Kremnicke Gagy

Photos from Kremnicke Gagy
Kremnica Comedy Festival.

Thanks to Joey and Martina and all there friends for a great weekend.

Hey Guys, I Finally Found It!!!!!!

Who knew it was in Amsterdam this whole time.

All My Photos from Amsterdam

Well at least the ones I like enough to show you.
Click photo to see the rest.

Day 3 into Day 4

So Day 3, I started my day the same way, milkshake at Barney's. I know what you are thinking. “You start your day with a milkshake?” Sure, why not it is a great way to wake up, it has vitamins and calcium, with the added bonus of quick sugar rush to help get moving for the day. I talked with the two German guys, the normal stuff, my life, my journey, my philosophy, etc. Again the Universe keeps doing it's job, I don't question it anymore. I then started walking towards the center of town and Dam Square. I was not all that impressed, I prefer the places that are near my hotel, much more character and a lot less touristy. I left the main road off Dam Square and just started walking a few blocks, not really going anywhere in particular, just wandering and looking for things to shot. The next thing I know I turn left for no reason walk a block and end up in the Red Light District. I was not looking for it and I thought it was in another part of town. It was what I imagined it would be. The daytime talent was weak at best, and down right scary at worst. I then headed back to the hotel and grab some takeout. I went to a place called Wok and Walk. You go in, tell them what kind of rice or noodles you want, then what meat you want then what sauce you want, three minutes later you have a to-go container and are out the door. For fast Chinese food it was very good. After dinner I went back out for a walk to see if anything was going on. Without my tripod it's not worth shotting some stuff I would like to and I am not a huge fan of the flash. I walked about 10km today and I really felt it when I got back for the night. The room has a great bathtub for soaking so of course. (no jake, i didn't make a move) I chilled out the rest of the evening watching some news and a few TV shows.

Day 4, Checked out and enjoying a milkshake, as usual, at Barney's trying to meet my deadlines so the 6 of you who read this will get your fix today. As I was sitting here 5 Irish kids (19 – 26) can in to start there 3 day holiday. I talked with them for about 30 minutes about everything Irish, I am glad I got to speak with them as it will make it easier for me to understand them when I get there sometime next week. The plan for the rest of the day is as follows, get some lunch, walk around a new part of town I have not seen that is NW of my hotel. I am hoping for some good shots. I will be back to the hotel to get my bag from storage and take the tram to Central Station at 5pm to catch a train to the airport for my fight out at 8pm to Vienna. I have a car service that will return me to Bratislava, as the bus stops running at 10 pm from the airport back to Bratislava. I will also pot more of my photo once I get back home, I am still looking for a few apps for this eeepc that work like my Mac.

I am now having lunch at a small Italian place on my favorite street for places to eat. And Wijacking someone's net signal. Enjoy, I know I will.

Amsterdam Day 3

More words to follow.
Carsten and Steffen, my new German friends
Thanks for everything. (Great Guys)

Day 2 - Night Time Fun

So off to a late meal, I took advantage of the hotels location and walked past about 30 different places before settling on a Mexican place off the main square I am near.

It turns out to be a good choice the service was fast and the food was very good. My plan now is to head back to the square and see if the two guys I saw playing last night are back. If so I will try and get some video for you. They had a funky blues sound and I picked up some cd's from them last night. The only problem is the Asus has no cd drive so I will have to wait to get home to listen to them.

No offense to my English friends but, your brothers and sisters are the loudest, drunkest, rudest tourist I have ever come across. If you are walking down the street and hear a bunch of loud drunk people there is a 95% chance they are English, the other 5% are Scots, sorry but it's true.

So I am in the square listening to the “The Famous Unknowns” I hope the video comes out.

Day 2 in Amsterdam

So I am still not over the jet lag, it was 3 am before I was able to get to sleep. Of course it could have been the espresso at 9:15 last night, not a wise choice for someone who rarely has caffeine. I spend the most of that time working on photos.

Today is overcast with a small chance of rain, so the light is very flat for photos, I will see if I can work it to my favor. I have found this trip that Front Doors and Iron Work is catching my eye more than anything. I plan on walking into new areas near my hotel which is really turning out to be perfect for my needs, it is close to great restaurants and is right on the tram line so getting back to the airport is not going to be an $75.00 cab ride. Stopped by Barneys to talk with Andy and get some locals advice on spots to visit and I am now heading out.

I spent the next 3 hours just walking the streets taking photos. I stopped for lunch near the hotel and had a great pizza. It started to rain lightly so I packed it in for the day and came back to the hotel to give you an update. It is now still cloudy but dry so I will head out later for dinner.

