Evelyn POLACEK KeRY

March 29, 2015

Caption: Richard Krajco (Krystof) performing at 229 Venue in London. Photo by Katarina Bell

It has been eight years since Krystof performed in London but they suddenly returned on Saturday night. Because of the atmosphere which was of course phenomenal, it was worth waiting such a long time for one of the most popular Czech bands.

This bunch of mixed nationalities performed for Czech and Slovak audience at 229 Venue, Great Portland Street, where all gigs, concerts and other performances are held for Czech and Slovak people and the event, as usually, was organized by Pishter.

After they finally came onto the stage, the audience was screaming and shouting and they did not believe that this all is really happening. There were not only people who are living and working in London but also Czech fans that travelled all the way from Czech Republic only for this concert. What a true fans!

The band was bursting with the live energy and they put together dynamic music and powerful sound. They also played on different musical instruments such as saxophone, bass guitar, trumpet, drums and they nicely combined it together to create harmonious music and sound. The audience knew every single word from all of their memorable songs and they showed it properly by loudly singing, screaming and bouncing.

Even though there were many fans of this popular band, some people came only to enjoy little bit of Czech music and to have fun. All of them really enjoyed the concert. “I do not usually listen to Krystof, I know some of their songs but I am not a huge fan, but this concert was really cool and I enjoyed every second of it. It was a great atmosphere and great music,” says Igor.

It was incredible to see them on stage again because they showed their passion and talent at the same time. What is more, they connect Slovak and Czech people who are living in London together once again and we all felt like at home for at least one night.

Richard was also very nice and funny during the concert and he revealed his true personality. Somewhere in the middle of the concert he said: “We do not know why we did not perform here for 8 years, but we promise we will come again,” to explain the great atmosphere which was at the venue.

Krystof was fantastic, as we have come to expect but the truth behind the concert like this one is that even though we are miles away from the homeland we love it there and we believe that one day everything will change and we will be able to come home and experience more of what we truly love.

All Czech and Slovak people believe that we do not have to wait for this incredible band another eight years.

More concerts, other gigs, live performances and many more can be found on Pishter

March 16, 2015

Caption: Oľga Pašteková and her exhibition My Shadow My Friend. Photo by © Lucia Hrdá www.luciahrda.com

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When a man can sing it is a gift but when a man cannot see, it is a tragedy. Despite the fact that Maros Bango, also known as the Slovak Bocelli, is blind, he is an amazingly talented singer and musician.

This charismatic blind performer with both a beautiful voice and a big heart has been called the Slovak Bocelli because of the similarities with the Italian opera singer, and just recently, a Czech and Slovak audience had the pleasure of seeing him perform live at the Embassy of Slovak Republic in London.

“Despite my disability, God gave me a talent for music and I find my mission is to spread it further. I am happy when other people are happy.”

He is well known for singing opera arias, classics, and songs from the repertoire of famous tenors. He cannot see but his ears give him the ability to play on four musical instruments and therefore he can accompany himself while singing. Maros may have a beautiful voice but what makes his performances unforgettable is his heart.

His wife Alexandra is his manager and biggest supporter. She lost sight at the age of 17 after a car accident. Together they established the 5-member Ambrelo Association, which organises concerts all over Slovakia and supports number of charities. His album is available at the Embassy and the money will go to the charity.

The concert started with the famous Hallelujah song accompanied by beautiful words from Alexandra and Anicka – a girl who translated the whole poetry to the English language. People were enjoying the music and the strong power and emotion that Maros delivered which was incredible. Both Maros and Alexandra gave us words full of love, strength and the experience of seeing the world in another way. The audience had a chance to hear English, traditional Slovak but also gypsy songs.

This concert was organized in cooperation with the British-Czech and Slovak Association and the audience had a chance to see an extraordinary artwork from Olga Pastekova. The exhibition is still open to public.

Olga is a contemporary artist from Slovakia. Her exhibition My Shadow, My Friend is Full of Dogs, involved ghosts, phantoms and shadows that come to life.

She studied painting in Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava and Akademie der bildenden Künste in Wien

She finds shadows more interesting than their wearers and she wants to catch and fix them. “I was always fascinated by the shades because you see something different. You can see both good and bad sides of them, it all depends on the way you want to see it,” she added.

Even though it is very tough to break through as an artist, Olga is happy for her choice. “Same as Marian we love what we are doing so I do not regret that I chose the art,” she says.

Her work is very interesting because of the way she sees the world. There are not many colours and all of the works are black and white or grey. Some of them contain one or two other colours and she is inspired mostly by street life. For her works, she is combining different materials, textures and techniques.

“I did not know how many shades of grey there are,” she explained.

