castles, cathedrals, and medovnik. Gah, I am pining for some medovnik.
Ptuj is the oldest city in Slovenia, orginally settled in the Stone Age (1). By the 1st century BCE, the settlement was controlled by the wandering Romans. What we have here is the Town Tower. What you cannot see from the photography, but which I will point out because it is interesting is that the Tower has clock faces on three sides. The side on the left of the photo is missing a clock face: that is the side of the tower that faces the castle. The castle owner at the time when the Tower was built did not feel like contributing toward construction costs, so no clock face for them.
At the foot of the tower you can see a large white monolith. That is possibly the coolest thing in Old Town Ptuj: it's the Orpheus Monument. It is the oldest public monument preserved in Slovenia, erected in the 2nd century Common Era to honor the memory of Marcus Valerius Verus, the mayor of the area. In the Middle Ages, it was used as a pillory, and criminals were tied to the iron rings attached to its lower part. Since March 2008, it has the status of a national cultural monument. Wiki Orpheus Monument
This is the Minorite (Dominican) Monastery; don't let the "Monastery" bit fool you. It is actually now a museum and theatre. Originally built on the site in 1230, the original monastery burned to the ground in 1302 and was rebuilt through the mid-14th century. The principal activities of the Dominicans in Ptuj were preaching, pastoral care, economic operations and education; the monks inhabited the monastery until 1785 when it was dissolved under the reforms of Joseph II. In 1926 the monastery was bought by by the town and renovated for its current use.
Hiking up to the castle was our goal, because, what's a Saturday afternoon without hiking to a castle? The children's pain is almost palpable in this photo, isn't it?
The views were spectacular, totally worth it for the grown ups. Look, there's the Town Tower! And, no clock. Honestly, that would have really ticked me off were I the castle owner. I would definitely have kicked in for the Tower if it meant I had a clock always available if I peeked over my left shoulder.
Once we arrived, though there were a few other things to keep the children entertained. Well, it was one thing with many elements. You can probably guess right off what this was about.
Nevesta means "Bride" and Ženích is "Groom." So, a wedding! Which included this dude and his well-groomed furry friends.
Cool venue for a wedding. I am amazed at how many weddings or at least wedding photos shoots we have run into over the years as we travel.
And, one last thing. I love that someone at the castle has a sense of humor. Sorry if you can't see it all that well, but that is a pile of, ahem, road apples piled up behind the statue.
Next: In Which We Reap What We Have Sown (a quick Real Time Update)
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(1) The Stone Age was a pre-historic period lasted roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 6000 BCE and 2000 BCE with the advent of metalworking. Translation: Older than old.
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