Passing through Praha (Prague)

 With my stomach growling, I passed by the restaurant a second time, to see if a larger crowd may have gathered.  When it comes to eating sushi in an unfamiliar city, unless the place is recommended by a friend, I typically gauge the quality of the food of unfamiliar restaurants based on the number of people inside, and in this case, it was pretty empty while next door, TGI Friday’s was hopping.  In this instance, I decided to go with something I was more familiar with, and selected  Potrefena Husa for dinner, a traditional Czech establishment with locations throughout Prague and Bratislava. Beginning my 8^th month here in Europe, I have become more accustom to local foods vs the traditional American chains which I would originally gravitate towards.

  After an easy 4 hour train ride from Bratislava, I arrived in the Czech Republic capital city of Prague.  Embracing the challenge of exploring an unfamiliar city (I did travel to Prague 5 years ago), I decided to navigate the city and find my hotel without the benefit of a taxi.  While there might be a shortage of city maps during the critical time you need one, there was no shortage of signs directing you to the nearest McDonald’s every 500 meters.  I eventually found my hotel, although it took a little more than an hour, but I was able to get a nice layout of the city.  While I was in town for three days of classes, I decided to arrive early and enjoy the sights and sounds of one of Europe’s gems.

  Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava River, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people.  Prague is a political, cultural, and economic mecca of central Europe with waxing and waning fortunes during its 1,100 year existence. Founded during the Romanesque and flourishing by the Gothic and Renaissance eras, Prague was the seat of two Holy Roman Emperors and thus then also the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.  It was an important city to the Habsburg Monarchy and its Austro-Hungarian Empire and after World War I became the capital of Czechoslovakia.  On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with Prague remaining the capital of the Czech Republic, and my current residence Bratislava becoming the capital of Slovakia.  While the split was peaceful, the countries still remain rivals in sports, and I was cheering on Slovakia’s win over the Czechs in the ice hockey championships to head into the finals the night before arriving. 

  Prague is home to a number of famous cultural attractions, many of which survived the violence and destruction of twentieth century Europe. My favorite attractions, as well as most visitors, are Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and the Astronomical Clock.  I also took time to find the different locations of where the beginning scenes of Mission Impossible were filmed.  My favorite view was looking down on the Charles Bridge from Prague Castle after climbing the circular staircase up St. Vitus Cathedral.  With so many stairs, I actually had to stop half way to catch my breath.  Also, while dinning in the outdoor restaurants in the Old Town Square, you can observe sounds and motions of the Astronomical Clock, which was built in 1410 is oldest one still working.  And any trip to Prague would not be complete without sampling Czech beer brewed at some of the oldest and finest establishments in Europe.  While the intent of the trip was for work, I did get a chance to network with colleagues from around Europe and experience some of the finer things of the city.

  With all the history and beautiful buildings, Prague is definitely one of my favorite cities in the world, however, I would not recommend walking the streets with a rolling luggage bag while searching for your hotel, as the cobblestone sidewalks are not convenient for wheels.

Mission Impossible Building

Misc Adventures

Ahoj (Hello), I know it has been a while since I last wrote, but even after the USA’s 3-2 loss to Slovakia in the ice hockey championships last week (both did make the final playoffs), everything is going well.  I just wanted to provide a short update now that the weather is warming up and the sun is out longer. The numerous restaurants and bars have begun to open their outdoor seating areas, and there is always a lot of excitement in the air.  Slovakia definitely has a taste for ice cream which is always a plus for me and has become a part of my regular diet each day after lunch on the walk back to the office.  I also found a local dog shelter where I am able to walk dogs each weekend, although similar to my parents dogs, it is more like the dogs are pulling me, but it still provides me with a sense of relaxation and enjoyment.  Dobre noc (Good night), time to plan a trip to see the Boss (Springsteen) in Vienna for July

Slovakian Traditions

  Constantly gazing at the time remaining on the microwave, I always began to wonder if I had gone too far.  By now, the yellow marshmallow shape bunny in the microwave was becoming a bloated hippopotamus, and there was still 30 seconds to go.  Should I end the suspense or push my luck a little longer?  Unfortunately, my ritual of nuking Peeps would not happen this year because they are no where to be found (not even at my secret market which has all the American goods), however, Slovakia has there own interesting Easter traditions.

