Eurolanche

Trip of US fan to Europe: Slovakia

Slovakia…first thought…you are much hotter and humid than I imagined…

On the drive entering Bratislava I try to take in as much as possible, the sights and sounds of a new city. We arrive in the neighborhood of Petrzalka where David lives. I meet David’s mother Dana and his little brother Denis and get a few minutes to relax at their nice place before we hit the town. I receive a welcome drink of Slivovice, a plum brandy, very nice. Then we head into the city for a look around.

Impressions of Bratislava…I can’t read much of anything…no surprise…but the feel of the city is familiar, not so different as I imagined beforehand. Just like everywhere else, finding a parking spot is a real pain. We hit the grocery and sandwich stand for energy and walkabout Bratislava zentrum. A visit to Katedrala Sv. Martina for a look at some amazing religious relics, and into the crypt beneath the church.

Dinner at at Janosikov Dvor, an all you can eat baked chicken and chicken wings dinner that David located after much research. Great dinner, I am not hungry at all now!  Back home for a nice long sleep.

Day two: wake up late then a nice surprise traditional lunch made by David’s babka = grandmother, Bryndzove halusky (a potato dumpling with cheese sauce and bacon). Maybe you’ve noticed? I am a big fan of food.

We then depart to the northeast for a short hike to Driny Jaskyne (cave) in the lower Carpathian Mountains for the tour, a nice cool place where every school kid in the three country region has apparently decided to visit this same day. The tour is in Slovak, but I have my great translator along, and I even get to play that part a little with the Spanish gal on the tour too. We make the hike back down the hill to the car and I get to meet a busload of students with some very entertaining girls seated at the rear attracting my attention, so I take their photo and blow a kiss to satisfy them, nice to have cute fans in Slovakia.

We then head down the road to Červený Kameň, a castle which was left in disrepair for many years during the communist regime, but has been restored very nicely now. Great place to relax and have a drink while overlooking the countryside.

We then head back toward Bratislava for a visit to Bratislava castle and the surrounding area for a nice overlook of the Danube. A great dinner courtesy of Dana, chicken and rice, delicious! End the night at Kozlov pub in Petrzalka.

Bratislava Day 3: a repeat of the dinner from last night, and I have no complaints about this at all. Then we get checked into the Hotel Astra and have a visit to the war memorial above the city for a view while the other Eurolanche members are still traveling to town. We gather them and find our way to the pub for a toast with Staropramen Nefiltrovaný, yeah I know, it’s Czech, but hey, it’s good. With everyone finally gathered we head out on the town. Myself, David, Norbert, Martin, Lukas, and Mara hit Mamut pub among other locations…arrival back at the hotel…around 6am as I recall…great fun in Bratislava.

Next morning...okay, noonish…a visit to the restaurant for lunch, longest wait for food...the first plate served is also the last plate, one hour later. Elicits the comment from Mara: Welcome to Slovakia.

We depart over the hill to have an outing with paintball, hours of fun, at least one very painful shot delivered to Rudo. Great time!  Head back to the hotel for a shower and NHL2012 challenge time. I am quickly dispatched from the running and can turn my attention to reducing the Kozel supply. I enjoy beer too, it seems…

Next morning, it is sadly time for Eurolanche members to depart. I had a great time guys, thank you!  David has a meeting with the police on the drive to the bus station, fortunately, a nice short visit with no problems. Thank you for a great visit in Slovakia and all the driving me around David!

I’m now on a bus toward Vienna airport, where I will catch a plane to my next stop, Bucharest, Romania.

Andy is a huge Avalanche fan since their moving to Denver in 1995. He co-operates with the Eurolanche since the Eurolanche Invasion II in 2009. He lives in  Denver, Colorado. You could see him on the picture above (first from the right, down) with the rest of the Eurolanche members at the Eurolanche meeting before the paintball matchup.