MY SPRING 2003 TRIP TO SLOVAKIA  

March 17, just as the war in Iraq was about to start I boarded a Lufthansa plane and flew off to Frankfurt and Vienna. As I was waiting in the departure bay they were calling for volunteers that wouldn’t mind to stay another day in Vancouver and fly the same flight day later. I always thought that the airlines are giving CAD$300.00 if you give up your confirmed seat. Well later on while in the air I learned that the actual amount offered was CAD$800.00. I was in shock and now it was too late to take it. Had I known this, I would have stayed home for another night and my real cost of my ticket would nave been only CAD$161.39. I have learned a valuable lesson for next flight if this should happen again I would go and ask what is the offered amount. Anyway the flight was smooth as usual arriving in Frankfurt and Vienna on time. Here I was met by my long time friend and one of our Slovakia’s correspondents Ing. Miroslava Dulová who took me to Bratislava. Here I picked my car at ADVANTAGE CAR RENTAL and I was mobile. I stayed in Bratislava for few days to get over my jet lag. Then I went to Eastern Slovakia to Liptovská Teplička and Saturday I went to Údol near Stará Ľubovňa to visit family of a friend of mine and also to make a video about the Údol Greek Catholic Church of St. Dimitrij that is in need of funds for some very urgent and necessary repairs. We will be distributing the video to donors. The video is finished, but distribution will be decided by the next issue. I also had an Ancestral Village Video to do in Orlov, a village near by. Later on in the evening there was a folklore singers and musicians competition in Svit, so I attended that and met many of my friends from several folklore groups in the area. Sunday I went to Levoča visiting Monsignor Dlugoš, decan of Levoča and continued to Prešov visiting my friend Jaroslav Bohumile Onassise Biroš and his wife Helenka and continued to Ruská Nová Ves where I did some ancestral Village Photography. Then I went to Bardejov and near by village Komárov where my frienf PhDr. Martin Mešša lives now. Martin is a former director of Bardejov’s Skanzen and Slovak National Museum in Martin and just moved from Bratislava’s UĽUV, home to eastern Slovakia after accepting position with the Museum in Prešov. From here I continued to Údol to film additional Sunday mass. Of course while in Spiš region, as always I stayed at Liptovská Teplička’s pension DOLINKA. Tuesday I went to Košice to do some Genealogical research and visit my friend Frater Gabriel at the Dominican monastery. Few days later I went to Trenčín as they do have a really great suit-manufacturing factory there and I wanted to buy a tuxedo for my son’s graduation. I went to three factory stores and didn’t find anything, however I managed to take some really great pictures of Trenčín castle. On March 7th, one fof the high fortified walls surrounding the castle collapsed. I returned to Bratislava later on that day. Next day I went to Vienna nad yes I went for lunch at my favorite schnitzel place the Figlmüller, then ice cream at Zanoni’s and then I went for walk through the old town. I noticed posters advertising the newly opened apartments of Albertina palace near Hofburg that became a gallery now and the first exhibit was by, my daughter Julia and mine, favorite Norwegian artist Edward Munch 1863-1944. On display was enormous collection of his art gathered here from public and private collections from around the world. I just simply couldn’t believe that I am seeing so many originals of his work and I cried throughout the exhibit from my joy. In the evening I attended the evening of authentic folklore in Mirror Cultural Center in Bratislava-Petržalka and this time it was an evening of wedding from Kyjov, followed by dinner with some authentic foods from the village. Saturday morning I went to Svit as I wanted to be with my friends from folklore group JÁNOŠÍK, who are already practicing their 50th anniversary program that will premiere in 2006 under the leadership of Lukáš Cabalka, an University of Musical Arts student and a dancer in the best Slovak amateur folklore ensemble, LÚČNICA. Since the weather was incredible and the skiing season in Vancouver was simply no season at all, and I haven’t ski in Slovakia since 1998, I decided to go skiing in Jasná under Chopok in Low Tatra Mountains. I was able to rent skis, boots and poles for about US$25.00 for three days and the ski pass for three days all day skiing came to US$30.00. What a deal. The skiing was absolutely FANTASTIC. I stayed at hotel FIM located right at the entrance to the Cave of Freedom in Demänová Valley and just few miles below the ski slopes. As usual, exceptionally friendly service, excellent food and everything else was great. They started a new WELLNESS program. It is a three-day weekend program for relaxation with following services: Cosmetic treatment, manicure, pedicure, whole body massage, hydro stretching, wrapping of cleavage and bust, and hiking. The weekend program also includes breakfast and dinner and the cost is only US$ 165.00 approximately for three days. From here I went to Mojmírovce near Nitra where I stayed in huge manor house that was built in 18th century and used to belong to count Huňady. From here I went to Vienna again for a schnitzel at my favorite Figlmüller, ice cream at Zanoni’s and I went for a great coffee at Café Central which is the most luxurious coffee house in Vienna, located in the center of the old town. This used to be a place where writers and free spirited philosophers and artists would meet. Saturday afternoon, April 5th was a big day for me as this was our 35th anniversary get together of our 1968 graduating class from Trade Secondary School Electrical Technology. It was so nice to see my friends. Sadly only 15 classmates shown up, but we had a really great time remembering our school days. We talked for hours to no end. Next day I went back to Eastern Slovakia to Poprad, just for the performance by the best Slovak amateur folk ensemble LÚČNICA. As usual this was another flawless and beautiful performance and there were some dances that I haven’t seen before. There were two instrumental solos by musicians from Devil’s Violin. One by one of the greatest folk violin players Ján Berky Junior and the other by what I feel is the GREATEST Cimbalom player in Slovakia Emil Šárközi. The leader of Divil’s Violin is another one of greatest musicians and my friend Martin Slezák. Monday I went to Bratislava, packed my two huge suitcases and in the evening I met my friend and one of the best Slovakia’s jazz musicians Peter Lipa. I know Peter since about 1965, as he used to sing at our University Students Club, V-KLUB. Tuesday morning my friend Milan Štefánik drove me to Vienna’s airport and soon I was on the way to Frankfurt and Vancouver. And thus another trip to Slovakia has come to an end.

Vladimir

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Published in the Slovak Heritage Live newsletter Volume 11, No. 2, Summer 2003
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 2003 
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