Svobodka, Mikolaichyk, and other imps

Bejla Vasko had told me that the grave of my grandfather's youngest brother, Ference, was in Baranyntsy, so I rode the bike there this morning to try and find it.

I wasn't able to find Ference's grave, but I did find the grave of his wife, Maria.

There were quite a few graves with family name "Toth" or "Tovt". My great-grandmother's maiden name was "Toth", so it is possible these are graves of distant relatives. Then again, "Toth" or "Tovt" is one of the most common names in Hungary and Zakarpattia. The name comes from the old Magyar word for "Slovak".

I also saw a few graves with the name "Lelekach". My grandparents' neighbors were named "Lelekach", but I don't know if they were from this village. 

The name "Lelekach" comes from the word "leleka", or "stork". Nearby I saw 2 stork nests. The nests were empty, the storks having migrated. I was told that storks only nest were the air is very clean and pure. 

Had bad luck leaving the cemetery - the bicycle broke. One of the pedals snapped off, and I had to push the bike all the way back to Dravtsi, then on to the bazaar to get it repaired at a bike shop. The cost to have two new pedals put on - about $5 USD. I was so happy that I could ride the bike back to Dravtsi instead of pushing it, I gave the man the equivalent of $10, and told him to keep the change. He probably thought I was crazy.

I had an appointment for teeth cleaning later in the afternoon, and I got to Uzhgorod with some time to kill. The entire time I've been here, I've been reading about little statues that are always in the news: "The group will meet at the Mikolaichyk"..."Svobodka was dressed as a witch for Halloween"...etc.. Since I had some free time, I decided to track down these little imps. I soon discovered that I must have passed them by dozens of times without noticing. These little whimsical statues are everywhere.  

"Svobodka", or "Freedom Girl"

"Mikolaichyk", St. Nikolas' helper

The steamship "Carpathia"

I have no clue who this little guy is:

I also took the opportunity to photograph some of the locks on the pedestrian bridge. Here there is a custom of a couple professing their eternal love and devotion to one another by placing a lock on the bridge, usually with their initials, then throwing the key in the river. Some of these locks are pretty elaborate.

I'm wondering how many people come back six months later, in the middle of the night, with a hacksaw!