BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – AC/DC
Dates: 19.07.2024 – 23.07.2024
RIX-VIE
19.07.2024: We’re about to tick off one of my life bucket list items — seeing an AC/DC concert live. Destination: Bratislava. Since our flight is at 17:40, I’m working from home today to squeeze in as much productivity as possible and avoid taking a day off. Efficiency level: Latvian.
We’re flying as a group of five — together with my brothers ”crew”. The flight is to Vienna, because apparently you can’t fly directly from Riga to Bratislava. From there, we’ll pick up a car and continue the journey. On the way to the airport, we receive a message: 40-minute delay.
Of course. Today the world is experiencing yet another strange episode — a global cyberattack affecting companies and systems using Microsoft infrastructure. Flights delayed, train traffic disrupted worldwide… hopefully our delay stays at just those 40 minutes. In the end, it’s 50 minutes late — but we land safely in Vienna.
After navigating the airport maze, we find our rental company, Dryve. First time using them. After
registration, we’re handed a Škoda Scala. 316€ for 4 days. Plus 110€ extra for the Austrian vignette and cross-border permission. The drive to Győr takes about 1.5 hours. Along the way, we have a small adventure with the Hungarian vignette. We manage to drive roughly 500 meters on the highway without one before quickly purchasing it. Hopefully no fine was triggered. We’ll find out later…
Technically we only need a 24-hour vignette, but Hungary sells them by calendar date — which would mean buying two at 16€ each. A 10-day vignette costs 19€. Easy decision. Most of the drive is on the autobahn, but it’s not exactly relaxing. Heavy traffic, cruise control not really
an option, and driving 130 km/h in the dark keeps you alert. It’s not a long drive, yet the fatigue builds up. And of course — manual transmission. I haven’t driven in a while. The first 20 minutes are slightly awkward, but muscle memory kicks in. By the time we hit cruising speed, I remember how to dance with the clutch again. Rock concert mode: activated!
GYOR, HUNGARY
19.07.2024: We checked into Hotel Klastrom. They had exactly one parking spot left — 6€ until tomorrow at 12:00. Lucky timing. Before calling it a night, we headed out for a quick beer. Ended up at Kis Bohém bar, where one draft Hungarian beer costs… 1.59€. Beautiful number. Almost suspiciously beautiful. We briefly considered doing a proper evening walk around the city, but sleep was already knocking. Better to be rested.
During the night it got uncomfortably warm. We didn’t want to turn on the AC since it blows directly onto the bed, so I opened the window instead. Our room faces the street, which means buses start performing their morning concert around 5 a.m. Still — surprisingly decent sleep overall. Breakfast in the castle courtyard. Not great, not terrible. Omelette and sausages.
After breakfast we head out for a short city walk before continuing toward Bratislava.
Győr feels quiet, cozy, and very tidy. In size — maybe like two Liepājas (Latvia). Cafés are only just waking up, slowly opening their doors. The whole place has a calm, unhurried Sunday-morning vibe. I withdraw a bit of cash from an ATM — mostly to keep a Hungarian banknote as a souvenir. Small rituals matter.
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA: OLD TOWN
20.07.2024: After roughly an hour on the road, we arrive in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
The plan was simple — drop the bags at the apartment and then head out to buy breakfast supplies. But we’ve arrived too early. No access yet. So off to the grocery store we go… fully
packed like wandering backpackers.
After a short recharge at the apartment, we head toward the AC/DC pop-up store near the Old Town. Conveniently, Bolt operates here too — and it’s noticeably cheaper than in Riga. With five people in the crew, public transport simply isn’t a realistic option. I fail to resist temptation and buy a 35€ “For Those About to Rock” cap. No regrets tough.
Later we meet up — somewhat coincidentally — with Arturs, a friend of Edgars (my brother), who happens to be in Bratislava for a poker tournament. He’s here with his family, which means
our goddaughter now has a friend to run around with for the evening. Perfect combo: poker and parenting logistics aligned. Dinner in the Old Town, then a relaxed walk along the promenade by the Danube. Warm evening, easy atmosphere, city lights reflecting in the water.
Heading back home, we call Bolt again — and our driver turns out to be the same Sergejs who drove us earlier. Small city vibes. Or maybe just a limited number of drivers willing to transport
five slightly overexcited rock fans.
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA: UFO
21.07.2024: The night here was… eventful. The apartment is about 200 meters from the train
station, so we hear the trains every now and then. Still, somehow, we actually slept pretty well.
We make our own breakfast and head out toward the famous UFO Observation Deck — officially part of the SNP Bridge stretching across the Danube.
The ticket to the top costs €11.90 per person on a Sunday. Luckily, today’s weather is absolutely perfect for observation towers. On one side, you get a beautiful panoramic view over Bratislava’s Old Town, with Bratislavský Hrad shining in full glory. On the other side… well, it looks like a massive Eastern European “Block area” — endless rows of concrete apartment blocks lined up as far as the eye can see. The tower, built in 1972, also has a small restaurant where we settle in for a coffee and a beer. Surprisingly pricey for Bratislava — €5.50 for a 0.3L beer. But as they say… you pay for the view.
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA: AC/DC
21.07.2024: Around 4 PM we start heading toward the real reason we came here — the Australian hard rock legends AC/DC and their Power Up European Tour show in Bratislava, held at the old airport grounds. Unofficial sources say more than 100,000 tickets were sold. We’ll see about that!
We’re staying practically next to the train station, which conveniently takes us to the venue and (hopefully) back after the concert. €12.50 per person for the round trip — not bad.
