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Okay, so .. my computer was on the fritz. My only cure was to format the bastage and get it working right again. So I'm officially on a system that works once again, but I don't have all my tools to fix my pics.. I'll have them up ASAP, but I can't update them at the moment..

Hope you guys understand!

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30.9.06 - 7:23

Alas, it's the final day of September, and just like clock-work every day I'm up at 7AM. No matter what time I fall asleep, my body always seems to get me up at 7AM. I think it does have something to do with the morning air. It's so refreshing and crisp. This will actually be one of the things I miss when I get back to the states.

Yesterday was filled with good news items and bad news items. We headed out to Poprad yesterday morning to see what the 'big city' was all about. I turned on the radio to find myself in the mist of a 'Nation Lampoon's European Vacation' trip, as 'Waterloo' started to play on the radio. The roads heading up to Poprad were filled with crazed drivers (at least, coming up as a country boy, they were crazed). The roads in Slovakia are designed to be about double-width of current two lane roads. This gives prime opportunity to have people pass you easily. No big deal, until you drive down these roads at 100km/hour, and someone whizzes by you going at least 160km/hour. It's kind of like a big rally race, as sometimes you see two or three cars try passing each other all at the same exact time...WITH traffic coming the opposite direction. It's amazing that I never hear, on Slovak TV or radio, that there are never any car accidents. As I started to approach 120km/hour, two people decided I was going too slow (I think the speed limit was 100km/hour) and passed me easily going 40-60km/hour quicker. As I approached the city limits, you see how the signs on the road start to change with the new speed limits.. (100) .. (80) .. (60) .. (40) .. All the while, I was slowing myself down to match the speed. Up ahead, I saw something stopped in the road. Ooooh .. lookie here. The two different cars that passed me blazing down the road had been pulled over. Wow, karma is a bitch, huh?

As we approached the city, we started seeing signs for big-name stores such as Bauxmax and Tesco. I feared Bauxmax would be the same as an Ace Hardware back home, versus the big name chains such as Lowe's and Home Depot. As we approached though, I realized how it put even the big name chains to shame...

The advertisements were everywhere. Quite obviously, the place had serious sponsership from the Slovak version of 'Trading Spaces,' as the designers faces were all around the parking lot on large banners attached to light poles, and on the main building itself. I was completely shocked at how wonderfully clean this place was. One of the greatest ideas I have ever seen in my lifetime is the 'coin-op' shopping carts. It's quite simple: all the shopping carts are 'locked' together (making it easier to move them from one place to another), the patron inserts a coin into a slot on the cart (knocking the lock out, but keeping the coin in place), once done with the cart, the patron locks the cart back to the other carts and the coin pops out. It really is quite an ingenious idea that I really feel every company should use. It's fair to everyone, and keeps the aisles clean of clutter.

Walking into Bauxmax for the first time was another interesting experiance. Like nearly all other stores in Slovakia, you have to pass through a 'self-opening' gate to get in. This is actually another neat concept, as the security to the store could easily stop you from entering if they had good reason to. Everything here seems so secure, yet so lax. The size of the building itself was comparable to Lowe's, but the way it was laid out was far superior. First, as a major benefit, it took over the idea of skylights to help light the building (something I've felt Lowe's needed for years). It not only added natural lighting to the building, but it gave you a sense of peace walking around. Quite obviously, many people in Slovakia are focused on plumbing fixtures. The main area was full of bathroom displays, including the *sigh* full-body massage shower (which retails back in the states for over $2000, but can be purchased here for a minor $600). The 'basic' toilets were stacked on top of each other in a big display. The more unique toilets (such as the in-wall units - my new favorite) had displays seperate of the rest of the bathroom items.

Even compairing how items were displayed was quite unique. I actually prefer the way Bauxmax had items laid out versus how Lowe's does. The doors, for example, they had a big hut area that allowed you to play with all the doors and windows. The 'basic' interior doors were hanging above the stock below. The patio furniture was on the (yes, get this) second level, which provided a full viewing of the store below (that, and they had my favorite chair available .. the ratatan). They sold everything Lowe's does, minus kitchens and appliances (because they're sold at Tesco). They do, however, sell pet supplies, automobile equipment (including tires), bicycles, and much more! So they equal themselves out.

There were big simularities too. The carpet cutting machine was the exact same as how it was back at Lowe's. The ceramic tile display was the exact same (except they had some awesome 'wood' looking ceramic tile). The paint section and outdoor garden section appeared to be the same too.

As I admired the building, I began to realize how similar life is to back home. These people work every day to pay thier bills and support thier families. Then they go shopping for odds and ends they need to maintain thier house, or thier gardens, and just live life to the fullest. I also realized how much more simplistic life is here too. No one is up bitching that they want thier $200 purchase for free because someone looked at them funny. That's where America has gone corrupt. I swear to you, there is so much more freedom here than I have ever seen in America. If you can get over that language barrier and culture shock, this place would be very easy to call home.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Poprad Tesco. From the outside, you could easily mistake it for a Wal-Mart from the states. Inside, it was laid out much different that the one in Bratislava. First off, this Tesco was all one-floor (versus the one in Bratislava being four-floors). Secondly, you could fill your basket with everything needed and pay at once (versus the one in Bratislava having 'seperate' markets inside where you paid each individually). The place was very large. They had all the standard needs, such as CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, books, electronics, kitchens, appliances, clothes, *sigh* you name it, they probably had it. Roaming the aisles, I found it interesting that so many 'game' systems have never made thier way here. A majority of all video games are available via PC only. The rest of them are available for the Playstation 2. I've yet to see anything for a X-Box (standard or 360), nor a Gamecube. Hmmm.. maybe this is why children here are so active playing games with each other outside, or riding bikes, or taking hiking trips, or any countless number of things to do?? While all along, the children of the U.S. become overweight and technology obsessed sitting around trying to conquer that next level of some irrational game? *sigh* .. I've always said it, and I always will. When I do have children, I don't want to raise them in the states. They have much more available to them abroad. A stronger education, a healthier lifestyle, and the common comforts of friendly people.

Looking over the music, it's amazing how many American CDs there were (yet surprisingly so few Slovak people speak any English). I found some 'Slovak Underground Punx Attack' CDs, and figured I'd try them out, just to see how the 'underground' music scene really is. Afterwards, I began searching the rest of the store. Nothing in particular, but I find that I'm one who loves to just shop around. I made my way into the grocery area to look around. Immediately, I was happy to be back at Tesco looking over the prices. So much cheaper! I readily enjoy Tesco for it's fine selection and prices alone. I was told I should check out the automotive section, and to my happiness, I picked up two stickers for my car (the Slovakia symbol, and a 'SK' sticker).

We did some quick grocery shopping looking over all they had to offer. Another great recommendation? Get the Tesco Strawberry Ice Tea. It runs roughly 30sk (about $1) per litre, and it is delicous! On my way out, I picked up some of the bakery pizza breads and a Kofola (my main staple of food in Slovakia). I headed back out to the car, and feasted on my tasty lunch costing me about 40sk (or about $1.30). I'm going to miss this place dearly when I depart.... But I somehow have a feeling this wont be the last time I come here! :-D

We left Tesco and headed for the centrum (the center of town - usually a pedestrian area full of shops). Heading there, I found myself going into another 'National Lampoon' moment, entering into a big circle (look kids! Big Ben! There's the Castle! .. Big Ben again! and the Castle! .. Hey, it's Big Ben!). There's traffic coming from every direction, including going around the tiny circle, so it makes it hard to manuver your way around. Finally, I was able to brisk my way through and head towards the Centrum.....