  Easter is a very important celebration in Slovakia, as well as many other parts of the world, called Velikonoce - from Veliké noci or Great Nights.  Just as I would while back home in the US, it began with attending church services, of course after I had eaten numerous sweets left by the Easter bunny.  And just like home, later in the afternoon, everyone would gather for large feast with family.  However, unlike home where we traditionally painted eggs the Saturday before and searched for them in the morning, the girls in Slovakia would decorate eggs (most common color is red) after dinner in preparation for the following Monday, while the boys head out to enjoy the rest of the evening.

  The following day, Easter Monday, a more controversial and odd tradition would ensue in which the boys throw water over girls and lightly whip them with braided branches. Throughout the day men (usually in groups) would visit their female relatives and friends singing Easter carols, and demand “treats” (eggs, chocolate, liquor, or a peck on the cheek).  The water, which could range teaspoon of warm tap water dribbled over you to a bucket of frigid well water thrown at you, was used as a symbol of life and a gesture meant to bestow year long health and beauty.  Then for good luck, they spank each girl with these special whips which were made from willow rods, with a length of 50 centimeters and ribbons at the end.  In some regions, the girls get their revenge on Tuesday when it’s their turn with the whips.  Fortunately, we were working Monday, and this did not occur.  The tradition, if it still exists, occurs in the smaller towns and villages, but it seems like Bratislava has moved past this tradition for the better.

  One other tradition which I really enjoy is bringing baked goods to the office on both your birthday, and names day.  In Slovakia, each day of the year corresponds to a personal name (the original list was the Roman Catholic calendar of saints). People celebrate their name days on the date corresponding to their own given names. Slovak culture has accorded similar importance to a person's name day to his or her birthday.  With over 400 people spread across two floors in our organization alone (1500 total), there are good odds that someone is celebrating a birthday or names day and has brought in some treats.  With a names day calendar in hand, I usually get good exercise each day walking between the floors in search of snacks.  For my birthday (Feb 17), I brought in oatmeal chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and brownies, all which were a big hit with the teams.  It was a challenge to make because there are three different types of flour and brown sugar available!  My names day, Villiam (with a V in Slovakia), will be May 28, which I think I will make guacamole with chips (and cookies of course).

Names Day Calendar  - With Juraj and Marek celebrating names day this week, there should be a good amount of snacks available.

“Grey” Market

  Entering through the door of the store, zero words were exchanged with the cashier, only a glance towards the back aisle of the building.  As I began to make my way further through the store, I noticed the inconsistency of the floor tiles, shelves, freezers, even checkout counter and wonder what brought me here.  Passing through a selection of various fish from the sea, noodles, and different drinks which I never seen, I continued to press deeper into the market.  As if a light was shinning down from heaven through the roof, the familiar shape of Aunt Jemima appeared before me, and she brought her friends, Ben and Jerry!  Moving through the aisle and subsequent freezer, my small cart was quickly beginning to fill up.  Oreo’s, A1, peanut butter, pancake mix, Betty Crooker Cake and Brownie mix, pop tarts, hard shell El Paso Tacos, Hershey’s Chocolate syrup, Nestle Chocolate Chips; I even found samosa’s which if you read my blog from Kenya, became apart of my daily diet.  Approaching the check-out counter I found even more items which I initially overlooked, including stacks of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Laffy Taffy’s, and Peanut Butter M&Ms.  Being the gentleman that I am, I politely take two small packages of Peanut Butter M&Ms.  I quickly realize that two is not enough, and proceed to grab all remaining Peanut Butter M&Ms.  The entire experience felt like the Seinfeld episode which Kramer and Newman attempt to by shower heads off the black market.  Upon leaving the store, cashier handed me a card uttering the words anything I want from the US, email that contact and they will get. 

