And we shed what was left...

...of our Summer Skin.

So, the weather is getting colder, the leaves are changing, and I have gotten my sweaters out of the cupboard in the living room. Sad. One of the worst things is that the city streets are really barren now (minus the tourists with HUGE umbrellas that take up the whole street so that I can't get to work) because the restaurants have broken down their outdoor patios. The nice thing about Autumn is the FESTIVALS! When I lived in Ithaca there was a festival for practically every seasonally appropriate food. That includes chili, apples, wine and just general extravaganzas.

So, we decided to take advantage and go to the Pezinok wine festival! It is about 25-30 minutes away from Bratters and the return bus ticket is about 68 Sk ($3), so WHY NOT!?!? Pezinok is best known for their late harvest concoction called Burčiak. It comes in white and red varieties and actually has a lot of healthy antioxidant characteristics. Plus, its really tasty!



Posing before the crowds descended. On the way in we saw a cover band who were performing "Paradise City" by Guns & Roses. The guy was wearing a kilt. Classically hilarious. The festival really reminded me of fairs that you go to in the United States. Full of music, great food, crazy nick knacks and badly dressed people. Very nostalgic :)



The Slovak version of the Scrambler!!! I hadn't been on an amusement ride in ages, and Erin and I are both young at heart, so we immediately bought tickets! (it was only 60 Sk to ride it!!!) This picture was taken in the beginning of the day, so there wasn't much of a line yet. You wouldn't BELIEVE how many people were there later. You could barely get through them to continue down the street!



On the "Breakdance"/Scrambler!! It whips you around pretty well, so it was probably a good idea that we went on it BEFORE we started sampling the areas finest.



This one however? We went on that last before returning to the city :) The kids who wanted to keep their feet planted on the ground said that Erin and I looked like the only people who were having fun. We sprinted to the front seats because you get to see everything, and the G Force is NUTS there. We could hear the screams of the people behind us. We are seasoned riders, so we didn't even hold on to the restraining bars.



After waiting patiently for the last group to finish, our friends sprinted onto the platform to snag some cars so they could give each other minute whiplash. Unfortunately Erin's car was stolen by 2 bratty Slovak kids. See how she is about to get into the car? They almost sat on top of her to get it first. Ridiculous!!



Max and Erin scheming against the children who stole their car.



So if you decide to buy your Burčiak in "bulk", all of the booths have used 1.5L waterbottles that they have cleaned. Talk about recycling! It is a tradition though, so we decided to join in :) 1.0L was about 50 Sk.



After the wine festival Erin and I hightailed it back to our place and got ready in a mere 20 minutes so we could get to dinner at Chez Emilie, a new crêpe restaurant in the city centre!!! This is the owner, who is very nice and also VERY French. This was ok because we had 2 French people with us, and then 3 more people who speak French relatively well. I even ordered in French :) It was like being transported for 2 hours! Plus, the food and presentation were exceptional.



Silly Erin, it's not a finger bowl! It's your cider cup!!



My lovely ladies Anna (France), Pernille (Denmark) and Scotland (Sherisse). We will be going to Paris to Anna's house in November! I am so excited to see the Parisian underground culture!!!! We have been practicing our French weekly, so I should at least feel comfortable being there. I can still understand the majority of what people say, but I'm still a bit too timid to speak a whole lot. I have to really think about what I am going to say before I attempt it. Alors, c'est la vie!



Here is one of the savory crêpes!



Don't they look happy? You would be happy too if you found an authentic crêpe place. It has so many possibilities!



This is the desert portion of the dinner. They flambéed mine!! LOOK OUT! It was super tasty though :) Apples with caramel with a shot of something or other. I was too entranced by the whoosh of flame to really care....