The Last Stop

By the time we arrived in Bratislava, the slight sniffle I developed on our way to Krakow had turned into a full-blown cold and desire to be in my own bed. Much of the inspiration for this vacation came from the movie Eurotrip, so despite a cough that had people thinking I was a crack addict, I was incredibly excited to visit Bratislava. I knew it wouldn’t really be like the punch line of a city in the movie but for us it would be the culmination of three weeks of movie quotes and jokes.

The drive there officially made Slovakia the most castle-rific country in Europe. I seriously lost count of the number of castles and castle ruins we spotted between the small town we stayed the previous night and Bratislava. I’d hate to be the only loser on the block in the olden days who couldn’t afford a castle in this country.

Bratislava naturally came equipped with its own castle situated near the pedestrian mall where we spent much of the little time we had in town. We wandered in and out of chemist shops in search of medicine to stop my cough and through touristy shops looking for cheesy fridge magnets.

As our time in Bratislava drew to a close, so too did our European adventure. We had had a fabulous time wandering the roads and cities and cultures of eight countries. I realize that we didn’t make more than a dent into truly discovering any of the places we visited. Nonetheless, in most places we tried to discover local haunts and try local delicacies, and made an effort to at least peripherally visit the cities in which we stayed.

Our European adventure definitely ranks as one of our best trips ever. Sure, we fought along the way, got lost along the way, and even probably should have received a traffic ticket or three along the way but we had a great time. When we returned the rental car to the airport in Vienna, we made an easy promise to one another: Map Girl and Clutch Boy will definitely be making a return trip to the rainy, castle filled, dream inspiring continent of Europe.