  As I begin the 6^th month of my time here in Bratislava, I am amazed at how fast time has gone by.  I am really enjoying my opportunity, the new friends which I have met, the challenges and adventures which lie ahead, and continuing to share this experience with you through my blog.  A few times a week, I view statistics of my blog, and I thought I would share those with you.  I just reached the 1,000^th viewer milestone (which does not include me or else it would be 2,000) yesterday, and while 66% of the viewer reside in the US (cannot view the city), the next nine locations of viewers hail from Slovakia, The UK, Malaysia, Russia, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Greece, and Switzerland.  The 6 major continents have all been represented by a viewer at one point in time, and I will definitely let you know if I ever am able to attract a view from Antarctica.  I have even had one-time views from countries ranging from Vietnam to Latvia, Tunisia to the island of Cyprus, even as far as the Cook Islands, which I googled to find it was just north east of New Zealand.  Finally, after just one month, Offshore Banking has 4 times as many views of any other blog.  While searching for Euro currency or tax shelters ideas, I am curious of the initial reactions people have who are brought to BratislavaBilly, the story of an American Expat adjusting to life in Europe and living in Slovakia.

Hiking in the High Tatras

 My knees were shaking, and as I slowly started to move forward I wondered how I should stop.  No, I was not at the top of a large mountain looking down at a treacherous slope, but rather at the foot of a small hill that was slightly tilted towards my right, which was the direction that I started to move. While I was still getting use to the heavy boots and ski’s, I finally realized that the sharp pains just above my ankles were the metal ski pant hooks trying to grip my socks.  After slowly lowering myself to the ground to stop, I then had to wait for someone to unlock my boots from the ski.

 Located in the north central part of Slovakia on the borders between Slovakia and Poland, the High Tatras Mountains with 17 peaks, rise 2650 meters (8,700 feet) above the European continent.  The area is well known for winter sports, with ski resorts in Štrbské pleso, and town of Poprad a short distance away. While the temperature was warm 18 (65) degrees in Bratislava, the snow was just perfect for skiing and hiking the beautiful, mountainous terrain located 4 hours by train from the capital.  Arriving mid-day on Friday, the clouds blocked all of the mountain peaks, however, that did not affect exploring the landscape.  Setting out into the designated paths, one could only notice the waist high railings were now at feet level because of the amount of snow that had fallen.  Proceeding further down the narrow and, at times, slippery path, signs warned of the different dangers that lurk.  While I did not need a sign to tell me that 2 meters to my right would be a long fall broken by numerous large trees, surprises could arise from avalanches and falling rocks, to snow covered areas which hide a undercover river.  Each turn of the path revealed new scenery and a beautiful array of snow covered trees, slopes, and a slowly melting waterfall trying to free itself from winter’s wrath.  The night ended with a warm meal after a walk around the frozen lake and cross country ski paths.

 The morning sun peered through the windows early, and you could immediately tell that the clouds had moved away during the night, and revealed the vast mountains in all there might.  It was a perfect day to hit the slopes, and learn to ski.  Although the weather in Chicago is harsh, the land is flat, and I never had the opportunity to snow ski.  While learning to ice stake came naturally, and water skiing great once I finally was able to get up on the ski’s, snow skiing was going to take more patience.  Approaching the crowded and challenging ski facility, I knew my best attempt to learn the correct way was going to be on the small hill passed earlier.  The instructor taught at the right pace, with short lessons about footwork without facing a slope; I also learned how to remove the skis on my own by observing others.  Next came time to tackle the small hill with back and forth turns down to the bottom.  After about two hours, and five falls because of insufficient foot work and balance, I improved my ability to ski and really enjoyed the experience.  I am looking forward to next time and facing one of the higher and longer slopes.  The rest of the afternoon was spent heading up the side of the mountain for beautiful views of the surrounding areas, however, the hike was cut short by the large amounts of snow covering the path signs. 