Eh.. Unfortunately, it wasn't even worth a stop. You would think that such a large city of Poprad would have an awesome Centrum area, right? .. But there was nothing there, it was very limited (and parking was a bitch). Finally we decided to head back towards the Centrum of Liptovsky Mikulas (easy parking, lots of stores, very nice). As we arrived, we took to our normal parking area and headed to our normal Internet Cafe hangout. As I went upstairs this time, I saw a guy sitting there with a laptop. I smacked myself trying to figure out why I never checked for a WiFi connection here. Immediately, I ran back down and grabbed my laptop from the car. At last! A suitable WiFi connection!! This is perfect!! I can update pictures and the blog, right!? ..

Wrong ..

Uhhgg.. Seems something fishy has happened in transit with my laptop. My WiFi card appeared to be on the fritz. I could connect just fine, and I would have Internet for all of 3-4 minutes and then nothing. This happened to me in Amsterdam too, but I blamed the WiFi connection. Immediately, I started to try to focus on what the issue was. Ooooh crap, look at that, I can TRACERT and PING at a command prompt, but do nothing in a 32-bit operating status (eh.. sorry.. technical garble). I tried to remove and re-install my WiFi card but to no avail. I assumed that there was a problem with my card, so I went to the computer place next door and purchased a new one.

I connected it in my laptop, and hopped right online (at a much quicker speed, mind you). Yay! Lets update pictures, right!? .. Wrong .. *sigh* .. okay, so I lost connection again. This means there's an issue with something in the registry blocking my access after a certain point in Windows. *sigh* .. I know what this meant, it was time to 'Restore' the system back to it's original. *sigh* .. Okay, I'll work on it back at the cottage.

Maria came online and started to chat. I was so happy to hear that my trip to Trencin is back on! Now to look for something a bit cheaper in Trencin than the Hotel Tatra (oooh.. a deal at $160/night .. for 4 nights? *gulp*). I can't wait to head to Trencin, as I have a feeling it will be the highlight of my adventures!

As I got back to the cottage, I started to 'backup' my data from the hard drive (I knew I should have invested in that 100GB USB hard drive! *smacks forehead*). Then I started to realize I didn't have my install CDs for my main programs (Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, etc)... Oooooh, I can't go about killing the system yet.. I have to try and find an alternate route. *sigh* .. okay, so I hit a restore up to a prior date where I knew I had no issue with my WiFi connection, then modified the registry to pull out any issues I found.. *cross fingers* .. I can only hope this works, or I'll be forced to go crazy without my 'technology obsession'.

Cross your fingers and wish me luck.. Of course, none of you know this until I post it.. and I can't post it until I get my lappy online.. Soooooo.. crap.. when you finally read this, would you wish me the best? *grin*

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29.9.06 - 7:38

Another day has passed by. Yesterday did prove to be quite interesting. After breakfast, we headed out to our normal Internet Cafe hangout to check e-mails and such. It's official. I have an apartment in Old Town Bratislava by Michael's Gate for the remainder of my stay. Unfortunately, I've yet to hear anything from either of the girls into regards of it being a good thing or bad thing as they've been so busy with the first official week of school.

Afterwards, we headed out to Tatralandia. The place itself is beautiful, situatied in a valley around high peak mountains. As we made our way to the entrance, I thought it would be wise to read over the pool rules. Hmmm.. pretty standard so far.. No running.. No diving.. No American-style bathing suits....wait, what? .. Looking further into it, they will not allow 'loose' bathing suits at all, so this means I would have to run in there wearing nothing but a speedo (*shiver* .. it's okay, it's a bad image in my mind too). Thinking that this couldn't possibly be true, I decided to watch the people in the waterpark. All of them were running around in speedos only. I guess it's the European way? .. *shiver* .. There was no way I could convince myself to do it. So we hoped in the car, and headed towards 'Besenova Thermal Park'.

Arriving at the Besenova park seemed to be a breeze. We went inside, and looked for the posted rules.... there weren't any. So I stood by the entrance again to watch people rolling in. I saw every style of swimsuit available, including the 'American' style. Seeing this, my confidence level wasn't up to the highest, but I was willing to give it a shot. We went ahead and picked up V.I.P. passes for the day (as it also included the spa). They gave us each a watch-looking device that we placed on our wrists. Actually a very ingenious idea. Each area of the pool was closed off by a gate, to get in, you had to pass your watch over the scanner. If you hadn't paid for access to it, then you don't get in. If you have, then the get will let you swing through it. Even the lockers were coded to your watch. You simply needed to walk up to an open locker, put your stuff in it, and then place your watch over the lock for it to close tight. Such a great idea! Made me feel like a Power Ranger again, or something (hey, as a child, I dreamed!!)

The place was very very very clean. As you first entered the park, you were required to take off your shoes in a foyer area. Then you could enter into the changing/locker rooms. You change into your swimming items, drop your stuff off at the lockers, and head on out. We walked to the mineral water pools outside first. It consisted of three pools. Two pools were like a sauna, as the tempurature was around 40°C. The main pool was more standard in tempurature sitting around 20°C. All three were dark mucky water flowing from a nearby lake. The water itself is known for it's healing attributes, and so many people flock to this area. While it looked appealing, I wanted to check out the rest of it first.

We headed around the area until we came to a small 'Fast Food' bar. Around the corner from that, was a gorgeous indoor swimming pool made of stainless steel, with a giant stainless steel tobagan (read: slide) that went from the second story back into the pool. I was intrigued by this display. So immediately, I got in.

Now mind you, it was a briskly cold morning here in the Low Tatras. The tempurature was a crisp 12°C, so doing too much swimming would get you a bit chilly, right? .. The water itself was again around 20°C, so the water was still a bit chilly, but it was so relaxing.

After spending some time there, we headed over to the spa area. The V.I.P. purchase gave you (1) visit to the spa area. Walking in, we were told to disrobe completely, and put on a towel. Hmmm? .. Okay, if the whole 'speedo' thing from Tatralandia was an issue, this has to be a major issue for me, right? .. Actually, no.. You were still covered by a towel, right? .. .. .. right?

The person in charge showed us around. All items in the place were self-reliant. They had quite a selection. They had a tranquility room which consisted of ceramic chairs and light music with a small water display in the center. They had a foot massage area, to which you fill the large container with what ever tempurature water you want, as it gently massages your feet. They had many many different types of hot aroma therapy (my favorite). They had a foot fountian, where you take steps up into containers of cold water, then hot with gentle massaging, then cold. They had an ice fountain, where you rubbed ice all over to get your blood running. They even had your whirlpool, steam bath, and ice bath (even an ice shower.. brrrr.. BRISK).

After spending some time in the aroma therapy areas, I felt a bit more comfortable looking around. There were people in there from all walks of life dressed in only a sheet themselves. I found myself in a tranquil peacefulness that I had never experianced before. It was incredible. It gave me another chance to reflect on these crazy items still plauging my brain. As people got more comfortable, the sheets came off.. In all locations of the spa.

