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We are a group of ordinary yet extraordinary travel lovers sharing our experiences of exploring the world with the world.

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Urban Design Matters: An Afternoon in Small Town Slovakia

5 min readJul 15, 2024

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Fountains and ice cream drew people of all ages to the town square in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia. Photo by .

The main square in Liptovský Mikuláš is surrounded by no less than six shops selling ice cream. At any given moment over the course of a Wednesday afternoon in May, I counted a dozen people with ice cream cones in their hands, ages 3 to 83.

A water feature ran through the square— part of an — with fountains pumping jets into the air. Children jumped over and through the tiny canals.

Tulips and allium were in full bloom.

The pedestrian zone of Liptovský Mikuláš. Photos by .

The town offered free wifi throughout the area — but no one was buried in a smartphone or laptop.

For about two hours, I sat and watched people come and go, mostly families with young children.

And though I didn’t need it, I had an ice cream cone myself.

When in Liptovský Mikuláš, right?

I was not in this town of 31,000 for any particular reason.

Globetrotters
Globetrotters

Published in Globetrotters

We are a group of ordinary yet extraordinary travel lovers sharing our experiences of exploring the world with the world.

Vincent Gragnani
Vincent Gragnani

Written by Vincent Gragnani

Amtrak aficionado. Student of slow travel. New Yorker for 19+ years. Love all things food, travel and transportation. More at .

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