Silent Saturday: Sound of Music
An Afternoon in Bratislava
For years, Bo and his friends have laughed about the movie EuroTrip. It’s a completely ridiculous, National Lampoon’s style movie from 2004 that is a play on the many stereotypes that come along with an American teenager trip to Europe. At one point in the movie, the characters accidently end up in Bratislava with only $5 in their pocket.
Today, while on the road from Prague to Vienna, when we saw a sign for Bratislava we knew we had to cross the border for an afternoon adventure. Not only did it serve as a perfect lunch stop but it also allowed us to visit Slovakia, a country none of us had ever visited. 
When we arrived in Bratislava we went straight to Church of St. Elisabeth, more commonly known as the Blue Church. Located in Old Town, it’s light blue color and mosaics gave it the nickname, the Blue Church. Built in 1907, it is the newest of the churches we’ve seen thus far on our adventures. Unfortunately we could only peer through the gate as the church wasn’t open for visitors, but the inside looked gorgeous and decorated with similar blue hues as the outside. 
After lunch we headed to Cafe Verne which was highly recommended by Yelp, Four Square and Trip Advisor for the inexpensive yet delicious hearty local cuisine. The cafe features seating both indoor and outdoor on a small terrace overlooking the square. 
Unfortunately it was a bit chilly to sit outside so we opted for a seat inside the cafe surrounded by locals enjoying lunch and talking across tables.
We ordered the items most often recommended on Yelp which included the goulash, gnocchi and fresh lemonade. The lemonade, was refreshing and a perfect afternoon drink, made with very little sweetener and sparkling water which gave it an extra kick. The goulash was hearty and made with pork pieces instead of the traditional beef we’ve had in the past. The gnocchi while delicious was far too rich for my taste due to the heavy cream sauce and the bacon topping. 
45 minutes later we found ourselves leaving Bratislava full of delicious food and ready to continue our adventure towards Vienna. 
If you find yourself driving between Prague, Vienna, Budapest or any of the other nearby cities I highly recommend a stop in Bratislava as it is a perfect afternoon spot rich in history and featuring multiple restaurants and cafe in the Old Town. In fact, if we’d had more time we would have explored Devin Castle and Michael’s Gate.
The Munich Beer Hall Tour
Greetings from Munich! 
After an afternoon of castle touring we arrived in Munich, our destination for 24 hours, around 6pm. We quickly checked into our gorgeous hotel, the Sofitel Mayer Bayerpost. We were greeted by the fresh aroma of fresh flowers as soon as we entered the hotel. I am not sure whether it is due to the upcoming Easter holidays or always like this but there were huge arrangements, like the one below, in the foyer and check-in area featuring pastel colors. 
The service we have received thus far has been by far and away the best service we had ever enjoyed. The check-in process for both couples was smooth and they were even kind enough to offer us complimentary upgrades since the hotel isn’t full this weekend! After showing us our room the kind staff even offered to provide their suggestions for the best beer halls and places to enjoy since we only had one evening in Munich. 
Once we finished exploring the hotel and freshening up in our rooms we headed out to explore Munich, the city which has been called a beer fanatics heaven. Our goal was to check out three highly recommended beer halls during the evening, while also enjoying some delicious Bavarian food such as the soft pretzels, schnitzel and sausages. Our walk through the city squares during dusk was the perfect way to take in the cities churches, sites and people watch as many men and women decked out in traditional Bavarian garb such as lederhosen made from buck skin!
Though some might say that this is the most touristy of all the beer halls (likely a true statement) we felt that no stay in Munich was complete without a stop at the famed institution. With seating for over 8,000 this place feels enormous. The beer is obviously fantastic with wonderful Bavarian food to match. Of all the halls we visited, we enjoyed Hofbrauhaus’s pretzels more than anywhere else. There was also a band playing traditional Bavarian music which made for a lively and convivial atmosphere.
A small, very quiet hall serving Paulaner, we stopped in for a quick half-liter at the bar. The beer was good and the place felt relaxed but we felt like we had experienced everything this hall had to offer after 30 minutes.
Another lively hall with a large outdoor area that spills into the street, we sat here for about 30 minutes. The service was a little less cheery here though that of course could have been our individual server.
This place was a PARTY. Admittedly, we did arrive here after 11PM and so many of the patrons were on the tail end of many hours of drinking but there was a live band and everyone was having fun we enjoyed the music and another beer before heading back to the hotel to get some well deserved rest.
On the topic of beer, what is your favorite beer?
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