WIZZ MAGAZINE
/
87
WINTER GUIDES
KOSICE
Sl ovakia
TOUCHDOWN
No visit to this far corner of
Slovakia can be complete without
seeing the so-calledGolden
Treasure of Kosice at the
East
SlovakMuseum
. Discovered in
1935, it comprises some 3,000
gold coins from the Renaissance
era, probably secreted away by
Hungarian leader Imre Thököly in
the late 1600s.
Alternatively, visit the recently
opened
Kunsthalle
(
k13.sk
).
Formerly a 1950s swimming pool,
this striking space is now used
for exhibitions, literary talks, film
screenings, theatre performances
and concerts.
GETOUT
Open until the early hours from
Wednesdays to Saturdays,
Jazz
Club
doesn’t deal in just one
genre of music (though the live
jazz here is excellent) – funk,
mainstream pop and disco nights
are also on the agenda. There’s
also a cafe and a restaurant, open
till late, under the same roof.
jazzclub-ke.sk
EATWELL
Bringing a taste of rural Slovakia
to the centre of Kosice,
Med
Malina
(
medmalina.sk
) also
includes Polish andHungarian
specialities on its menu. The
honey-marinated pork ribs and
the fresh trout are particularly
recommended.
Both a stylish restaurant and
comfortable guesthouse, the
Villa Regia
(
villaregia.sk/en
)
specialises in duck and goose,
served with red cabbage and
potato flatbread. During the
week, it offers a lunchtimemenu
for just €5.90.
DRINKUP
Set on themaindrag of Hlavna, the
IrishPubDiesel
(irishpubkosice.
com)
has been offeringpints of
Guinness andpubgrub since 1997,
with occasional live rockmusic and
regular weekenddiscos.
GETTING TO THE CENTRE
See page 102 for details.
Words by Theo Proudfoot
IASI
Romania
TOUCHDOWN
The
MetropolitanCathedral
(
Bul Stefan celMare si Sfant 16
)
is the finest building in Iasi and
beautiful any day of the year you
choose to visit –but perfect
to celebrateOrthodox Christmas
on 7 January orNewYear aweek
later. It was opened in 1887 in the
presenceof KingCarol I.
Nearby is the elegant
four-star
GrandHotel Traian
(
grandhoteltraian.ro
). Built by
Gustave Eiffel in 1882 shortly
before he erected his famous
Parisian tower, it underwent a€4
millionmakeover in2006, but still
gives a flavour of pre-war Iasi.
GETOUT
Party central in Iasi is
Club for Fun
,
which is just that.Withhip-hop
Thursdays and LatinSundays, there
areequally lively dancenights
inbetween, aswell as bowling,
billiards andbigmatchnights on
a large-screen TV. It’s open in the
day too, when it caters toamainly
student clientele.
clubforfun.ro
EATWELL
RestaurantRalet
(
ralet.ro
) isone
of themost stylishplaces in town.
Withhisgrilled fishandmeat cooked
in succulent sauces, chef Filip
Loredana’sapproach tocooking is
light andcontemporary– though
manyopt for finecheesesand thinly
slicedmeats tocomplement thehuge
rangeof Frenchand Italianwines.
Open every day until 11pmand
weekends until midnight,
Bavaria
(
bavariaiasi.ro
) is a neat restaurant,
pubandpizzeria. Inbusiness for
thepast five years, it offers
maindishes suchas smoked
salmon, and chickenwith
mozzarellaandBasque vegetables.
DRINKUP
For a decent cocktail in fine
surroundings,
LaCorniche Palas
–
beneath the shadow of the
Palace of Culture– is the place to
go. Thewine list is also substantial.
lacornichepalas.ro
GETTING TO THE CENTRE
See page 100 for details.
Words by PeterjonCresswell
