Mosquito Madness

The Slovak mosquitoes don't seem to understand that they should be dead by now. They have infiltrated our apartment and are living it up with one last blow-out-party-till-you-drop feast on Glen, whom they have taken a particular affection to.

He now can't go to bed without slathering himself with his bug repellent stick and roaming through the apartment with a fly swatter, broom, and a crazed look in his eye.

He is very happy to be leaving for Italy tomorrow!

Bratislava Jazz Festival

Glen, Mamura, John and I decided to check out the Bratislava Jazz Festival. Glen, not being much of a jazz fan, was practically dragged there kicking and screaming. He also bonded with our taxi driver who said he'd rather be tortured than sit through a jazz concert. It turned out all right though, the first band was more blues/jazz and the second one was funk/electric jazz, which was pretty cool.

See "October in Blava" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

Night Out in Blava

After the girls returned from Poland, they had one weekend left to relax and hang out in Bratislava with me. A night out in Blava is not complete without:
1. a run in with a UK stag (all the Brits come to Bratislava to celebrate their stags - cheap everything here!) Although it can be amusing at first, after a while the rowdy, rude, loud, and very very drunk groups of men wearing matching t-shirts (usually with an embarrassing pic of the groom on the front, and a nickname emblazoned on the back) can get kinda old. Bratislavans are NOT impressed.
2. a mojito at Malecon's (best in town, good live Cuban music) Did I tell you that Slovakia has a fascination with anything Cuban? I've even taken my first Salsa lesson here in Slovakia!
3. a visit to Cirkus Barok. This is the dodgiest, stinkiest boat bar in town. It's priceless.
4. getting held hostage by your server. For some reason it is IMPOSSIBLE to get your bill at a restaurant or pub, no matter how many times you give the universal "cheque plz" hand signal, "Can we pay?" - in english AND Slovak (yes, I've learned how to say this out of some kind of desperate false hope that it will speed things up) Most times you are lucky to see your server after the food/drinks have come. I'm not sure what the aversion to getting paid here is, but it's driving me slowly insane.

Anyway, it was great to have the girls for a night out and makes me realize how much I miss all the ladies back home!

See "October in Blava" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

What the..? Overnight Train to Poland

Another backpacking "must do" - overnight trains! It saves you a night's accommodation... Although I never had the money to book a sleeper compartment when I was backpacking (many years ago!), Paula, Erin and Glen decided it was worth it.
I am also confused about the leather straps in the compartment (Paula looks v. perplexed!)
Actually, they were all very brave - Paula had heard somewhere that Poland overnight trains are quite dangerous - thieves and such, and most Polish people avoid taking them if they can. They made it through unscathed, though!

After our visit to Prague, I went back to Blava with mom & dad (who were catching a flight from Vienna back home). From Prague, Glen, Paula and Erin went on to Poland by themselves. I had to work and couldn't go!

See "Poland Trip" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

Poland Trip - Glen's First Hostel Experience

Well, he had made it through his first Hostel experience in Krakow with two hostelling vets, Paula and Erin. Aparently not much has changed in the hostel scene over the years!

Um, does anyone else think Glen looks like some kind of Grizzly Adams freak with that beard? Comments welcome!!

See "Poland Trip" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

Hamburgers, Hot Guys & Communism

Another reason we were so happy to be in Prague: american food! It's amazing how much you can miss little things like hamburgers and Doritos! Cynthia took us to an american restaurant where we gorged ourselves on hamburgers, fries and FREE REFILL POP WITH ICE (so freakin' incredible and unheard of in eastern europe!)We also went to the Communism Museum, which interestingly, was in the same building as a gigantic McDonald's and a Casino...oh, the irony of it all! Oh ya, and the guys in Prague, not so bad either (so I was told...)

See "Prague" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.
See "The Many Faces of Paula" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures like the little gem above.

Prague Underground

Despite dirty/rank smelling entrances, the Prague underground was kinda cool - it has the longest escalator I have ever seen in my life, plus it's very colourful inside - like a disco! Don't ask me why we took more pictures of the underground than of St. Vitus Church...

See "Prague" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

Prague

Returning to Prague after 12 years was certainly an eye-opener. Tourism is booming and things that used to be free and next to deserted now require buying a ticket and elbowing your way through crowds of tourists. I can't even imagine how busy Prague is during the summer.
We were very lucky to have a friend, Cynthia, play tour guide for us. She did an excellent job, and showed us all the "must-see" sights with a running historical commentary. I have to say I learned a lot more in those 2 days than I did in a whole week back in 1994. (Perhaps b/c I spent most of my time hanging out in hostels and drinking beer with fellow backpackers...)