 Unfortunately Sunday was a bit more cloudy, but the day's challenge involved cross country skiing.  Although, the boots are much more flexible and comfortable, cross country skis are much longer, and thinner than downhill, meaning I feel a couple more times.  Also, Cross country involves a much more effort than downhill which has lifts bring you to the top of the hill and you allow gravity to pull you down.  Cross country requires you to climb hills while in the skis, and use your energy to travel across flat land, or in some cases, the frozen lake.  The purpose is to get exercise using your legs more than your upper body, but I resorted to using my upper body more, and felt the pain the next morning.  Traveling down the steeper, shorter paths was fun, but stopping and turning was much more challenging, which is why I ended up falling more.  The night was spent away from the mountains, in the town of Poprad at a indoor water park and spa, which was very relaxing given the bumps and bruises from the prior two days.

 On the way home, the trip was cut in half with a short stop in the city of Trenčín, about 1.5 hours from Bratislava to tour the local castle and have lunch.  Trenčín castle was built on the site in the 11th century served as a royal guard castle.  The castle, complete with narrow and steep passages, contains numerous artifacts and weapons.  The trip ended with a short train ride back to Bratislava, complete with yogurt covered strawberries, and was very enjoyable.

 Two final notes, my Slovak language learning has taken a few steps in the wrong direction.  While out at dinner and ordering pizza, decided to get some additional toppings.  Instead of ordering onions by saying cibulas, I said uhorka, or cucumbers.  The waitress wondered if I liked the pizza because of all the cucumbers that I put to the side.  Finally, while sitting down for ice cream after returning from skiing, I found RC Cola on the menu.  In all my travels across the US, Europe, Africa, and South America, I have never seen RC Cola outside Chicago and St. Bede’s gym, not even here in Bratislava, so I definitely had to enjoy one while in Central Slovakia.

Photos from High Tatras and Trencin 

Offshore Banking

With the dawn of a new month, it is time to pay the monthly rent.  As I log onto the Tatra Banka website, I am first asked for my account number, and online password.  Upon entering in my password, I am then prompted for an 8 digit code, which I must retrieve by using my small calculator like key pad, inserting my bank debit card, and entering the pin code, almost like a mini ATM without the cash.  I then am allowed to enter the site.  But before I can make any transfers, I again must use the calculator like key pad and debit card, confirming both the amount and account which I am transferring funds to, before my transaction is complete.  While the Caribbean or Switzerland account might be more popular, offshore banking in Slovakia might be more secure.

 Although the Euro is constantly making headlines for other reasons, the actual currency itself is very different from traditional US.  Coin denominations include a .01, .02, .05, .10, .20, and .50.  Unlike the US, which I have seen recent articles written to replace the $1 USD with a coin, there is no paper currency for €1 and €2 Euros as both denominations are only coins as well.  The lowest denominated bill is €5 Euro.  The amounts of paper currency include the €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, and €500 Euros.  However, what makes the paper currency most interesting is actually the different sizes and colors which represent each amount, very similar to monopoly money (color wise).  The larger the Euro amount, the greater the width and length of the note.

  When obtaining cash from an ATM (or cash station as I say in Chicago), typically in the US, the highest bill the machine will provide is $20.  However, here the machines typically provide €50 and €100 notes, and in extreme cases the €200 or €500 notes, both of which I have yet to see.  The €200 or €500 notes would be equal to $262 and $655 respectively in US Dollars.  The one other thing I notice here in Europe is when paying, anytime change is due, the cashier will put the change due on a plate or tray rather than hand over the money directly to you.

