Slovakia II - A Flowing Folksong

Protected Wood Sculture of Folk Musicians in Pieniny Park

The first night we stayed in the Trattoria there was a party in the courtyard which also serves as a restaurant. We fell asleep to the sounds of violin & accordion, rendering folksong after folksong sung or danced to by most patrons. I’m sure it lasted until way into the wee hours. Our owners said they host these musical occasions quite frequently. But, we were so tired that the music just became a background to our sweet dreams. 

Haven't I mentioned colors everywhere?

The visits with Viktor’s parents are always wonderful. For poor Viktor, though, I’m sure it’s work because he’s the translator. Of course, J.J. & I can’t speak Slovakian which is very close to Czech. This language is just as devilish as Hungarian, but it is considered a Slavic tongue, hence it has many “sisters.” 

Cheerful, n'est-ce pas?

As members of the thriving, upwardly mobile middle class the parents are thoroughly involved and informed about their country. Viktor’s father, a successful construction engineer, enjoys analyzing Slovak politics & asks pertinent questions to keep his pulse on the US and western Europe. He loves jazz & dreams of coming to a Jazz festival in the US. He also cultivates bonsai trees.

Very old

Not so old

Very New

Viktor’s mom is a sturdy, knowledgeable nurse who takes us into the mindset of the Slovakian culture & work ethic. Besides basic nursing training she apparently was well-trained in physical 
therapy. She knows precisely what a person must do to relieve muscular and joint aches and pains. (She sure takes care of Joanna!) At one time she was an olympic sprinter & she still lives like a competitive runner: life is serious business. She will take good care of everyone. (Love her cookin’!”) 

Best photo I have of Yara, Viktor's mom

Viktor is a licensed architect after many years of training. For a while he took off and worked in Bristol, England for a stint. With his overseas experience at age 31 he’s a sophisticated example of the generation who will soon be running the country. His practice for now is designing new homes and refurbishing old ones in Presov. 

Handsome Viktor en profile

While he is an independent, his girlfriend, Lucia, is also an architect & works for a firm in Kosice. Just a note: we noticed that for the present Presov is much more repaired and rebuilt than Kosice which lags. It has not yet quite recovered from those pesky Russians and Hungarians. 

Hotel and Tourist Center of Pieniny Park

We were invited to dine with Lucia’s family - sister & parents - to their lovely home in Kosice. We ate under a covered area of the back yard in the cool of the evening. The plat de resistance was trout, large and freshly caught by our host just that morning. We ate so much of everything we were bursting. 

Hey over there! Are you trout fishing? Are you sure it's legal?

Here again we enjoyed talking about many things happening in Slovakia. The subject I remember best - besides the food - had to do with different ethnic populations in Slovakia. Because the mother was working in television as a programing executive for minorities, she could relate many things about how television must reflect equitably various segments of the population. You’d be surprised. There are Hungarians, Muslims, Gypsies, & others who must be considered. This time Victor got some great assistance for translation from his one-day-to-be sister-in-law, Trina. I think it’s the first time I’ve been sitting next to someone who translated simultaneously like in the United Nations.  All I can do is admire because I could never think that fast.

Yara in the forground; Slovakian teens take a ride in a horse-drawn buggy.

Our special outing was a drive to the Pieniny (national) Park where we would ride a raft for several miles on the gentle currents of the river Dunajec.  I’m still impressed by two things. First, on the left bank was Poland. Second, it was the first & only time I have ever heard a real live cookoo! The photos will tell the rest.

Gentle Currents: The cookoo lives somewhere in the trees.

"Three Crowns," at 982 meters altitude, they are the highest point in the Pieniny mountain range; they are in Poland on the left bank of the Dunajec river.