Ancestry - Eastern Europe and The Slovak Republic



Autobahn in Austria heading to Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Bratislava Castle on the Danube River

After spending a wonderful day and evening in Vienna we were picked up by Martin Sloboda the next morning. Martin (MS Agency) was our amazing guide and interpreter for the next 2 days. I had been in contact with Martin to help us visit Bratislava, understand the local history and sites then visit the surrounding villages where the Simek ancestors lived. My Grandfather Matthew and Grandmother Anna were born in this region in the late 1800s. My Grandmother Anna's father played the clarinet in an orchestra in Vienna (Vienna Orchestra?) and lived in Borsky Svaty Jur.  My grandmother was raised  in the village (Borsky Svaty Jur) and even worked in Vienna and at the age of 12 came to America to visit her father touring America with the orchestra. She then remained with other family in America, got married to Matthew and the story goes on with a son named John, my father. I didn't know much about my dad's father Matthew and his parents.

The plan was to become familiar with Bratislava and the old town district and then visit Svaty Jur and Kuklov, villages in the Sovak Republic. Well it turned out that the wine making country and town of Svaty Jur was not the right town. Martin's colleague arranged for us to visit a state records office in Modra. Here, the local agent knew of no families with Simek or Radic surnames. So, he indicated another town called Borsky Svaty Jur. He pulled out a huge old and dusty record book, something one might see in Harry Potter films and to our surprise, the birth records of Matthew Simek and Anna Simek (Radic). Without Martin's knowledge and assistance we would have never achieved what we did! Thanks Martin.

The City Hall Records Director - He knew just what book to look in!

Then he brought out the big guns . . . this book was so amazingly, big and old.  It was bound by a big belt, that he unclasped and miraculously went right to the pages we needed.

Martin, Michael and the City Hall Director

So my Grandpa Matthew's parent's were Martin (Martinus) and his Mother Mary (Maria). Latin was common for church record, as well as the Hungarian names with their children (it get's interesting). The records also show baptismal dates, the house number they lived in and their Godparents. I'll have all the records to show family. While in Modra we had to go to Majolika hand crafted and painted slovak pottery store. Take a look Simek's... I'll give you a moment to salivate... it was a candy store and one that perhaps grandma Simek visited for her grand collection. Needless to say we could only pick a few items and try to pack the items into our carry-on luggage.

We had lunch at a local winery restaraunt in Modra then off to the Small Carpathian Mountains to see another castle. We had white wine and a local goat chesse filled pasta, very gooood.

Next day we were off to Kuklov and Borsky Svaty Jur north of Brtislava. In search of family and their stomping grounds.

KuKlov Church where Matthew baptized and Simek's went to Mass. Cemetery behind church were many Simek's are buried. I call it "Simekville"



The church that Grandma Anna Radic was baptized in Borsky Svaty Jur.

 



My Great Grandfather Jan Radic and Great Grandmother Anna Radic (Sokol) gravesite.


And now my Dad's cousin Valeria Balikova who welcomed us with an open heart and a table of wine and fine hand made cookies of the real slovak style.

And the final toast, Prost!
Drinking the brew from the oldest brewery in the WORLD!!

Europa, Es war wunderschön


To all our family and friends, the trip to see Amy in Austria was full of blessings. I prayed to Anna  and she gave us oversight and success to our trip to Slovakia.
Deutchland, Österreich, und die Slovenske Republika was fantastica!
Grüss Gott!





Cathedral Bells...

The sound of the cathedral (Dom) and church (Kirche) bells ring throughout the land. Church spires rise high above the community and tell us of their presence everywhere we go, both sight and sound. The bells are nothing like we've experienced...we love them. On the new years midnight celebration, the church bells "played" a big part of the celebration as the fireworks were flying!

Stephansdom in central Vienna, Mozart was married in this cathedral in 1782 and Franz Joseph's funeral was here in 1916. The foundations of this church date back to 1147. Many of the Hasburg rulers hand their hand in changes to the Dom over the years. We attended vespers and a Mass in the cathedral. These places were made to glorify God and inspire worship, they are amazing and we couldn't miss the chance.

The Church of Mondsee St. Michael's located in a town located in the beautiful Salzkammergut Lake District of Austria.  

Some more views of the church interiors and this is just a small sample of the many amazing chapels and religious art.

Next...into The Slovak Republic and visiting Bratislava, villages of  Kuklov and Borsky Svaty Jur! 

The Sound of Music

Okay, I will confess . . . we went on the Sound of Music Tour.  I dragged Michael and Amy along, but you know deep down I know they really liked it!
We took a bus to many of the places from the movie.  The tour guide gave us a rundown of what really happened while filming the movie.  "Debunking" they called it (oh, close your ears!).  It was an informational bus tour with the Sound of Music songs playing, and yes, you were encouraged to sing along :)  Funny!

