Two Slovaks Murdered

Juraj Vankulič and Matúš Horváth

A couple of weeks ago, two Slovaks, Juraj Vankulič, age 26, and Matúš Horváth, age 23, were shot at the entrance of Tepláreň, a gay bar in downtown Bratislava on 12 October.  A third person, a woman was injured but she survived.

The shooting took place just after 19:00 and the local police initiated a manhunt.  The perpetrator was later identified as Juraj Krajčík, the 19 year old son of a far-right politician.  Prior to the shooting he posted anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-Semitic posts on Twitter.  He was found dead at around 7 am the next day.  He apparently committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

The police began investigating the murder as a hate crime but deemed it an act of terror after it appeared that the killer was planning to target other people including the prime minister.

Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová and Prime Minister Eduard Heger posted messages of support on Twitter in both Slovak and English.

Rallies were held in Bratislava and also in Prague.

Slovakia offers less protection for gays and lesbians than Czechland does.  While sexual orientation and gender identity are covered with comprehensive anti-discrimination laws, it doesn't permit same-sex marriage or even civil partnerships.  Since 2014, Slovak law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.  However, due to the EU, the country does have to recognise same-sex marriages established abroad.

Here's a one-minute video I found on YouTube of the Slovak President addressing a memorial rally in Bratislava.

©news.com.au

Here's a 3,5 minute video about following the aftermath.  The video is only in Slovak but you get the idea.

©Refresher SK

Aside from the sheer horror of people being murdered for being gay, the other thing that stands out is that it involved a gun.  Over here a gun murder is big news because it just doesn't happen.  In the USA, this would be just another shooting.

The gun homicide rate in the the USA is way, way higher than in other high-income countries.  What I still don't understand is that if guns made people safer, then America should be the safest place in the world.

No Christmas Markets in 2021

Christmas markets around the country should have opened up this past weekend.  However, that didn't happen.  Due to the increase in the number of Covid cases the government announced restrictions on Friday.  

Christmas markets are closed.  Restaurants close at 10 pm, and events are limited to a maximum of 100 people.  There's also a ban on consuming alcohol in public spaces.  So just like last year, I'm going to miss out on my favourite vánoční punč.

The only exception is that vendors can sell saplings and carp.

The Brno markets looks like Christmas market ghost towns.

It doesn't exactly make a lot of sense that the outdoor markets are cancelled but department stores and shopping centres can remain open.

The Czech online grocery delivery service Rohlik has offered to help small and medium-sized vendors to sell their goods online.  

It's not just Czechland that is shutting things down.  In Germany, the sate of Saxony, which borders Czech Republic has closed clubs, bars, cultural and sports facilities, in addition to Christmas markets.

Christmas markets are cancelled in Bratislava too.

A couple of weeks ago Austria went into a national lockdown.  The country is completely closed to tourists.

SkyUp Airlines Coming to Brno

SkyUp Airlines is a Ukrainian low-cost airline that opened in 2018.  It currently has 11 planes flying to 33 different destinations and soon Brno will be one of them.

The Ukrainian State Aviation Commission approved the airline to begin 7 new routes between Ukraine and Czechland from April 2021.  The airline already had routes to Prague but all flights are currently suspended due to COVID-19.  I'm not so sure that things will be much better by April but let's hope.

The plan is to have flights going from Kyiv to Prague, Pardubice, Ostrava, and Brno.  There will also be flights from Prague to Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Zaporizhia.

They will also fly from Bratislava to Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv.

Currently, again due to COVID-19, there are no passenger flights right now at the Brno Airport.  

Ryanair permanently cancelled its route between Brno and Bergamo (Milan) last year.  In Spring they should resume regular flights to London Stansted.  I still avoid Ryanair as much as possible because they suck.  The good news is that once SkyUp does actually begin flying to Brno there will be two airlines flying to Brno, even if one of them is Ryanair.

Update March 2021:  Due to COVID-19, SkyUp flights from Brno are delayed until at least June 2021.  Ryanair will resume flights to London Stansted and Bergamo in May 2021.

