Spring!

Spring is here! After going to Budapest and Croatia for two weeks over spring break, I came home to warm sunny skies and a town free of snow. It was all gone, even in the hills surrounding the castle. Left in its wake, though, is two months of garbage that was carelessly thrown aside. Now it lives under the bushes and besides the road.

With the warm weather also comes the outdoor tables. Some of the cafes and kava shops have already started serving outdoors in the town’s two squares and in the small pubs in the residential districts. People are flowing in the streets. Hibernation is over.

Riding my bike along the Vah River was like a slalom course, as you have to dodge in-line skaters, families with baby carriages, people walking dogs, more bikers and walkers. I didn't know so many people lived in Trencin. They have not been out in these numbers since I've been here.

The trees have buds that are just breaking. The birds start singing in the early morning and continue until eight at night. Students have returned and classes are in full swing. It’s hard to believe that in nine weeks it will all be over.