MY FIRST SPRING 1998 TRIP TO SLOVAKIA

This time I flew KLM, the Royal Dutch Airlines to Amsterdam and then on to Munich. The flight was great and so was the food. The only reservation I have against KLM that they do not change the menu often enough and the frequent traveler as me, have to eat the same meal again. This was also, it looks like, the last trip through my by now former travel agent as I found that I was paying retail and more on all my trips and that I am not prepared to do anymore. I feel that if you fly with the same agent as I did at least four times per year transatlantic, you shouldn't pay top price and you shouldn't beg for discount. You should get a good price without asking. So I changed my booking style. I give many agents one phone call and I fish around, the agent with the best deal get my business. So that's it. I am just about leaving again and I did book with different agent and got the best deal, far better than from my former agent. The company went bankrupt in the mean time, but I got my tickets, no problem. So my former agent lost a deal on two airline tickets, two weeks car rental and it looks like the next three trips of 1998.

But now back to the spring 1998-01 trip. I got Nissan Primera from Sixt Budget Rental at Munich airport. Boy what a car. I was soon sailing at over 150 Km per hour and the car went over 200 Km with no problems. I made Munich to Bratislava in less than 4 hours and the distance is about 560 Km. First day in Bratislava I ended up delivering the newsletter by hand to our Bratislava members, my friends. I also visited my folklorist friends and found what is happening in folklore scene for next three weeks. Next day I went to Zvolen to make final delivery of the pledges from Slovak World news group members for the new Internet server. I am happy to say that we have donated 80.000,00 Sk for the server and that equal to over US $2.300,00. I am very proud of this. We managed to pull it off. New Pentium 200 was purchased and everything works fine. Friday I went to the 15th anniversary of the folkdance group Dobrona in Dobra Niva. There is a separate article about the celebration on following pages.

Saturday as usual at least once every trip, I spent in Vienna at the open-air market-Naschmarkt. I always enjoy my Saturdays in Vienna as I have very found memories of this historic town. I lived here for six months in 1969 from June till December.

Sunday I did genealogical research in Western Slovakia in town called Vlckovany-Dubovce near Senica, for a client and I was able to visit their family. Monday I visited my friend and the director of the Slovak National Museum in Martin, PhDr. Martin Messa. See the museum was trying for two years to get some close-up lenses for their Kodak still digital camera with no luck. Well all they had to do is to ask Vladimir. I managed to get the much-needed lenses and ended up donating them to the museum. It is a small price to pay to get permission to photograph it all in the museum and the Skanzen in Jahodnicke Haje near Martin. I think the deal was good for both parties. Next day I did another research in Kysucke Nove Mesto and found the hard way that most of the government offices in Slovakia aren't open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I managed to talk my way through this hurdle without any problems and managed to get everything I needed. Next day I went to see my friends the lecturers as I always do every trip in Levoca at the church of St. James. I also visited the most reverend Monsignor Frantisek Dlugos and mentioned to him that I just finished photographing the Basilica Minor at the Marianska Hora, the site of annual pilgrimage by hundreds of thousands of believers the first weekend of July. He told me that he is doing his doctorate work on the Church, so I returned back and did some more pictures, this time for him. Then when I returned to bid goodbye to my friends I was asked to take some more pictures in the sacristy of the Church of St. James. I spent the night at my friends in Vitaz at the Stasik's home. Next day took me to do yet another research in Frydman, Poland. This is a very picturesque part of Poland with some spectacular views of the High Tatra Mountains from the Polish side. Day later passing near World Heritage Site the Church of the Holy Spirit in Zehra around Dobra Vola I seen something that resembled a camel on the ground. I realized in few seconds that it was a dead horse just killed by a group of Gypsies on the grass right next to a creek. There were about 20 Gypsies tending the kill, skinning and portioning the death horse. I guess the Mardi Gras followed in the evening. Later on the same afternoon I went by the site again and it was cleaned spotless as if nothing had happen there. I spent few days at Rasto Haronik's place in Vysehradne and got to taste the newly distilled Calvados. While staying at his place I also visited my friend and the director of the Bojnice cultural center, Elza Dadikova and delivered video and many pictures form the Days of Christmas Carols of Christians of Slovakia held in December and I learned of the new dates for many festivals. I also learned that the upper Nitra and Turiec folk associations got together and are doing historic folk song research of in order to produce a four CD album of the region's folk songs in the near future. I also met my friend Vladimira, daughter of the restaurant Charlie. We had a nice talk about my write up in the last issue that was the result of the service of my last visit to the restaurant. She was very surprised at the bad service I received during my last visit. So I decided to give them another chance and I went for dinner to Charlie that evening. I had a steak and egg, it was great, as before, the portion was huge, and the veggies were fresh. I also tried the ice cream, this time it was served in the usual large glass. So I guess my bad experience was due to the arrogance of the waitresses of that day. Well they have been put on notice and if they continue their service in the style I got last time, their days of working for Charlie's restaurant are definitely counted. O by the way they kept the price of the domestic beer at the last price for Czech beer and increased the price for Czech beer. As a rule I seldom by newspapers while visiting Slovakia as they are mostly politics and I am not into that. I can't explain why, but I did buy "Novy Cas-New Time" newspaper one day and found very interesting story inside. It was an interview with singer Peter Lipa. I remember Peter from our V-Klub-University Student Club that was organizing discos and jazz evenings for students three to four times per week in 1964 to 1969. We all went there for good times and also had our first taste of democracy and freedom of spring 1968.

