2. Slovakia

Unseen country

We have had a little time to visit this extremely beautifull country and we are quite sorry for that. But no sorry and no worry and life goes on. The country is mostly unknown not only to western people but also to Slovaks themselves. We met this great music group Muzickas. Young guys from the countryside that moved to the city Bratislava. I asked them why they never played outside of their country. "well, listen, we do not even know all the valley's in our own country, so why should we go somewhere else?", was the decisive answer. Slovakia is a country that is hard working to clean up the mess created in the past, it is getting independent and facing the concequences of it. "We have been lucky", Martin, of of the band member sais, "because we have set up a business that worked out fine. But most of our country is still poor. Partly this is not dramatical, only when Europe laws come in and force people to change their way of living, without having any possibility to change that way, problems can become bigger." In case we have convinced you to visit this place in this very short briefing; Martin has set up a tourist office called Limba and I can't advice anything better in this matter.

And there is the capitol of Bratislava, the city of the country that is one of the latest creation of nation states and political phenomenon. Bratislava is great and it's very close to Vienna. Much more close then Philadelphia to New York or Eindhoven to Amsterdam. Indeed at the center of Europe. We visited the massive waterpower turbines in the Danub, near the Hungarian border. Once, in de late 80's and early 90's a project questioned by many. Now the powersupply of a great part of Slovakia plus some tourist attraction with rafting and culture. One could still question this project, but it is there and seems to be solid for the period we have used it. It seems better to see this form of using resources instead of coal power supply polluting the air.
At the end of the dike at the Gabcikovo Dam the modern art museum Danubiana is located. With the kind and generous support of one mister from my hometown. This modern art museum generates a flow of audience to this piece of concrete land in the middle of an enormous wide river. Nice museum with outstanding bronze works and a very friendly staff.
Meanwhile the director of the Art Museum said "hee, an Ukrain boat!", while a white tourist boat passes 50 meters away from us in the river which was then at apretty low level. A second I wonder why he is surprized. I'm not surprised seeing rich Ukrains sailing the Danube, they own some Spanish costa's. But Hee... the river is open from Ukrain to Bratislava. The destroyed bridge in Novi Sad must have removed. There was a catch within a very short time.
Indeed, we saw one tourist boat and over 50 million insects. Enough to get the firedeparment being at present.

We also visited the city of Martin and took pictures of the Martin police station, the Martin Karate club, the Martin city hall and the Martin cultural center. Little egocentric? maybe, for us just fun.

	Name : Muzickas Objectives : Worldmusic contact : Martin Brunovsky related websites: www.limba.sk kilometer : 1711 In relation with 80 questions : many times on our radio show
	Name : Danubiana Objectives : Modern Art Museum contact : Vincent Polakovic related websites : www.danubiana.com related website : painting of Peter Pollag kilometer : 3019 In relation with 80 questions : Special Eindhoven connection See also : Euro 2007 report
	Name : Martin Objectives : Pictures in the city kilometer : 225262 related websites: none kilometer : 2768 In relation with 80 questions : City with same name as 80Q initiator
	Name :Ggabcikovo power supply Objectives : electricity related websites : duna.org or Slovakia.org kilometer: 3018 In relation with 80 questions : questions about consciousness