75th Anniversary of Brno Liberation

Brno's Red Army Monumnet 

Today is the 75th anniversary of Brno's liberation from Nazi Germany.  The Soviet Red Army, under the leadership of Marshal Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky, successfully liberated the city towards the end of the war.

Malinovsky Square is named after him and there's a memorial near the Mahen Theatre.

The Bratislava-Brno Offensive began on 25 March with the goal of taking Bratislava and Brno.  The 2nd Ukrainian Front, along with troops from the Royal Romanian Army, destroyed German divisions and help reunify Czechoslovakia which had been split by the Germans into the the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a Slovak puppet state.

Brno was officially liberated on 26 April 1945.  I'm not positive but I think the fighting here lasted about two weeks.  Here's a 17-minute video I found out on YouTube.  It's in Czech, without any English subtitles, filmed by a Soviet cameraman.  

©BRNOmycity

First Trip of 2020

Slovakia's Presidential Palace

Today was my first trip of the new year.  Well not a big trip though.  

I just went to Bratislava to meet a friend for lunch.  After a walk around the city, and a coffee to warm up with, it was back to the train station to get home.

My next "real" trip is in a couple of weeks when I go visit Skopje again.  The last time I was there was in 2011 when it was the capital of Macedonia.  Now it's the capital of North Macedonia and I'm looking forward to see how the city has changed in 9 years.

2019 Bratislava Pride, Slovakia

Yesterday was the 9th annual Rainbow Pride in Bratislava.  I originally planned to go Friday and spend the whole weekend but I've got so much going on that I decided to just go for the day.

Last year I helped staff the IBM booth during the parade.  There wasn't booth this year so I participated in the parade.  In the USA, when you go to the pride parade it's to watch the parade.  Here, you are the parade.

The American embassy supporting Pride

This year's event was attended by around 10 000 people including the city's mayor and the public defender of rights.

In protest, there was another march by the Proud of the Family.  I hear that only a few hundred people showed up for that.

What was impressive about this year is that many of the foreign embassies came together for a joint statement of support.  The following embassies signed:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia.

It was a nice day.  Now looking forward to this year's Prague Pride.

2018 Bratislava Rainbow Pride

Saturday was the 8th annual Rainbow Pride Festival in Bratislava.  This was the first year that IBM Slovakia was an official partner of the event.

Things have changed a lot since the first Pride back in 2010.  The support received was awesome!

The Governor of the Bratislava Region attended and there were embassy representatives from the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, and Switzerland.

Besides IBM, there were employee groups from Lenovo, Accenture, Dell, Amazon, Ikea, and ING that participated as well.




I helped staff the IBM booth through the day and while over 25 IBMers took place in the march through the city centre.

Overall there were almost 4000 people that attended Pride.  I wonder how many people will show up in August at Prague Pride.

Here's a video that the IBM Communications team in Bratislava put together.

©IBM

New Brno Flights

In October, Wizz Air cancelled its Brno-Eindhoven route.  Well now they are leaving Brno completely.  In January they will end the Brno-London Luton route.

In June 2018 they will close the Prague base and only offer flights from Prague to London Luton, Bari, Italy, and Kutaisi, Georgia.

Wizz Air will still fly from Bratislava with flights to Skopje, Kyiv, Warsaw, Sofia, Tuzla, and London Luton.

With Air Berlin gone, Wizz Air is establishing a base, in 2018, in Vienna with 17 new routes.  From April they will have flights to Gdańsk, Tuzla, and Varna.  In June, they will have flights to Bari, Malta, Rome, Valencia, and Tel Aviv.  From November there will be routes to Billund, Bergen, Dortmund, Kutaisi, Larnaca, Nis, Ohrid, Tenerife, and Thessaloniki.  These are some great destinations and several of them are still on my bucket list.

The good news is that we're getting a new airline in Brno.  The Romanian airline Blue Air is establishing a base here.  The Blue Air Moravian Transport will be 35% owned by the the city and 65% owned by Blue Air.

At the end of March 2018, they will offer flights to Milan, Rome, Barcelona, Brussels, and Lviv.  Over the summer there will operate flights to Split and Dubrovnik.

