How a Japanese met Slovakia, part 5

(Original notes of Nat)

Bardejov and other places I visited

I found towns like Bardejov were more developed and larger than I´d previously and negligently thought. Before arriving in Bardejov, she told me how small her town was and how it doesn´t have a financial district and other districts like a big city should have. So I couldn´t help but imagine a very small, rural community where only the town square is where people gather. Once you step out of it, you don´t see anybody and anything. It seemed pretty much so in reality, too, but there "was" and "is" more to Bardejov than meets the eyes.
I saw more people and cars than I thought I would see. It was like any suburbs around Sydney. Maybe it was because of the town market. Many streets were filled with people then. Like many places in Slovakia, Bardejov has been developed outward from the square so there´re more shops and restaurants and bars continuing for a few blocks from it. And the establishment there isn´t old or deserted at all but they are nice and cool.
There was also a Tesco which almost became my routine stop in the morning if I had stayed longer. I went there for the first time without her one morning hoping everything would be all right. I thought what could go wrong. Just buying a few things at a supermarket. You pick up whatever and pay whatfs shown at the cashier, right? So I picked up some stuff not knowing what were really in it. I couldn´t read anything. I just went with pictures on packages. Well, I told you everything was a challenge to me.
And I went up to the cashier figuring out which line to stand but I found a self-checkout lane. I usually use these in Sydney so I thought it´d be piece of cake and thank god, this Tesco had the English screen. So it was no problem. However, when I was about to leave and passed an anti-theft alarm gate, it beeped. Of course, a security guy came and said something but who the hell knows what he said. But I showed what I just purchased and empty my pockets. And there I went again. And it beeped again. He looked suspicious but let me go eventually. Well, that was a bit embarrassing.
And next morning I went there again because that was the only place I could shop without having to speak Slovak. I wasn´t completely comfortable because of the alarm the day before, though. When I got there, there was that security guy from yesterday. I felt awkward at first but it didn´t last long because he smiled and greeted me as I passed him. I managed to smile, too, but couldn´t get any words out of my mouth as I didn´t even know how to greet in the morning not to mention "yes" and "no" in Slovak. But it was the last time I saw him. He wasn´t there next day and I didn´t go there again because we left Bardejov to begin our journey.
There are quite a few shops and restaurants in town, and the town was lively but once the market came to an end, the town seemed different. And she told me that was usual Bardejov. Nevertheless, I like some restaurants and cafes there and would like to go to those places again.
Like I said to her, though, there I felt a sense of community which may have been forgotten or lost in a big city. I felt comfortable as if I were at home. People get together to create the town market and enjoy themselves every year. There weren´t too many things available like a big city, but people do without too many things. I envy those people who are lucky to be able to call it home.
After we left Bardejov, she took me other places such as Prešov, Košice, Dedinky, Spišské Podhradie, Smižany, Spišska Nová Ves, Kežmarok, Vysoké Tatry (Lomnické sedlo) , Orava, Banská Bystrica, Kremnica and Bratislava. Except Bratislava, every place like Bardejov seemed to have its own color or ambience. It´s nice to have its own ambience distinguished from others. We didn´t necessarily do much in some places but what I felt was original in each place and I liked every one of them.

Here are some impressions of other places.

Prešov

The main street was lively. Many nice shops and restaurants stand along the main street. It seemed like it was all they needed there. Shopping, dining, and drinking can be done there. Busses run on the main street pretty conveniently, and a train station was on it, too. Because I met many people who went to school or still go to school there, I somehow think of Prešov like an academic city. She and her friends took me to the Šariš Castle. It was my first experience seeing a Slovak castle. Well, it was a ruin, though. Because the castle was "inconveniently" planned on top of a hill like many others, it wasn´t easy to get there. We had to walk up. But I don´t mind walking. The problem on that day was the strong sunlight. The castle was awesome and let us relax while some guys were working to reconstruct the castle or something. I enjoyed my time there but I was kind of exhausted by the sunlight. It was very strong. I was tanned, or one might say, "Burnt." By the time I arrived in Bratislava, my skin started to peel. And my co-workers in Sydney keep saying, "You got burnt!" Anyway, we went down and back to the city before I literally got burnt. We went to a pizzeria on the main street where it had a pizza called, "Kurva." (Whore) Of course, I ordered one. And it was so good. I wonder if the word, "pizza" is female in Slovak...


Well, I had fun with a bunch of her friends at the pizzeria. It was, maybe, too much fun to think about the last bus home. We went to see off one guy at the bus depot. By that time, we were too late for the last scheduled bus. Well, that was just great, wasn´t it? A Japanese guy missed the last bus in a small city in Slovakia with a bunch of locals who didn´t seem to care about it. Some said there were night buses or something, but there seemed to be no point of waiting for those. Well, one guy insisted on grabbing a cab. I almost agreed with him. But I guess the majority ruled. How democratic Slovakia is now! So we walked all the way from... wherever the hell we were to... wherever the hell we had to go back. What a very Slovak night it was! You drink and miss the last bus. And I had something to complain about, too. I wanted to do what the locals do, but it didn´t have to be literal like this.