Amsterdam - The Return - Day 1

So where did I last leave things. Oh yeah, departing from JFK.
Well the flight was uneventful other getting stuck in the bulkhead row
that does not recline because of the emergency exit behind me,
so I was forced to rest my head on my tray table, not my
preferred sleeping position. I did try and offset that by taking
three benadryls and two screwdrivers to get me to sleep,
which still did not work as well as I had hoped but I was
able to get about 3 1/2 to 4 hours of sleep. I then had a
car service take me to Bratislava.

So I am home, and yes I do feel like this my home,
I could try explain the reasons I feel this way about Slovakia but I
am not sure I could convey exactly what I feel since I don't seem
to understand it myself. The closest thing I can say I this, I know
that the Universe wants me here for some reason. It is the same
reason I return to Camp every summer, because this is where I
should be. For those of you who get to talk with me face to face
will understand the concept I am trying to get across because
I have said it before. The key now is for me to recognize why
So how is it living in the same flat as your ex-girlfriend. To be
honest it was rather strange right at first, both of us not quite sure
what to expect from the other. That passed as we both just sat
down and chatted about our summers, how they went etc.
It was then I think we both understood that while we were not right
for each other as a couple, we could in fact be OK with just being
friends. The lingering feelings we both are dealing with I think
will slowly fade in to the past and make it easier just to be friends
with each other. As with everything, time will tell. So the trip,
I as I write this I am 20000 feet above the Netherlands about to
land in Amsterdam. I am looking forward to spending a few
days walking around taking pictures and taking in the local culture
and attractions.

Landed in Amsterdam and took a cab to the hotel because I
was to lazy to figure out the train and bus lines in a town I cant
pronounce the names of the stops.

Andy from Barney's lounge was here again and remembered
me and all my stories. I was surprised how excited he got when
he saw me, I felt for sure that there was no way he remembered
one old American from 4 months go. It was my hat that I think
made him remember me.


(Props to my Pop for the vintage 1971 "Go Fast Hat")

So first impressions, First, I love having the Asus eeepc 900,
it is perfect for the mobile blogger like me. Second, Barney's
still makes one of the best milkshakes you wil ever have.
Third the cab drivers here would give the NYC crew a run for
there money, my only advice is close your eyes and pray.
Fourth The hotel I got this time is now my new favorite spot.
I will get some photos to show you this area of town in the morning.
I have no view but it's a smoking room and it is bigger than the
last place. But the down side is you can't smoke inside the
restaurants or bars or coffee shops, go figure. You can light up a
spliff in the coffee shop but the get mad at you if you fire up a
nicotine stick, what kind of sick twisted moronic bureaucrat
came up with that one, oh wait I think I answered my own question.

So what is my game plan for the next 72 hours?
Tonight if the rain holds off I am going to do some night shots,
which without my tripod, should produce some interesting results.
But to be honest some of my greatest shots have happened by accident.
Tomorrows weather looks like it should be nice so it will be a
day of walking and shooting.

So I have gone mobile and am now sitting down for dinner at a
small Italian place off one of the main streets. So the plan is for
me to stop every so often and just start to type. I have already
taken a few good shots and this way It will give you the up
close and personal view of the city, plus it's fun for me to do it.
It gives me a look I need as a single guy dinning alone. Doing this
makes me look important. ;-)

So I just finished one of the best dinners I have had in a long time.
The veal saltimbocca was amazing and the gravy on the spaghetti
would make grandma Lucarelli proud. I am going to finish it
off with some tiramisu. Then off for more photos before calling it a night.

I just got mistaken for a Frenchman, I couple sat down to me
and started to speak to me then I said I don't speak French the the
man thought I was French. Serge and Fabienne are from Aix province
and I have just been sitting here talking with them as they wait for there dinner.
They are both teachers who are on holiday. I told them about my
travels and we talked about my philosophy of life and that today is
the only day you get so you better enjoy it. Anyway, tomorrow is
just a future yesterday. Serge's english is very good and is able to
translate what his wife misses. They are both very pleasant to talk
with and disprove the old stereo types of what you might think of
the French. He has also given me the name of a French writer
Andre Gide to read. For those of you who don't believe me,
I will say it again. The Universe puts me where it wants me to
be when it wants me to be there.

And the tiramisu was great, of course the espresso at 9:15 might be a mistake.

I am now hanging out in a square listen to two guys jam on guitar,
the sound is amazing. I tried to get some video but it hosed up on me, I will try again tomorrow.















Bike repair with a brick, the Amsterdam way.

I Am Home

It was an easy flight and I am now back in Bratislava. It is so nice to be back.

