Slovensko Republiky

I've been in Slovakia for almost a week.  My first trip to Eastern Europe started around 4am last week Monday with a cab ride to the Bristol airport.  There are loads of regional airports around Europe that fly to other regional airports.  This is a cheap and quicker way to travel than going through the major international airports.  Bristol is one of the two within an hour of where I live in England.  This trip also marked my first experience on Ryan Air.  For those of you who haven't traveled Europe, Ryan Air is one of the discount operators.  Flights are dirt cheap because they overcharge for luggage, drinks, food, and smokeless cigarettes (hasn't caught on in the states on commercial flights but they will).  They also try and sell lottery tickets, duty free items, and other useless things no one wants or needs.  All this aside, the flight was smooth and I wasn't harassed as much as I thought I would be so I would recommend them and use them again.

Back to Slovakia... I arrived at Bratislava airport where I met my driver who spoke approximately one English word, hello.  His mastery of my language was rivaled by my knowledge of his. I didn't even know what language was spoken here until two weeks ago.  By the way they speak Slovak.  After a two hour car ride into the mountains and forest that surround much of the country we arrived at Martin.  The village was settled around a Soviet era steel foundry that has since been abandoned.  The plant i am visiting produced Soviet tanks during the Cold War.  After the Berlin wall fell in 1989 and communism in Russia subsided, there was no demand for tanks.  Production slowed or stopped and buildings were sold cheaply to friends of the outgoing government.  These friends were not business people and quickly ran the remaining businesses into the ground.  Most of this industrial park is vacant save for our factory.  The other buildings are cracked, crumbling, rusted, and in disrepair.  If I was Eli Roth I would have filmed Hostel here, much scarier.  Thankfully the work I am here for is not as comparable to the movie.

I am a firm believer of trying the local food and drink when traveling.  Bratislava is a foodies paradise if you happen to like cabbage, potatoes, lard, garlic, and more cabbage.  Food sources are not abundant here and because of the climate and geography.  Meal time seems to be more about fueling your body to make it through the long days and cold nights than it does enjoying yourself and the taste of your food.  Thankfully what the country lacks in edible variety is more than made up for by the numerous selections of pivot or beer!  Sharing a boarder with the Czech Republic has influenced Slovakia's beer culture.  Dark beers with a high percentage of alcohol are common not because they are delicious but because they help sustain people through the long winters.  Beer here is also the cheapest I have found in Europe.  Expect to pay 1.50 EUR to 3.00 EUR for a pint here.  Slivovica, the local liquor of choice, is comparable to moonshine... or paint thinner!  Strong stuff that can be unflavored, what the men drink, or flavored with pear or plumb, what the women and children drink.  I'm proud to report I could handle the unflavored stuff, barely.

I'm here for another week so there might be more to come from Slovakia!