I'm surprised that being a Romanian airline, and given the number of Romanians here in Brno, that there's no flight to Romania.  Perhaps it will come in the future.  I've never flown with Blue Air before but I'll have to give them a try.  So nice that there will be more discount airline flights direct from Brno.  Plus lots of new Wizz Air destinations out of Vienna.  Looks like there will be more travel opportunities in 2018.

Update:  What a complete disappointment!!  Flights were supposed to launch at the end of March but service was delayed due to legal processes.  Now the South Moravian governor announced the end of cooperation with Blue Air so it looks like I'll have to keep flying from Vienna, Bratislava, or Prague.  Too bad because it would be so convenient to be able to fly in and out of Brno.

2017 Depeche Mode Concert

So when I was a teenager, back in the 80's in Southern California, I missed the chance to see Depeche Mode in concert.  So when Claudia mentioned cheap €45 tickets for the Bratislava show I was definitely in.






I grew up with Depeche Mode.  They've sold over 100 million records worldwide.  Their Global Spirit Tour from May to July consists of 32 cities in 21 European countries.

The show was great!  We were in the standing section and it did start to rain.  But that's where the "I ❤️ Bratislava" rain poncho came in handy.  The concert was to promote their upcoming album so it makes sense that their focus was on the newer material.

They played 22 songs, including a five song encore, but I still wish their set had included "Master & Servant", "Shake the Disease", "Policy of Truth" and "People Are People", but they did include "Walking In My Shoes".

Here's a short clip of the beginning of "Enjoy the Silence" that I got on my mobile phone.

 

Update:  In 2018, Depeche Mode will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Road Trip to Székesfehérvár, Hungary

Road trip selfie

Yesterday, five of us headed off on an early morning road trip to Székesfehérvár, Hungary.

Only a couple of us had been there before so we took the others on a quick tour after work.

This has got to be my eighth or ninth work trip here so it's nice when there's something new.

For example, they've done up the spot where Hungarian kings and queens used to be crowned.

Everyone else got to go home today but I headed to Slovakia for meetings in Bratislava tomorrow.

Tonight's view from my hotel is the Presidential Palace.

Dobrou nos z Bratislavě.  Good night from Bratislava. 

Tagging

In Prague

I hate tagging!  When I grew up we called it graffiti but at least then it often resembled art.  Not a fan of most graffiti but tagging I find more annoying.  It's basically people writing their names where they don't belong.

Some people look at it as "freedom of expression" or "artistic release".  I call it vandalism.  It drives me mental when I see tagging on a beautiful 18th or 19th century building here in Europe.  Some people must not realise how lucky they are to live in such beautiful places and feel the need to write the equivalent of "stupid was here".

Unfortunately, it's common everywhere but some places have way too much.  I know it is in Brno but personally I think it is way more common in Bratislava.

There's a campaign in Brno called Proč tag(k)? ("Why tag?").  This sticker on a tram window discourages tagging because the window costs 5000 Kč ($230). 

I can understand graffiti as art on something like the Berlin Wall.  But actual images were painted; not someone's initials.  I found the John Lennon Wall in Prague to be just a bunch of tagging but at least it's concentrated in one place and there is a theme.  At the very least be clever about it like they are with the Sofia Soviet Army Memorial.

I believe that Provision 182 of the Czech Criminal Code states that damaging and defacing public property and utilities is punishable up to six years in prison.  I don't know if there is a fine as well.  Too bad it's not like Singapore where the perpetrators would get publicly caned.

Update:  The only tagging here in Brno that doesn't annoy me is the bridge where each summer graduating students spray paint their name and new academic title.

First Bratislava Trip of 2017

An early morning train to Slovakia

Well, so far in 2017, I managed to stay home a full two weeks before needing to go to the Bratislava office.

Fortunately it was just a day trip.  A full day of meetings but at least it gave me the opportunity to have a short visit with my Slovak team.

The Bratislava Crew

On the flip side, my Czech team decided to have some fun while I was away.  Perhaps they were jealous that I was with the Slovak team or something but during the day they decided to decorate my desk with a snowman.  Cute, but I don't understand why they always want to mess with my desk.  So long as they clean it up before it melts.