Hanging Out In JFK

My flight leaves in just over an hour and I am so excited to be getting back to Bratislava.

Stay tuned for updates, remember I leave for Amsterdam this Monday so I should have new photos up on Tuesday.

So Camp Is At An End

I am having trouble believing that tomorrow I will return the kids to the airport to end camp. I always see the last camper off and get to make the call the John waits for all summer, "All the kids are away safely, now go have a beer." I am amazed every year how quickly it goes by. I really find it hard to believe that I have been here for over 2 1/2 months. I have to say that this summer has been one of the best summers I have spent here. We had a great group of campers and a near All-Star staff this year. I made two new great friends this summer and will visit them in Turkey this fall. ("If you make one good friend summer your doing well." - Tripper, Meatballs) I will end up with over 5500 miles driven this summer in 7 weeks with 2 of them really just hanging out, the first week and last week are easy but the middle 5 kick my butt.

I am looking forward to getting back to Europe and traveling. have only made plans for the first part of the trip and see how things go before planning the rest of the trip. I have also made a new purchase to help with my travels an Asus eeepc 900, which is a small laptop with a nine inch screen that weighs less than 2 pounds. google it. I am posting from it now and am really enjoying playing with it. It runs version of Linux that I have hacked to make it even more useful. I will let you know how it works out in the future.

I Have Made My Plans

I spent a good portion of yesterday booking flights, hotels, cars and everything else I need to plan for for the next part of the adventure. So what are my plans, you ask? I fly back to Vienna on the 21st of August, arriving on the 22nd. I will then spend the next 3 days in Bratislava just hanging out and seeing some friends. I fly out on the 25th for 3 days in Amsterdam to explore more of the city. I plan on posting my photos as I did before, when I get the chance. I then return to Bratislava for 5 days, but I may visit Prague that weekend instead and come home late Sunday. I will then fly out on the 3rd of September for London for a visit with friends in Bexhill By Sea (and no I didn't leave out the "The" in Bexhill by Sea, that's it's real name.) for two days. I then fly out Friday night for Ireland for an 8 day trip. I will also be posting photos as I go along. I then fly back to Bratislava for the night on the 14th of September and fly out the next day for Istanbul for a 3 night stay. This will get me back to Bratislava by the 18th of September. I have an plan in the works to drive to Vienna, then Salzburg then into Germany to go see "The Eagles Nest" (google it) in Berchtesgaden. Then to Stuttgart to try and see the Porsche factory, on to Prague then back to Bratislava. I have a return ticket for November 1st and since the Giants play the Cowboys that Sunday, I will be back in the country at least for the weekend. After that who knows, if I can find a job in Bratislava I would stay again for the winter but right now it is not my main focus so I will see what the universe has in store for me.

So I Am Heading Back to Slovakia

I have just booked the flight and I will stay over for about 70 days. I will use Bratislava as my base as I travel to the places in Europe I still want to see. I am leaving on the 21st of Aug. and returning the 1st of Nov. The added benefit for me is I get to miss silly season with the election but get home in time to vote and watch the returns. I will update you more as I finalize my plans.

It's Been Awhile

So I after a long drought of posts it's time for me to bring everyone up to speed on the the bus ride I call life. So I'm single again, Kate and I have broken up. It was something we both came to in our own time and terms and I will always be friends with her. I learned more about myself in the last year than I ever have in the past and for that alone I will always be thankful to her and will always have a special place in my heart for her. And my life always works out for the best for me even if I don't understand the route the driver is taking me. Dealing with the break-up is my main excuse for not writing lately but we all know it's because I'm lazy. I just sat here for 3 minutes to try and convince myself it was some other reason (the break up only happened 2 weeks ago, what about the other missing 30 odd days Sean?) but it all comes back to me being lazy. It's not like I don't have the time. So this post many tend to wander as my thoughts come out and I remember things I wanted to post before but just decided to wait and let them chill for awhile and make sure I wanted to write about anything. Over the last 14 days I have driven over 3000 miles (4800km for my European readers) with one day off in the middle. I have over 1200 miles (2000km) to drive this week with this Tuesday being my first day off in 8 days. have a round trip to Montreal on Friday to drop two campers off. I would love to stay the night and spend Saturday and Sunday exploring the city but I am not sure if I can swing it as I have a pick up on Saturday that is a 5 hour round trip and those are my bread and butter runs but who knows.

