My first time skiing!!

Friday 10th / Saturday 11th February

As we were driving to Slovakia rather than flying we drove to Dover the night before our ferry was due to leave and slept in the car so we only had a tiny amount of the drive to the port to do the following morning.  It was pretty chilly outside the car but we both slept really well.  We boarded the ferry without any problems and settled down to eat a full English breakfast.  The crossing went very quickly and before we knew it we were in France, then driving through Belgium, Germany and finally reaching the border control for the Czech Republic at about 7.30pm where we decided to stop for dinner.  You could tell we were in Eastern Europe now because it was so much cheaper!  We had a lovely cooked dinner and two drinks which came to the grand total of £5!

The snow was unbelievably deep and we had so much fun playing around in it - big kids at heart!!

We were soon back in the car and Martin drove until about midnight, stopping just before we reached Slovakia.  We slept in the car again and despite the snow on the ground it was again a very comfortable and warm nights sleep.

Sunday 12th February

In the morning we set off pretty quickly but the snow was getting heavier and heavier.  I hadn't seen it this thick since I took my nephew to Lapland about four years ago!!!  Martin was a bit concerned as there wasn't much grit on the roads and he knew we had to pass through the mountains at a border crossing called Makov.  Although the mountain pass had been gritted it was still a testy drive but he coped really well.

We finally reached his house at about 10am and the first thing we had to do was dig out a path into his garden!!  Where the snow plough had been down the road the snow was piled up about 5 foot high on either side of the road and even in his actual garden it was about 3 foot high.  By now the temperature was really quite cold but we certainly kept warm shovelling the snow!

Martin went to the basement to fire up the wood and coal burning boiler but unfortunately it needed a bit of DIY first so we plugged in the electric heater and headed to Baumax to buy the necessary supplies to fix the boiler.  Now I knew Martin's Slovak was good but I had no idea it was this good - how on earth he managed to explain what he needed I have no idea!  We then had lunch in the pizza restaurant in Tesco before heading to Besenova - our favourite outdoor thermal spa.  Martin and his family have been going there for years but it was my first time in the summer and I couldn't wait to go back.  It was a bit different this time with snow on the ground and we ran very quickly into the pool!!!  Brrr....  But my gosh when we got in the water it was like getting into a bath, it was sooooooo warm!!  We stayed in there for a few hours just relaxing and letting the water take away the aches and pains of the journey.

On our way home we bumped into one of Martin's neighbours and he offered to help fix the boiler so whilst the men worked away in the basement I sat upstairs in front of the electric fire doing my Sodoku.  In no time at all it was fixed so we had dinner then off to bed.

Monday 13th February

All our good intentions of getting up and heading to the ski slope early were thrown out the window this morning - we just couldn't get out of bed!!!  We had such a good sleep so we decided to have a lazy day instead.  We got up late, had breakfast and then pottered around the house before heading down to Jasenka Dolina (the closest ski slopes to Martin's house) to have a look. When we got there we were told that the ski school was fully booked every morning so we took a chance and booked me in for Wednesday afternoon, hoping by that time my ankle would be feeling stronger.  Martin chose his snowboard and boots, and funnily enough it was the same snowboard that he had used the previous year!!  As it was pretty quiet Martin was allowed to take them away so he didn't have to faff about in the morning getting his board and boots from the shop, he could just go straight on the slope instead.

On our way home we booked up a table for dinner tomorrow night - Valentine's Day - at a lovely restaurant just down the road from Martin's house.

Tuesday 14th February

We were up bright and early this morning to go skiing but Martin's car had other plans!!!  His neighbour had allowed Martin to park outside his garage but unfortunately it was on a bit of a slope and Martin just couldn't reverse it out as it kept on spinning on the snow.  Eventually after covering the snow in ash from the fire and salt we eventually got it out.  Reverse into it next time we thought!

When we got to the ski slopes it was surprisingly quiet - usually this week of the month coincides with the holiday break for Slovakia and the Czech Republic but this year it was next week!!

I watched Martin for a while and then retreated into the cafe asking for a "tepla chokolada nie slachaka prosim"

I settled myself into a corner in front of the fire and took out my book to read - I could get used to this!

In the evening we went out for dinner and it was gorgeous!  Very cheap too - £11 for 2 starters, 2 dinners plus drinks!!

