Return to Modra

Slovakia

“All things in the universe rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the source. Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.“

Lao Tzu

Today we drive back to Modra.

It has rained overnight, and I push concerns of the steep, narrow, winding road that we need to take aside while I make porridge.

I like the ritual of porridge. Some meals are an assembly; some you can leave to cook. Porridge is simple, yet requires attention. You can’t walk away. The focus is meditative.

The drive toward Modra is more pleasant than the drive away a few days ago.

We stop in at Cuvée for some coffees before walking to Wild Kitchen for lunch.

We start with a 2025 Juran z Modry Pinot Blanc from the Špígle vineyard in Modra.

To start, we order krémová paradajková polievka s obilninami a zeleninou, a rich tomato soup with vegetables, grains, and pasta. Lasagne s ricottou a mätou, a creamy ricotta filled lasagne. This comes with the main, as the kitchen burned the first.

We switch to a 2024 Víno Šimonovič Müller-Thurgau to have with the mains. I order the cestoviny so smotanovo-paradajkovou omáčkou a krevetami, and Shell decides on the zmes obilnín so záhradnou zeleninou a hubami.

Rachelle’s mixed grains with mushrooms arrives first, and it looks delicious. My pasta arrives with a glorious plump shrimp sitting proudly on the summit. I watch Rachelle’s fork dart across the table with incredible speed and breathtaking accuracy. The shrimp is gone.

We finish lunch with another glass of the Müller-Thurgau, and the room is ready for us.

We are staying in the same apartment complex in a different room. It is quiet and the windows and door open directly onto the courtyard.

I keep an eye on the Pies game while we read our books as rain threatens. All is as it should be.

“When you are in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

We decide to change things up and have ice cream for dinner.

For reference, the ultimate three scoop combination is pistachio, salted caramel, and chocolate. There is no debate.