Pohoda Festival, Trenčín, 14-15 July

17 July, 2006. 7.29 pm. Trnava, Slovakia.

The setting: Trencin Airport, in a valley between the Maly Karpaty mountains....

The Pixies' Frank Black (or Black Francis)...

Pohoda Taxis...

The (International) Noise Conspiracy's Dennis Lyxzen

Pohoda means Wellness, or OK. The Pohoda Festival in Trenčín was held at the military airport, and the spread was simply huge. I’ve been to my share of Festivals in Canada, but none came close to the size of Pohoda. Three main stages, a makeshift arena, and at least two small tent-stages; plus two rave tents, two bungee jumping outfits, hundreds of beer and food stands, two or three cafes, a movie theatre, and far more. Everything began on Friday afternoon. I arrived in Trenčín around noon and met up with my Canadian friend Yuri. Our first stop at Pohoda was a beer and food stand and within moments we’d made new friends. The atmosphere at Pohoda was one of one huge beer-fueled love-in. I didn’t see any fights or conflicts, just thousands and thousands of people having a great time. Yuri and I estimated there were more than 20,000 people in attendance. Friday evening saw the headlining act, the Pixies perform. Although I’m familiar with lots of the Pixies’ music, this was my first time watching them live. Although the years have added some weight to Frank Black and Kim Deal, they gave a spirited performance. All said and done, Yuri and I did not head back to his place to sleep until after 5.30 Saturday morning. Despite the cold temperatures, almost everyone continued to party into the night. The rave tents were open 24 hours, but the last performance at one of the main stages didn’t wrap up until after 3.30am. Festivals in Canada simply do not work like this.

We caught about six hours of sleep before Johnny, a young journalism student from Rochester, NY showed up at Yuri’s place. Through couchsurfing.com Yuri and Johnny had arranged for the young American a place to stay. Johnny was on his first-ever stint through Europe and came specifically down to Slovakia to see The (International) Noise Conspiracy play at Pohoda. Around four in the afternoon we made our way back out to the airport and after getting a feel for the place once again, we lied down on the grass to watch my friend Veronika bungee jump. The line was long and Johnny and Yuri both took a short nap. Veronika finished her free fall just in time for us to make our way to the stage where The (International) Noise Conspiracy was playing. They gave a highly energetic and political performance that did not disappoint Johnny. When they finished their set we caught most of Živé Kvety’s (Live Flowers) set. The bass player for this up and coming Slovak band is the son of my good friend Mila. They played to a packed and lively audience and it seems clear that this group will be one to watch on the Slovak scene. Other acts that I caught on Saturday night included the popular Slovak ska and punk bands Polemic and Zóna A. Another highlight for me was watching Canada’s answer to Gene Simmons, Danko Jones. I didn’t realize the Mango Kid was playing at Pohoda until Friday afternoon, so this was a very pleasant surprise for me. I hadn’t seen Danko Jones perform for many years (I believe I last saw him play at a small club in Montreal around 1998) and I could clearly remember his highly energetic and sweat filled performances. He did not disappoint, although the ridiculous enforced distance between the stage and the audience may have put a slight damper on his charm. Later in the night I also caught performances by Chicks on Speed and the Gypsy Punk sounds of Gogol Bordello. Several beers later, Johnny, Yuri and I finally made our way back to Yuri’s place around 4.30 on Sunday morning.

Pohoda is perhaps the largest of several similar festivals in Slovakia. A month ago was the Topvar RockFest, where the likes of Cradle of Filth played, and next weekend is an all Slovak-Czech event in Piestany that I’m considering going to…. With regret I’ll miss what looks like a really great festival in mid-August that features among others, legends like Iggy Pop (with the Stooges!), Living Colour, and the Adicts….

Samuel Marko, born 11 July 2005

13 July, 2006. 4.04pm. Trnava, Slovakia.

Proud mother, Anna, and baby Samo.

With proud father Miro, and uncle Marek, celebrating.

My very good friends, Anna and Miro Marko, welcomed their first child, Samuel Marko, at around 12.15 on 11 July. Miro called me later that afternoon to tell me the good news and I joined him and friends later that evening in Bratislava to celebrate. Samo was expected in about another week and a half, but all went well and Anna and Samo are in good health. Thanks to the remnants of a truly socialist healthcare system, all healthy newborns and their mothers are kept in the hospital under observation for a full four days after birth, so Anna and Samo are still at the hospital in Bratislava. Miro will welcome them home on Saturday.

Congratulations to Miro and Anna!!

Warszawa: she sells sanctuary

10 July, 2006. 6.10pm. Trnava, Slovakia.

The Warsaw Mermaid.

The Cult!

Kristen and Julia in the Old Town Square.

Rooftops in the Old Town.

