All of you long time visitors to this blog know that not long after I arrived in Slovakia I was introduced to the game of squash. Because I never met a game I didnt like this continues to be one of my primary sources of fitness. Not long ago some folks I know organized a small tournament. As you can see by our grungy look this is a post tournament photo.

Squash is really growing in popularity here. The level of cardio in this game is quite high. On this particular day we played for 2 hours, followed by an afternoon nap. The best part for me is of course the relationship building, meeting new people and developing new friendships. Sports is a great way to do that.

These are our two score keepers Lucia and Daniela. They did a great job. With the right type of sweets you could actually get your scores increased a bit. For them I think it was really just an excuse for two good friends to get together and chat. I guess you dont have to play to have fun, imagine that.

After the action was over the prizes were awarded. Well done Luba, you go girl!

And Kristian wins a shirt. If the contest had been a decathalon Kristian would win the medal for sure.

There is a Slovak tradition which takes place in the fall months that I would say most closely resembles the American holiday known as Thanksgiving. It is essentially a celebration of family and friends around a special meal. In this case people usually go out to have the meal prepared and served to them at a restaurant. Actually there are a few small towns or villages here which have as one of their primary sources of income the preparation and serving of this special dinner. These villages have 3 or 4 restaurants which are owned and operated by people living there. They are open year round but make the majority of their income during these few months each year. What a privilege for me to be invited to this special dinner by one of my english students Palo (nic for Pavel) who is next to me, Lucia his wife and Kristian and Daniela.

Here now is the menu for this special meal. The main dish is Hus which is Slovak for goose. I'm not sure how they cook it, probably roasted, but take my word for it, this was the best goose I've ever eaten. Then we have the purple cabbage which can be found on your plate in Slovakia for any meal at any time. We also have a local favorite called Lokse (lock-shay). They look and taste like a type of tortilla although they are a bit thicker than your standard tortilla. And last and certainly least for my particular palate was the tray of pickles, peppers, onions and probably more cabbage. The customers pay a certain fee and then its an all you can eat affair. Similar to Thanksgiving, it was difficult to stop eating even after loosening your belt.

These are my friends Peter and Emma. They have made an appearance on the blog before although some time ago. Peter is actually a Czech native while Emma hails from England. On a regular basis this lovely family welcomes me into their home for a hot meal and warm fellowship.

These are their boys Adam at the top and Alex below him. They usually like to have a little rough housing before dinner and even though I'm not their official uncle its still my duty (privilege) to oblige them.

This is the hockey stadium for the local professional team,Slovan. I have been here many times to watch Slovan play but this was my first time playing here. This is an old communist built building that has been around for many decades. The place really rocks when the home team plays as the fans here really know and love their hockey. The sign says " We are Slovan and we are at home here" (or this is our home).

The building only seats about 8500 and has some obstructed views but there is alot of interesting hockey history here and its considered hallowed ground by the locals. There will be a major reconstruction of this building, which will take about 2 years, starting in just a few months. The reconstruction is in anticipation of hosting the World Championships in 2011. During the reconstruction Slovan will have to play in a small, old arena nearby.

What hockey arena doesnt have banners hanging from the rafters? As always, they commemorate championship seasons and the great players from the past, both of which are represented here.

Meet my friends Martina and Juraj (yur-eye). Juraj works for a law firm translating documents from Slovak to English so needless to say his English is quite good. Martina, his girlfriend, works in the business world. I recently hosted them for dinner, cooking pork chops on the grill. We had a really nice evening chatting and listening to good music.

Welcome to the most infamous and notorious prison in Slovakia. This is Leopoldov. Traveling by car it is about one hour from Bratislava. The town in which it is situated bears the same name. They are both named after the Emperor Leopold from back in the 1600's. At that time the Ottoman Turks were laying siege to this area. By order of the Emperor a military fortress was built in 1665, this very building. Years after those dynasty's the fortress became the prison which housed the most dangerous criminals in Czechoslovakia.

This is not the greatest photo but these walls are quite old, maybe hundreds of years old. In the distance beyond the walls you can see one of the main cell block buildings. During the Communist Czechoslovakia, the Communist government used the prison for holding and "liquidating" political prisoners, particularly in the 1950s. The conditions were harsh for prisoners. From what I hear the conditions are only slightly improved.
For the past 8 months I have had a pen-pal relationship with a Slovak prisoner in this facility. He made a request to the Sk organization, which I have been doing prison ministry with, for a native English speaker who would agree to a letter writing relationship.

Getting into the facility was no easy task. There were about 50 other people also waiting to visit a friend or family member. After standing in the cold for nearly 2 hours they finally began to allow us in the front gate. We were ushered in 5 at a time through a series of 5 locked gates until all 50 were in the outdoor compound of the prison. At each locked gate a different security procedure was performed. The old age of these buildings was quite evident as it felt like we were descending into a medieval dungeon. Once inside we were marched down to a building about 200 yards from the entrance. As we walked along, the windows of the buildings on either side of us were filled with the faces of Leopoldov prisoners. Its a strange feeling to have so many eyes fixed on your every step. Throughout this process the orders and directions of the guards were, of course, spoken in Slovak. Very fast Slovak. Its times like these when you just learn to follow the crowd and do what they do.

Finally we were lead into a small building with separate classroom type spaces where the prisoners were already waiting. I was surprised that a maximum security prison would allow the visitors to have such close contact with the residents, although later I discovered that all these men had achieved an elevated status due to good behavior and as a result have higher privileges. The only way for me to find "Ron" was to wait for everyone else to be seated because we had never seen each other before. We spoke for 2 hours but due to the language challenges only actually communicated about 30 minutes worth of information. Ron told me I was the first visitor he'd had in 3 years. His wife and children have given up on their family ties. Apparently 15 years, and 3 more to go, was too much to bear. Ron has a difficult time speaking about why he is in prison although I have been able to piece together the picture. He carries a tremendous amount of guilt and shame for his crimes which is doubled when he thinks about the way his family has become estranged. He also fears that there maybe be some bad people looking for him upon his release which is why he wants to leave the country when he is free. The USA is his first choice after having lived there for 2 years about 20 years ago. He worked on a fishing boat somewhere on the east coast and absolutely loved his life there. Ron knows the chances of him returning there with his criminal record are slim which is why he has a plan B, Argentina.

When I asked Ron about a time when I could come back for another visit he surprised me by saying he didnt want me to come back. He went on to say that he feels like he has burdened me enough with the letter writing and the time and energy to come for a visit (I also sent him 2 items he asked for from America; an atlas and an auto trader magazine). Before I departed I convinced Ron that it would be a pleasure for me to continue to visit him in the future.