Saturday, Klara's son Misha and his wife Miraslava just returned from a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in Croatia, so Klara and Ivan prepared a big meal for them. Here's Katya setting the table and folding napkins.
Just some of the food and drink:
I wasn't paying attention, and forgot to take photo's of the chicken, the potatoes, the soup, bread, deserts. (Actually, I didn't take any of these photos - Katya did).
That afternoon, we got some bad news: The neighbor I had just talked to a couple of days ago, while he was cutting the grass, died of a heart attack. When I saw him last, I thought he would live another 10 years - he was in better shape than I am.
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Sunday morning, went to church. I had to wear jeans because none of my dress slacks fit anymore; they're too big. After church went back to Klara's for lunch with Ivan, while Klara and Marta went to another Liturgy in another village. While we were eating, Ivan and I had a surprise visit from the police. Ivan and Klara's neighbor lived alone; his wife had already passed, and his children lived in the city. After he died, his body was taken to the hospital in Uzhgorod. Apparently, around 2 am, someone broke into his house, knowing that there would be no one there. They drank liquor, ate food, and stole TV, stereo, refrigerator, and other things. The police questioned Ivan as to whether he had heard anything. As thick and solid as the walls are in the house, naturally we heard nothing.
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After lunch, I went into own to meet Alla, and her daughter Alina and son Artyum. We spent a little time walking around the city, trying to find a food fair which was supposed to be happening. No luck. We did see a large assembly in Teatralnaya Square, in support of Blok Poroshenko candidate Robert Horvath.
Not everyone was interested in politics:
In the city center, Alina saw one of her friends who works at one of the many cafe's:
We ended up Back at Egan's Irish Pub for some pizza:
I'd been in Egan's Pub several times before, but only today did I realize that the tree in the stained glass window was actually a man and woman intertwined:
From Egan's Pub, we went to Elizabeth's house in Dravtsi. Elizabeth's home is relatively new, but it stands on the same property as my great-grandparents'. Below, Elizabeth's daughter Natalya, Natalya's husband Josef, their daughter Alla, and grandson Artyum:
Below, Natalya, Josef, Alla, Artyum, Alina, and Elizabeth:
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After coming back to Klara's, I went with Ivan to the neighbor's wake next door. The wake is held the same way it was 100 years ago - the body lies in a casket in the home. The family of the deceased hold vigil, while members of the church ( the Djaks, Klara and Marta, and other women), sing prayers and hymns. I was only there for about an hour, but I was told that the family will hold vigil all through the night, and the funeral will be tomorrow. I didn't take any photo's, because I thought it would be too intrusive.
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Since the internet connection was down, I used my free time to produce a few videos from Sasha and Victoria's wedding. Definitely worth listening to :
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