Now, personally? .. I'm not much for stripping down in front of a bunch of people, but, it seemed okay. No one was there to judge you. In fact, it seemed to be a bit of a European lifestyle. Finally, I got the courage to go hop in the whirlpool when no one was around. Getting in wasn't an issue, but getting out? .. Well, you just need to wait for people to leave, right? .. That took some time. So here I was, butt ass naked in a steaming pool of massaging water. A young couple came in to join me. As you see, no clothes were allowed in the jacuzzi, everything was beared. Thankfully, I had the bubbles from the jets covering my shame. As we sat there for a long period of time, I kept telling myself that once this couple left, I would get out myself. As the couple left, a handful of quite attractive girls came in. Okay.. weird situation. Do I get up, bearing myself to these girls? Or do I sit back and let the bubbles hide me away? .. Ahh screw it.. I let the bubbles hide me.

As they all stripped down and got into the whirlpool, I was a bit amazed. Following my observations of American culture, nothing like this would ever happen in the states. These girls were quite attractive, and me? .. well, you know me! .. While most of my female friends are confident that I would never take advantage of a situation, and have stripped down in front of me in the past, this was different. We're all in a place where none of us know each other, and I'm sure if I saw them on the street, would never be in the situation I was now. As the girls got into the whirlpool, and surrounded me on both sides, I thought 'hmmm.. actually, I'm more comfortable than I thought I would be' .. It wasn't sexual, it was relaxing. Yes, so very relaxing, tranquil, and peaceful.. Nothing could sour this moment......... then the jets turned off, and there weren't any more bubbles.... *gulp*

The time the jets were off (for a cool down) may have only taken 1-2 minutes, but it felt like 1-2 years. As here I was, completely surrounded on both sides both beautiful naked women, I got a bit of a sense of 'oh my damn' and crossed my legs over... Finally, the bubbles started back again, and once again, I felt a little more comfortable in what was going on around me. As the girls departed from the whirlpool, I realized that this would be the prime chance for me to go too.

I hopped up immediately, and ran for my sheet covering what dignity I had left. I headed up the to tranquil room for the remainder of my stay in the spa. I layed out on one of the ceramic chairs (with hot stones that lay across your back). Between the music and light display inside, I started to come to the sense of my mind again, and let it open up into my soul. I started to grasp things more clearly, and thought about who I was, and who I was supposed to be. The peacefulness of the room left me dozing off feeling a sense of comfort. The spa day would be something I wouldn't ever forget, and if I'm ever out this way again, I would absolutely love to come back.

Once you get over the bashfulness, you do feel welcome. You realize that no one is here to judge you or critisize you. The 'American' life is where the judgement comes into play. No matter who you are, or what you look like, a place like this could be a definate place to shine. How easily you will survive on your own? Well, I'll fill you in on that when I get to my apartment next week.

From here, we headed back to the 'Fast Food' area where we picked up a couple of sandwiches and drinks. Afterwards, we headed out to the mineral pools. I first entered the colder pool, just to see what it was like. The chill of the air made this pool a bit cold too fast. But it was a bit relaxing at the same time. The odor of the water wasn't the most pleasent, and there were swarms of gnats overhead, but it just felt peaceful and relaxing. Like jumping in the old watering hole when I was a kid.

Once it became too cold to handle anymore, I headed into the warmer pool. Immediately, I felt like I was in a personal warm blanket. You feel so refreshed and alive that you want to curl up into a little ball and fall asleep. The signs listed all around recommended no more than 30 minutes in the mineral water at any time; which is true, as when 30 minutes has expired, you are so warm that you need a cool-off.

We headed back into the indoor pool again for one last time. After spending so much time in the hot springs, the water in this pool was so much colder. I spent some time alone in the indoor pool again, as a random girl started to flirt with me with her camera. Maybe she saw something interesting about me? Maybe it was because I looked like some Italian mobster strolling into the pool wearing a muscle shirt and sunglasses with my hair slicked back from the water? Maybe she just thought I was just a crazy tourist that didn't know any better. Regardless, it was small things like this, that still made you feel welcome. No one gave you dirty looks. No one smited you for the clothes you had on. Everyone was there to relax and enjoy themselves.

Besenova is a wonderful place, and I highly recommend that if anyone of you reading this heads out to the Liptovsky Mikulas area, that you take a day (or even a few hours) and relax in the beauty that surrounds you.

*ring ring*

Wait, what's this? .. My phone's ringing at 8AM? Hmmm.. It can't be one of the girls, as this would be too early for them.. As I looked at my caller ID, I was shocked to see that it came up as 'Mark - Home'.. The first (and probably only) person to call me here in Slovakia! I was overwhelmed! I'm so happy to hear a familiar voice. Mark and Dani called me to give me some encouragement, and to just talk about the randomness of what has taken place while I've been abroad. *sniff* Mark's grown up now and taken it on his own accord to purchase a new computer (in the past, I was his go-to man for nealy all computer based questions, and I always helped him find the best deal). It was good to hear their voices, and to know that maybe I actually am being missed!

I vowed to him that together we would kick each of our asses into shape. Being a gym member myself, I was glad to hear he had signed up right before I headed out here. I explained to him that after being in Europe, I see why so many people are physically fit. It's given me time to reflect on myself, and my stubborn ways. I love my buddy Mark to death, but he knows as well as I do that while we'll say 'we'll head out to the gym tomorrow, I'm too tired today' we'll never do it. Our excersize? The 'brisk' walking getting out of the bed and over to the computer where we sit for the remainder of the day... That's no way of life, is it? .. Many changes will be in place when I get back. I want to change my whole well-being and be the man who I should be.

Well, it's about time to head off now. We're going to try to head out to Poprad, Slovakia for the day just to look around. It should prove to (hopefully) be another interesting day!

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At this point, instead of trying to compare days to blog entries, I've decided to mark the date/time of when I actually write the blog update since my Internet connection has been imited....

27.9.2006 - 21:46


Well, *sigh* .. many changes are in place. I've rented an apartment in Old Town Bratislava for the remainder of my stay. My hopes were that since I'd be in Bratislava, I'd be easily able to connect up with the girls. Originally, the plan was to head to Trencin the weekend of October 7th to go to Maria's home where I'd meet up with her, Eva, and quite possibly Jana too. Unfortunately, I'm not too sure even this is going to happen, as Maria informed me today that the original plan may be tough since school started.........

The whole trip has gone completely warped. All my ideas and plans have been washed down the drain.. Eh, such a normal lifestyle for me at this point. I'm starting to get a nervous feeling of being all alone. The whole trip was planned, including the rental car and private cottage long before I met the girls. However, planning the trip with my mom, I knew I'd always have someone here to talk to. Now, knowing that I'll be alone and the girls are quite busy with school, I worry where I'll be mentally come my fly-home date of October 17th....

The plan was simple. Fly in. Spend a few days in Bratislava. Drive out to the cottage. Spend a few days exploring the town. Meet up with the realtor. Buy a house. Take random trips out to Milan, Italy .. Vienna, Austria .. maybe even Poland? .. .. .. Sadly, none of that is happening now. The new plan is a bit shameful, with a few perks...

The whole Bratislava trip was fantastic. I should be so grateful that these two Slovak girls have helped me out in every way. A year ago, I never would have expected to have so much fun with two people in a foriegn land. A connection has bonded between us, but I can only hope it stays maintained. So there's a completely positive side to this trip. After Bratislava, things started to slide down hill .. how exactly am I supposed to enjoy myself completely alone? .. I can't fall back on the girls, as they'll be so extremely busy with school (and the fact of the matter is, they've done so much for me, I feel a bit awkward asking much more of them). At least I'll be back in Bratislava.. An area I explored extensively.

