Onward to Bratislava, Slovakia......
We awaken in Vienna, dockside, with another ship tethered to the other side. Paul and I are breakfasting as we watch the crane begin lifting the gangplank to our ship, right on schedule. Out of the blue a woman appears, a colorful shopping bag hanging from her shoulder....she is not doing the happy dance. In fact, she is jumping up and down and gesturing wildly while our crewman stoically continues with his work.
All her frenzy amps up when we begin pulling away into the channel. By now, both of us are fascinated with this soap opera. No sooner than we are clear and into the open water does the maritime object of her affection begin to maneuver into the space we just left. What a happy ending for her. She was no doubt wondering how she would find her way to Budapest with her money and passport in the room safe.
We pass a leisurely morning with housekeeping giving a demonstration on how to turn your bath towel into a cobra, swan, rose, etc. I sent Paul to this...no doubt a party trick or two in his future.
After lunch we pull into Bratislava as we await our guest lecturer, Pavel who will talk on the recent history of Slovakia. Per his bio, Pavel must be in his early forties but he appears much younger and so slightly built that my first instinct is to offer him something containing chicken fat, or perhaps, milk and cookies.
He contends that the fall of the Iron Curtain might not have happened without Mikhail Gorbachav and his policy of Perestroika, or reformation, within the Communist Party. Not since 1968 had the people of Czechoslovakia heard the word freedom bandied about in the press. The last time, in 1968, the Soviets rushed in to help liberate the country and they stayed for years keeping over 100,000 troops inside the Czech borders.
The fall of the Iron Curtain began with Poland in 1998. This first domino to fall took six months of demonstrations. This was followed by Hungary and then, dramatically, by East Germany. The Czechs then began demonstrations which were started by students, those with little to lose, and artists. The protests grew and were encouraged by different professional groups culminating with the collapse of the government in a ten day period, so one day suppressed, the next day free to enter the west.
This all happened when Pavel was just fifteen so the world was his oyster. After two failed experiments in engineering school and architecture school, which dismayed his parents, he found himself in business school. Here he did very well earning a slot with a twin university in the U.S. and after graduation, a position as a liaison on eastern European affairs for The Economist magazine and a stint working for a mobile network.
Pavel earned an M.B.A. from a small college in Massachusetts and stayed in the U.S. working as a developmental manager for E-commerce eventually joining the board of directors of the American Chamber of Commerce small business development.
After Czechoslovakia became an independent country they had to learn how to become an independent country. This started with the return of property as the Soviets confiscated everything. The first wave of privatization offered the people a virtual check for 1,000 monetary units. With this they could purchase 10,000 shares of stock in previously state owned enterprises.
In 1918, Czechoslovakia was formed from three republics because of the commonality of their language: The Czech Republic, Moravia and Slovakia. While now free, they were not exactly equal. The capital, Prague was in the Czech Republic in the east. Moravia was in the middle part of the country. These two sections had ten million residents and tended to be involved in the end stages of manufacturing. Slovakia, in the west, had five million residents and was more involved with the raw material side.
It is easy to see that Slovakia would always only be able to muster one vote to the rest of the country's two....so how could divorce be avoided? The separation was actually very amiable and relations between the two countries continue to be good...except for hockey!
The early Slovakian government from 1993-2002 was rocky. But they joined the European Union in 2002 and soon after adopted a flat tax that leveled the playing field for both industry and the ordinary citizen. By 2006, they joined the Euro Zone which helped them be competitive with European business deals.
The first business coup occurred when a company that made gears for cars was purchased by Volkswagen who built a car assembly plant and lured suppliers and sub-suppliers into Slovakia. Next comes Citroen and then Kia. Now Slovakia is number one in car production per capita followed by South Korea and Germany. The United States is ranked number twelve.
All this manufacturing improved the skill set of the workers which now use the latest technology. Soon electronic giants such a Samsung, Siemens, Panasonic and Sony were on the scene. There is even talk that Elon Musk's Hyperlink will be developed here.
I think most of us knew absolutely nothing about any of this so it was most enlightening.
No sooner than Pavel left did we leave the ship to meet our guides for our walking tour of Bratislava. We are introduced to the cheeky Nóra, who just happens to have a PhD in economics and international business. Degrees aside, she is full of fun, leading us past the graceful building that houses the Philharmonic and contrasting it with a communist era "masterpiece".
Bratislava is lovely in the old world tradition. There is a central pedestrian zone lined by embassies, bowers of hanging baskets and sidewalk cafes. In fact, there is scarcely a foot of street not devoted to outdoor dining. In contrast to Germany, every eatery has a sign in English advertising their specialties and numerous brands of beer.
Nóra maneuvers us up and around the city, pointing out the castle high above, the Holocaust memorial, seat of government and anything she can possibly describe as "spooky" in her dramatic way. Highlight of the tour was a visit to the Primaciálny Palác where six priceless tapestries are displayed.
Manufactured in England around 1630, they were discovered inside the walls during a renovation in the early 1900's. The six panels tell in incredible detail the tragic love story of virgin priestess Hero, (possibly not so virginal) and her lover Leander from Greek mythology. I am not sure I have ever seen a "serial" played out in tapestry before and it was incredible.
Nóra and Iris deposit us at a cafe where we have a rest and try the Bratislavan Bagel. This bagel, however, is a yeast dough crescent filled to the brim with ground walnuts. Invented to celebrate the end of Turkish dominance on the Danube, it was delicious enjoyed with coffee.
