Well, I'm really disappointed that my original blog, recording our two years of living and teaching in Slovakia, is, for some unknown reason, no longer available to me for new additions or editing. The good news is that anyone can still see it, but I am frustrated at not being able to add to it now. So, here is a new blog detailing our recent visit to Liptovský Mikuláš.
Michelle's parents picked us up in Ankeny and drove us to the Des Moines airport on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The flights to Chicago and on to Vienna were smooth and uneventful. We had planned to take buses and trains from the Vienna airport to Liptovský Mikuláš, but our friend Marian insisted on meeting us and taking us there by car. It was so kind of him!!
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| Marian greeted us at the Vienna airport, with smiles and slivovica. |
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| Toasting with our new "I <3 Slovakia" shot glasses! |
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| At the Vienna airport |
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| Our welcome gift! |
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| Marian took us to a traditional Slovak restaurant for lunch on the way back to Liptovský Mikuláš. (We had bryndzové halušky, of course!) |
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| Beautiful autumn colors out the car window on our drive eastward. |
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| It was a beautiful day to see the Slovak countryside out the car window. |
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| So many colors! :-) |
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| More scenery on the drive across Slovakia. |
We stopped in Bratislava at a mobile phone service store, and Marian helped us to set up a phone with a SIM card, so that we could contact friends during our visit. Then we picked up a few groceries before he dropped us off at Montana!! It's ironic, that the Americans came to Slovakia and stayed at Montana, a tourist accommodation owned by our friends, Saška and Ignac. :-) It's in Bobrovec, which is a village not far from Liptovský Mikuláš.
Click here for: Link for Montana, where we stayed We would highly recommend this as a place for tourists to stay in the Liptov area, convenient for hiking, skiing, and sight-seeing! And our hosts were absolutely delightful!! More on that later. :-)
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| A view of Bobrovec, the village where we stayed, while waiting at the bus stop to go to school. Notice the mountains in the background! :-) |
We were at school Wed.-Thurs.-Fri., seeing all of our colleagues and students there. We even spent some class periods teaching conversation lessons - or at least conversing with the classes in English! It was so great being back to see people we know, as well as to meet the new American lectors and other new Slovak teachers too. I think we were so excited to be there, and perhaps a little jet-lagged, that I didn't take any pictures at school that first week!
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Thursday night we walked through the town center on our way to meet friends.
We had missed this atmosphere so much!! |
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| We met Marian for pizza and conversation! (Notice the similar V-neck sweaters!) |
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| Then we met Ivan and Eva for some wine and more great conversation! |
In the middle of the night on Wednesday, we had gotten an email from our son, Paul, that he and our daughter-in-love, Alana were headed to the hospital for the delivery of our first granddaughter!! We got a few updates on the long labor process, and finally in the middle of the night on Thursday, we received the wonderful news of her birth! We are so excited!! We first met Zahra Abigail via Skype, and she is absolutely perfect!! We are so grateful that God has blessed this family with such a miracle of new life!!
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| Paul and baby Zahra in the hospital |
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| Zahra after her first bath in the hospital. |
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| The happy family!! :-) |
The primary reason for our visit to Slovakia at this particular time, was because of an invitation to attend an important senior class event for our students at EGJT, their Stužková. Those of you who read our first blog understand that a Stužková is a very meaningful event, signifying the students' preparation for their Maturita exams, and a sort of milestone marking their adulthood. It's kind of like our American graduation and prom all rolled into one evening, but it's really so much more than that, with all of the traditions and rituals involved. It's a magical evening honoring the students, but also an opportunity for the students to honor, thank, and entertain their parents and teachers. (And also to feed them exceedingly well!!) So the next post will begin with the Friday night Stužková with the wonderful V.AP class at EGJT.
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| The pillow holding the green ribbons ready to be pinned on the V.AP Class at their Stužková. |
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