Prague Journal

Sunday, February 6, 2005.

Sunday, February 06, 2005.
This morning all the Fulbrighters and their families headed to Slovakia for the Fulbright joint Czech-Slovak mid-year conference. The conference is in Trenčianske Teplice, once acclaimed as one of the loveliest spa towns in the Hungarian Kingdom, with its Moorish marble arches that surround intricate fountains sprouting mineral water drawn from the local springs.
We left Prague shortly after 10 a.m. and arrived in Trenčianske Teplice around 4 p.m. to join the Slovak group at the Flora Hotel. The conference is focused largely on presentations from the scholars (university professors), students and exchange teachers (public school middle- and high-school teachers) about their research and teaching experiences, with only a short time for relaxing and touring the resort area. The famous spa is not far from our hotel, but we never got to see it because of the tight time schedule. The Trenčianske Teplice spa was developed by Joseph and Nicolas Illéšházy, two of the last members of the royal Illéšházy family, who owned a chateau in Trenčianske Teplice. George Illéšházy founded several factories and supported the Slovak national revivalists in their struggle for equal national rights.
Mary and I took a short walk before dinner, so we saw a bit of the small town, but could only find modern spas and hotels. Doctors prescribe the curative mineral water and sulfureous mineralized mud to treat mobility problems, post-operative or accident trauma, as well as some types of neurosis and neurological disorders. Usually people go to the spa for three weeks (or more) each year, fully paid for by Czech or Slovak health insurance.
Dinner at the hotel was a lavish affair, followed by wine and entertainment in the wine cellar, just around the corner from the hotel. We were treated to Slovak folk music from an ensemble, which both played and sang. We first heard Slovak folk music at a math conference in Slovakia seven years ago, when the Slovak patrons of a local tavern burst spontaneously into song. The music is powerful and unforgettable, with close harmonies fully voiced in pleasing male timbres. On both that occasion and this one, some folks got up to dance –we were all in high spirits.

posted by JWinn @ 8:31 PM