Some voices in Slovakian polities want Slovakia for the Slovakians: a situation that is quite far from current day reality. Slovakia has a wealth of minorities, of whom Hungarians and Roma make up the biggest share. How do they seen by the Slovakians and how well do they integrate? Here`s a quick round-up of randomly collected opinions from Kosice.

Posted by Bruno

Located far away from the any sea or ocean, Slovakia has a continental climate with daytime temperatures in the East of the country varying between -10 degrees in winter to over 30 degrees in summer. I managed to plan my way around the cold of Northern Europe and the heat of Southern Europe, but may be facing quite some hot weather for the remaining couple of weeks in Central Europe. Today`s question: how much does the course of the seasons influence daily life in Eastern Slovakia?

Posted by Bruno

Beer is a magic word in Slovakia as much as it is in Czech Republic. Few social gatherings in Slovakia go by without anybody yielding to the fresh-bitter taste of a decent pint of beer. More so than in Czech Republic, the Slovak taste for alcoholic drinks extends into the `stronger` direction. Slovaks are proud of their Borovicka, Hruskovica and Slivovica, only to mention a few. Question of the day: What habits and preferences do Slovaks have when it comes to drinking?

Posted by Bruno

After money, abortion, euthanasia, psychological or physical disabilities, sex and/or deviant sexual preferences and immigration issues, I think have come across another topic that qualifies as a taboo in big parts of Europe: doing nothing. The Greeks seem to be the only ones in the European Union to collectively accept and even praise the activity of being idle. Slovakians are located on the other end of the range. Along with most of their fellow Europeans, they prefer to fill up their spare time working on hobbies, meeting friends and visiting relatives.

Posted by Bruno

Each and every country in Europe is extensively covered in guidebooks. Slovakia is no exception to that rule, but who can give better advice than the Slovaks themselves? Which places in their country do they like to visit, and which areas would they rather avoid?

Posted by Bruno

Three hundred and ten articles about culture and none of them has dealt with films.. Time to cast my ignorance about films aside, and ask a bunch of young Slovak about their preferences when it comes to projections on the wide screen.

Posted by Bruno

Once upon a time, inhabitants of Bratislava were known for their speaking three languages fluently: German, Hungarian and Slovak. Bratislava has a range of international and historical names, including Preslavasburch, Pre?porok (Slovak), Posonium or Istropolis (Latin), Pressburg (German) and Pozsony (Hungarian). The city was only finally baptised Bratislava when the first Czechoslovak Republic was created in the early 20th century. Little of the international image of Bratislava survived the communist era, but recovery is on the way.

Posted by Bruno