Ryanair - discount air carrier

Several weeks ago Anya and I flew to Barcelona, Spain. Our mission was to visit a friend from Ramallah who brought the video and audio equipment that was used in the Romeo & Juliet student film production. Our friend was generous to bring the equipment out of Tel Aviv, as it can be a difficult process of questioning by the security at the airport. Thankfully the equipment was not inspected and it arrived in Spain with our friend as we had hoped.

Anya and I flew on Ryanair, one of Europe's discount air carriers. Our flight left Bratislava, so we were able to take the public transport to the airport! We also flew into a smaller airport north of Barcelona, so we needed to pay transport to get to the Barcelona bus station. Our Ryanair tickets totaled €78 (about $110). Here are a few differences that I noticed flying with the discount carrier:

• no air sick bag
• no seat pocket
• seats didn't recline
• advertising banners for their airline on overhead bins
• safety instructions laminated onto the seat in front of you - eye level (I didn't enjoy looking at it the entire flight)
• no reserved seating
• flight magazines passed out and collected at the end (I kept mine to sell on ebay)
• no complimentary beverages/snacks
• pre-recorded advertising messages for Ryanair during flight
• flight attendants sold scratch off tickets for prizes - proceeds went to charity

We did have a pilot, co-pilot and an adequate flight crew. That must be regulated. Bright yellow and royal blue was the color scheme. It was a bit loud for my taste, but fun at the same time. The plane was nice and clean and seemed new. Luggage is an additional fee (we paid for one checked bag) and the weight limit is 15kg. Carry-on bags are carefully checked for size. Overall, a great experience! I would fly with them again provided I did not have much luggage.

What the Slovaks do well....

Other parts of the world could learn a few things from the Slovak culture....... some of the my observations include:
Mass-transit: run frequently, on-time, all over the city. You can get almost anywhere you need by bus, trolley-bus or tram line. The fare system is easy - buy one ticket for the length of your trip, validate it on the bus, trolley bus or tram. It's good for your ride on all three modes of transport! The best part is that you can figure out the times and your transfers by looking on their website. After you know a few of the destination stops around the city, you can request a time and a route will pop up for you. Print it out and you're on your way. The website is http://www.imhd.sk/ and for English you press the British flag at the top. (Just in case anyone wants to pretend to be me).

Recycling: in my "how to look like a local" file, I noticed most folks had a reusable grocery bag that they were carrying around. I know most homes in the US have a place that is overflowing with plastic bags from every store and every purchase made in the last year. Many stores here charge you for bags, so if you bring your own, you can save some cash. Plus, the heavier plastic bags are more comfortable to carry if you have to walk further than just your car. Now I carry my own reusable bag so not only do I look like a local, I'm being green........

I will hold on posting my opinions of bothersome Slovak cultural norms. My cultural bias is unavoidable and it doesn't seem fair to report on societal ills (exceptions may occur). Someday I'll enjoy having a cup of coffee with those who are interested and I can report on some of the cultural oddities through my eyes.

The Posta

I've now had lots of experience with "The Posta", the Slovakian mail service. The Posta is much more than the mail service, however. You can pay bills here, using a voucher that contains the account number of the receiving party - we pay Justin's choir bill this way. Every other month he gets a slip with the amount and the Boys' Choir account info. I have successfully paid his bill twice now - you give them your cash and get a paid receipt.

Some of our friends and family have sent care packages and all have come through well EXCEPT the kids Christmas presents from Grandma & Grandpa........ Wouldn't you know it? Their box even got returned to sender from Bratislava. So, after the gifts made three trips across the ocean, our kids got to have Christmas in February!

I just had to share this photo of Justin.........a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Weekend in Prague

A school holiday in February for the whole of Slovakia represents "Report Day". Children bring home their reports from school and there is a day off on Friday.

For us, we decided to take the train to Prague, Czech Republic. From Bratislava this is about a 4-hour train ride. The trains are comfortable, reliable and inexpensive. We took the express train, which stops at only a few cities along the way.

Finding our bearings once we arrive in a new city is the biggest challenge. We generally have reserved a hotel on-line before we venture and then figure the rest out upon arrival! I have noticed that our experience with mass-transit in Bratislava has helped tremendously in other cities here. We found Prague to be fascinating. With extensive walking areas and beautiful old, old buildings and towers, our time passed quickly. There are museums of all kinds, souvenir shops galore and marionette shows and blacklight shows to take in. There is much more for us to do in Prague, so we will need another trip in the future. We found ourselves, however, being drawn to TGI Fridays for a meal rather than any traditional Czech cuisine.

I've randomly chosen photos for a slide show, but perhaps you can gain a feel for this Central European city through them. This has been described by many I asked as their favorite city in Europe.

Cub Scouts

Justin has joined the Transatlantic Cub Scout Wolf Pack #200 here in Bratislava. He

recently got to participate in the Pinewood Derby, his first! His race car was not in the top, so we had some disappointment to work through. All the boys had a great time cheering on their cars and it was fun to watch them. The pack and den are small, compared to many, but it is a great group of people to gather with while our boys are learning to be Scouts.