I'll be heading back to Bratislava on Tuesday, October 3rd. The rented car will be turned back in (which is a waste for me in Old Town Bratislava anyways, as it's a pedestrian zone). From there? .. Who knows. I worry now if I'll even get another chance to hang out with either of the
girls. Regardless, I'll manage. I guess I'll find something to do around town. Maybe hop around a few bars. Or relax to the peaceful sound of the streets below.

Slovakia is something I've wanted so very badly. Why? .. I don't know .. Something has brought me here. I sit back an look at my life as a giant puzzle, and I recalculate the good and the bad things in my head. I see how this 'bad' thing equalled this 'good' thing. But, I'm not sure why I'm here now. I still feel strongly that the Lord brought me here for some purpose. I used to think I knew what that purpose was, but now? .. I'm so confused....... Why did everything so good have to end up being so bad? Why can't life ever go the right way for me once? .......

I still admit that I love it here. I love the style and culture here. I love everything about this place. I would love to call this place home..... but can I really do it all alone? I guess the next few weeks will answer my questions for me..... Will I manage? Your comments and ideas are very welcome (and highly requested). Drop me a line in the 'forum' or send me an e-mail directly. I could use the words of encouragement..................

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Our goal was to get to Liptovsky around 2PM. We set off around 11AM to make sure we'd have plenty of time. The roads here are so very easy to get around, none of them majorly confusing. Crossing over Novy Most for one last time on our way out, we got onto the 'D1' highway and we were on our way. Nearly an hour in, we ended up in Trencin. A very beautiful place. I know now why Eva and Maria want me to visit there with them. The castle perched up on the mountain left a beautiful landscape.

Right past Trencin, we stopped at a small resturant on the side of the road. I immediately sent a text message to Maria and told her that she would be so proud of me. I walked in and asked our waitress (in Slovak, of course) if she spoke English. Of course, she didn't. So I proceeded to order our meals in Slovak, asking her for two Kofolas and two grilled chicken meals with french fries. I can't remember what I said, but I felt so comfortable saying it. And she understood me! Another sense of accomplishment!

From there, I hit the 'trip reset' on my GPS to know how far out past Trencin our cottage was. We went so very far. We ended up in the High Tatras. So very far out from Trencin and civilization. I quickly decided that my place to move had to be somewhere in the Trnava/Trencin/Bratislava area.

While the High Tatras are very very beautiful, I doubt I would come back up this way unless it was for a holiday. I could see me inviting the girls up here some time to go skiing or snowboarding (two items which I've never ever done, but would one day like to try).

We arrived at the cottage (finally) around 4:30PM. Nearly 300 miles PAST Trencin. *sigh* .. Regardless, we made our way to the cottage. The landlord spoke zero English, but we managed. He was a very nice man, and kept a very wonderful home. Our private cottage was absolutely gorgeous. Walking in, I knew that this was the perfect size for my home here in Slovakia. It consisted of only a few rooms. You have a small foyer for coats and such, then it enters into one main hall. In front of you, you have the WC (water closet - consists of a toilet and a small sink). Slightly veered to the right was the main bathroom which consisted of a large tub and sink, a washer (yay! a washer! you have no idea, but the clothes from Amsterdam's sweating fest from walking were surviving in thier own private bag because they.. eh.. weren't very clean, nor smelt good), and a water heater. To the right of the bathroom was a small dining room area. Opposite the foyer was a large living room area that had three beds, a double-closet, and a television (with..what's this? cable TV!? YES!). To the left of this room was the modestly sized kitchen which consisted of all the standard conviences, including a sink, stove (w/ range hood), microwave, coffee pot, and fridge. The next room just past that was the full size bedroom which consisted of a large bed and closet. The place is very very beautiful, and you can tell the owners keep it in nearly mint condition.... I can only hope we leave it the way we found it.....

I called Maria and explained to her that we had made it safely. She was confused as she expected us to be here much earlier. Unfortunately, getting lost in the High Tatras didn't help! She told me to be safe, and try to enjoy myself. This would be my conception of technological cleansing. Not much to really 'do' here, so I have to make amends with the questions plauging my mind of what's going on all around me. There's so much in my head right now, including what will come in the weeks to follow (which I will go into detail of in a later post).

Uhhgg.. No Internet connection here either though. We decided to head out towards Liptovsky Mikulas in search of food (since all we ate for the entire day was the grilled chicken meal) and possibly an Internet connection. By this point, it was late on a Monday evening, and many shops were closing up. I decided to stop at the Orange and expand my credit on my phone. Seeing my short 10 minute phone call with Maria prompted nearly a 70sk loss of my 300sk credit, I knew I needed to boost it up some. I went into the store and immediately asked my first primary question in Slovak, "Hovorit' po anglicky?" (which means 'Do you speak English?'), the girl at the desk responded 'Nie.. maly anglicky' (which means 'No, only a little English). Yet amazingly, with the help of one of her co-workers, we were able to acertain that I was there to credit my phone with another 1000sk. So, there's still a bit more of a language barrier here, but I'm managing, and I'm slowly being able to speak a bit more fluently.

From here, we headed towards the hypermarket in Liptovsky Mikulas. Arriving there, it was quite interesting to go inside and see all the things they had to offer. My main confusion is the lack of men's clothing in any of these stores (even Tesco was very limited). My only thought process to this is that since most people who I see shopping are women, they provide the widest selection to the woman's needs. I may be wrong, but I'd sure like to find some nice clothing stores (which, BTW, there is an Armani in Old Town Bratislava.. I need not look further, no? .. except, once I move here, I doubt I could afford it!).

We went around the entire store, and made our grocery purchases. I was a bit disappointed with the prices, as Tesco was much less. I even commented about how much I already missed Tesco. Once complete, we headed back to the cottage, with a meal ready to go (one fresh cooked chicken, some potatoes, and some corn - a perfect welcoming meal). As we got back, I turned on the television to watch my absolute favorite show, House....only all in Slovak. No major concern, as I could easily pick out a majority of the words that were spoken. The oddest thing is listening to the people who they use as voice-overs. I never pictured Dr. House with such a strong german-sounding accent!

Afterwards, I went to go get a full night's sleep. I turned my music down low, and went to sleep for the night. Over the night, I tossed and turned thinking about different things. Trying to re-analyze my ideas of Slovakia, and what would be coming in the weeks to follow. Between this, and the chill from outside, I didn't sleep very well at all again. Unfortunately, I was without a blanket, so all I had to keep me warm was a sheet. Many times throughout the night I woke up so very cold, but then I thought about my adventures from Bratislava, and immediately fell back asleep with a smile on my face.

The next few weeks shall prove rather intersting.. I will definately have many stories to share with anyone willing to listen!

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The final 'complete' day in Bratislava went out with a bit of high class culture... I'll explain ..

Per my request the night before, Eva called and made reservations for us at the 'U.F.O.' resturant over top of Novy Most.

Early the next morning, I met up with Eva and Maria. Since we really didn't know what to do, nor where to go at this point, we thought today would be a bit more about some relaxation and just hanging out. We headed off to a small cafe to enjoy a bit of morning coffee. As we sat there in the crisp morning air, we started talking about how we all came to be friends. Granted, there's not 'too' much history there, as my first weekend with them in Albany, New York was short.. and so was this weekend in Bratislava.. but it feels like I've known them all my life...... Regardless, I was intrigued by their story of thier first visit to the states, how they got there, and how they met the people they now know as good friends in Albany. After sitting for a few hours, we took off to walk around Old Town Bratislava some more. We ended up arriving at the centrum where there was a section of 'souvineer' shops. As we peered into these small vendor shops, I found some very neat items. Unfortunately, not knowing where we'd end up going, I didn't want to get anything more than my pockets would hold. I ended up opting for a shirt that reads: 'Essence of Slovakia: Peaceful Life & Pure Nature'. I felt it decribed my ideas and actions of coming here.

