Welcome to Bratislava

We're here! Our flights and connections were uneventful and we're now happily settled in Bratislava, Slovakia. We lucked out and were able to get a bulkhead seat on the trans-Atlantic flight which meant we could use a bassinett for Soren's nap. He's getting a bit big for that and it required just a bit of cramming to stuff him into it, but still it was a cosy way for him to nap on the flight. (Cosy often equals crammed doesn't it?)

This photo catches the essence of how it feels after such a long journey, don't you think? Spaced out!



Arriving in Vienna, we grabbed a bus directly from the airport to Bratislava. It deposited us at the bus station from which we planned to call Peter's brother, Joe. It is funny how simple things can often be so complicated while traveling. And it actually reminded me why traveling really isn't for everyone. Being confused is so often part of the equation.

We were carrying waaaaaay more luggage than normal since we were bringing Joe some of the items he missed most from the US. A gallon of Mrs. Butterworth and 10 lbs of corn flour, for example. So, we rolled off the bus...me chasing Soren and poor Peter schlepping most of our belongings.

The trick about arriving in a bus station is that those aren't generally the most well-equipped for foreigners like us who don't speak a word of Slovak. All we had to do was make one call and we'd be whisked away. But, ah, making that call...

First, we needed Slovak money. In Vienna we picked up some Euros but they don't use that in Slovakia. So, Peter waited with the bags while Soren and I scouted a cash machine. That found and money received, we next located a phone. But this was going to require a phone card and then some understanding of just how many digits of Joe's number we had to put in the phone now that we were in the same city instead of dialing it from the US. It all seems so simple now, but add 16 hours of flying and general discombobulation that accompanies such a big time change and it gets a bit more complex. We tried a variety of options and got nowhere.

Finally, we resorted to one of our well-tested travel tricks. One of us parks at a cafe with all our stuff and the other goes out to take care of business unencumbered. So with Soren, Mrs. Butterworth and I hanging out in the bus station cafeteria, Peter went out to figure out how to make a phone call. He was gone long enough for Soren and I to have a nice meal. He negotiated the complex world of the telephone and Joe soon arrived to take us to his apartment.

It has been such a comfortable way to acclimatize. We took a good nap and then went for a slow walk around the neighborhood last night. Being in an apartment meant that while we were up with jet lag in the wee hours of the night we could go into another room if one of us was able to successfully get to sleep.

The Mrs Butterworth payoff:


Peter slept in a bit this morning and Soren and I walked down to the train station. Last year when we were in Croatia, I think chasing pigeons was the highlight for Soren. This year, it will undoubtedly be the trains. He's already started naming them all. "That's Thomas...there's James...that one is Mavis..." The world of Thomas the Tank Engine comes to life here.