Snow was almost a metre high, temperature was minus 12 degree Celsius and it was just white white and white all over. I was thoroughly enjoying the bus ride, the landscape was so stunningly beautiful and I was already planning for my next days meeting in Paris. Soon after, I saw couple of bill boards welcoming us to Slovakia!.
I didn't give any special attention to those until I noticed that display signs were in increasing numbers as the Euro Lines went by. First I thought that it was only a tourism campaign of newly formed Slovakia in Austria similar to what many developing tourism destinations do in originating markets. I remember having seen plenty of ads for Greece and Turkey closer to many European airports and there was nothing that prompted me to think otherwise.
In another twenty minutes I realised what I was up to this time. Amongst many misadventures in the last three years, probably this was the most hilarious.
When couple of private schools invited me for a talk in Europe, they had asked me whether I would mind if they book my tickets on one of the 'no frills' airlines. They had also mentioned that the flights are not from Vienna International Airport, but from another smaller airport which is an hour away from the former. Since this was the case with most of the cheap flights like Easy Jet and Ryan Air flying out of the UK airports of London City Airport, Gatwick or Stansted, I told them it is fine.
When I was certain that I was about to cross the border from Austria into Sloavakia, I went through my printouts and saw the airport name mentioned as 'Bratislava'. My knowledge about capitals of the new world wasn't any helpful at that time to realise that Bratislava was the capital of new break away Sloavakia! Even though sometimes I used to jokingly tell my friends when I make some 'cultural mistakes' that I am an ignorant foreigner, this was the peak of my ignorance and carelessness.
I was just about to enter a country to which I didn't have a VISA!!!
Cochin © GP 2007
I didn't give any special attention to those until I noticed that display signs were in increasing numbers as the Euro Lines went by. First I thought that it was only a tourism campaign of newly formed Slovakia in Austria similar to what many developing tourism destinations do in originating markets. I remember having seen plenty of ads for Greece and Turkey closer to many European airports and there was nothing that prompted me to think otherwise.
In another twenty minutes I realised what I was up to this time. Amongst many misadventures in the last three years, probably this was the most hilarious.
When couple of private schools invited me for a talk in Europe, they had asked me whether I would mind if they book my tickets on one of the 'no frills' airlines. They had also mentioned that the flights are not from Vienna International Airport, but from another smaller airport which is an hour away from the former. Since this was the case with most of the cheap flights like Easy Jet and Ryan Air flying out of the UK airports of London City Airport, Gatwick or Stansted, I told them it is fine.
When I was certain that I was about to cross the border from Austria into Sloavakia, I went through my printouts and saw the airport name mentioned as 'Bratislava'. My knowledge about capitals of the new world wasn't any helpful at that time to realise that Bratislava was the capital of new break away Sloavakia! Even though sometimes I used to jokingly tell my friends when I make some 'cultural mistakes' that I am an ignorant foreigner, this was the peak of my ignorance and carelessness.
I was just about to enter a country to which I didn't have a VISA!!!
Cochin © GP 2007
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