We continued down the way, and they treated me to a Slovak/American hot dog. I'm amazed at the prices of food items here, as (even though Eva had some coupons) the three of us each got a hot dog (about the size of a footlong), and I picked up a Coke, the bill was less than 100sk. I wasn't sure what to expect from this 'treat'. The hot dog was on what appeared to be fresh bread. It was covered with ketchup, mayo, and shredded cabbage. And of course, as with every other food item I've tried in Slovakia, it was wonderful! I'm so amazed with the amount of textures, tastes, spices, and everything the Slovak people use in their foods. Of course, Maria explained that I still haven't had 'authentic' Slovak food, as I haven't been to her house in Trencin yet (we've already made plans, and I'll be spending at least a weekend in Trencin coming up soon!).

Afterwards, we discussed the whole idea of the grocery stores in Slovakia. We decided to head to a nearby grocer, but unfortunately, being a late Sunday afternoon, it had already closed (as most businesses in Slovakia aren't open on Sundays). We decided instead to head over to Tesco (as they're always open everyday!). We went down the escalator to the grocery section, and they walked me up and down the aisles showing me what their favorites were, and what I had to try. They also showed me how to easily tell if I was purchasing something made in Slovakia versus the Czech Republic just by looking at the first three digits of the SKU.

Once complete, we still had a few hours to kill before going to 'U.F.O.' .. They asked me what I wanted to do. Truthfully speaking, everything they've shown me up to this point was fantastic, and I didn't want to make some 'lame' recommendation as to where to go, or what to do. But I figured since we didn't finish our stories from earlier, I recommended we go out and get a beer and relax. Maria was shocked. She was so happy that I 'officially' made a decision about something for us to do in Bratislava! We headed around town to a little pub hidden down a small alley-way. As we made our way to it, all I could do is relive the movie we saw the day before and exclaim, 'Whoa.. Wait.. Is this where you're taking me to kill me?' (Side note: We had all discussed the movie 'Hostel' before seeing the movie the previous day. Unfortunately, it's very true that 'Hostel' gave Slovakia very very very very bad P.R., as this place is one of the most unique and beautiful places I have ever seen! - Due to 'Hostel' being very graphic about executing random people in Slovakia in the most hideous areas, and the mixture of of the above line from the movie 'Step Up', it made it a quirky little inside joke).

We went in and had a seat at one of the tables. They ordered up three Topvat (Slovak beer...gooood Slovak beer). We sat there and continued our conversation from before. I'm still amazed how these puzzle pieces of each of our lives somehow intertwined together. Even a year ago, I never expected to be in the comfort of such great people in a small unknown country. I just feel so welcome here. So comforted here. What blows my mind is that something told me that I needed to move here long before even meeting either of these girls. Granted, it's a new culture.. It's new customs.. and I have to pretty much re-learn everything to be here... But it's so worth it!

We headed back towards the Hotel Tatra to pick up my mother, so we could all go to U.F.O. - We hopped a bus from the Presidential Palace to the other side of Novy Most. Neither of the girls had ever been to U.F.O., nor have heard too much about it, except for friends and family that have traveled to the top to see Bratislava from high above. I had brought them here to exclaim how thankful I was for thier hospitality while in Slovakia. We headed down to the beautiful spot where U.F.O. was sitting. We travelled up a 'diagonal' elevator, and up quickly were whisked up to the top. A simple set of stairs led us all the way to the top of the structure. From there, it was a very pretty panoramic view of Bratislava. You could see the buildings surrounding the area and looking at a map placed on the walls of the structure, could tell where each of the 'main' places were. Eva showed me which building was her school, and also pointed out so very far as to where her dorms were. It's funny, because while Bratislava seems so very big, it also seems so very small.

Back downstairs, we took over our reservations, and were seated in a large dining area surrounded with windows so you could see all of Bratislava while eating. The kitchen and bar were centered in the middle of the structure, and just like watching an episode of Gordon Ramsey's 'Hell's Kitchen,' you could see and hear everything the head chef said to his cooks. The view was astonishing, and gave us a gorgous view of Bratislavsky Hrad (especially when they lit it for the night). The resturant itself was very exclusive, and offered us a quiet candle-lit table...

As the girls looked at the menu, their eyes grew wide. I knew what the price of U.F.O. was long before I came to Slovakia. This was one of the most premiere resturants in Slovakia. A definate 'tourist' resturant, as it's very very doubtful that many Slovak's have the money to eat here. I told them not to worry about the price, and that this was my way of saying 'Thank you, so very much!' I was so extremely happy to share the first U.F.O. experiance with these two girls, and to share the sampling of items to come.

I suggested we all take the 'Fall Taste Menu' which was essentially a 7-Course meal with different flavors, textures, and aromas of items that ranged from caviar to duck to braised veal. I also suggested we take advantage of the preposed wine option. Eva refused exclaiming she didn't care much for wine, however, Maria and I went ahead with it on our order.

We sat back and ordered a few glasses of Abstinthe. I see no real reason why it's 'banned' from the states, except on how you really need to prepare it. They brought out the glasses with Abstinthe in them and a small piece of sugar at the bottom of the glass with a spoon. What? .. What were we supposed to do? .. The explained to Maria that you take the small piece of sugar out from the bottom of the glass, light it, let it melt, and stir it back in with the rest of the Abstinthe. This 'calms' the flavor going down.

I took out my camera and recorded a bit of a video as Eva lit the sugar for Maria. I think the waiter left off a few key notes, as after Maria let her sugar melt, and dropped the spoon into the glass of Abstinthe, the whole glass caught fire in a blue flame. She kept alternating between the glass of Abstinthe and a glass of water. Finally, the waiter realized it wasn't quite right, and came over to pour the water in the glass. This made even more of a fire, only with your standard red/orange flames. As the flames die down, you hear the glass cracking into pieces. A wonderful experiance! Maria was a bit embarassed, but her and I laughed it off and made the best of the night. The resturant offered to make her another one and get it already complete for her.

Poor Eva felt out of place, as she was wearing an 'Arizona' t-shirt and jeans. We tried to comfort her, as really, even though the place was very 'trendy', there were English blokes and such wearing the same. There was no dress code there. We were all there to have fun and enjoy what was to come out in front of us. At first, Eva seemed to be a bit disturbed over her wardrobe (in all fairness, she had no idea that U.F.O. was so high-end), but finally opened up and seemed to have a blast!

The girls went on to explain how they couldn't wait to read my blog entry over this whole event. They told me that I just have this knack for describing things so well, that they can sit back and remember it so clearly. It made me feel so special. I was so very happy to treat them to such an event.

The meal started with a small amount of caviar (my first time EVER having caviar) on a small potato biscuit mixed with a soured cream and garnished with a bit of parsley. This was designed to get our taste buds going.