We have some free time to wander and shop. The weather is beautiful. Before long the day is over but not before we enjoy a terrific concert by the Kustar Brothers. Lynn and I picked up right away on the family resemblance. It may have been our best concert yet.
We awaken in Vienna, dockside, with another ship tethered to the other side. Paul and I are breakfasting as we watch the crane begin lifting the gangplank to our ship, right on schedule. Out of the blue a woman appears, a colorful shopping bag hanging from her shoulder....she is not doing the happy dance. In fact, she is jumping up and down and gesturing wildly while our crewman stoically continues with his work.
All her frenzy amps up when we begin pulling away into the channel. By now, both of us are fascinated with this soap opera. No sooner than we are clear and into the open water does the maritime object of her affection begin to maneuver into the space we just left. What a happy ending for her. She was no doubt wondering how she would find her way to Budapest with her money and passport in the room safe.
We pass a leisurely morning with housekeeping giving a demonstration on how to turn your bath towel into a cobra, swan, rose, etc. I sent Paul to this...no doubt a party trick or two in his future.
After lunch we pull into Bratislava as we await our guest lecturer, Pavel who will talk on the recent history of Slovakia. Per his bio, Pavel must be in his early forties but he appears much younger and so slightly built that my first instinct is to offer him something containing chicken fat, or perhaps, milk and cookies.
He contends that the fall of the Iron Curtain might not have happened without Mikhail Gorbachav and his policy of Perestroika, or reformation, within the Communist Party. Not since 1968 had the people of Czechoslovakia heard the word freedom bandied about in the press. The last time, in 1968, the Soviets rushed in to help liberate the country and they stayed for years keeping over 100,000 troops inside the Czech borders.
The fall of the Iron Curtain began with Poland in 1998. This first domino to fall took six months of demonstrations. This was followed by Hungary and then, dramatically, by East Germany. The Czechs then began demonstrations which were started by students, those with little to lose, and artists. The protests grew and were encouraged by different professional groups culminating with the collapse of the government in a ten day period, so one day suppressed, the next day free to enter the west.
This all happened when Pavel was just fifteen so the world was his oyster. After two failed experiments in engineering school and architecture school, which dismayed his parents, he found himself in business school. Here he did very well earning a slot with a twin university in the U.S. and after graduation, a position as a liaison on eastern European affairs for The Economist magazine and a stint working for a mobile network.
Pavel earned an M.B.A. from a small college in Massachusetts and stayed in the U.S. working as a developmental manager for E-commerce eventually joining the board of directors of the American Chamber of Commerce small business development.
After Czechoslovakia became an independent country they had to learn how to become an independent country. This started with the return of property as the Soviets confiscated everything. The first wave of privatization offered the people a virtual check for 1,000 monetary units. With this they could purchase 10,000 shares of stock in previously state owned enterprises.
In 1918, Czechoslovakia was formed from three republics because of the commonality of their language: The Czech Republic, Moravia and Slovakia. While now free, they were not exactly equal. The capital, Prague was in the Czech Republic in the east. Moravia was in the middle part of the country. These two sections had ten million residents and tended to be involved in the end stages of manufacturing. Slovakia, in the west, had five million residents and was more involved with the raw material side.
It is easy to see that Slovakia would always only be able to muster one vote to the rest of the country's two....so how could divorce be avoided? The separation was actually very amiable and relations between the two countries continue to be good...except for hockey!
The early Slovakian government from 1993-2002 was rocky. But they joined the European Union in 2002 and soon after adopted a flat tax that leveled the playing field for both industry and the ordinary citizen. By 2006, they joined the Euro Zone which helped them be competitive with European business deals.
The first business coup occurred when a company that made gears for cars was purchased by Volkswagen who built a car assembly plant and lured suppliers and sub-suppliers into Slovakia. Next comes Citroen and then Kia. Now Slovakia is number one in car production per capita followed by South Korea and Germany. The United States is ranked number twelve.
All this manufacturing improved the skill set of the workers which now use the latest technology. Soon electronic giants such a Samsung, Siemens, Panasonic and Sony were on the scene. There is even talk that Elon Musk's Hyperlink will be developed here.
I think most of us knew absolutely nothing about any of this so it was most enlightening.
No sooner than Pavel left did we leave the ship to meet our guides for our walking tour of Bratislava. We are introduced to the cheeky Nóra, who just happens to have a PhD in economics and international business. Degrees aside, she is full of fun, leading us past the graceful building that houses the Philharmonic and contrasting it with a communist era "masterpiece".
Communist Masterpiece
Bratislava is lovely in the old world tradition. There is a central pedestrian zone lined by embassies, bowers of hanging baskets and sidewalk cafes. In fact, there is scarcely a foot of street not devoted to outdoor dining. In contrast to Germany, every eatery has a sign in English advertising their specialties and numerous brands of beer.
U.S. Embassy
The Castle
Manufactured in England around 1630, they were discovered inside the walls during a renovation in the early 1900's. The six panels tell in incredible detail the tragic love story of virgin priestess Hero, (possibly not so virginal) and her lover Leander from Greek mythology. I am not sure I have ever seen a "serial" played out in tapestry before and it was incredible.
Nóra and Iris deposit us at a cafe where we have a rest and try the Bratislavan Bagel. This bagel, however, is a yeast dough crescent filled to the brim with ground walnuts. Invented to celebrate the end of Turkish dominance on the Danube, it was delicious enjoyed with coffee.
We have some free time to wander and shop. The weather is beautiful. Before long the day is over but not before we enjoy a terrific concert by the Kustar Brothers. Lynn and I picked up right away on the family resemblance. It may have been our best concert yet.
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