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!
