Slovakia
June 2001
In 1918, the Slovaks joined
the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation
within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet
influence collapsed in 1989, and Czechoslovakia was once again a free
nation. The Slovaks and the Czechs
agreed to separate peacefully on January 1st, 1993. Slovakia has experienced more difficulty
than the Czech Republic in developing a modern market economy, but is
progressing rapidly.
Located in central Europe
just below Poland, Slovakia has a population of about 5 ½ million people. It is about twice the size of New
Hampshire. The economy is strongly supported
by the natural resources of the region, including coal, iron, copper, and
manganese. In the past, neighboring
countries have used Slovakia mainly for producing raw materials for
manufacturing. This means the factories
producing most of the pollution are located here, and the low-cost raw
materials are sent to other countries which in turn produce high-tech items for
greater profit. Efforts are being made
to turn Slovakia into a manufacturing country, so it can share in the profits
of technology manufacturing.
We flew into Vienna, Austria
and picked up our rental cars (2 new Volvos) and drove the 150 miles to
Bratislava, Slovakia. Here, we are at
the border getting ready to enter Slovakia.
A view of Bratislava,
Slovakia, from the Novy most Bridge tower.
The Danube river is in the
foreground. (It’s not blue!)
Our hotel is the first
building on the right.
The Novy most Bridge over
the GREEN Danube River. The photo before this one
was taken from the circular
dining area at the top of the bridge tower.
No swimming is allowed in
the river because of unexploded bombs from World War II.
The Main Square in
Bratislava. Our band performed here one
day.
In the main square, each
town had a measuring rod for the unit of measurement, the “arm”.
Of course, every town’s stick
was different. Here, Jerry (our
guitarist),
compares his arm’s length to
that of the marks on the rod.
Hey, a piano bar with local
beer. I’ve found my retirement job!
These guys were lined up for
beer at 6:00 am.
Gets the day off to a good
start!
I guess they have the water
coming out of the little boys to
discourage people from
drinking out of the fountain.
The “Manhole Man” statue in
the shopping area.
One of the highlights of the
week was working with the Slovakian military dance troupe. These men and women performed after us at
each concert, and were GREAT!!! A
superb small orchestra of traditional instruments accompanied them in a very
carefully planned sequence of song and dance.
It was also a pleasure and honor to get to know many of the Slovakian
military men (the women are all civilians).
Slovakian Dance Troupe.
One of the Slovakian Dance
Troupe musicians.
The men of the Slovakian
Dance Troupe were featured on this very energetic dance.
I’m, uhhh… spreading
international good will. That’s all.
Really!!!
Bratislava has a rich
history of music and the arts.
Mozart performed here at the
ripe old age of 6, and Liszt performed here at age 9.
(I waited a little longer to
dazzle the town with my Rock&Roll licks!)
The Slovakian Opera House.
Looking for a place to eat
lunch?
Rest in Peace. No thanks!
We performed at a Slovakian
Air Base open house in Kuchyna, and I met
these Slovakian soldiers
with their fuel truck.
The Slovakian military
uses these really cool off-road vehicles.
I want one!
Inside the off-road vehicle
shown in the previous picture.
The Slovakian Dance Troupe joined
us for a couple of songs during the concert at Kuchyna.
It was quite a sight seeing
the traditional dancers perform to “Who Let the Dogs Out?”
A small church in a small
town north of Bratislava.
Driving through southwest
Slovakia. It looks like parts of West Virginia.
We were lucky enough to have
a Volvo S-60 rental car.
Very nice, especially at 125
mph!!!
One evening, our host took
us on a walk around a popular lake in the area. This restaurant was nestled
back in the woods and was
appropriately named – “Buffet of the Mosquitos”.
A better view of the “Buffet
of the Mosquitoes”.
Approaching Solosnica, a
quaint little town north of Bratislava.
My dream home (see the next photo
down) is located in that group of trees to the left.
I found my retirement home
in southwest Slovakia.
What a view!
Solosnica. One of the many villages in southwest
Slovakia we passed through.
Driving through southwest
Slovakia on our way to Trencin.
It reminded me so much of
West Virginia.
More of southwest
Slovakia. What a beautiful country!
Trencin, Slovakia. Castle high on the hill above town.
A view of the castle from
the other side of the river.
It’s an imposing sight even
from a distance.
I saw this sign above a
store in the town of Trencin, but was afraid to ask.
I think it was a 24-hour
convenience store.
We met with a group of young
Slovakian military members at a reception in Trencin after our concert. I gave this young man one of my band career
badges (it’s the silver badge above his left shirt pocket). He thought that was incredibly cool. I’m sure he still has it.
Zvolen, Slovakia. We stayed at the Hotel Bien. It is nestled
in the woods about
6-8 miles from the town of
Zvolen.
At the Hotel Bien, we had
some of the best food on the trip.
The décor suggests that the
pheasant soup and shark filet I had would be good.
These two sisters were the daughters
of the owner, and spoke English very well.
They helped us with the menu
at dinner, and answered a lot of questions about Zvolen.
Zvolen, Slovakia. It could be Main Street on just about any
small Midwestern town.
Hanging out with the locals
on a park bench in Zvolen.
The people of Zvolen braved
the rain to hear the first
American military band to
perform in their city.
Slovakian Cola – 5cents a
bottle. Not bad!
After our concert in Zvolen,
we were treated to a very nice reception and were given gifts by local
politicians and high-level Slovakian military officials.
After the formalities, the
toasts started. Slovakian liquor is
HARD stuff!
I had just a few drops on my
tongue to taste it, and it brought tears to my eyes.
These guys were drinking it
like water.
During the reception, we
were entertained by a member of the
Dance Troupe orchestra in
traditional Slovakian clothing.
Earlier in the day, I had
given Chief Warrant Officer Jaro Hrivnak one of my US Air Force Band career
badges. That evening, at a reception,
he presented me with a set of Slovakian officer shoulder boards. What an honor!! It is such a good feeling to know the two people who were on opposite
sides of the Iron Curtain for half a century can meet and be best of friends.
For More Information on Slovakia and Bratislava,
click on:
http://www.slovakia.org/tourism/bratislava.htm
Hope you liked
Slovakia.
(I
sure did!!)