  The more difficult thing has been converting amounts back to $US using changing exchange rates to compare the price of things vs the US standards.  Currently the Euro is 31% greater, meaning every €1 is worth $1.31.  While dealing with a single currency with a fairly similar amount, the challenge becomes even greater when traveling to Hungary, where one Forint is worth .0034 Euros.  Thus 295 Forints = 1 Euro = $1.31 Dollars.  I am glad my prior role did force me to understand the numerous currencies in comparison to USD ($1USD = 19 Czech Korunas = 5.6 Danish Krones = 6.8 Swedish Kronas = .92 Swiss Francs).  At least 17 of the 27 European Union countries are currently using the Euro (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain), so that has made things somewhat easier.  The UK is a little harder because the amounts are very comparable to NY standards, but then you must include the currency impact and the price is 57% more in USD.  However, most of the time, I prefer to let the credit card company do the conversion for me.  I compare it to a long night out when the next morning you check your credit card balance and realize the damage.

  It will be interesting to see how the currency situation here plays out and the impact on the different economies.  At least it has made travel within the continent easier, even it that means less likely to obtain passport stamps between countries within the EU.

Super Sunday

 First and ten, on the Patriots 45 yard line with the Giants trailing 17-9.  As Eli Manning drops back to pass, the picture suddenly turns black.  Did the lights go out at the Super Bowl as I quickly check my internet connection to confirm that I still have connectivity?  While I still have sound, I realize that someone at my parent’s house has turned on the television which my streaming video feed was being broadcasted over the internet to me.  Thus when someone turns on the television, I lose my picture.  To return the favor, I begin to change channels using my local remote control because I somehow still have control over that function.

 In the never ending race of innovation and changing technology, living across the pond and 4,500 miles away from Chicago, it feels as if am right at home at times.  From email and video calls with family and friends (and my parents dogs) to local and national news through the internet, it has never been easier to reconnect with people regardless of distance.  Although in some cases the distance is nice, especially not having to witness first hand the recent Illinois basketball and Chicago Blackhawks struggles.  My first month here was a little harder, as I did not have the internet at home, so my new was limited to the BBC and CNN re-runs.  And I couldn’t use my Playstation because I did not have a power converter just yet (although I did try once and almost fried the electronics).  However, one of my US DVDs did work in my European DVD player, and since I only watch this DVD during a certain time of the year, the timing was perfect…National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

 Once my internet was installed, I began streaming live video using my Vulkano Monsoon Solo (similar to Sling Media).  While I am not here to make sale pitches, the product is really simple and convenient (costs about $100 US).  Now I am able to broadcast Chicago TV from my parent’s home to my computer in real time to keep up with local events.  Although not HDTV quality, the picture and sound are good.  Slovakia is seven hours ahead of Chicago, which means my evening typically ends with quality mid-day television shows hosted by Jerry Springer and Maury-you are not the father-Povich, both which film a half mile away from my prior residence in Stamford, CT.  However, there are some good shows during the day which I keep up with, as well as the reruns of sports center, and I can record shows too (just hope that no one turns the TV on).  The weekend is a little different as my morning shows are typically info commercial heaven, such as the Cat Sack, Tiddy Bear (actual product which you think would have been something from Saturday Night Live), and the Ginsu Knife, which now I can slice my tomato, then walk to the balcony to cut through some sheetrock, then proceed to dice the tomato.  I can’t believe it took me so long to realize that convenience!

Cat Sack (With Mike Rowe!!)
Tiddy Bear
Ginsu Knife

 These latest technologies have really made my transition much easier, especially communicating with family and friends.  The TV is nice, however, I would prefer to explore the area of Slovakia and neighboring countries rather than stay indoors, especially now that the cold front which cause a lot of problems (more so in the neighboring countries) is moving and spring is slowly approaching.  I am in the process of planning my next trip to central Slovakia in the beautiful High Tatras Mountains with many castles and activities, which I am really excited for.

 Given the cold weather, these are some photo's from late fall, but I will soon have new ones to post from my next adventures here.

Opera House