Saturday, December 5, 2015
Vianočný Trh, Bratislava
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European Christmas markets have been ongoing for centuries. Bratislava's is relatively new, having emerged in the last decade. It's small, cozy and less commercial than larger affairs. There's merchandise to consider but it's the traditional Slovak food and drink which dominates Blava's Centrum and nurtures the festivities. Grilled meats, sausages. Kebabs. Lokse. Potato pancakes, filled with poppy-seed and sweet honey-wine. Or with goose liver, with cabbage. Môžu mať aj inú klobásu, pa prosím? Mňam, mňam!
About the Man in Seat 96
I travel. It all started on my first bus ride home from school -- I simply did not get off the bus at my designated stop. Or any other scheduled stop. I was captivated by the panorama of moving scenery beyond my ordinary world. I vividly recall my mother's horrified expression as she watched me and my bus pass by -- and equally, the driver's startled look at the end of her route, as she realized there was a lone little boy at the back of the bus. Yes, sometimes I find myself lost, most often due to my own fault. This recurring cycle of adventure and dilemma repeats itself, revisiting me in varied form. I've been shaped by the worlds I've seen and experienced, at times disoriented. The shaping seems relentless, yet I am driven to keep moving -- on.
About Seat 96
The seat I prefer to frequent is in a first class rail car, daily servicing Central European cities, towns and villages. From this seat, over a decade ago, I enjoyed the revelation of a familiar yet new world. As a young boy I discovered and followed various Eastern Bloc shortwave radio stations from my small town bedroom (DXing), imagining far away places and people. Radio Prague eventually became my best virtual friend. As I watched the passing scenery on my first train ride through Austria and the Czech Republic to Prague, I realized the world I had imagined -- the innumerable mental images I had collected and stored over my younger years -- was mismatched with the visual realities now streaming past. Naturally, truth resides in the mind of the beholder -- and the best reality is created with all of one's enabled senses. Therefore, I now explore and take detailed notes -- from Seat 96.
Planned Excursions
Kufstein (8.2019)
Europe's XMas Markets (11.2019)
Trekking the Lycian Coast (8.2020)
Barcelona (TBD)
Kraków (TBD)
Avignon (TBD)
Carcassonne (TBD)
Camino de Santiago (TBD)
Barcelona (TBD)
Kraków (TBD)
Avignon (TBD)
Carcassonne (TBD)
Camino de Santiago (TBD)
Recent Excursions
Trekking Hadrian's Wall (9.2018)
Contact
mdlabounty@aol.com