MY FALL1996 TRIP TO SLOVAKIA

October 14, of this year I have made yet another trip to Slovakia, third one this year. I flew my favorite Canadian Airlines to Frankfurt, changed plane, and continued to Munich. Munich airport is smaller, but much more modern than Frankfurt. They do charge you two Marks for the luggage cart, expecting you to have some change or you can carry your luggage in your hands. I feel the carts at any airport should be free. After a transatlantic 9-hour journey you are tired and the last thing you need is for someone demanding two Marks for luggage cart upon your arrival. I followed the signs to car rentals, they are located in separate section. My papers were ready and so was the car and the service was really friendly at Sixt Budget Car Rental Agency. Of course this is a great deal. It cost me $ 600.00 Canadian for a 28-day rental of Ford Opel Corsa and unlimited mileage. The car had 6000 kilometers on the tachometer when I got it. At first I was a bit worried from the Autobahn as the last time I drove in Germany was in 1975. What a pleasure to drive the Autobahn, no speed limit, soon I discovered that Opel Corsa will do 150 Kilometers per hour, so I went through Germany and Austria at the full speed of Corsa. From Munich I went to Salzburg, Linz, Vienna in Austria and then on to Bratislava. The countryside that I traveled had reminded me of Spis. Perhaps that was one of the reasons so many people of German origin have settled in the Spis region in the past as it must have reminded them their homeland. The churches were very similar too. I went to Slovakia through the border crossing in Jarovce open only to citizens of Slovakia and Austria. I had shown the border patrol my Slovak passport. I was questioned about the ownership of the car with German license plates. After a brief explanation and proof of my another citizenship with my Canadian passport I was allowed to enter Slovakia.

I was in Bratislava for a day and then I went to visit my friend the mayor of Chrenovec-Brusno, Emil Trgina where I learned that the festival of Slavonic songs in Telgart was on October 19, instead of the 26, as anticipated. Here was my first change in my busy schedule. Telgart is written about on previous pages by our new Slovak correspondent Maria Rybarova.

Prior to going to festival in Telgart I have tried to call the Slovak Cave Authority and the Cave in Domica, that was given designation as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO recently. None of their offices were answering phones, they have no answering machines, yet when you purchase a ticket to go in any of the caves the tickets are computerized, perhaps only lacking to display the size of your shoes. Finally I got hold of someone at the Cave Museum in Liptovsky Mikulas and was told that the last entry on Sunday will be at 3 PM. After the Sunday Mass we rushed through the mountains South, stopping at Gothic Church in Chyzne that has altar by Master Pavol from Levoca, to town called Plesivec where we were to meet a friend traveling from Prievidza by bus a five hour journey. We met and went to Domica Cave, only to discover that the last entry was at 2 PM. Yes it was closed. What a waste of time and money. They still do not realize how important correct information is especially for foreign visitors as only two things are certain when you travel and that is the arrival and departure with no time to waste. We traveled back to Prievidza, where I dropped off my friends and continued north past Nitrianske Rudno to visit my friend the potter Rastislav Haronik, his mom and brother in Vysehradne. Next day I visited my friend Elza Dadikova in Bojnice and she got me a permission to photograph the famous Bojnice Altar again and the displays at the castle, since I have changed a bit my photographic techniques and I wanted to try them. Next day Rastislav took me to the Roman Catholic Priest in Lazany who has the keys to the church in Poruba near by to photograph the Gothic frescoes in the Church. What a beauty. This Church, as the Church in Smrecany near Liptovsky Mikulas has original painted Gothic wooden ceiling. My friend Rastislav has recently purchased old broken up violin, so I took him to my friend and master folk musical instrument maker Tibor Koblicek in Turicky, house number 15, to see if he can fix it. I also needed some more video footage of Tibor playing Fujara and bag pipes to finish my movie about Tibor called: Tibor Koblicek his instruments and music. Tibor will fix the violin. Later on on the way to Liptovsky Mikulas I made stop in Cernova, near Ruzomberok. Cernova is a village where Andrej Hlinka was born. In Liptovsky Mikulas I visited my friend and the director of Vychodna Festival, Jaroslav Uhel and photographed the Gothic Roman Catholic Church of St. Nicholas. Of course I didn't miss Levoca, my favorite. Here I was able to get really close to the altar and do some great close up photos of the Last Supper from the main altar. I don't think there will ever be a day for me when visiting Levoca that I won’t find something new to photograph there, especially in the Church of St. James. I continued to Víťaz and my friends the Stasik's family. Made side trip to originally wooden Greek Catholic Church, but now with Roman Catholic services, in Brezany near by. I have returned to the Domica Cave, I was stopped by a Custom police inside of Slovakia on the way there. What I found insulting at the Domica cave was that the guide was giving explanation in Hungarian language. The only visitors were Hungarian family and me. When I asked him to please explain in Slovak, his answer was: why? To which I answered that we happen to be in Slovakia.

Personally I feel the guide should be fired and the Slovak Cave Authority should get their act together so this kind of insults do not happen ever again.

Domica Cave is incredible, huge and beautiful and it does have bats. It is probably the nicest cave in Slovakia. I can’t judge yet as I haven’t seen them all.

On the way from the cave I was stopped by another police patrol, I guess they had nothing else to do, just checking on foreigners. I was told of missing rubber aprons behind the rear tires. To that I responded that since they have let me in to the country as is, I am not missing anything. He wrote my name down and I left. From here I continued to Stitnik where I photographed the Gothic frescoes in the Lutheran Church and returned to Vitaz. Few days later I visited another favorite town of mine, Bardejov. I delivered many pictures to my friend Mr. Drobniak, the head of the Society that got the new bells of Church of St. Giles organized. From here I took the northern route through Stara Lubovna with side trip to Hranicne and the wooden Roman Catholic Church and then to Podolinec, where I was allowed to photograph the priceless Gothic frescoes of the Roman Catholic Church. Few days later I returned to Bratislava. I new that the President has moved his offices to Grasalkovic Palace recently and I wanted to do a video of the honor guard change at the new location. I went inside to enquire about the time of the guard change. Since there was plenty of time prior to the next change I have asked to see the protocol officer to enquire, that since I do have International Press Pass and I am also a member of the Slovak Federation of Journalists, if it would be possible to view the new representative offices. I was taken after the security check to the president’s personal secretary and I was given a tour. I told them that the president is a honorary member of our society and that he receives the Slovak Heritage Live Newsletter. I should mention that the president was out of town for a day. To my surprise when the secretary opened his private office, Slovak Heritage Live was on his desk, right next to the phones. I was delighted, exited, rush of warmth went though me. To see our newsletter right on president’s desk, during unannounced visit is simply fantastic and I am very proud and happy about that.

Soon my 28 days in Slovakia have come to an end after traveling again over 10000 kilometers in this beautiful country and I returned to Canada via London on November 13.

GO BACK TO TRAVEL

Published in the Slovak Heritage Live newsletter Volume 4, No. 4, Winter 1996
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 1996 
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The above article may not be copied, reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including electronic, without the express written permission of Vladimir Linder. All rights reserved.