Quick Side Note (I warned you):

Watch this video, then go buy the whole album, you will not be disappointed.
Camp has been fun the first session is now over and we start the last 3 week until the end of camp. While there is a small chance I will return to Slovakia for the fall I am looking into other options at this point. The one thing I am sure of is I will be in Ireland from the 6th until the 13th of September. What I am not sure of is since I am flying to Europe to begin with should I then just finish seeing the places in Europe I want to see? So I will most likely fly into and out of Amsterdam and use it a base to fly to other European cities. It has the advantages of been a great airport in a great city that I love taking pictures of. It is not out of the question for me to try and stay in Amsterdam for 2 months and visiting people I know in Europe. I would fly out for a 3 to 4 day visits and then return or fly to another city. I also have a known place to stay in Amsterdam that is not way overpriced and it is located in a great part of the city for me. The cities I would like to visit include, London, Belfast, Prague, Istanbul, and finish in Stuttgart Germany with a tour of the Porsche Factory. This would lead me back home where by this time I would have located the perfect 1973 to 1986 Porsche 911 for my needs. And what are my needs in a 911 you ask? Just one, that will get me across the southern part of the country to California then up to Vancouver and back to the Northeast Region all before Santa slips down the chimney. With the option of spending my winter in Savannah GA again. Can all of this happen? Why not, I'm just a passenger on this bus, the driver knows where I would like to go and if these stops our on his route I will see them, if not, such is life, karma is karma. In the 2 weeks that follow camp I will most likely be up and down the east coast dropping in on people and leaving just as quickly, what can I say, it's me, good or bad this is what you get. Same with this post, I'm tired and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Thanks to my loyal readers, I see you chasing the dragon, hope this helps.

It Occurred To Me....

as I was crossing the border into Canada yesterday, I have been in 7 countries in the last 10 months. The United States, Canada, Great Britain, The Netherlands, France, Austria and Slovakia. I hope to add Denmark to the list next month when I fly home to Bratislava. (if I can get outside the airport for a smoke, it counts as a visit in my book)

Darwin Award Finalist

The camera mans reaction is what kills me.
I bet you can't watch it just once.

Camp Has Begun

I picked up 5 kids today from the airport to start my fourth season as "The Driver Guy" at camp. I am expecting a great summer this year, we have a great group of staff this summer. I have been in camp since the 9th and have enjoyed being here before the start of camp, it was nice and quite. The sound of kids is the natural sound of this place and it is nice to have it back. It means that the time will fly by now, it always does once camp starts. I will post any good photos I take in the next few weeks if I like them enough. That's all for now.

Thanks to all my loyal followers, I do see you stopping by, I am sorry I am so slack about updates.

Can't Sleep - Up All NIght

It's late,I can't sleep and I came across this on YouTube, I love the internet.

hey jake; I had not heard this since SPD, forgot how good it is.
hey clem; R.B. is fine, thanks for your concern.


Oh yeah, I am at camp now, more on that later.

Sunset in Washington DC

I am in Washington DC visiting my friend Kelly. She, her boyfriend Rob and I had a picnic dinner near the Washington Monument at sunset today.

Click the photo to see the album.

Alex & Sarah's Wedding Photos

Click on photo for full album.

My Tribute to Slovakia

This is my tribute to my adopted home. Music is by the Slovak band Desmod and the song is "Zober Ma Domov"

Spring In Bratislava

Click on photo to view album.

It's That Time Of The Year

That's right, it's time for camp! I will be leaving Bratislava on the 28th for the US. I have my friend Alex's wedding to attend, I also have family and friends to visit as i make my way to Old Forge for the summer. I am sad to be leaving Bratislava for 3 months. I enjoy living in the city, the flat is really in a good location. It's not the best neighborhood but the rent is cheap and everything I need is within a short walk or 10 min bus ride. But I will be back sometime in late August or early September, I hope to have all the visas and permits I will need to find a job. I will see what the Universe has in store for me, i will keep you updated as it unfolds.

Day 5 in Amsterdam

I did not get many pictures as it was raining off and on. This was the final few hours before I flew back home.

Special Shout Out to Simon who I meet at Barney's, keep living the dream brother.

Day 4 in Amsterdam

No photos today, sorry. I was cold and raining this morning and early afternoon. I did go out walking after the rain stopped and found a whole new area that I will try and get photos of tomorrow. This hotel really is in a good location for me, I have enjoyed being in a local neighborhood. It is like being in SoHo as opposed to Times Square in New York. I will say the low dollar to euro conversion is making everything very expensive but I am having fun and trying not to bring me down. The upside is there are very few American tourists here, you can tell them by their size. Yes I have become jaded against fat Americans after living in Europe for so long. The food has been very good and I have tried to vary my diet to try some many different types of food. I plan on writing up more when I get home so stay tuned. I will not be able to get tomorrows photos up until sometime Sunday.