Our "party" bus.  Note the "Albus" name.  The same bus company as the one in the movie :)

The famous gazebo . . . "You are sixteen, going on seventeen . . ."

The Lake District where some of the movie was filmed.

In the background is the palace where they sat out on the deck drinking the pink lemonade, and the VonTrapp children fell in the water (for all of you Sound of Music fans).  We are actually standing ON the frozen lake.

So, yeah, the tour was fun, glad we did it, and yep, you really don't need to share this little tidbit of information with everyone.  It'll be our little secret.  As we left the bus, they played the "So long, farewell" song.  he he

Home again and relishing the memories!

We made it home safely.  A full day of traveling leaves a person exhausted, as most of you know.  Getting up at 3:00 a.m. and ready for the day is a bit comical.  We had an amazing and wonderful trip.  We will continue to fill our blog with some of our experiences.  It was great to hug Amy and see her life in Salzburg.  She is doing so well, which is a comfort to us.  We enjoyed our time with her immensely. Michael and I fell in love with Salzburg, what a beautiful place.  Here are a few more pics of our adventures.

Last day of Christmas Market.

Michael and I took off and spent the day sightseeing Salzburg.  We went to the Mozart Museum, where Mozart lived, and covered a lot of ground.  (Amy opted to sleep in and have a day to herself :).

Hey, this guy looks like the one that stands around the streets in Portland.  I wonder if they are related?

As Amy said in her blog . . . God is everywhere. She is so right.  This was one of my favorite places in Salzburg, on our way up to the Kapuzinerberg forest. 

 The stations of the cross were along the path as you walked up to the viewpoint.

The view at the top!

European Cuisine - Es Ist Sehr Gut!

This blog entry is dedicated to the fine Bavarian, Austrian, Viennese and Slovak cuisine. The pace here is so much more laid back.  Fast Food is not a priority, which is so refreshing.  They do not give you your check to leave until you ask for it "Zahlen bitte", encouraging you to linger and enjoy your meal and company.  When they come with your bill, they are prepared to collect money at that time, and tips are not expected, though it is appreciated to round out your total.  Pride is taken in the presentation of your meals.  We were on a mission to find the best apple strudel, and found so much more.  Here are a few highlights:

Amy took us to her favorite cafe hangout, Heart of Joy.  Generally, when you order a coffee, they bring you an espresso.  Which is so good and robust. I ordered a Mozart Coffee!  (My favorite!)

Brezen stands are all over.  So, of course we had to partake in one . . .

Just for the record . . . Weight Watcher points were not being recorded!!  Our "activity points" and all the walking we did, were our saving graces.  Bon Appetit!

This was an excellent restaurant.  True Austrian cuisine.  The students call it the Yellow Place, because they can't remember the name, and it is yellow.  They made their own brew, which was one of Michael's favorite.  Michael had a rum steak with kartoffel pancakes and I had the traditional Weinerschnitzel. The restaurant accomodated Amy with the "best" vegetarian meal she has had so far.

The bakeries were amazing with all of their fresh baked goods.  Pigs were everywhere, and we think they meant good luck for the new year!

We had pure hot chocolate.  I think they basically melted creamy chocolate bars.  Amy said it was not as good as in Slovenia -- no complaints from me!

We found the Sporer Schnapps Shop.  It was very crowded in the tiny little store, no wonder.  The Schnapps were, very spirited!!

 Another authentic Austrian restaurant.  The sauerkraut salad was great.  I had a cucumber salad with my meal, that tasted just like Grandma Ruby's!

 A cream cheese strudel, served with a warm vanilla sauce and whipped cream. 

Then, of course here is the traditional apple strudel served with warm vanilla sauce and whipped cream.

Getting ready for our 4-course meal before the Mozart Concert.

Michael ordered the famous Sacher Torte in Vienna - (chocolate cake with apricot filling)

Amy had a creme torte and I enjoyed a hazelnut torte.  It was very cold and windy outside, so a nice cup of coffee and dessert was just what we needed.  Plus, we were in Vienna, so "Why Not?!"

Happy New Year!

There were little booths of fresh roasted chestnuts all over.  They give them to you in little paper cones, and you just peel the skins off.  They were hot and good.  This brings on a song  . . . "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire . . ."

A little shop in Bratislava, Kolace is a traditional Slovak pastry!

The Bier Palace in Bratislava.  A dish called "Hungarian Tavern" - paprikas with brazened pork.

We had dinner in Freising, Germany (a small town near Munich), our last night in Europe.  Pork with mushroom sauce, spaetzle and served with Weihenstephan (premium Bavarian beer established in 1040).

Alas, so much fine food, so little time.  As Michael and I would say each day,

"Another day, another dinner!"

As they say in Europe, Bon Appetit!