On the road again ...

This time, my work takes me to Slovakia (of all places). I'll try to publish blog updates as I go along, but I won't be able to upload photos until I get back home. At any rate ... here's the first entry.

All goes well so far. I left on Saturday morning. My itinerary called for me to travel through Washington DC, then Brussels, and on to Bratislava, Slovakia. I arrived without major issues in Bratislava on Sunday morning (today). Though
we skirted the edge of Hurricane Charlie on my way into DC, so that was a pretty bumpy flight. And during my layover in Brussels, I had three separate parties approach me (in french of course) for information on which gate their flight to Africa was flying out of. Not sure what that was all about.

For whatever reason, I didn't sleep much on the overseas flight, so I was pretty wiped when I finally got to my hotel around noon today. I grabbed a little nap before heading out into the city.

My hotel is located on the Danube River, just on the outskirts of historic Bratislava. The old town district is pretty quaint - lots of winding cobblestone streets, old stone buildings, fountains, churches, and of course cafes liberally dotted along the way. There really isn't much to do but stroll along and people watch. I did catch the tail of end of an outdoor concert (and I do mean tail end. We're talking about thirty seconds of oomp pah pah and then they packed up and left). And I joined a crowd of spectators as we watched some old timers play chess on a giant chessboard in a park.

After walking aroud for an hour or so, I decided to have an early dinner. Still a little leery of traditional Slovak cuisine, I opted instead for my "safe meal." That's a grilled chicken breast with garden veggies on the side. It's a hard dish to screw up, so regardless of where I am, I can usually find a halfway decent entre. And tonight was no exception. A nice little outdoor eaterie; grilled chicken with herbed butter, white rice, peas, and a little salad. Round it out with a coke and finish with a cup of coffee. The exchange rate is pretty favorable, so all that cost me a whopping $8 (US).

So ... my first impression is pretty favorable. The weather is beatiful, sunny and low 80's. I think I had this mental image of eastern europe being kinda grey, overcast, and dingy. So far I'm pleasantly surprised.

Tomorrow morning, I meet up with my customer contact. We'll drive about an hour or so into the heart of the country to where the install site is. I'll spend the rest of the week there. Not sure what to expect there. The region is apparently known for its ski resorts. Hopefully it's not too deserted in the summer.