From there, we experianced a bit of roast duck with a fall salad (w/ sweet potato pieces), and recieved our first glass of wine. We all toasted our glasses to one another, and had our first taste. The uniqueness of the wine was that each glass was specific to each dish. The first was a bit crisp, but refreshing. The duck, which is normally very dry, was extremely moist. The flavors were so bold and grand. By far, throughout the entire meal, this was my favorite course (minus..of course, the desert which you'll read about later).

Our next course was a soup dish. The soup itself was made of a wine base, and centered was a small bit of bread with a poached egg on top and covered by caviar. With this, we were served our second glass of wine. A personal favorite for myself and Maria. The wine had a very sweet taste and a apple/grape flavor. Eva tasted a bit of it, and even she agreed it was good. She had mentioned that her father sells wine up in Trencin, and this one was that even she enjoyed not being a wine liker. Maria and I decided to not drink all of this wine and savor it for new flavors to come.

The next dish was lightly sauteed 'fresh' scallops with baby carrots and mashed potatoes in a cream sauce. Normally scallops have a very fishy taste, but these were fantastic. They flavor was locked in and mild. A very delicious course. With this meal, we received a glass of a much bolder white wine. It was a bit bitter and dry. A normal for seafood based dishes.

We then each recieved a small scoop of fresh sorbet to 'desensitize' the pallet. It was a bold mixture of cucumber and honeydew melon. The taste reminded you of a refreshing smell of 'Cucumber/Melon' lotion. The flavor was so intense, but so mild.

The girls excused themselves to go check out the restroom. Quite obviously the owner of the place took great effort in creating such an amazing atmosphere, that surely the restrooms had to have a interesting appeal. When the returned, they explained that there was an open view to Bratislava below, and that there was a bit of frosting on the glass to provide you privacy but with such a beautiful view.

Our main course was braised veal tenderloin over fresh spinach (*grin* we can HAVE spinach over here in Europe, as they don't have that weird epidemic that's based back in the states) served with baby carrots once again. This meal served us a bordeaux red wine (my least favorite of any wine). The flavor of the wine was extremely bold and dark. The wine was absoluetely my least favorite of the wines. It seemed Maria agreed with me. We each still had our 'sweet' wine awaiting desert! The veal was so moist and tender. The flavor combinations of everything were so intense. It's so very hard to describe.

After a short wait, we were finally given our seventh and final course... desert. This consisted of an absolutely delicious 'dark chocolate' torte covered with fresh rasberries, and even came with a small bottle of rasberry sauce. By this time, I was getting a bit buzzed by my absorbant amount of alcohol (and Abstinthe), but it made the taste of the torte that much more intense. While we all enjoyed the meal at the table, Maria and I seemed to go crazy over the flavor of the torte allowing each bite to sit in our mouths to savor it. Of course, this was also when we prompted to finish our sweet wine!

At this point, I excused myself to the restroom. If they thought the ladies restroom was unique, surely I was to find the same for the men's.. As I walked through the doors of the restroom, I saw all of Bratislava in front of me. Though I was a bit confused at the urinal. While U.F.O. was trendy in class, the option they used for the urinal was a bit odd. In front of me was two galvenized buckets sitting atop two ceramic pedistals all looking out over Bratislava. The weirdest part? The frosting of the glass did not go much higher than about two feet from the floor, leaving you exposed to the world below as you did your business.

The whole place was absolutely astonishing. Staring at the city lights of Bratislava below us was breathtaking. The ambiance of the candle light glistening off of everyone's faces was brilliant. It's so hard to descibe in words what we experianced here.

The waiter brought me the bill, to which Maria requested to see it. Her eyes opened up wide once again. I had expected the bill to be as high as it was, long before coming into town. After tip, the bill came out to be 17.000,00sk (roughly $570 USD). It was so worth it to see the happy look on thier faces, and to imagine the stories that were to come in the years following.

We headed back up to the top of U.F.O. once more to grab some night shots. The night air was so crisp and cold, and the wind was blowing so hard. Maria came over to me and thanked me for bringing her here. I explained that this was my way of saying thanks for everything she had done for me. Either Eva and Maria are very modest, or it truly is their way of culture. Maria and I gave each other a big hug and had a tearful moment. And even after all the walking from earlier in the day, she told me I 'smelled good'. For some reason, that brought me much joy. I'm crazy that way, I guess! *grin*

We explored the top of U.F.O. again and grabbed a few more shots. Eva, Maria, and myself all had one big group hug before heading back down to 'real life'. I'm so very happy to know these two girls, and to enjoy so many brand new experiences with them both. I never imagined that I would have ever found such true friends in a vast new world.

As we headed back, it was too late to grab a bus home. We walked to AuPark (the mall described before) where we jumped into a cab, and headed back to the hotel. Once there, they both hoped out of the taxi and we gave each other a big hug again. It was amazing to know what we had experianced. And I feel so special to know that I can be apart of their life and new experiances in life. Maria made me promise I would come to Trencin to see her, her family, Eva, and Jana in a few weeks, I promised I would, and I refuse to step down from that.

I know I say it over and over, but there really are so few words to decribe how I feel here. I feel more welcome and appreciated here. I feel more freedom to say and do what I want here. I feel loved. I feel happy. I know this is the place I want to be.....

The next morning, Eva and Maria met me again (I'm so completely shocked they'd give up so much of thier schedule to do so much with me!!) to take me to VUB Banka. I needed to open my international account, so I can start a financial basis here for living. I don't know what I would have done without them. They helped me through every step of the way of opening the account. I walked out with a feeling of accomplishment, knowning full well that this was the first of many steps of officially making Slovakia my new home.

Sorry guys, I guess your 'idea' of me coming to Slovakia and hating it didn't go as planned.... I'm so very happy here. And my only qualm so far is they don't have 'Orangina' soda... Of course, I've found a good replacement .. a Czech cola called 'Kofola' (which amazed Maria, as most forigners don't seem to like it).

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel where the auto we rented was waiting for us. I loaded up the rest of my belongings from the hotel room, gave them one last hug, and we were on our way to Liptovsky Peter. Eva and Maria gave us some initial direction on how to get there.....

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Ahh, finally after my long wait, I've made it to Slovakia. Unfortunately, as you can see, not as much updates since Amsterdam. The reason for this is that while Internet is available throughout all of Bratislava, the Hotel Tatra seems to think that people can only use it for 30 minutes at a time (they charge you for it, mind you). From here on, I doubt I'll be able to make many updates unless I hit a WiFi spot somewhere around Liptovsky Peter. As of Monday, I head on out to the private cottage that was rented for nearly the remainder of my stay. (Cross your fingers that *someone* will have a WiFi connection and/or be kind enough to share it with me!)

Please note, that this journal entry is much longer that I had hoped for, but I've tried to break it down for you ……….

As for the travels? .. Lets take a trip back to Amsterdam for a moment, and give you an update from there on.

Day 2 - Amsterdam:

This morning I got up early in the day after a wonderful night's rest to prepare for a historical day. The two main reasons I came to Amsterdam (though I'm sure my friends responses will differ), was to visit the Anne Frank House, and the Van Gogh museum. Strolling around Amsterdam, I found it still quite easy to get lost. As we made our way to the Frank house, we looked like your average tourist with the map scattered about. Thankfully, neither of us ever needed to ask for directions, and we found it on our own (America has made it hard, as has trained me that asking for help casts you as an outsider.. Thankfully, that is not the case in Europe).

I have always been intrigued by the Anne Frank story. It was always a part of history that stuck out to me. Maybe it was because we shared the same birthday? Maybe it was her ideals of keeping a private book to show everyone? I'm not really sure, but I had always wanted to visit this home since I was child first learning of her.

