Poprad

Poprad has a population of 55,000, making it the tenth largest city in Slovakia (don't ask me to name the top nine - there's no way I'd spell them correctly). (By the way, 55,000 is roughly the capacity of Dodger Stadium.) Still, it is a very walkable city, and this morning's stroll took us into the downtown pedestrian shopping district.

Tessie enjoyed being chauffeured by her ever-helpful cousins, and Hannah and I enjoyed not having to be constantly on Tessie duty with a bevy of watchful relatives on hand.

Up and down the streets we strolled, buying postcards and produce, until it was time to return to the apartment for lunch.

After lunch, people started to disappear in preparation for the wedding that was the primary reason for our trip to Slovakia. Most of the disappeared were resting up for the festivities to come, for a Slovak wedding can be quite the endurance test.

I don't mean the ceremony itself, which was a lovely Catholic ceremony in which Zdena and Peter were wed, and which was conducted in Slovak so I couldn't understand a word; no, I'm referring to the reception.

The happy couple:

Immediately after leaving the church, everyone made a dash for the reception hall in the Hotel Poprad in the center of town. We were seated at long tables in the form of a letter E (or maybe a W, depending on your point of view), and our assigned seats were right in the center of a cluster of English-speaking guests. Very helpful!

Tessie has been working on her table manners:

Unlike wedding receptions I've been to in the States, Slovak receptions seem to be about eating. Oh, and drinking. (And drinking.) The first course was at our table when we arrived. A few speeches (sadly, incomprehensible to me) from interested parties later, the soup came out, followed closely by the main course, Chicken Cordon Bleu. All the while, dessert was staring us in the face as the tables were piled with small plates of a seemingly endless variety of little bite-sized cakes and cookies.

And then there were the drinks. While Tessie's Mom and I limited ourselves to the outstanding Zlatý Bažant (Golden Pheasant) beer, full bottles of vodka and cognac were available to anyone who wanted them. Just to be clear: I'm not talking about an open bar; this was more like an open liquor store.

The party only just started and she's already under the table with her shoes off!

Dancing? Of course there was dancing. Tessie spent a lot of time on the dance floor, but she ran out of steam (so we thought) around ten p.m., so we walked her back to the apartment (everything is local!) and put her to bed. Hannah and Peťo returned to the party, leaving me to watch over the sleeping Tessie.

Except she didn't sleep. Half an hour after going to bed, she stood up in the crib and announced, "I wake up." After that there was no getting her to lie back down, so we stayed up playing and watching the Olympics until the rest of the group came home at two a.m. (Actually, Peťo and Zuzka stayed until the DJ left at four a.m.!)

Of course, everyone was sorry that I ended up missing the fun of the reception, but Tessie and I actually had a good time together anyway, and it's possible she would not have been as happy staying in a loud reception hall, so it all worked out for the best.

I can say that because the next day, today, was part two of the reception, in the apartment of the parents of the bride. Leftovers! Cakes, cookies, soup, meat, and of course beer, cognac and vodka. A good time was had by all, again, and this time Tessie stayed until the end.