My Last Night in Kosice

      In about eighteen hours we will be crossing the border from Slovakia into Hungary for the long drive to Vienna.  I will be leaving Kosice behind, probably forever.  The way I remember things is probably much different than the way people do but I certainly have many memories of my life in Eastern Slovakia and I know that I will miss (in my canine way) many of the people, places, and dogs of Kosice.  There are six things in particular that I know I will remember for a long time and with a great deal of fondness:



The Hlavna on a summer evening

       The Hlavna is the mile-long main walking street in the center of Kosice.  When the weather permits, all of the restaurants and bars along both sides of the Hlavna set out tables and chairs with umbrellas or awnings.  My best friends and I have spent many a summer evening sitting for hours watching the people of Kosice pass by.  I usually behave pretty well on such occasions and often the server would bring me a dish of water or even a bit of something to eat that's all my own.  There are pigeons on the Hlavna and I love to try to stalk them and ignore the fact that I'm on a leash.  You just can't beat relaxing along the Hlavna on a warm summer evening as the sun drops behind the buildings and almost everyone you can see is smiling too.

Nech Sa Pace

      This is a coffee house located near St. Elizabeth's Cathedral along the Hlavna.  Almost every Thursday morning since I came to live with my best friends one or the other of them and I would spend the entire morning sitting at this coffee shop.  The reason for this weekly ritual was that Maria the Housekeeper would always come to our flat on Thursday mornings to clean up after us.  During the spring, summer, and fall we would sit outside.  When the weather was too cold we would go inside and always take the same table next to the front window.  I would lay on the floor and watch all the goings-on around me while my best friend would read the week-old Sunday New York Times from cover to cover.  All the staff (and the owner) know Whiley at Nech Sa Pace.  They're good people.

The City Park

      The main city park is located just about two blocks from our flat.  Its a big place with lots of grass, smells, other dogs, vagrants, and squirrels.  A great place to get off the leash and run.  Because there is no grass area at our flat, the park has also been my favorite bathroom.  I will confirm that my best friends and I ALWAYS clean up after me.  Well, really I guess its mostly them that does that.  Folks with dogs in Kosice make it a point to "socialize" their dogs and I've spent many hours getting to know a hundred other dogs, large and small, all over the park.  In the winter the park can get awful messy with mud and snow but this seems to bother my best friends a lot more than it does me.  I hope Mt. Lebanon has as good a park.

Jozef

      Since Drew left to go back to the United States I have been able to really get to know Jozef.  Jozef is Traci's driver (he will be driving us to Vienna tomorrow) and since Traci leaves for work before 7:00 every morning and doesn't get back to the flat until at least 6:00 in the evening, Jozef has been nice enough to stop by the flat often each day and take me to the park.  He's a great guy.  We have gotten along really well and I can tell that he likes me too.  I think Jozef will miss not having me to spend time with.  I'll miss him.

The Cosmo

      Cosmo is short for The Cosmopolitan, a bar just 50 or 60 meters down the street from our flat.  I don't drink alcohol!  Well, I did one night but we won't talk about that.  The Cosmo is a place where many American expats like to meet at night after dinners or bowling or meetings and they just stand around and drink and talk.  Whiley is welcome at the Cosmo at any time.  I like it best when its really crowded around the bar and I can weave in and around people's legs.  Women especially seem to like me when we visit the Cosmo.  Good memories.

The Night Walk

      The last thing of every day for the last eighteen months (while I've been living with my best friends) is the Night Walk.  Sometime around 10PM every night one of my best friends puts my leash on and walks me down the two flights of stairs to the street.  Then its off through the streets of Kosice to a few of my favorite plots of isolated grass.  You might think that this would be a pretty standard activity and not one that you might list as a favorite memory but you would be wrong.  Believe me, there are some interesting characters (both human and canine) out and about at night.  Especially on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights when the bars are the most popular and crowded.  There are drunks, and lovers, and dumpster divers, and druggies, and singers (I'll tell you more about that some other time) just to name a few of the exotic species we encounter.  More memories.


      Goodbye Kosice...