Waiting outside the Frank house, I thought it best to grab some 'breakfast' (as the hotel we were staying at charged a hefty fee for their breakfast buffet). We went into a little café to grab a quick bite and some coffee. They offered the coffee in two options.. Black, or White (w/ milk). Amsterdam coffee is very strong, but extraordinary! To go along with my coffee, I felt it best to try some true 'Dutch' Apple Pie.

Once my meal was complete, we took off next door to go to the Frank house. The fee to enter was quite hefty, but it was a place I always wanted to visit. Unfortunately, they would not allow cameras in the museum. As you walked the halls of the old warehouse that Frank's called home during the war, you felt a sense of what had happened in the past. The walls had random writings from Anne's diary, and randomly placed monitors throughout the house showed war-era clips of the Nazi army marching up and down the street. It brought much sadness to you when you realize what the Frank's had to go through. Even if you're not familiar with the story, you will learn from beginning to end how important a roll poor Anne played in defacing Nazism.

You travel from the storage room/warehouse downstairs to the offices upstairs, to the hidden annex. Most people don't realize that this place in Amsterdam was not the original home of the Frank's. Instead, this was Mr. Frank's office building where he milled spices and such. However, when you get to the annex, you feel a bit overwhelmed as a lump appears in your chest. Amazingly after all these years, the original bookcase hiding the annex is still left intact, and incredibly they allow visitors to travel up into the annex.

As you follow the very, very steep stairs, you come to the 'tiny' living area that they called home. Complete with a small wood stove and a sink. Even the original water closet (a toilet in a small room) was intact. You even were allowed to travel into Anne's bedroom, where on the walls, the magazine clippings she glued to the wall herself were still there.

It brings a tear to your eye when you realize that everything around you is real. You begin to understand the hurt and turmoil that was around the Frank's. As you begin to understand the internal battle that Anne had herself, you realize the many stages of emotions she had, until she started to give up all hope…. A few days after that, the Nazi army raided the annex and took her and her family (and friends that were also staying there) and placed them into a camp.

You see the original Nazi army transcripts of each of the Frank family members, including the personal index card, and the count form. Anne's number was #369.

To this day, no one knows who told the Nazi army about the secret annex.

The story from there gets sad. Otto Frank, father of two daughters Anne and Margot, and married to a beautiful wife, is the only one to make it out of the camp alive. The pain and despair of Mr. Frank drove him down quickly. At this point, his secretary pulled out the three journals his daughter Anne wrote, and gave them to Mr. Frank.

From there on, Mr. Frank sought out a way to get his daughter's story heard. And finally after many years, he succeeded.

A very important message was left by someone that was also placed on the wall. Was Anne's story the only one of it's time? No. Was it the most important story of it's time? No. Why haven't we heard more about other Jews at this time? .. The response was very simplistic … would you really enjoy sharing in the pain of others? Her story was out to share a light on many issues involved in Nazism, and while Neo-Nazi's have tried to fight against the validity of the journals, seeing them in person makes it very hard to say otherwise….


We decided to try a 'Canal Taxi' to get us around Amsterdam. Across from the Frank house was a beautiful gothic-style church with frightful skulls appearing over the doorway. In the area in front of the church as a ticket booth for the 'Canal Taxi.' Not realizing where we were, I went around the corner of the building looking at a local map. I immediately noticed that there was a large list of nightclubs shown on the map! Huzzah! Not only that, but this was the VERY FIRST map to show the location of the illustrious 'Red Light District!' Huzzah! .. Then I realized that this was .. .. .. a gay man's map to paradise…. Hmm.. Well, okay, no problem.. I just wont go to any of 'those clubs.' .. At least I know where the RLD is now!

From here, we took a 'Canal Taxi' out around the canals of Amsterdam. We arrived at the Rembrandt museum, but did not go in. We strolled the beautiful Vondelpark next door and I took some great pictures. From there, we headed to the Van Gogh museum.

Arriving at the museum, we were stopped by a bunch of children running down the side of the museum anxiously awaiting to get in. It was such an interesting sight. They seemed overwhelmed with joy to go see Van Gogh's arts…

Getting into the Van Gogh museum was like going through airport security in Dulles!! Amazingly they went through our bags and made us remove 'un-allowed' items. I figured for such a search, they should have at least paid for dinner first? *grin*

Walking into the Van Gogh museum was actually a bit disappointing. While Van Gogh's artwork was on display, it was mixed in with other artist's work, including a 'Japanese Art' exhibit.

While no signs claimed you couldn't have a camera, I was immediately told to put away the camera after one picture was taken. I can not understand why cameras would not be allowed in museums!? Especially in a museum where everything you see looks the EXACT same as any images of Van Gogh's artwork online!

Leaving the museum disappointed, we strolled the Vondelpark area a bit more and arrived at a wonderful 'Guiness Bar'. Mmmm…. There's nothing quite like a cold glass of Guiness on tap! To top it off, my lunch consisted of a hot steamy bowl of 'Guiness Irish Stew.' I think I found a new favorite stew!!

After lunch, we headed to the 'Holland Casino,' one of many throughout Amsterdam. Amazingly, not only do they want to take you money in the casino as every other casino does, they also charged a 3.50 euro admission! *sigh* Regardless, I can walk away saying I've been in a European casino.

From here, we decided to get back on the 'Canal Taxi' and head back towards our hotel. We got off at the Rembrandt house area, where we were greeted by many street vendors selling their wares in a little open-air flea market. While the items were unique, there was nothing more I wanted there than a few fresh batteries for my camera!

After this, we headed back to the hotel for a break.

I grabbed a quick nap, and decided to head out on my own for the night. I had some information on a youngsters 'pub-hopping tour' that promised to be fun. It supposedly started with a shot of alcohol to get the night going, a trip to three separate pubs, and finally, an evening at one of Amsterdam's premiere night clubs! Huzzah!

I started down to the meeting area. After figuring out my way around, I stood in the area in which everyone was supposed to meet…. I never saw anyone else .. Maybe I was late?? Regardless, after waiting a few minutes I strolled off on my own, heading to the opposite side of town to the 'Red Light District.'

I quickly learned all the streets around the hotel area (too bad I was leaving the next morning!), including the location of the 'Dam' area in Amsterdam (clearly the BEST area of Amsterdam to be in!!).

As I kept walking down the dark roads of Amsterdam, I began to be greeted with a change in road lights from amber…. to red. I knew where I had now come to.

Sadly, I think the whole idea of the 'Red Light District' is over-rated. While yes, there were many girls in all the windows (some of which came out of their 'rooms' to 'greet me'), it was actually a very small area. Every other shop was a porno/sex shop, however, this didn't stop any of the tourists, as there were very many café's and restaurants that people were eating at!

The girls? .. Most of them were very attractive. I tried to keep a 'stern' composure, for when you passed 'dark alleyways' a shady man was there trying to sell their hard-drugs (coke, crack, x, etc). The stern look kept them from asking me anything. As I passed by one (very attractive) girl, she opened her door and looked right at me and said 'Why do you look so angry? You need to smile!' .. Immediately, this broke a bit of a smirk to my face. She laughed, and I went on my way.

It's funny, there's really not much appeal to 'do anything' with any of the girls here. Anyone with a conscience would realize this. Maybe it's because I'm a Christian man, but I didn't see any real 'want' to go partake in their 'services'. As a great role model, in the center of the RLD was a Goodwill, and peering into the window, you saw a man praying for the sins of those around him.

