Hello there, Gentle Readers! We Traveling Socks have been lying in Stacy Lyn’s sock drawer for a few of months just waiting to take her traveling again.

She is home now, back in Louisiana, enjoying all of the things that make a place home.

But when the opportunity to visit with friends in a faraway place surfaced, she said, “Norm, get my Socks! It’s time to take a trip.”

Stacy Lyn is of an age (*cough cough*) where travel for its own sake is not so alluring anymore. It is not so much about seeing a new place. It’s about reconnecting with people who are important to her.

Who, pray-tell, are the lucky ones who have burrowed deep down in Stacy Lyn’s heart, you ask? A couple of Devil Dogs – U.S. Marines. They said, “Come to Bratislava, Stacy Lyn! We miss you! You will love this pretty little city!”

Well, they are Marines, so you know that is not exactly what they said, but you get the idea.

Stacy Lyn and Norm hopped a plane, flew over a few countries, and voila – landed in beautiful Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, just in time for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. (This was no small feat, mind you. Stacy Lyn is deathly afraid of flying. We know, quite an anomaly for a world traveler, but still, she is.)

The Marines were right – look how pretty the city is. Here we pose with Stacy Lyn in the town center. It was cold, but who cares? We’re made of wool, thanks to clever Heidi Sue.

Stacy Lyn couldn’t help but to strike up a conversation with this rag doll outside a souvenir store. You know how much she loves rag dolls. (She bought a small one, by the way.)

As Stacy Lyn and Norm hiked up the hill to Hrad Castle, they passed this beautiful building, home to a lucky family.

And there up on the hill, holding vigil over the town below, Hrad Castle stood proudly.

But the fun didn’t stop there. Oh, no, indeed not!

Stacy Lyn allowed us to show our beautiful selves at the Birthday Ball. We were surrounded by our old friends, and we even managed to make a few new ones.

Oh, how much fun we had! Travel is worth doing, especially when it means we get to share our lives with people we love.