Wizz Air is a Hungarian owned airline that flies out of FCO. For more info on budget airlines in Euope, like Wizz Air, click here! That morning we put our son on an Alitalia flight back to the States (2+ hours waiting in lines – Good thing we got there early) and so back to FCO we went, arriving early again. Seems like we spent most of our day at FCO! We waited to check in almost 50 minutes and then spent another 45 minutes to go through the security line. Nothing like the organization of FCO. After all this waiting, our plane was then delayed two hours and we did not leave Rome till early evening. Not a great start to our brief getaway!

We wanted to spend a couple days just getting away from the mad rush that is Christmas in Rome. Bratislava in January fit that bill. Yes, it was a little cold… and our last might there it started snowing… which was beautiful. We wandered the city, ate at many Slovak restaurants, and just relaxed. Exactly what the doctor ordered. On one of our days, we walked to the train station and caught the local train to Vienna, a trip that took less than one hour and cost €11 each. After a day wandering through Old Vienna, we jumped back on the train to Slovakia.

Living in Rome, we don’t get snow so it was great to wake up to a winter wonderland. We enjoyed our day wandering through snow-covered Bratislava.

The best part of our trip to Bratislava? No doubt was our stay at the Venturska Residence. The residence is actually a group of apartments located in the Old Town section of Bratislava. If you’re headed to Bratislava, you will want to stay in the Old Town. It borders the Danube River and is the most wonderful part of the city. The Venturska Residence is owned an operated by Jan, a local who lived and worked in Utah during the Salt Lake City Olympics. Jan was a delight. We had arranged for Jan to pick us up at the Bratislava airport, a service he provides for a minimal fee. When we were “stuck” in the FCO airport, I called Jan in Slovakia and he assured me that no matter how late our plane was he would be waiting for us. And sure enough, after a long day – there he was as we exited the terminal, holding a sign bearing our name. Jan drove us into the city and told us about Bratislava.

Jan has operated the Venturska Residence for about five years. Once we arrived, he took us to our apartment (we opted for the studio) and showed us how everything worked. He explained the security door, and then filled us in on sights to see in Bratislava. We asked questions about the train and heading to Vienna and Jan knew all the answers. In my business, finding someone like Jan is a gold mine. He was courteous, helpful, and throughout our stay responded to any queries we had. The pictures you see on Jan’s website are exactly what the apartments look like. We had all this in our studio apartment: a double bed, fold-out sofa, dining table with chairs, wardrobe, PC desk with a swivel chair, private bathroom with shower, cable TV, DVD/CD player, digital alarm-clock radio, free broadband Internet access, iron & ironing board, hair-dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, cooker, microwave, kettle, coffee maker, toaster, crockery & cutlery, cookware & kitchen utensils. And there was a new, modern elevator. Just like the website said…. No wonder this residence is rated so highly. We plan to go back “in season” and we will stay at the Venturska Residence.

So if you’re looking for a quick trip to recharge your batteries, or just wind down after running from site after site, then head to Bratislava… Enjoy a slower pace, wonderful food, and just RELAX!