Wednesday 15th February

With trepidation I walked slowly behind Martin as we approached the ski slope.  My lesson wasn't until the afternoon so Martin left me in the cafe again where I continued reading my book and drinking hot chocolates.  By this time I was a dab hand at asking for a hot chocolate without cream!!  At midday Martin came and joined me and went over to the shop where I was fitted with boots and ski's.  I was very nervous putting the boot on my left foot as it had been really difficult getting my right boot on but the guy in the shop really loosened the laces so it wasn't too bad at all.  I grabbed my ski's and hobbled out of the shop.  Martin had to shoot back to the house quickly to stoke up the boiler so I had a little practice on my own whilst I waited for my instructor.  He was a German guy who didn't speak too much English but he was really nice and we had a lot of fun.  I learnt to snow plough and turn and I only fell over a few times!!  It was a 2 hour lesson and after the first hour we went up on the ski lift.  No, not to the very top - just to the top of the baby slope.  I really enjoyed this part but still got quite nervous about the turning.  I could turn left easily but found turning right harder as that meant putting my weight on my left ankle which was still sore and swollen.  After two hours my ankle had definitely had enough though and so I went to meet Martin as he came off the big slope.

Instead of easing our aches and pains at Besenova we decided to give this other spa a try which we had seen advertised.  It was called Modra Bazen but unfortunately it wasn't as nice......  It started promisingly though - it was in a hotel and we were given towels when we arrived and then once changed we followed this yellow line along a corridor which had heated floor tiles.  We finally found the spa but it was really more of a warm swimming pool, and a small one at that!  Before we were allowed in the water we had to have a shower first and the lady in charge literally bundled us into shower cubicles!  The only good thing about this spa was it had really powerful jets under water (similar to a jacuzzi) so once we discovered their locations in the water we didn't move for quite a while!!

Thursday 16th February

On Thursday morning we headed back to Jasenka Dolina where I managed another two hours of skiing.  It was really good fun and I even managed to go down the big slope once!  I got a bit scared though and only did it that one time.  I think next time I'll book another lesson and ask to go on the big slope so the teacher can show me the best places to go down it more slowly!!  Then on my last run down the baby slope I got a bit cocky and ended up in a huge pile of snow - I couldn't move because I was head first in it and my ski's were all caught up!!  Luckily the lift operator came over and unclipped my ski's for me - I was so embarrassed!  It really twisted my ankle though so I decided that was enough for me...  I met Martin over by the big slope and we headed back to the house.

Martin tended to the boiler (an every five hours task) and then we went out for lunch.  We wanted to go to this restaurant that we went to in the summer but it was closed!!!  We discovered this after driving down a very narrow tree lined road which hadn't been gritted or driven down for a fairly long time!  Unfortunately because of the conditions there was no way Martin could have turned road in the road without getting stuck so he reversed all the way back to the main road - which included going back over a narrow bridge!!!  The views looked so lovely though we decided to have lunch at the hotel near Martin's house and then drive back this way and go for a walk.  The snow was unbelievably deep and we had so much fun playing around in it - big kids at heart!!

Friday 17th February

It was snowing really heavily today and as neither of had goggles, plus we were both feeling pretty exhausted, we decided to take back Martin's snowboard and boots and have a day of rest instead.  We went present shopping at Tesco, had lunch in their pizza restaurant again then went to the bank in the town of Martin to pay some bills.  Afterwards we headed to Besenova.  We left pretty early and thought we'd get there before all the skiers and snowboards come off the slopes but the traffic was horrendous!!  What usually only took an hour max took closer to two hours!!!  When we arrived there was hardly any parking anywhere but Martin managed to sneak in a place right at the front!!!  There were Latvian's everywhere - we think two coach loads must have just turned up and it took us all ages to check in.  We booked up a massage for a few hours time and then ran into the pool.  We were feeling braver this time though so we dared each other to roll around in the snow in just our swim wear!!!  Now that was cold!!!  After our extremely firm all over body massage (at a grand cost of £7 each) we then had dinner at Hotel Flora just down the road from Besenova and then home to pack and go to bed.

Saturday 18th February

We were unsure of what way to drive home today due to the heavy snow that had fallen the day before.  We had two options for the return journey - one was to sweep down to Bratislava then up to Vienna and up into Austria than Germany, or we could chance the mountain pass once more as it is by far the quickest route home.  But with the snow on the roads it was a tough decision to make.

After goodbye chats with the neighbours and talking about which way to go we decided upon the mountain pass, figuring that we could always turn back if necessary.  We were on the road for 9.30am and once we turned off the road that headed to Bratislava and headed into the mountain pass our fears were gone - the road was so gritted you could hardly see any snow at all!!  The roads were clear, we had a clear blue sky and we could see the mountains in their full glory, covered in snow top to bottom.

We drove straight through until we reached the Czech/German border.  We tried to have dinner whilst we were still in the Czech Republic but luck was not on our side and it wasn't until we were in Germany when we saw a place to eat.  Everything was pork though!!!  I'm not a great lover of pork at all but when faced with that or nothing at all I chose pork.  And it was surprisingly tasty!!!  We then drove until about midnight and stopped in a lay-by for the night.

Sunday 19th February

We woke early and were on the road for about 7am.  We reached the ferry port really early so we managed to get on an earlier one at no extra cost.  On our way home we popped round mum and dad's to give them their presents and then we headed home.

What a week!!!!