September is team building month in Foliovision. Every year we go on a trip and take a few moments to relax and enjoy the company of our colleagues' outside the office and to celebrate Alec's birthday. This year wasn't any different, so we went on a bike trip along the Danube to Foliovision's favourite spot, a lovely little beach just across the Devin Castle.
In front of our offices on Panska Street
As it turned out, we chose the best day possible for a bike trip as there was an EU Summit in Bratislava so most of the streets were closed for cars, which meant we all arrived to work on our bikes and very early, due to the non-existing traffic. (Some people were playing football in streets, like Stefanikova, where the usual Bratislava traffic jams take place.) This also meant we were surrounded by lots of security during the city part of our ride. There were literally dozens of policemen deployed on the northern river bank, wearing same black or green uniforms and same bored faces, while monitoring the curious crowds swarming on the Old Town's promenade. Not something you see every day in Bratislava.
Bratislava's finest, guarding the EU representatives
We were headed the opposite way and after crossing the Lafranconi bridge, we headed down the forest route (Alec's shortcut). It took us a few kilometres, some nettle stings and one scratched knee to reach the Austrian side of Danube. Afterwards the path changed from an European jungle to a more comfortable but dusty road.
Obligatory selfie stop
In a few kilometres we finally reached our destination - a pebble beach near Hainburg surrounded by a muddy riverbed, which was almost empty because of low water level. Finally we were able to unpack and enjoy the warmth of one of the last days of summer, the view of the Devin Castle and of course the presence of our dear colleagues.
The Foliovision bike mob
Everybody grabbed something to eat and drink and Dia, who had a task to capture the team building on video, set up the camera. Alec then formed a group of volunteers who went swimming a few hundred meters up the river.
Pato testing the waters
While they were on the way back, carried by the Danube current, the rest of the team was already throwing a frisbee and relaxing on the beach. The evening followed in the same spirit, with Maros challenging others in badminton and everyone just talking, laughing and having a great time.
Beer, buns, bare feet and great home made apple pie. Did anyone remember to bring water?
Some time later we were joined by Alec's family - Lucka, Constantin and their Belgian shepherd Thor. Ivka organized a frisbee tournament, which was a great fun for everyone involved, especially for Thor, who at some point managed to seize the frisbee for himself and took it into the water, clearly enjoying the attention he raised. After a minute or two however, he decided to let us continue with our game.
Dia on a mission
As mentioned earlier, Alec was celebrating his birthday along with Riso and Edo, so we sang Happy Birthday, handed out the presents, and everyone had a piece of delicious apple pie made by Anicka. We left around 6 p.m. and took a different route home, through the fields of Lower Austria, around Wolfsthal, enjoying the last hours of sunlight and later a breathtaking full moon above Bratislava.
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