Medievel Eggenburg

The day after I went to Bratislava, I spent the day in the walled town of Eggenburg, Austria, where they had yet another Mittelalter Fest (Middle Ages Festival) that I love. A bunch of other VCS teachers came with me.


Yup, they actually cooked an ox over a spit! They served the meat on sandwiches, which were, to be honest, absolutely amazing! :) There were also tons of shops with medieval costumes and other items to buy - I was soooo tempted! But couldn't really afford to pay over 100 Euro for a dress!


The whole town participates in this major festival, and the events, from musical performances to dramatic reenactments to jousts, as well as all kinds of Austrian and medieval food, were scattered around the whole town. Especially with all the people dressed in period costume, it really did feel like we had stepped back through time.

There were many booths set up as well, throughout the town, and one of them was a booth with information about the Reformation. There were people dressed as monks and preachers, and one was Martin Luther! They had a copy of the 95 Theses in German, and a copy of Luther's Bible that he translated into German. It was awesome to see this tribute to the greatness of our God, even in such a spiritually dark society. God still has His lights shining here.

Medieval Bratislava

For the second time, I had the opportunity to visit Bratislava, Slovakia, which is a mere hour from Vienna, in September for their annual Coronation Festival. It's a weekend where the city relives the medieval era with costumes, a mock coronation of the Emperor, jousting matches, and other military reenactments. It's amazing to walk back in time for a day! There were many booths selling wares from various parts of Eastern Europe, and there are items here that I have not found anywhere else in Europe. The city itself is beautiful, with an impressive castle atop a hill in the middle of the city. In one of the main areas of Bratislava, there is a statue of Hans Christian Anderson, and I couldn't resist taking my picture with him!

We enjoyed walking across and along the banks of the Danube, which also runs through Bratislava.... and we had a lunch of Slovakian chicken sandwiches with unique sauces, and Kofola which is a strange carbonated drink somewhat similar to Coke.

The weather was beautiful, the company was great, the entertainment exciting. All in all, a good day.