Week 9

18/12 Monday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-My (internet) bridge to the world broken. Cables are there but no signal coming through. Tcom sent someone over who did not speak English and did not understand much of my computer screen. Nothing was solved, my laptop conveniently received a guilty verdict and I was left standing at the end of a broken bridge, no idea where to turn to next.

Video still: Manuatu, New Zealand

19/12 Tuesday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-My (internet) bridge to the world still broken.

Video still: Manuatu, New Zealand

20/12 Wednesday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-My (internet) bridge to the world still broken. Filmed the orphans having a Christmas Do at the town hall with the mayor. I think the highlight was going into his office and going over everything on his desk, wearing his chain, and asking millions of questions. Santa appeared with a little angel by his side with lots of gifts.

Video still: Manuatu, New Zealand

21/12 Thursday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-My (internet) bridge to the world still broken. Filmed the orphans having their Christmas dinner in their group homes. I filmed in one home. They crosssed the bridge (my camera) with big smiles on their faces and a great sense of humor, cannot say the same about the staff unfortunately, they dicided en masse not to come onto the bridge even. The kids received more presents. I made a desperate call today to one of the young technicians who solved the initial internet connection problems. He kindly came during his lunch break, could not help but arranged for his english speaking boss to come tomorrow.

Video still: Manuatu, New Zealand

22/12 Friday
All is well, bridge still standing.
- The boss came and solved the connection problem. Yeah, my virtual bridge to the rest of the world is restored again.

Video still: Manuatu, New Zealand

23/12 Saturday
All is well, bridge still standing.

Video still: Sturovo, Slovakia

24/12 Sunday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-Christmas Eve, everything is closed while in others countries, such as New Zealand, people are still shopping franticly. Hardly anyone out on the streets. I crossed the bridge to go to Budapest, a friendly borderguard wished me a Merry Christmas and a happy birthday, they studied my passport. Sat next to a young Israeli couple on the practically empty train to Budapest. All was closed in Budapest too except one Turkish take-away, which was flat out serving fast food to foreigners caught out by the total shut down of the city. The restaurant staff had already put all it's food away and was ready to close as I came in. People kept on walking in, food kept being pulled out of storage again and again, the place just got busier and busier. Italians, Turks, Indians, Koreans, Japanese, me and my Aussie friend/host Danny all very happy with the microwaved left-overs of the day for Christmas Eve's dinner.

Video still: Sturovo, Slovakia

week 8

11/12 Monday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-Filmed at Jack's factory. Jack is an Irishman setting up a business to manufracture hurling sticks. Hurling is an Irish form of hockey. Hurling sticks are made of Ash trees, which are hard to come by in Ireland but plentyfull in these regions. An unusual timber bridge.


Video still: Slovak busker, Vienna, Austria.

12/12 Tuesday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-Got permission from the director of the orphanage across the road to film the kids. After weeks, a bridge was finally opened. As Jack confirmed for me, things take time in Slovakia.

Video still: Hungarian busker, Vienna, Austria.

13/12 Wednesday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-Did some more filming at Jack's.

Video still: Serbian busker, Vienna, Austria.
14/12 Thursday
All is well, bridge still standing.

Video still: busker (Asian origin), Vienna, Austria.

15/12 Friday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-There was a fabulous concert in Sturovo by a Hungarian group called Ghymes, playing traditional style music with contemporary lyrics (so I was told, not that I understood any of it, which was a blessing this time as it made me listen to the lyrics differently. They were just like another instrument, fitting the music beautifully). The crowd clapped their hand sore after every single tune they played.
For me traditional music (and dance) are bridges that I feel very attracted to, because they allow me to absorb the essence of a culture without the need to master the language.

Video still: Romanian busker, Vienna, Austria.


16/12 Saturday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-Went to Vienna as promised (to myself). Stayed with a great host in the 5th district, just around the corner from a mouthwatering market with beautiful fresh produce, cheeses, organics, asian food, fresh fish (haven't seen that for ages). As I got to the city centre I was surprised to find buskers from many eastern european countries, singing and playing with passion. No wonder it is so hard to find life music in the east.

Video still: busker (origin unknown), Vienna, Austria.

17/12 Sunday
No observation.
-Spend another great day in Vienna, listened to a wonderful free classical concert (dress rehearsal), listened and filmed more buskers, enjoyed a free organ concert in one of Vienna's churches.

