Easter road trip around Bratislavský kraj

Slovakia still had strict restrictions at Easter, and it was not allowed to leave your own district. In my case that means Bratislava region, Bratislavsky kraj. It would've been too boring just to stay at home for 4 days though, so me and my friend rented a car for Friday and Saturday. Car rental was not that expensive,  about 50 € a day. Even though the region is not that big, and you can get almost anywhere by bus, with a car you don't have to check the schedules and you can just go anywhere you want to whenever you want to and make as many stops as you like. So we were just driving around aimlessly for 2 days :D

First we drove to Senec, then Modra, Malacky, drove a small mountain roads, had a little hike, to Austrian border, and via Stupava back to Bratislava. We saw A LOT of small villages and they pretty much all look the same! It's not a bad thing, but first those villages look so cute, and after seeing a 10 of them it was just not that exciting anymore. We also did a little walking in the nature and stopped at Pezinok.

So the first was Senec. I was not that impressed with Senec... it felt a bit dated. The lake is of course pretty but the surrounding not really. Senec is just about 15 km from Bratislava, so it is easy to visit by bus for a day trip. 

Modra was very pretty though, we had lunch there and my friend has the biggest hamburger I have seen in my life! Some pics also from Malacky, Stupava and Pezinok. I didn't take that many pics of the villages because I didn't find those that super interesting or new, even though they were all very pretty. To be honest I am not totally sure anymore which photos are from which place... shame on me for waiting so long to add the photos here! I asked my friend but he only remembered Modra and the half cow and 2kg of onions in his hamburger.

A little stop and a walk was nice too...

We stopped at the Austrian border, so close but so far away... there was no crossing then due to restrictions. This coat of arms is definitely the weirdest I have seen!

On Saturday we went first to Hrad Pajstun, Pajstun castle. That was one hell of a hike to get there... but it was 100% worth it, the view is amazing and the ruins were a lot bigger than I thought. I really thought it would be just some small ruins... But I was very wrong and it was totally gorgeous! The origin of the castle in unclear, but the first know record mentioning the castle is from 1314. This place was one of most pleasant surprises I've had!

Then via Malacky the same mountain road as the day before, now just from different direction, lunch break and a little walk in Pezinok. 

Then we drove as north as possible (we did not break any rules, we stayed the whole time in Bratislava region), then as east as possible, and then as south as possible to Hamuliakovo by the Danube.

Guess which car was parked by a Finn? We didn't even notice this after we got back :D Yes, of course it is the white one in the middle, the furthest away from every other car...

                                    

The distances between the places were just 15 to 20 mins drives, but it was great to GO somewhere and DO something, and I had not visited those places before. This really gave me energy for weeks! My next trip was 5 days in Banska Stiavnica, which is said to the most beautiful town in Slovakia. Let's see how long it will take me to finish that post :) I really have to speed up now, I have so many stories from last summer. 

Otherwise, as of yesterday, Romania has lifted restrictions. Masks are no longer mandatory, although still recommended, and it was so odd seeing a cashier without a mask! Also covid pass is no longer needed in restaurants and malls. So life is getting more and more normal after 2 years of pandemic, and I know many other countries, also Finland, have lifted almost all their restrictions. I have been in Bucharest a couple of times, and next week I am finally taking a holiday in the Mediterranean again, returning to Cyprus for 10 days! 

Just a little update :)

Oh my, it has been over half a year since I posted anything, and I already thought I wouldn't do this anymore. But now this year is almost over so I decided to share a little update what has been happening in the past 6 months or so. The answer is; A LOT!!! It was very hectic months at summer and autumn but now everything, including myself, have settled in. If in my case settled in is a phrase that could ever be used :D. 

Well, to make a very long story a bit shorter, at midsummer I gave away my apartment in Ruzinov, Bratislava, and went to Brasov, Romania for a month. I was working from there, enjoying the summer and the mountains, and meeting friends. I also turned 50 there, woohoo! After that a couple of months I kept changing place every week or even a few days... First I visited Finland, first time in 3 years, spent time in a couple of different places, met some family and friends of course. After that I had a little holiday, I spent that in Romania, I visited Cluj too, but mostly I was in Constanta by the Black Sea. After that it was time to return to Bratislava for a while. I spent time in few different places here and there, looking for a permanent apartment again.

Then things took a turn, a lovely turn this time! I got a chance to get a transfer to Romania! In my case it happened really quickly because I didn't have a home in Bratislava. So, in the end of September, I returned to Brasov. My dear Brasov <3. In the beginning I still worked for Dell Slovakia, and then in October I officially transferred to Dell Romania. In the end of September I had to go back to Bratislava to get the rest of my stuff (that my friend stored in his kitchen for 3 months), and return my laptop and other stuff to the office. I still have the same job and work in the same team, only thing that has changed is my physical location.

I am really happy to be back in Brasov, I found an amazing apartment that I really enjoy living in... I have a huge terrace with a view to Tampa mountain and Brasov sign. The apartment is brand new, no one has lived here before me and this totally looks like me, I would've chosen these exact same colors. 