Olga is very proud of her work and whole of her family is supporting her. She always wanted to be an artist and her dream came true. These two inspirational people are perfect examples of how disabilities and obstacles can be overcome by hard-work, dedication and talent.

The exhibition is open to public from 12 March until 30 April and if you are an art lover you should definitely visit this small exhibition full of interesting shades that came to life.

Embassy of the Slovak Republic
25 Kensington Palace Gardens
W8 4QY London

Olga Pastekova: www.olique.sk

February 24, 2015

Caption: Once Upon a Time Launch Party. Photo by Lucie Desmond

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International Fashion Showcase is an exhibition of 110 emerging designers from nearly 30 countries and it is the largest public exhibition of its kind. It covers four continents and today is the last day to see this unique international exhibition.

It is always interesting to see new designers and their way of thinking and this exhibition is a proof that new talents are essential in all aspects of fashion development. They are bringing new ideas and new life to the world of fashion and they are trying to build the reputation and brand while showing their talent and enthusiasm.

“We’ve always believed in London as Europe’s most hospitable environment for creativity, a capital which is hungry to know what new voices are saying, but none of us could have imagined how strongly the response to the IFS would prove it” Sarah Mower, British Fashion Council Ambassador for Emerging Talent

Czech Republic is part of the International Fashion Showcase 2015 as we already wrote in one of our previous articles and Euron also had a chance to be part of their Launch Party, to see all the designs on real models. Their installation is called Once Upon a Time and it is all about re-creating long-forgotten fairy tale landscapes, witty and haunting stories into fabrics, furs, metals, skins and gems. The installation is also about the world where dresses are worn by monkey kings and mountaineers, foxes transform into women adorned by flower-shaped silver and pearls, gravel is turned into coats and rings, a child´s drawing come to life and forests of rabbit skulls remind us of the traps of vanity.

Janja Prokic and her Hidden Place was the most unusual piece of jewellery presented during the Czech Republic´s installation but at the same time it was very interesting and engaging. She is one of the Czech Republic´s top jewellery talents and she is using different techniques and materials for her designs, inspired by foxes, birds and flowers. Her collection Flowers is another very interesting piece of jewellery and it is also presented on a model in the IFS2015 guide.

Stepan Ruzicka and his Skulls were another interesting pieces of this installation. He created nice collection of weird skulls and a big heart. Stepan´s work has been exhibited across Prague, Milan, Munich and New York, receiving critical recognition for his imaginative collection of tin brooches.

Marketa Martiskova presented the collection of designs not only for adults but also for kids and one of her real models during the Launch Party was a child. One of the most interesting pieces reminding real fairy-tale was the flower printed jacket. It is very visible through her work that she likes to communicate through symbols, typography and print. She made her first collection for children in 2014.

Mirka Horka and her He Froze was the collection for men only and Petra Ptackova showed her designs full of different styles, materials and techniques. One of the unusual designs was the violet robe made by Mirka who was awarded Top Style Designer 2011 and was nominated for the Czech Grand Design Fashion Designer of 2013 and she recently opened the bespoke men´s tailoring.

October 18, 2014

The Ship of State is a famous and off-cites metaphor put forth by Plato describing a model society built on democratic principles. Slovak Embassy in London used this metaphor to create an outstanding exhibition of five established and mid-career artists Alena Adamikova, Stano Buban, Maria Corejova, Sara Pernecka and Michaela Razusova-Nociarova.

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The exhibition is composed from different paintings, drawings and installations where most of them were built only for this particular exhibition. The curator of this Slovak exhibition is Miroslav Pomichal, an artist living and working in London.

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Artists borrowed Plato´s idea and they used it as a “potent visual metaphor for national embassies, and in particular the Slovak Embassy in London, as a ship, an island in foreign waters, with its implications of contact and of cultural exchange but also of fortress-like isolation.”

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One of the paintings called White Cube from Alena Adamikova described the actual island (Slovak Embassy in London) which is represented by the Slovak tree. On the top of this tree there is a woman sitting and waiting, feeling safe. The tree is without the tines because the Embassy is not growing and developing, same as portrayed linden. Her Portrait from Homeland describes a woman who is trying to find the meaning of the word homeland.

“My work is the set of paintings representing the idea of Daily Mirror and powerful man who can look at himself in a mirror after his acts and decisions,” Stano Buban described his work. It is also a reflection of the wish for anonymity and the lens of the investigative journalist.

Sara Pernecka continues this dialogue: her installation of boxes calledIslands containing toys represent actual islands and “begin to resemble the idea of the Embassy, as a capsule of value otherness”. She said: “these are islands and every person living in any foreign country is taking something with him. It is kept on this island and no one knows what their load is.”