Last Thursday night I boarded an overnight train from Trnava to Warsaw, Poland. A few days earlier my old friend Kristen, from Peterborough, emailed me to say she’d be in the Polish capital for a few days and since Poland was on my list of places to see, I didn’t hesitate to book my ticket. I arrived in Warsaw at about 9am and purchased a Pascal Pocket Guidebook which describes Warsaw as “like a woman…always in a hurry, nervous, slightly absent-minded, but at the same time full of warmth, passionate, and somehow a little disquieting. She might not be a stunning beauty, but you cannot stay indifferent to what she has to offer” (it was the cheapest and most compact travel guide I could find, honest…plus it made me laugh…). Because I did not expect Kristen and her friend to arrive until the early evening, I spent the day wandering around the city, mainly sticking to the historical Stare Miasto (Old Town) and Nowe Miasto (New Town). Although I have to admit that Krakow was on my list ahead of Warsaw, I was happy to be exploring a new city and country. The Polish language is rather similar to Slovak, so in terms of language I was no worse-off than if I’d stayed in Trnava. But Warsaw is a unique city, very unlike anywhere else I’ve visited in Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, or Czech Republic. Of course, this is mainly due to the fact that this city was more than 85% destroyed during World War II. The historic Old and New Towns are, in fact, complete reconstructions. One simply has to admire the persistence and strength of the Polish people to rebuild this city. After a visit to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, I appreciated this fact even more.

Before Kristen’s arrival I visited the Museum of Caricature, which featured an interesting exhibit on international political cartoons relating to U.S. politics since 1980. I also took an elevator to the 30^th floor of the Palace of Culture and Science. This building (the largest and tallest in all of Poland) was built in the 1950s as a gift from Stalin and the Russian people. From the top of the Palace I got a real sense of the city, and the reconstructed Old and New Towns stand-out for their unique historical character. The rest of the city has a very modern, if even North American look, because of its relative newness.

Kristen arrived with her Belarusian classmate, Julia, at around 8pm, and we wasted little time in taking an evening stroll through the Old Town. On Saturday we did the same, also visiting the out-of-the-way (but well worth the walk) Warsaw Uprising Museum. One could spend almost a full day at this brand new museum and interpretive centre. If it has any fault, it is that there is simply too much information. But I found the several personal histories and accounts to be very effective and memorable. Saturday evening was a good time for me to sample several Polish beers. Over a period of several hours I tasted Krolewski, Zywiec, Warka, and Tyskie. I enjoyed them all, but if I had to choose one, it would be Warka….

Kristen had to return to Norway (where she’s been studying for the last two years) early on Sunday, so I once again had the city to myself. Again I wandered around the Old and New Towns, taking several pictures. I never felt as though Warsaw was “like a woman,” and in fact this analogy confuses me a little. The reconstructed historic centres are definitely the charm of Warsaw and they have been rebuilt so meticulously that it’s hard to believe that these buildings are only sixty years old. Later in the afternoon I once again met Julia as we both had later departure times (Julia was travelling through Poland for reasons of convenience, on her way home from Norway to Belarus—she needs visas for the vast majority of Europe so travelling for her is always a big frustration). As we entered the Old Town (with Julia’s cross-country skis in tow), it began to rain very heavily, so we quickly took shelter at the first outdoor patio with a sufficient umbrella. We sat next to a group of six guys who were very obviously American rock musicians. I did my best to visually identify them, but fell short, and after listening off and on to parts of their conversation and learning that they were headlining a series of festival shows through Europe, my curiosity finally got the best of me. Just before they got up to leave I asked the dude nearest to me which group(s) they played with. Turns out they were members (and a few roadies) from the Cult (minus, sadly, Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy)!! How funny! I’d earlier noticed their posters around the city advertising their show in Warsaw so it was really interesting to coincidentally meet them. I was disappointed that fellow-Canadian Ian Astbury (he lived in Hamilton as a boy, although he was born in England) was not at the table (I definitely would have recognized him!) but learned that these guys were relatively new members to the band (although one had joined as early as 1993). Sadly we were leaving Warsaw that evening because they offered Julia and I tickets to their show. When I explained we were leaving they asked if we’d be in Spain or Portugal, but sadly….

On the overnight train back to Slovakia I bunked with a talkative and intelligent Polish-Hungarian-Canadian artist from Ottawa. We had a long and rather in-depth conversation about Canadian/American/European politics, pharmaceutical company evils, and travelling in central Europe in general. It’s a small and crazy world….

Where I've Been, and What I've Been Doing

6 July, 2006. 3.19pm. Trnava, Slovakia.

Gwyn Ashton's dobro guitar...

Hero's Square in Budapest...

Michelle in Nitra...

Eva, Romana, and Natalia in Strbske Pleso...

Mila in the Male Karpaty mountains.

June was a blur. Perhaps because I was struggling with a stubborn cold all month, I realize that I’ve come to neglect my blogging duties somewhat.

