April Fools Day in Trenčín fell on Holy Thursday. Once in Poprad, it was near impossible to get a bus to Trenčín, so after 45 minutes of waiting, we switched to the train, right across the way. The info for the right train was also tricky to get, but we rather managed. It was a windy day, but clear skies. All week was great weather. It was cooler in the Tatras area. We even saw snow patches, and lots of snow above the tree line. As we headed further west, we saw greener grass, blooming trees, flowers, and planted fields growing. In Kosice, it’s still mainly grey.

Our train ride ended up being quite a long one. About three hours, so we were glad we didn’t bus it. Also glad we didn’t try to do all what I had originally planned. We cut out a lot of stops for the purposes of ease, less stress, more leisure, holiday train and bus connections to small villages… etc.

By the time we got to Trenčín – after asking a guy in our train compartment numerous times, he finally told us, “That boy is going to Trenčín, watch him.” On the way, we saw two or three castle ruins on the passing hillsides. Also, the further west we travelled, the greener it became. Fields were already planted; trees were blossoming; and flowers blooming!

 

 

When we got to Trenčín, we walked through a peaceful park in front of the train station among birds singing and green blossoms. We walked straight into the looming “Hotel Tatra”, the best hotel in the town, and one of the best in Slovakia – so my book said. Already we knew rates were high, so as per Michael’s request checked anyway and confirmed it (300 SK). We had agreed to just check the other place in the book, “Sport Hotel” supposedly a five-minute walk over the river.

Upon asking a nice, handsome young student for directions, he walked with us partway to direct us. He studied in Zilinia and had also just arrived on the train to Trencin, his home town, for the weekend. After his directions, we still had to walk up and down, over and along the river until haphazardly found the place – beyond an airfield and a soccer field. It looked quite dingy and run-down. As Michael took a piss-break and became pissy with me as well, while I was complaining about principles – we discovered that it was closed for reconstruction.

Michael meanwhile insisted that he had already made up his mind not to stay there. He then tried to carry my pack on his front, while wearing his pack on his back, and I was really irritated. I insisted I wouldn’t go anywhere until he gave it to me. So we tramped back 1 1/2 kilometer to Hotel Tatra, under the rocks of the Trenčín Castle. 

I noticed it first and told Michael when we got up to the room, that the reception lady “was a bitch.” She was cold and unwelcoming: She stared at us with our backpacks, told us the price, and then gave us a minute to leave. Which we didn’t. (Kind of like me and Todd at the King David Hotel in Athens.) Then she asked if we’d like “a quiet room,” weird question; but what can you say, “No, we’d like a loud room.” (I already know how those are.)

Up we went to our quiet $80 room, luxurious and high priced for Slovakia. Well, it was dark and small and relatively unpleasant. And the bathroom really stank, as well. That did it. Back we went downstairs. After the whole ordeal of getting there, and being my idea to stay there, I figured the least I could do, was be the one to complain. So I did the complaining -nicely in English- and told her as I gestured, that there was a smell. I asked, were all the rooms like that? I also asked if there was a room with a view of the castle? Not. She then offered to move us to a “nice room above in the corner.”

Well, what a difference a complaint makes. Our new room was much larger, had two bigger beds, was lighter and breezier. It had a wrap around balcony and a glass opening balcony door, looking out over the street below. A major upgrade. And the Klo (bathroom) didn’t stink. We showered after the warm dusty trip, to feel better for a nice dinner – as the hotel restaurant was suppose to be the best in town. Little to our surprise however, it ended up being closed.

April Fools Day in Trenčín

So the whole day was April Fool’s on us – from waiting for the bus that never came, to the hotel follies. At any rate, we toured the cobblestone street town, got into a good mood, and both enjoyed the town. It too, was very clean. All shops were already closed, and it was a warm, clean, beautiful night to wander “the streets” of Trenčín. Mostly “kids” were out, and the Irish Pub seemed to be the in-spot on this Holy Thursday Eve. They were still fested out for St. Patrick’s Day. What the heck!

I almost forgot to mention the feisty, flustered ticket-lady today. She was so stressed and intolerable with us.I had to tell her, “Calm down!” Of course, she didn’t understand. (That was getting back at the lady in Germany 15 years ago, who called me a motherfucker, and I said “Danke Schoen.” Per Todd.)

After sufficiently surveying the streets, and hearing beautiful clear clock bells chime out the aria from Nabucco, we headed toward the closed hotel restaurant- and ended up at the wine cellar, also part of the hotel.

Again, we were some of the only clients, and last to leave. We started with a traditional Slovak aperitif, which we first took to be a typo: Warm vodka with ham. It was actually warm vodka with sugar, caramel and bits of bacon. Quite strong, sweet, and different. I had a wine, a Pilsner Urquell, the really-good-national-dish of sheep’s cheese and knudel (well prepared), and bean soup. The waiter took it before I was finished. He was a military man in training, very strict, rigid, and young – we got it on film. (See photo!) The bitch made an appearance, too. Michael had a ham and cheese roll appetizer and I think he had potato soup. He ordered a pierogi (which was not as good as the pierogi the other night).

In the room, Michael was watching soccer qualifying games, telling me about the teams and players, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and fell asleep.

 

 

This is an excerpt from my Kosice Journal, documenting my exodus from a (relatively happy) bustling life in beautiful San Diego, to (voluntarily) take a post teaching English in the newly independent eastern capital of Slovakia  during a very cold winter 1999.