See "Prague" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

Travel Links:

Check the Czech Site

Dubrovnik - Croatia

Links to good Dubrovnik travel sites:

Dubrovnik Travel Guide

Dubrovnik Online

Lonely Planet

Our main destination was the spectacular city of Dubrovnik. The old town is surrounded by walls and fortresses starting from the 12th C. Once an important port, it's been occupied or attacked by almost everyone in the region - Byzantine Empire, Venice, Hungarian-Croatian empire, Napoleon, Austrian Empire, Italy, Germany, and finally Yugoslav People's Army, where it sustained significant damage during the last war. Traces of the war have been almost wiped out and is reconstructed for the bus loads of tourists from cruise ships that swarm the city during the day. The 1.9km of stairs on the walk along the city walls was challenging. Until we saw the 90 year olds doing it, and were ashamed and vowed to start exercising more!
The city is stunning - from its sparkling marble streets, narrow streets and steep stairs to pebbly beaches and aqua-blue sea. Definitely a must-see!

See "Paula and Erins visit in Croatia" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

Split - Croatia

Links to Split Travel guides:

Split Travel Guide

World Travels

Lonely Planet

Next stop on our road trip was Split, where we stayed for one night then toured through the roman palace and the old town. We were initially swarmed by desperate women trying to rent us a room for the night. At one point a fight almost broke out over who was going to help us. We eventually escaped and ended up staying in a very clean, spacious flat with an old couple. The only hotel that was near to the old town and not full was pretty dodgy and quite expensive. Lesson learned: make reservations for accommodations in Croatia!
Diocletian's Palace
"This palace is today the heart of the inner-city of Split where all the most important historical buildings can be found. The importance of Diocletian's Palace far transcends local significance because of its level of preservation and the buildings of succeeding historical periods, stretching from Roman times onwards, which form the very tissue of old Split. The Palace is one of the most famous and integral architectural and cultural constructs on the Croatian Adriatic coast and holds an outstanding place in the Mediterranean, European and world heritage." It is also a UNESCO site.

See the album "Paula and Erins visit to Croatia" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

Plitvice Lakes - Croatia

Links:

The Plitvice Lakes

Croatia National Parks

Visit Croatia

Paula and Erin arrived from Canada, and along with mom and dad, we decided to drive to Croatia again. On our road trip through Croatia we stopped for a hike:
"Plitvicka jezera (Plitvice Lakes) , are the most known Croatian national park and are entered in the UNESCO Register of World Natural Heritage. Sixteen little lakes interconnected with waterfalls created by deposition of travertine, a special kind of limestone. The park includes the spring of the Korana River in the area surrounded by dense forests of beech, fir and spruce, partly in the form of primeval virgin forest. Apart from the lakes and forests, the Park is ornamented with several caves, springs, flower meadows, and is inhabited by brown bear, among other animal species"
It was well worth the stop - beautiful!!

See the album "Paula and Erins visit to Croatia" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

The Mullet is back

A more likely explanation is that it never left....

Of interest:

Rate my Mullet

Mullet Madness

German soldiers allowed to keep mullets

Kathryn's Farewell

Another sad day when intern, Kathryn, left us to go back home to the States. With many glasses of wine, shots of Unicum (Hungary's god awful liquor)and an impromptu salsa party in the kitchen, we saw Kathryn off in good style! The wine and Unicum hopefully explains why we thought it necessary to have a group shot á la "Blue Steel".

How to Do the "Blue Steel" Pose from Zoolander

Zoolander

See the album "Kathryn's Farewell" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

Does this look safe??

Warning: Stay off your balcony when the fair is in town!

Modra Wine Festival

Wine Festival Links - Slovakia

Modra

Wine

Come to Slovakia - Eating & Drinking

Small Carpathian Wine Road

Another weekend, another wine festival! This time my mom and dad got to experience the "Burciak" young wine. We also went with Kathryn and her american friend, Cynthia, who lives in Prague and teaches english.

See the album "Modra Wine Festival" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

The Doerksens in Bratislava

Mom and Dad made it safely to Bratislava! We spent the first few days close to home. Enjoying the free concerts in the evenings in the main square and the nice weather to take advantage of Blava's outdoor cafe's and restaurants. Glen also took them on a few day trips to see some castles and villages in Slovakia. Next on the agenda: Croatia, Hungary, and Czech Republic.

See the album "Mom and Dad's Arrival" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.

The Good Old Hockey Game

Hockey links:

Ice hockey in Bratislava

Sports News from Slovakia

After standing in line for 45 minutes with an angry mob of men, Kathryn's Slovak friend, Daniel, was able to bribe someone in line and get us some tickets to see the game. (For an extra $3 we got front row behind the net) Although we may have been some of the only women in the arena (besides the cheerleaders, yes that's right, cheerleaders in skimpy costumes) it was good to see not much is different at hockey games - lots of beer and yelling at the refs. Nitra beat Bratislava that night but we had a great time!

See the album "Hockey!" at

Shan's Sony Image Station Photo Albums

for more pictures.