Day 3 in Amsterdam

I only saw a small area today that was new. I spent most of the day getting to know this area well. I am seeing a very local part of the city. Not your typical touristy things, it has been a great time because of that.

Day 2 in Amsterdam

Click Image for web album.

It was a great day today, I got some good shots and had a great lunch.
see you tomorrow.

So Where Am I? - Updated

So Jake wins the prize with his guess of Amsterdam.
Way to go Jacobo.
Click on the photo to see pictures from day 1.

I Am Off On A 4 Day Adventure

I will post photos of the city I am going to but I want you and try and tell me where I am. The first person (if I have told you you will be disqualified) who comments on the location of the first picture I post will win a prize valued at up to $5.00. I hope to have a photo posted by tonight.

Posted from the Vienna Airport.

The Ox Is Slow But The Earth is Patient

Let's read that again, The Ox Is Slow But The Earth is Patient. Now take a minute to think about that, I can wait.

O.K. now that I have you in the right frame of mind, let's wade deeper into the water shall we? I know what you are thinking, "Where is he going with this?". Go back and read the first line again, I'll wait. (It's late here and insomnia sometimes has an upside, it gives you plenty of time to think.) For the last five years I have lived with the "idea" (It's not the right word but it's the best way I can say it.) that the Universe (you can also substitute God if you prefer. It's your choice we all need to come to an understanding of what "this" is all about but I digress.) So where was I, oh yes, the Universe/Deity of you choice, has me where it needs me to be when I need to be there. It has been a great time. I have memories I will remember well, the photos do help as I get older but that's yet another topic. I am getting to do and see things that I really never thought possible. I also understand I am in a very unique situation, as life has dealt me very good cards, so I went all in. I will see if I get the card I need on the "River". It is said, "There is a fine line between Genius and Insanity." but I say "There is a fine line between Legend and Cautionary Tale." but I guess sometimes you walk them at the same time? I just hope when the "River" does come it was the Ace I needed to land on the good side of the line.

Now todays lesson.
The Path of Least Resistance and Why 'Least' Does Not Always Mean Easy.
It has taken these last five and a half years for me to get to this point that I think I understand what "The Path of Least Resistance" (now only referred to as the Path.) means, to me at least. I will explain it with the metaphor of a river since water always finds the Path. Keep in mind I am traveling down this river in a big white water rafting boat that seams to have auto pilot for the Path, most people are lucky if they have water wings or an inner-tube to help them down the river but that is life, Karma is Karma. (if you believe in that sort of thing. Again, I don't want to push you in to anything that might make you question your own beliefs . Because as soon as I do that the next thing you know you will see me on TV asking my flock to send me money so I can buy more satellite time. Yet again, I digress.) Reread the first line again. (what can I say again but it's late and I'm somewhat sleepy but I am having to much fun getting this written.) Ok so now think of yourself on the river of life, let's call it, in whatever flotation device life has thrown you. And when you get in it about waist deep and the current is moving at a nice pace. Sometimes you can float sometimes it's faster for you to walk then to float so you do. I am also just floating along enjoying the view. (clarification: we are not on the same river, they both contain the same elements just some more than others. It's your own version of the Colorado River, if you will.) Now sometimes the river gets very deep with strong undertows that try and pull you under. Sometimes the river is very shallow and you can't float down it but it is just deep enough to make walking a pain in the butt. Other times it is just a few inches deep and walking is easy but what about your flotation device, is it easy to transport? Mine isn't, so I hope for deep waters and the auto pilot helps a lot. What may be easy for me is hard for someone else or vice versa. Sometimes I need to get out so the raft can float while I walk next to it. Sometimes I have to drag it across shallow water which can suck. The whole time you need to try and find the Path to improve your chances of survival. (the river is a dangerous place sometimes, it's a fact, you can google it if don't believe me) As you travel longer down the river you learn to read the river and soon you start to see the Path and it makes life that much easier. Sometimes the river becomes a delta and you find yourself wondering if you are even moving in the right direction. (you may come across a map or even a g.p.s. or even a boat with auto pilot to help you down the river. I may be good for a day or a lifetime, you never really know. The river is also a strange place, google it). So what am I really trying to say here? Simple, resistance is different for everyone. What is simple for some is not so simple for others. The trick is once you find the way to spot the Path, it gives you time to look up from the river and see your life as it passes by.

*For my slower students - I was the Ox you were the Earth

Thanks to Carol for the kick in the pants I needed. (I know this isn't a rant but I think it is what you wanted) And to Jake and Clem my blog junkies. (chase the dragon boys.... I crack myself up sometimes.)