I stopped on a bridge, and was greeted by a native to Amsterdam. He asked me where I was from, which I immediately went back to my stern look, and said 'No thanks!'. He insisted on knowing where I was from.. “Let me guess, London? .. No .. Germany? .. No?” .. Then he tried different languages on me, first he spoke in Dutch, then German, then English.. Oooh, I had an idea, there's no way he could catch me, right? .. Finally, I told him 'Slovakia' (as so few people know where it is) .. Immediately, he started to offer me drugs in the Czech language. My eyes opened wide as I was shocked that a common drug dealer would be so fluent in so many languages. Finally, I told him that I was just fine and wasn't looking for any drugs. Surprisingly, he was very nice, and like a good salesman, he said 'Well, if you need anything, I'll be right over here!” The drug dealers in Amsterdam can be so nice!

As I headed back, I decided to stay in the 'Dam' area for a while. Visiting the local coffee shops, a few head shops, and just randomly checking the area for new and amazing items!

I ended up stopping at a nearby pizzeria for a slice of pizza and a Coke (mind you, Coke in Europe is definitely not the same as Coke in the U.S.). I picked up a few more items in the area, and headed for the hotel.

After a quick shower, I hoped in bed awaiting the adventure coming to me the next day…..

The next morning we awoke, packed our items, and headed for the airport. Check in was a breeze, and we made it to our terminal within record time. I picked up a few souvineers for my friends in Slovakia, and we headed out towards Munich airport.

Very surprisingly, Munich airport was small. Our flight was a bit delayed, so we arrived with only a short amount of time before our flight to Bratislava. We arrived on the landing strip, and were escorted by a bus to the terminal. Immediately, we got off, ran upstairs, around the corner to the opposite side of the airport, and through a passport stamp checkpoint, *just made it in time* to get through the gate on our plane to Bratislava. As we walked from the terminal downstairs, we walked out at the exact place the bus brought us too just moments ago! *sigh* .. We rode the bus back around to our plane to Bratislava … except, it was nearly right next to the plane we just got off of! I don't quite think Munich airport has everything planned out properly!

At this point, I'll mark this officially as:

Day 1 - Bratislava, Slovakia

Alas, we were off to Bratislava. My friend Eva had informed me she would meet me at the airport once we arrived. As we got off at Bratislava airport, we went through a door where we got our passport stamped, and then entered into a room where our luggage arrived (only one turn-style). From here, we went through 'customs' (read: walking through a door, because obviously the EU doesn't care for the idea of customs), and into a room that was no larger than a small fast-food restaurant.

Immediately, I came to my senses.. This was it? This was the whole airport? ….. AWESOME!! As you can assume, I was very excited to be here!

Eva had not yet been there, so I went outside to wait for her. A few minutes went by, and amazingly, walking towards me was both Eva and Maria! I was so happy to see them both, and immediately gave them each a big hug.

They peered at the amount of luggage that we brought, and quickly realized we needed two taxis. We each took one of the two girls with us in the taxi, to help out with the language barrier. Maria rode with me. We were talking about random items on our way out to Bratislava. Our taxi driver was .. a bit perturbed. He wasn't a very happy man.

As we arrived at the Hotel Tatra, I asked her what was the customary tip? She said 'whatever you like'.. Eh, personally, I thought the driver was an ass, so I didn't want to give him all that much. She then told me 'we usually round up to the next closest bill'. My fare was 513sk, so I gave him 520sk, thinking I did well. As we got out of the car, the driver immediately blew up at Maria ranting in Slovak. While I could pull out a few words of his rant, she immediately shrugged him off and we went on our way. She explained to me that he told her that he 'knew English, and heard what she said'. Since Slovakia isn't a big tourist area, *some* Slovak people seem to assume that any tourists arriving in the area have big bucks, and want all they can get! She said I did well with what I gave him, and in fact, she felt he deserved much less.

I was so happy to see Eva and Maria again!! We went up to our room, and they gave us time to get 'settled' in. We decided to meet back up in an hour.

A hot shower later, and a fresh change of clothes, we headed back down to meet my two Slovak friends. We strolled down to the 'Centrum' area where we were taken into Orange (European cell phone provider). Eva and Maria helped out in every aspect of getting us setup with pre-paid phones. Their willingness to help in every way was extraordinary!! I thanked God for helping me find these girls to begin with, as I'm sure I would have been completely lost without them!

After that, we went over to the local Tesco (essentially a 4-story Super-Walmart). Did a quick look around, and decided to go to a local Slovak pub where the college students stop to drink.

The food was soooooooooo freakin good. Between Eva's sheep-milk dumpling plate, and my 'Shepard's Wrap' (spicy pork and vegetables in a potato pancake), I was in food heaven! The authentic taste of Slovak food was incredible and gave such a wide sense of tastes! I give the 'Slovak Pub' (http://www.slovakpub.sk) 5 stars! The place was astronomically huge, and had so much to offer. Definitely a place you want to go if you ever travel into Bratislava, Slovakia!!

After this, we headed back to Tesco so I could purchase a fan (as there was no A/C in my hotel room), and then it was back to the hotel. I thanked Eva and Maria for helping out, and they asked what time they should be back tomorrow.. Tomorrow? Oh! Yes! Absolutely! We decided to meet up early in the day to get a head start on the beauty of Old Town Bratislava………. After a good night of much needed rest, that is….

This leads us to:

Day 2 - Bratislava, Slovakia

The second day in Bratislava started out early. I woke abruptly around 6:30AM, and was unable to get back to sleep. Eva and Maria were to be knocking around 9:00AM for us to head out to Old Town. I paced the room for a bit, and wrote a few notes in my private journal. I then grabbed a nice long shower and go prepared.

*knock knock* … A quick tap on the door from the girls, and we were out and on our way. Starving, we headed down to the hotel's restaurant. The girls informed us that they had already eaten, but welcomed us to go and have a quick bite for ourselves.

The selection of food from the 'free breakfast' at the hotel was a bit limited, but offered a interesting selection. I opted for bowl of cereal and a small cake with a latte. Not the biggest breakfast, but it surely set me on my way!

We headed off for Old Town Bratislava. Eva and Maria commented how they had never hosted anyone in Slovakia before, so it was going to be interesting. They told us that they weren't tour guides, but they would do their best! (I was just happy to know two fantastic people in this vast city where I doubt I would find my way around)

Old Town was very beautiful; a definite tourist area that offered something for everyone. As we strolled down the streets, I grabbed some pictures of the surrounding buildings and street performers, up to and including the very well known 'Man-At-Work' (a statue of a man peering out of a man-hole).

We headed out to 'Bratislavsky Hrad' (Bratislava Castle). There was an incredible amount of stairs leading up to the castle, but it was well worth it. I grabbed some beautiful shots of the U.F.O. restaurant/bar over Novy Most (New Bridge). As we approached the castle (8 million stairs later), I needed something to quench my thirst. We headed over to a little café at the castle. Ahh, exactly what I needed, a 1 litre bottle of Coke!! The girls went and asked how much it was, and they were shocked!! “They want 200sk for that!!” they said. Eh.. I was thirsty.. I wanted it.. Supposedly even the guy questioned if I really wanted it for that price! Mmm.. Coke.. *grin*

Walking away, I realized exactly what I spent. That 200sk Coke was ne