Peter mentioned the upcoming 30-year anniversary reunion of the former students that were part of the V-Klub happenings in 1968 to be held in the old Club the first weekend in May. They also asked him who he wished to meet most after all these years. His answer was very simple Maksi. Well we stayed friends with Maksi all these years right here in British Columbia and we do visit him at least three times per year in Cariboo close to 70-Mile house at Watch Lake. This got me thinking wouldn't that be great to get Maksi to come to Bratislava for the reunion? I know that Maksi doesn't have very much money as he works only in summer as a private building contractor. He spends winter living from his savings. I decided to invite him and if I got positive answer that I would pay for his ticket and get him to Bratislava for the reunion. Soon I learned that the whole reunion is planned but it isn't for sure as the booking wasn't arranged yet. So I left instructions for reservations with my friend and correspondent Ing. Miroslava Dulova to email me when the reunion in on for sure.

Few days later I went to Presov for the Golden CD award and Christening of a new CD, by my friends, the folkdance group Sarisan. The golden CD was awarded to Monika Kandracova and Sarisan for their Christmas CD Nesieme Vam Novinu that sold in very short time over 10000 CD's. The new CD Christened was: "Nebudzem se zenic," "I won't get married." The official ceremonies were accompanied by songs from the golden CD and songs and dances from the new CD. Great reception followed the program. I spent few days in Bratislava prior to my departure by car to Munich and flight through Amsterdam to Vancouver, knowing that soon I will be on the plane again.

Few days after my arrival I received email from my friend that the reunion is on. Immediately I called Maksi and told him about the article in the paper. He was very surprised that there are still people in Slovakia that remember him after thirty years. This was a great boost to his ego and he felt really good from it. However, soon I got the bad news from Maksi as he is seriously ill with Myelodisplasia a very little known blood disorder also known as Smoldering Leukemia usually ending with full blown Leukemia. This was a shock for my whole family and me, as we do love Maksi dearly. He is already declared totally disabled person by his doctor, which immediately prohibited him from any work or strain. So far he had two blood transfusions. Maksi is a person who all his life offered everybody his helping hand not expecting anything in return and now he is finding how many really good friends he has around here. They are now offering help to him and that makes him feeling really humble but good. He agreed to go, surprised that I offered to pay for his ticket, subject to his doctor's approval. Day later I got good news that his doctor has no objections for him to take such a long trip. So I did the booking and in few days we are off to Frankfurt by Transat Airlines and then by car from Sixt Budget to Bratislava. By the way Sixt Budget is the only German car rental company allowing some of their vehicles to be taken to Slovakia.

Today as I am writing these words is Easter Sunday and my family and me are spending Easter with Maksi and we are all having good time

GO BACK TO TRAVEL

Published in the Slovak Heritage Live newsletter Volume 6, No. 2, Summer 1998
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 1998 
3804 Yale Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
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.