Jilemnice, Czech Republic

Our drive to Jilemnice was uneventful but scenic. We were expecting a snag, or at least some reaction, from the border guard as we crossed from Slovakia into the Czech Republic and gave over our smorgasbord of passports (one Czech, one Slovak, one Canadian, one U.S.), but I guess when you become a border guard, nothing surprises you anymore.

We came to Jilemnice, a small town near the German border, to visit with Josef and Eva Vancl, Pavel's cousin and her husband. The language barrier was again a problem for me, but everyone made a great effort to keep me informed. Still, sometimes I just resigned myself to not understanding and went along for the ride (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively). Pavel and I had both picked up a nasty case of the stomach flu, presumably back in Slovakia, and it hit us here. Fortunately, Pavel managed to get out and see some sights that day, but I spent a whole day in bed resting. The family visited some local farmers, and without me around, they were able to converse in Czech without having to pause for translations. That evening, I was still feeling ill, so the next-door neighbor, a doctor, was called, and he made a (Gasp!) house call. He checked me over, diagnosed stomach flu and dehydration, and made some prescriptions, which were filled at a local pharmacy.

The next day, I was feeling better, but still not up to major sightseeing. In the morning we drove out to Víchová nad Jizerou, Pavel's boyhood hometown. We visited his parents' graves and his former home, and we took a walk along the banks of the local stream, marveling at the lifestyle differences in such a small town. After that excursion I felt it was best if I returned to the Vancls' for more rest while everyone else carried on. While they drove around viewing the local countryside and took in a carillon concert at a local church, I was seated in front of the TV, watching "Amerikanishe Gladiatoren" and "Hawaii Funf-0" and other American shows dubbed into German. My favorite was "Raumschiff Enterprise: Die Nachste Jahrhundert" ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"). Klingons dubbed into German don't seem at all inappropriate.

Finally, a day came where I felt I could rejoin the fun. We visited Trosky Hrad, a fourteenth century castle built upon two pillars of basalt left behind by an eroded volcano. It's quite the setting, and the view from the castle was splendid. From there, we went to Hrubá Skála, a park with giant sandstone towers. Formerly a hideout for crusaders and highwaymen, it is now a rock climbing mecca.


Later that day, we said farewell to the Vancls and the Dvoraks and caught a train to Prague.

Poprad, Slovakia, part 2

Our last night in Slovakia coincided with Peter's birthday, so we were able to attend the celebration. The festivities began with the Canada-Slovakia World Cup hockey game and continued on into the night. I think I made a favorable impression by first cheering for the Slovak team, then drinking every vodka shot I was given, and finally attempting to speak what little Slovak I had picked up in the previous few days. Everyone seemed to be entertained by my efforts, or maybe it was just the vodka.

The following morning, we said goodbye to our kind hosts and drove off with Pavel and Antonia to Jilemnice, Czech Republic.

Svidnik, Slovakia

The town of Svidník is near where the battle of the Dukla Pass was fought in 1944. The countryside is dotted with tanks and artillery pieces, and even an Il-2 Sturmovik, left where they were disabled as a monument to the battle. They were all recently given fresh coats of paint and appear to be intact, although we learned that the tanks' engines were removed long ago to power local tractors. One of the tanks was left with its hatch welded open, so naturally, I had to have a look inside. That's me on the right, with cousin Zdenka in the foreground.

There was also a graveyard of the fallen Soviet soldiers, along with a huge memorial statue. During a walk in the nearby woods, we came upon a cleared swath and a sign reading "Warning: International Border!" I dashed across to pose for a photo, and thus was able to add Poland to the list of countries we visited.

We continued driving, and visited a couple of scenic small towns, the names of which escape me. (It seems unlikely that I'd be able to spell them correctly even if I did remember them.) We visited some medieval churches and strolled around the central squares of these small villages, then drove back to Poprad.

Poprad, Slovakia

On the way to Poprad by train, our luck with the weather ran out. Rain came down in sheets as we pulled into the station to be picked up by Hannah's parents, Pavel and Antonia. They had arrived a few days earlier on their own visit, and they drove us in their rental car to the apartment complex where many of Antonia's family live.

We went first to an apartment shared by Olga M. and Vlasta V. (Antonia's mother and sister, respectively) to find a family reunion in full swing. I was introduced around, as was Hannah, but where she could respond in reasonable Slovak, I could only smile and look dumb. It was an enjoyable evening nonetheless. I was given two shots of Slivovice, a homemade liquor that will probably be used as fuel when Slovakia gets a space program, and a fine local beer. With that, it was soon time for sleep.

We were shown to a nearby building and the apartment of Peter and Danka V. and their young daughters Andrea and Zuzka. Hannah and I were given one of the two rooms while the rest of the family crowded into the other. The apartments we saw were all very small and designed according to the same (Soviet) plan, with two rooms of about 3 by 4.5 meters at each end. These two outside rooms were used for sleeping or entertaining, while the middle of the apartment was further divided into a WC, bathing room, and kitchen as well as a hallway to connect the two outer rooms, all in a space of about the same size as the other rooms.

The next morning, after breakfast, Pavel, Antonia, Hannah and I went for a drive, and we brought Hannah's cousin Zdenka along so she could practice her English among us. We drove to the east of Poprad, through Svidník and some other, smaller towns.

Other day trips from Poprad brought us to the High Tatra mountains, the Bel'anská Jaskyña limestone caves, and downtown Poprad, where we saw storks. We also went out to the surrounding "suburbs" to visit the home of cousin Janík and his family. Janík is building the house himself, as that's the only way to get anything done in the post-Soviet era, and he's doing a good job of it.

Bratislava, Slovakia

We came in to Bratislava by train on our way to Poprad. We found that we had some time to spend in the city before leaving, so off we went, walking through the gritty, urban air from the train station to the hrad (castle) overlooking the Dunaj (Danube). The view alone was worth the walk. The hrad is now the Slovak National Historic Museum, and it's full of artifacts and exhibits on the national heritage; arts, crafts, coins, weapons, furniture, tools and other articles of daily life are housed in this museum.

From the castle, it's a short, although by no means direct, walk into the Staré Mesto (old walled city). The streets are cobblestone and extremely narrow, and the city appears to be unchanged over the centuries, except that the people and shops are all quite modern. We had lunch just outside the old city at a café on the sidewalk with a view of the passing crowds, then we walked back up the hill, past the presidential mansion, to the train station and headed for Poprad.