I have so many stories to write about, also the last stories from Slovakia, and then my summer travels, and settling in to Romania again... so maybe I will continue keeping this blog somewhat alive after all! No promises though :) 

Since I mentioned my terrace, here is a few pics of my view 

Terchová, and ranting about vaccination

At Christmas I had 5 days off, so me and my friend decided to get to the mountains somewhere. We were looking for places both in the Tatra mountains and the Mala Fatra mountains, and ended up in Terchova in the Mala Fatra mountains. That area is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, but very much unknown outside Slovakia. That might be a very good thing too! We rented a 2 bedroom very nice apartment, attached to a family home but still very separate from them, so we had total privacy. We had walking distance everywhere and it was very comfortable, and the price was also reasonable. 

The best way to get there from Bratislava is to take a train to Zilina, and then bus to Terchova. Terchova is in the Zilina district in northern Slovakia. The weather is of course unpredictable at that time of the year (when isn't it?) and we had some rain (and also snow!!) but also some sun, so it was ok. Main thing was just to relax and go somewhere instead of just staying at home. Hiking in the mud was not so much though :D We did some hiking and spent a lot of time on that comfy couch watching tv and cooking good food. I did the cooking mostly, my friend did the dishes, good deal!

If you are looking for great place to hike, remember this place, you won't find much better place to go! These pics are in no particular order, for some reason they download in different order than I click them.

Yea it was a little muddy... took a while to clean those shoes :D

The last day was the sunniest day, and of course that is the day we had to leave

There pics I took from the train on our way back to Bratislava

And then the covid-19 update... Things are definitely better here now, numbers have gone down A LOT. Daily new cases is about 200 to 300, and the death count increases about 20 or 30 a day anymore. So things are opening up... There is no curfew anymore, terraces are open and I think next week also restaurants open indoors. Mask is no longer mandatory outdoors, but indoors (shops and busses etc) you m must have FFP2 respirator still. They used to have color codes black, dark red, red and light red, but I guess that was not enough, so they added orange, yellow and green. They have a huge list of services, and every color has their own restrictions in everything, and the color depends on the district you live in. Until then I was able to follow the rules, now I don't have a clue what they are anymore! No district is on green yet, but next week some will be on yellow, and I think only a few are dark red. 

Then the vaccination, holy FUCK!!! I registered for vaccination, then I wanted to add more places where I could go take it, but couldn't sign in. My friend (local, because of the language), called to health service's service number, and first they complained why am I getting vaccine here because I am a foreigner. Then he couldn't find my registration. My friend called again, and IT cancelled my registration, that was the advice I was given by others who had the same issue. Then I registered again, at this time it had been about a month from my registration. I was on my first trip outside Bratislava when I got message that I have appointment in 4,5 hours (they say they will let you know 2 days in advance), so I had to cancel it. Cancelled and registered again. 

Then in a week, a week ago, I got a call from health services, first they complained that I don't have insurance. Yes I do, it is mandatory here, I have public health insurance that covers vaccination. They said the problem is my identification number, rodne cislo, is incorrect, in my insurance card it starts with 15, and it has to start with your birth year, in my case 71, and that I first have to get new insurance card with correct rodne cislo, and then register again. So they cancelled my registration. I asked how come I then got even the appointment if it was wrong, the answer was "I don't know", but she said they would have denied the vaccination if I had been there. Ok... so I messaged my insurance company that I need a new card with correct rodne cislo. Their reply was that I probably made a mistake in registration. No I did not. They called me and insisted about the registration, even though the issue has NOTHING to do with the registration, the registration was fine. They kept saying I must have put the number from insurance card (the wrong one starting with 15) to rodne cislo in registration. Which I didn't because IT IS NOT POSSIBLE IN THE SYSTEM! I said that at least 5 times but she just kept going... I even yelled at her that she is not listening, then she said she will listen, and interrupted me in 5 seconds. The result; I am not getting a new insurance card, they will do nothing (she said she will confirm and get back to me, never did), so I can't register again, can't get vaccine here. 

I read in the local foreigner's group that many received the same phone call, so they are cleaning the waiting list from foreigners. And all this happened right after they stopped using Astra Zeneca, but I am sure it is just a coincidence. Just some hospital managers have said they put citizens first and forget the foreigners, but sure it doesn't matter... I have read so many examples how health services here don't like foreigners at all but this is the first time I am experiencing it myself. But, a friend of mine told me I would get it in Romania, because they vaccine everybody who wants it, and I also my residence permit is still valid. I might get it also in Ireland, since I have my PPS card. 

But, then I checked, Romania is open for Slovakia! Already last summer my plan was to spend some time in Romania, and now I am going to do it this summer. Hopefully in a month I will be in Romania, spending some weeks there, working from there, meeting my friends and seeing my favorite places... First stop will be Brasov (duh), then I am planning on visiting Finland, and then maybe back to Romania, to Constanta by the Black Sea for a while. In Brasov I would also get my vaccine. So that is what I am planning now, it is good that I can work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and internet. I still have a "few" issues to solve and figure out, but I am sure it will be ok :)

I thought this would be a short post, and it was short about Terchova, then I started ranting about vaccination :D

Since I am so lazy in posting here, you can check my pics right away in my Instagram www.instagram.com/nomad.riitta