Belarus Tourist Visa

Most people who want to visit Belarus need to arrange a visa in advance.  It tends to be a bureaucratic pain in the arse but there's no way around it.  The easiest one to get is the 10-day maximum tourist visa.  Here's what's required for an American citizen to get one of the single-entry 10 day visas.

1. A copy of your passport
2. A completed application form
3. A passport photo
4. A confirmation letter from the hotel/hostel 
5. Proof of travel health insurance showing worldwide or Belarus coverage
6. Proof of payment for the visa fee

Belarus Embassy in Bratislava

Normal visa processing takes 7 - 10 business days unless you double the fee to receive your visa in 3 - 5 business days.  Two visits are required; the first to apply and the second to pick it up.  Belarus has embassies in Prague, Bratislava, and Vienna.  I would loose two full days of work travelling back and forth to Prague so this became my third choice.  The embassy in Bratislava handles visas between 9 AM - Noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  This worked great because I could do what I need to do at the embassy at 9 AM and then I could work the rest of the day from the IBM office in Bratislava and catch an eventing train home.

It used to be pretty expensive for Americans to get a visa.  Something like $120 or $160 but a couple of years ago the price dropped.  The problem is that the cost seemed to vary a bit depending on where you applied.  I e-mailed the Belarus Embassy in Bratislava and they confirmed it would cost €60.  The embassy does not accept money so you have to transfer the money to their Bratislava bank account and bring proof of payment.  

So two weeks ago I caught an early train and was at the embassy by 8:20 AM.  By 9 AM there were four others in line behind me.  The clerk spoke to me in Russian but my Russian isn't what it used to be.  I asked her in Czech if she spoke English or Czech.  She grunted and nodded her head.  But she didn't actually indicate that she spoke English.  Since I figured she had to speak Slovak I decided to just go with Czech.

That's when the questions began.  Why do I want to go to Belarus?  Have I ever been to Belarus before?  Do I know anyone in Belarus?  Where will I go in Belarus?  What will I do there?  

She went through all of my paperwork.  She told me that she did not know the hotel I booked.  How did I find this hotel?  Why did I book this hotel?  

Since I have permanent residency she also wanted a copy of my Schengen ID.  I knew to come prepared so I just happened to have a photocopy of it.  I also had copies of my flight itinerary/receipt which she took even though I doubt she really needed them.

I provided a screen print showing the bank transfer to their account for the €60 fee.  No problem.  She took my passport and told me to come back in two weeks to pick up my visa.  They would hold my passport until then.

All said and done and I was done by 9:15 AM.  I wasn't thrilled about leaving my passport especially since I just got it.  I don't need to carry my passport in Czechland because I have my Czech residency card but technically I need to carry both when I am outside of Czech Republic.  I didn't have any trips planned and figured I would be fine between CZ and Slovakia with only my ID.  Besides I went through this before when I applied for my Azeri visa which required three visits - the first to apply, then once approved you go back to give them your passport and finally on the third visit you get your passport back.  I defiantly don't want to deal with that sort of drama again.  

The entry for visa services

Two weeks later and I was back at the embassy first thing this morning to pick up my passport.  It was a different clerk this morning but I explained that I was there to pick up my passport and visa.  She took out my file and went through every document.  She then asks me for my receipt for the €60 fee.  I explained that I provided a screen print with all of my paperwork.  She looks through everything again.  She can't find it.  She tells me that I need to pay €60 for the visa.  I tell her again that I provided proof of payment.  She pulls out my passport and the visa is in it but she needs proof of payment.  This is starting to feel like a shake down and I'm not rolling over for €60.

I explain to her that why would they have accepted my application in the first place, or even processed the visa, if I hadn't already provided proof of payment.  Now I'm getting annoyed and switch to Russian.  Then the supervisor comes in and she briefs the other woman what's going on.  The supervisor just happens to be the clerk I dealt with two weeks ago.  I see her look through all of the same submitted papers again and she asks me about the receipt.  I explain that I provided a screen print from my bank when I applied.  Who did you give this to?, she asks.  My response...I gave it, to you, with all of my other paperwork.  She then hands me my passport and I check that the dates on the visa are correct and I left.  The whole thing still only took about 20 minutes.  What's interesting is that on the visa itself it says how much was paid.