Video still: Hungarian busker, Vienna, Austria.

Week 7

4/12 Monday
No observation.
-as promised this week will feature shots of Santa: Dutch and Hungarian/Slovak style. In The Netherlands St. Nicolas is dressed as a bishop, accompanied by his helper Zwarte Piet (Black Peter). He is said to come from Spain by boat, eventhough historically he was a bishop in Turkey. In Sturovo he was dressed like a Santa (USA/Coca Cola style) was accompanied by the devil and said to come from Finland. The kids will believe anything, as long as they get their presents. What was interesting is that he carried a bishop's staff like in the Netherlands but was dressed like father Christmas. His devil had also a staff/stick with chains attached ( I suspect Still from hidden video camera: it is a punishment tool, very much like the twigs Zwarte Piet traditionally carries).

Still from hidden video camera: St. Nic. arriving at the house (I am St. Nic. The members of my family, except one, do not know that I am in the country to act as St. Nic.)






















Still from hidden video camera: Niece Saskia stares at me not yet knowing...

Still from hidden video camera: A few seconds later, while I am still outside she suddenly recognises me.


Still from hidden video camera: My sister Puck and her husband Bert and are their grandchildren. It took Puck half an hour before she realised that it was me. Bert refused to believe it was me even after he was told until he actually saw me afterwards at the neighbour's getting out of my costume.






















My friend Henriette is 'Zwarte Piet'.

5/12 Tuesday, the official day St. Nicolas is celebrated in The Netherlands.
All is well, bridge still standing.
-flew back from Netherlands to Budapest, Hungary, continued by bus-metro-train to Esztergom station and cycled the last 3 KM to the bridge and my home in Sturovo, Slovakia. Total journey took about 7 hours, a cumbersome journey, but the only way to get home in one day.

At midnight I cycled across the bridge to the Slovak side until I was stopped by the border guard. The guard looked at me, then my bike with the backpack strapped on the back and then my New Zealand passport. I could see his brain doing overtime trying to midnight with a abckpack strapped to the rear of the bike. 100 more meters and I was home.



6/12 Wednesday, the official day St. Nicolas is celebrated in Slovakia.
All is well, bridge still standing.
-filmed St. Nicolas celebrations at the orphanage across from my residence.

Mikulas ( St. Nic.) and his devil in Sturovo (apologies for the lack of proper accents on some letters).



Photo offline till permission is granted


The kids performing in front of St. Nic.


7/12 Thursday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-filmed the soccer team of the orphanage at the annual school soccer tournement. The buys were playing soccer, the girls were playing up in front of the camera and teased me. One of them started to speak to me in Spanish!


Photo offline till permission is granted

The girls cheering on the boys.

8/12 Friday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-went to the International Film Festival In Bratislava. Watched 'The bridge that survived' a film about a famous 500 year-old bridge in Mostar in former Yugoslavia that was detroyed during the Balkan wars. The Mária Valéria bridge was twice destroyed by war and the Danube became a new border. Central to the movie is a reunion of a local band called Mostar Sevdah Reunion that plays the most fabulous traditional music from Mostar.

Mostar Sevdah Reunion (Image: copy from website)

9/12 Saturday
No observation.
- watched an Irish, Australian and Hungarian movie at the IFF in Bratislava.



10/12 Sunday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-it is still unusually warm with temperatures at least 10 degrees above normal for a fifth week in a row.

Week 6

video stills: windmill, The Netherlands (of course).

27/11 Monday
All is well, bridge still standing.



28/11 Tuesday
All is well, bridge still standing.



29/11 Wednesday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-crossed bridge by bike to catch the train in Esztergom for Budapest.



30/11 Thursday
No observation.
-flew from Budapest to The Netherlands. It was the warmest autumn on record (300 years, +3c above avarage) in The Netherlands, and probably in most of Europe.



1/12 Friday
All is well, bridge still standing.
No observation.
-attended IDFA (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam), The Netherlands. My doco pick of the day: Shit and Chicks by Kees van de Geest (NL), 3 minute film, no talking, just images and subtle sink sound telling the story, great little gem.




2/12 Saturday
No observation.
-filmed mindmill in The Netherlands.



3/12 Sunday
No observation.
-acted as Sint Nicolaas (Santa) for my family who did not know I was in the country and filmed with a hidden camera,The Netherlands.(Images next week, promise!)