The first clear signs of winter arrival came on the last day of November when Slovakia was partly covered with snow. That was when we realised that Christmas and the end of the year are approaching.

This year, we got into the Christmas spirit at the second December’s weekend. First, we visited the famous Christmas markets in Budapest on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, the children were excited about performance at the local puppet theatre in Košice and, of course, about St. Nicholas’ presents.

Budapest welcomed us with cold weather. Our HR department prepared an interesting program. We could choose between a visit to Tropicarium and the National Natural History Museum.

Walking to Tropicarium, we were full of expectations: the kids wanted to see Nemo and Dory, their cartoon heroes, while the adults wanted to get thrilled meeting sharks. No doubt, the most interesting part there was the 12-meter-long tunnel we went through and enjoyed a breath-taking sight of the submarine world.

We spent about an hour in the museum where we saw various mineralogical and geological collections, dinosaur exhibits in the garden, and the amazing sea world of coral reefs displayed under the floor in one of the rooms. When leaving, we enjoyed the view of an enormous whale skeleton hanging from the lobby ceiling once again.

After the educational program, we went to the centre of Budapest. The main Christmas markets were in two places: St. Stephen’s Basil and Vörösmarty Squares. The squares were filled with small stalls selling beautiful handmade products and Hungarian delicacies. The wonderful Christmassy smells were wafted across the place and we could really sense the atmosphere. Some of us went on sightseeing to explore the most interesting places in Budapest such as the Parliament, St. Stephan’s Basilica and the banks of the Danube River.

On Sunday the children attended “Elephant”, a show at the Puppet Theatre in Košice, visited by St. Nicholas and his assistants – a devil and angel at the end. The children were courageous and did not fear the devil at all. They left the show happy with packets full of sweet and other treats.

We wish all a magical Christmas and the healthy and successful New Year 2018.