I don't know if this was an actual shake down.  I don't know if they relented because they saw that I wasn't going to give up or maybe things changed once I switched to Russian (even though it's pretty rusty).  I don't really care because the main thing is that I now have my visa for Belarus which is the only country in Europe that I have not been to.  Belarus will be #50.

My Belarus tourist visa

Update:  As of 12 February 2017, Belarus will now issue free visas on arrival to passengers flying in to Minsk.  The visas are for a maximum of five calendar days and, again, are only available to tourists who fly in to Minsk National Airport.  This is available to citizens of 80 different counties, including the USA.   

Bratislava Penthouse

This week I was back in Bratislava.  Not a big surprise.  Sometimes I feel that I spend more time in Bratislava than I do at home in Brno.  Heck, I'm here so often that I know in Slovak the city's nickname is Blava.  Short for Bratislava.

Since July the city has been crazy busy and there is lots of security everywhere.  That's because from July until the end of December, Slovakia holds the presidency of the European Union.  Every six months it rotates to a different country.

Here's the logo for the Slovak EU presidency.  The three diacritics that make up the logo's happy face are the three different accent marks used in the Slovak language.  Pretty clever.

This week I had to attend a workshop.  The problem has been that getting a hotel room in town has been very tough due to all of the extra people here for the six month term.  So rather than stay at the Sheraton where I normally do, next to the office, this time I rented a studio flat.  I'm going to have to do this again.

The flat is practically next door to the office, I don't feel like I'm stuck in a hotel room, and at €50 a night it is much cheaper than staying at the Sheraton.
Plus it has a little penthouse vibe to it.  I'm sure that the travel department will give me a hassle for getting something on booking.com but I'll deal with that later. 

Back in Slovakia...again

Nové Slovenské národné divadlo

Well, big surprise...I'm back in Slovakia...again.  All I have to say is that it's a damn good thing that my Slovak team is so awesome otherwise these 6:20 AM train rides from Brno would start getting old.

Every time I go to see my Bratislava team I walk past the new Slovak National Theatre.  I've walked past it for years so sooner or later I really should go inside.  The theatre opened in 2007 and is near the Danube.  It has three theatre spaces for opera & ballet, a drama hall and an experimental theatre space, which can seat 1,700 spectators.

I still need a reason to go see something at the old theatre in the centre.  Oh well, sooner or later I guess.

Back in Slovakia

I'm back in Slovakia again.  Big surprise.  Just a couple of days of meetings in Bratislava.

At least from the 23rd floor of the office there is a great view of the castle.

Brno vs Prague and Bratislava

There are a number of reasons why I enjoy living in Brno.  Coming from Atlanta, a city of over 5 million people, makes Brno seem like a small town and that's fine by me.  I find Brno to be the perfect size.  It's a big enough city that there is always something going on but small enough to enjoy the local feel of the place.

I'm going on seven years here and, from the beginning, I've always preferred Brno to both Prague and Bratislava.  For one thing I find the cost of living to be lower here.  Here's a random flyer I found from jobspin.cz, a recruitment company, where it highlights a few of the cost and quality of living statistics between the three cities.

I usually spend two to four days in Bratislava each month so I'm pretty familiar with the city and I find it to be more expensive than Brno.  It's interesting to look at this table to see that it is also more expensive than Prague which is three times the size.  It may be because Slovakia is on the Euro.

The cost of rent and pubic transportation are lowest in Brno and most expensive in Bratislava.  Going out for dinner and beer is cheapest in Brno.  Now, to be fair salaries are lower here on average compared to the other cities.  But Brno's crime and safety indices are better too.

No, I'm not trying to bash Prague or Bratislava.  I love going to Prague.  It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  And after dealing with so many tourists I normally can't wait to get back home to Brno.

©jobspin.cz