Here’s a mini-comic that explains a bit about the trip:
NEXT: Departure… The First Adventure! >>
ALSO SEE: Notes on Roma History in Slovakia >>
As I drew this comic, I learned a lot about how all these ideas & memories fit together in the bigger project. It’s a good example of WHY travel comics make good documentary sense!
Coffee+Dumpling+Komiks 
Marek – You nailed it. (Sy zatlictel klinec!)….you captured all the draw(no pun intended) of Slovakia: the music, the expansive countryside, the medieval cities, the irresistible challenge of the language, and the ties to these wonderful people in our extended family. You went to the srdce of it all.
I’m looking forward to following your discoveries and reflections as you travel. I hope you’ll do some sketching as well as the comics. S bohom, Mamka
Dakujem vam mamka!
Well done thank you brought back some fine memories of sitting in the kitchen with babka
Thanks, Maros!
Hi Marek, I just want to say thank you, it’s been wonderful to see Slovakia through your eyes. I laughed and wept, going through the comics. Thanks again, Marek
D’aka Marek, that’s why I’m posting these comics!
I just started following your comics a few months ago and became a big fan of yours. Your comics make me feel like I want to go on that adventure myself. Thanks for all your insight into my ancestry. I always look forward to your next post.
Thanks for your feedback, B! I appreciate all your comments & thoughts. I hope someday you get to go on that adventure, and in the meantime I am glad you are enjoying rabbit’s comics version of it!
After exploring a number of the blog posts on your web site, I truly like your technique of blogging. I book marked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Take a look at my website too and let me know your opinion.
I can’t believe it took me this long to discover your blog!
My great grandparents emigrated from Slovakia before WWI, they kept in touch with their family there until the 1950s. Thanks to old family photos, letters and a lot of genealogical research, I was able to reestablish connection with our family there after all these years.
I haven’t been able to visit them yet but I’m planning to do so in the near future. Your blog has been very enlightening, educational and really fun.
D’aka for the feedback, L… Always good to hear from another family history quester.
SHAMELESS PLUG DEPT: In case you’re ever interested in a tour experience, my Mom (who appears in some of these comics) organizes an annual heritage trip around Slovakia for small groups: http://slovakiaheritage.com
(She tells her clients about my book, so I like to share her URL.)
I’ve looked at these kinds of tour packages before, that seems like a really good deal actually. It won’t be a while until I can do that but thanks for the info.
A friend gave me a link to your Slovensko komiks before my trip to Veľký Folkmár, the village of my grandparents in early October ’14. I started reading it as soon as we got back. I was just reading about všetkých svätých on All Saints! Enjoyed our similar observations about things; intensities of hospitality, Roma life, love of traditional song and dance, etc. Loved seeing your drawings of places we saw; Russian War Memorial in Presov, Gypsy settlements from the train, church triptychs and rolling landscape. Was given a Valaská by a distant cousin and had to ship it back! I intend to go back to visit our hosts after some more languagedy stu or perhaps while I am there and will recommend your mother’s tours to my envious cousins. Veľa šťastia on your future projects.
Paul ~ Thanks for the note, it’s always good to hear reflections from around the countryside — and good luck with the language study! ~ M
Very interesting, greetings from Rzeszow, Poland, just 90 km from Slovakia, 140 km from Presov