Henry starts planning for next step

[Greg_Di 1,028]

 

With a few games left of the regular season and then playoffs, Henry's time in Bratislava is starting to come to a potential end. Being draft eligible next season, he does not know where he will end up. He could potentially be asked to stay up in the VHL when he is drafted or if he goes back to the VHLE, he does not know what team will draft him.

Due to the uncertainty, Henry has decided to start packing early. With playoffs approaching and then the draft, he may not have the time to pack once the season is done. He didn't bring much to Bratislava but during his year here, he has acquired some gifts of local Slovakian items that he will be distributing as gifts to friends and family. He also bought something for himself.

 

The first item he will be packing up is for his friends and family back home. This item is Slovak wine. Slovakia does not have much of a wine export economy but they do have quite a few wineries in the south of the country which produce some pretty decent wine. While Henry is not a drinker, he has family who loves to taste different wines from all over the world and this will be a great gift item for them. Slovakia produces Red, White and Rose style wines. The most popular red wine in Slovakia is the Frankovka Modra and Henry has made sure to stock up quite a few bottles. Hopefully border security will let him leave with so many bottles!

 

The second item is once again alcohol! Border Security might think he is some sort of alcoholic but once again this item will be a gift for his father who loves this type of alcohol. What alcohol are we talking about? No other then Slivovica. The is the most popular hard alcohol in Slovakia and has the taste of Plum. It is hard to acquire this drink in some countries so this would be a great gift. The company also makes this alcohol in many different flavors such as Blueberry, Raspberry and even Apricot! While this alcohol is not very expensive, it does have a unique taste. This alcohol is more meant for slow sipping rather then chugging or mixing.

The final item Henry will make sure to bring back with him, is something that he bought for himself to remember his time in Slovakia. This item is the Valaska. What is a Valaska you may ask? A Valaska is an ornamental axe, that is used by the Slovakian people as either a cane or in traditional dances. These axes are usually hand carved and come with different carved designs on the handle. Henry will hang this on his wall to always remember the good times he had in Bratislava and to remind him to continue working hard. The Valaska he acquired was carved for him by one of the longest Bratislava fans. The fan carved a silhouette of a  hockey player into the wood and carved Henry's name and jersey number as well.