Getting there is surprisingly smooth. No endless queues, no serious crowd chaos. The venue area is absolutely massive — well, it is an old airport after all. We queue up for drinks and then head to our seats just as the opening act, The Pretty Reckless, is already playing. I actually know a few of their songs, so this “mini concert” is a solid warm-up. But in less than an hour — the real deal.
The sea of people is endless. Honestly, buying seated tickets was the right call. It’s properly hot outside, and standing in the middle of that crowd without easy access to water or toilets could’ve been… character-building. And then it begins!
Angus and Brian run onto the stage (yes, run — not walk — at 70+ years old!) and kick things off with “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” — instant goosebumps. From there, it’s two hours that fly by in what feels like twenty minutes. Mostly the classics everyone’s known for 40 years, with a few tracks from the new album mixed in. When “Highway to Hell,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” and “T.N.T.” hit — all hundred thousand people just exploded. Absolutely epic. Unreal! One of those true bucket list moments that, after years of waiting, is finally checked off. It still doesn’t feel real that we were actually there. If anything, it’s almost sad how fast it all went.
The journey home, though… let’s just say it had character. We had planned to hang around a bit after the show to let the first big wave of people leave. Unfortunately, the organizers weren’t having it — stage teardown had to begin immediately, so everyone was pushed out at once. We missed the “early sprint” to the trains and landed right in the middle of the main human avalanche. What should’ve been a 15-minute train ride turned into roughly a 3-hour mission back home. But hey — it is what it is!
HRAD DEVIN
22.07.2024: With Devín Castle, we kind of messed up. After arriving, we realized that — of course — it’s closed on Mondays. Classic timing. So instead, we walked around the castle grounds along the Danube. And honestly, maybe it worked out for the best. Climbing all the way up to the castle with little Enija would probably have been quite the challenge for everyone involved.
Right nearby, we stopped at a small café for a coffee, a beer, or a radler — depending on personal priorities. Then it was time to head back toward Bratislava. Madara decided to try an “Ocean Spritz.” Sounds refreshing, right? Turns out it’s a pretty strong gin-based cocktail, colored in that unmistakable toothpaste-blue shade. Not exactly a taste sensation… but hey — now she knows what it is. And sometimes that’s the whole point.
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA: HRAD BRATISLAVSKY
22.07.2024: For the final act of the evening, we grab a Bolt and head up to Bratislava Castle. Since
we’re five people, XL Bolt has basically become our official transport solution for this trip. I’ve consistently occupied the prestigious third row in the back — and at this point, I feel qualified to provide professional-level comfort reviews of various car brands from the “last row perspective.”
The castle park sits on top of the hill, offering wide, open views across Bratislava’s Old Town — with the UFO tower and endless apartment blocks stretching out in the background. A proper postcard moment.
From there, it’s time to hunt down dinner. We had our eyes on 17’s Bar, which supposedly serves an excellent traditional Slovak garlic soup in a bread bowl. Can confirm — very solid choice. Being properly hungry, I also ordered a pizza “just in case.” That… was ambitious. Definitely unnecessary. After eating, the brain suggested a relaxed evening stroll through the city. The legs
strongly disagreed. Yesterday’s intensity had clearly caught up with us, and today’s fatigue vote won unanimously. Homeward bound it is.
PODERSDORF AM SEE, AUSTRIA
23.07.2024: Today we decided to wake up… slowly. No alarms, no urgency. We’ve pretty much
checked off everything we really wanted to see in Bratislava, so there’s no pressure to rush anywhere. On the way to Vienna Airport, we make a small detour to the relaxed little resort town of Podersdorf am See to soak up some sun. The weather today is absolutely perfect for that kind of activity.
Now, let’s be honest — I can’t survive 2–3 hours just lying in the sun doing absolutely
nothing. So naturally, I start looking for alternative entertainment and discover that I can
rent a SUP board. Paddling on Neusiedler See feels slightly surreal. Even 30 meters from the shore, the water is barely above waist-deep. It’s almost like paddling across a very large puddle.
But on the bright side — super safe for kids. The lake is buzzing with all kinds of water activities, and there are plenty of people enjoying the day. Entrance to the beach area costs €8.90 per person. Well… we are in old Europe — Austria. Everything costs money.
Before heading to the airport, we unanimously vote in favor of kebabs. Airport food is
guaranteed to be more expensive, so this feels like a financially responsible decision. The drive itself is short — about 30 minutes — but we still have one mission: to top up the fuel tank to the exact level we received it at. Fuel prices in Austria are basically the same as in Slovakia, so it doesn’t really matter where we fill up. And just like that — airport mode activated.
VIE-RIX
23.07.2024: Returning the car at Vienna Airport is incredibly smooth — if you know which parking
garage to aim for. Luckily, our rental company Dryyve had sent clear instructions by email beforehand. All rental companies use the same return area, regardless of who you booked with. Simple. Efficient. The way it should be.
Three hours under the morning sun has clearly left its mark on a group of pale city people. Madara now has a perfectly white cross pattern on her back from the bathing suit. My back is also sending strong feedback signals. Who would’ve thought — going to Austria to get sunburned. Security control is surprisingly quick as well, so we finally get a moment to just sit down and breathe. The little summer getaway has officially come to an end. We waited so long for that concert, and it flew by in what felt like minutes. But the emotional battery is fully
recharged! Now it’s time to start preparing for the big autumn adventure — the US West Coast road trip.