Name days and Soviet graves

I thought name days were a tradition only in the Nordic countries. But apparently they are even bigger deal here! Every now and then in the office I can see a team hugging each other and changing gifts and turns out, usually these outbursts of affection are about name days. On Friday a member of the Polish team had a name day and we headed to Slavin for a little after-work.


Slavin is a memorial monument and a cemetary for Soviet soldiers who fell during the World War II. The monument is on a hill where one can find the President's residence and some of the most beautiful and expensive houses in Bratislava. We walked up the hill in just under 30 degrees celsius but we could've also taken a 'trolly'. It was definitely worth the climb: the view was amazing! And the monument was a perfect place for a little picnic.

Speaking of names; I've always been under the impression that my name is probably the most international name ever. Everywhere in the world (except maybe in Asia) names Teresa and Maria should be quite familiar. That's why I found it very surprising when during the first week I had to show my passport at the reception when coming to the office and the receptionists always made surprised comments about my two names. 'Teresa Maria, Maria Teresa, Teresa Maria...' YES, it's my name!

I thought maybe it's just really strange here to have two names or something. And then somebody enlightened me with the information that one of the greatest emperors the Central Europe has ever had was called Maria Theresa. For us Nordics she might sound more familiar as the mother of Marie Antoinette, queen of France. She, as I was told, is the reason that the education systems, for example here in Slovakia, are as good as they are. She also made financial reforms, promoted commerce and had 16 children... tsiisus. So, basically she did a bloody good job as far as the locals here have described, but what else would you expect from a woman with such a beautiful name ;)

Kommentit

Tämän blogin suosituimmat tekstit

Challenge Accepted !

How Do I Cherish the Moment