June began with DobroFest. Jan Dopyera, the inventor of the dobro guitar, was born in the Trnava region, so for the past fifteen years a festival in tribute to Dopyera and the dobro has been held in Trnava. I was looking forward to this festival because it promised to draw several international folk and country performers, but unfortunately the organizers were cursed with the worst weekend weather of the Spring. It was cold and rainy the whole weekend, and I suspect this had something to do with the cold I developed. I went to as many performances as possible, nonetheless. But much of Trnava stayed home, and international performers were greeted by only sparse crowds. Highlights of the weekend for me were, Petr Brandejs Band (CZ), Country Team (SK), Gwyn Ashton (AU), and Toni Balloco (I). There was one Canadian act featured, Vox Violins. Before DobroFest I’d never heard of these aging hippies, but after listening to their brief set I now know that they hail from St. Catharine’s, Ontario (because they talked about their small city obsessively—as though anyone in Slovakia knows where St. Catharine’s is!). But maybe I’m being a little unfair to Vox Violins. They were good, in a mid-afternoon CBC kind of way (and don’t get me wrong, I love the CBC!).

The second weekend in June saw me in Budapest, once again. I was eager to go back, particularly for the fine Hungarian cuisine. This was a one day bus trip and unfortunately the weather was not in our favour. We did get to see inside the Parliament Building, however, and I had a good walk around Hero’s Square, but most of the day was spent on the bus….

As I’ve mentioned before. June also say the end of the school term. Not only did my classes at Obchodna Akademia finish, but also many of my private lessons. But before I finished teaching, I was able to enjoy lunch at my colleague Stanka’s house, along with her family. I also joined my colleague Andrea, and her sister Silvia, at their home to cook bryndzova halusky (the Slovak national dish). They were sceptical that I could cook it myself, but I proved to them I could! I love this dish, which is a simple mixture of potato dumplings (halusky) and bryndza cheese (from sheep’s milk, it is unpasteurised and therefore unavailable outside of the Slovakia), garnished with a little bit of bacon. Mmmm.

Two weeks ago I spent a lovely day in Nitra with my friend Michelle. Nitra, along with Trnava, claims to be the oldest city in Slovakia. But Nitra is a much prettier city than Trnava. It features a castle and several hills, and its historical buildings have, for the most part, been restored (unlike in Trnava, where many stand forlorn and in near ruin). Michelle gave me a tour of the city, including the castle—the oldest part of which was built in the 11^th century.

Throughout the month I was treated to a multitude of fresh cherries and strawberries. Almost everyone has a garden or at least access to a cherry tree here. I consumed more cherries last month than in the entirety of my life prior, I’m sure.

Last week I went on 1E’s class trip. Since February members of the class were begging me to go with them, and I looked forward to it. The students arranged accommodation in some cottages in a small village called Vel’ký Slavkov, which is about 10km from the city of Poprad in central Slovakia, near the High Tatra mountains. But unfortunately, beyond getting to the cottages, there was no programme planned. The other two teachers on the trip (who have had experience with this kind of trip before, I might add) also planned nothing and insisted on letting the students decide what we’d do. Well, ask 30 teenagers what they want to do, and approximately 25 of them will say “nothing.” This is precisely what we did—nothing. After more than two hours of deliberation one afternoon we finally agreed to travel by bus to Strbské Pleso, to hike around the lake—and that was the extent of our activities on this three day trip. The rest of the time was spent sitting around the cottages. I was not pleased—with the students or the other teachers. I did my best to suggest activities, but the other teachers wanted to do everything together as a group. And instead of dictating to the students what we’d do, they let the students decide. Chaos. Not surprisingly several of the students misbehaved on the last night, drinking and smoking, etc. The trip was a major disappointment for me, to say the least, and an unfortunate way to say goodbye to what had been my favourite class.

The end of the school year passed, last Friday, with little ceremony. Some of the teachers wished me well, as did a few students, but in the end everyone trickled away. I did my best to find a replacement Native Speaker for the school, and I hope the woman I recommended will take the job. While I’ve met several Native English speakers here, I can truthfully recommend very few of them. Mind you, some of them are returning home, like me, but others are not what I would consider good teacher material. A few are just drunks, other are just plain strange….

My colleague and friend from Slovak Technical University, Mila, has (as usual) been keeping me busy, and I’m grateful to her. In June we took a lovely 30km bike trip through back roads and fields to the nearby village of Cifer, and back. This week already Mila and I have taken two bike rides, to Modranka, Zeleneč, and Hrnčiarovce near Trnava, and yesterday we took a bus to the town of Smolonice. From Smolonice we hiked into the hills, following the Smolenický kras instructive path. Most interesting was the site of Molpir, from the 6^th or 7^th century BC. The hill where this fort and settlement was once located is now covered in wild cherry trees and strawberries. We arrived at 9am and feasted freely on the wild fruits. We hiked all day, until 4pm, ascending the tallest mountain of the Malé Karpaty mountains, Záruby (767 m).

Later today I will be boarding an overnight train to Warsaw. There I plan to meet my old friend Kristen, who has been studying in Finland for the last few years. Like me, she will be reluctantly returning to Canada at the end of the month. I am looking forward to Poland, as I’ve only been to the Warsaw airport in the past….