European Off-the-Beaten-Path: Košice, Slovakia 🇸🇰

🚌 3 AM Comedy of Errors: When Košice Tricked Us for a Capital Boardin' the Flixbus from Budapest, my mate 'n' me were hyped to tick off Europe. Woken at 3 AM by the driver, I squinted at the station sign: "Košice"—wait, Bratislava's the capital! The map's font size played us 😭. We turned into a human sculpture exhibit till 7 AM, when McDonald's🍔 fries wafted us back to life. 🌞 Morning Market Magic: Grandpa's "China Friendship Pack" Locals kept stopping by, probably checking if we'd kicked the bucket 😅. Just as we rose, the morning market hit: Strawberry Smackdown: €3 for a washbasin-sized carton, so sweet we nearly stomped our shoes off🍓; Cherry Charm: Overhearing "China Beijing", the grandpa piled extra cherries into our €3 bag, tossing in chili🌶️, apples🍎, and apricots, chanting "Friendship!" in Slovak. 🛒 Supermarket Score: €0.5 Snacks That Screamed 'Home' Went to stock up, floored by prices: Honey almond chocolate for €0.7/bar, packaging dead ringer for childhood Maltesers; Local crisps at €0.4/bag, tomato flavor with a tangy Eastern Euro twist; Cherry juice at €1.2/liter, as sweet as freshly squeezed🍒. 🏨 ¥100 Wonder: Budget Traveler's Dream Our hotel, 10-min walk from old town, had: Private bathroom + AC (rare in Eastern Euro oldies!); Breakfast with warm croissants and Slovak cheese platters; Front desk dude drew a map, marking free viewpoints and locals-only beer gardens🍻. "Even Košice's 3 AM chaos came with warmth. When grandpa stuffed apricots in our bag, it hit me: off-the-beaten-path travel's all about being blindsided by human kindness." #SlovakiaTravel #Košice #BudgetWanderlust #EuroHiddenJewel