Michaela Razusova-Nociarova used threads to create an idea of an imaginary spider web. Her idea was very simple and truthful. The Othersis about accusing someone else from our failures and this web is representing the complexity of problems and intriguing parallels with the Embassy in terms of its mysterious enclosed space and as well as its bureaucratic functions.

Maria Corejova used drawings of actual ship and it should represent the political and social ideologies. In the middle of the room where all the works are presented, there is an actual ship lying on an imaginary island created from discarded 1000 and 5000 Slovak Koruna (the old currency of Slovak Republic before Euro). The work is again by Michaela Razusova-Nociarova.

The exhibition is available for public until 11th November, every day excluding Fridays, from 10am to 4pm at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London.

September 23, 2014

Captions: All photos are from Ekaterina´s personal archive 

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British people are often curious to know how many Europeans can learn so many different languages with such apparent ease. We usually speak our mother tongue, some language that is similar to ours and English. It is not so hard to remember one foreign language but Ekaterina Matveeva speaks seven different languages fluently (Russian, English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, French) and she is still learning more (German, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, Tamil, Turkish). Do you think it is possible?

Ekaterina is the founder of Europe Online which is project connected with her passion for languages.

“It started as a blog, mainly for Russian speaking students seeking opportunities in Europe. We had many subscribers and we thought – Why not cross the line? In 2008 I started to teach and in 2013 we built a website europeonline.me – Europe online with the world and with me, but we also stopped for a moment and when I saw statistics, there were enormous numbers and many comments. I was teaching at the same time and my friend asked me to take it over or close it. I really wanted to close.”

But her project is still alive and in the end, she decided against throwing something away that she has been building for so many years. As well as her teaching, she has also translated a few dissertations and one painter even asked her to translate her whole artwork. The main aim of the Europe Online is face-to-face and online teaching of languages, built on natural conversations.

 “Online teaching is based on Skype or Google and we are speaking a lot. It is called communicative approach and we are starting with psychological approach when I am trying to let the person talk about everything that interests them. After this process I structure a programme where we are using cognitive processes which develop imagination and help to memorize better vocabulary. We are trying to set some phrases and imagine it in our head for example: you see a glass of orange juice and connect this picture to a phrase. We are also making faces, particularly when talking about emotions. Face-to-face teaching is very similar, the only difference is within the group teaching where we are working all together and have small competitions so they are challenging each other. It is really funny learning with elements of gamification.”

The process is not only about the memory and conversation but it is also about acting in order to gain a secondary linguistic personality. Students can learn more languages and get a cultural training from Ekaterina and there were a few situations where they wanted to learn several. Most of the time it is one after another but she has also taught a girl who wanted to learn a variety of languages, all at the same time. She is teaching corporations, children, but the group that make up the majority of her customers base are young professionals. Many times they want to travel, move to another country or study so they need another foreign language.

And why did she come to London? She was finishing her Erasmus Mundus European Master degree in St Andrews in Scotland and had had millions of opportunities all around the Europe. She felt she could not work full time in an office so started to work on many different international projects. Her friend told her: “It is perfect time to realise your dream – go set up your school – you cannot delay it anymore.”  Despite her fears of unknown world of business, she grasped the opportunity to start what she always wanted.

The price of the lesson starts from £15 and usually it is 60 or 90 minutes. Regarding groups, there can be up to 6 people, due focus of attention law. For now she has few classes each day and around 20 students. If you are interested in learning new languages and cultures check her website: http://www.europeonline.me/

September 21, 2014

The Velvet Divorce was a name given by British newspapers for the dissolution of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. We were two different nations and our interests rapidly changed after a few years of living together with no state borders. Even though we still used to call each other “brothers” and sometimes strongly support the other nation, there were many reasons why we wanted two independent countries. Everyone is comparing the situation in 1993 with the one in Scotland now, but in fact there is nothing common apart from the word “split”.

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While Scotland decided to change their future and called for a referendum, Czechoslovakia was split by politics. Action was made by Vladimir Meciar and Vaclav Klaus in a written agreement and they did not ask the public because they knew that it would not lead to dissolution. In that time 67% of Slovaks and 78% of Czechs were against the split which means we would stay in a political union.  Even though Vladimir Meciar propagated the idea of a country which will always stay together, his actions lead to a split.

The asymmetry of institutions was also a further tension between these nations. Czechs had their Czechoslovaks television while Slovaks built their Slovak television and it was the same with the police, army or banks. In fact it is not very important what the process was and what is different between us and Scotland, because there are much more differences than you could think of but the important thing is what the consequences are now.

“I resigned in just one second after the dissolution. I still think it was a huge mistake,” said Eugen Korda few years ago. In 2002 the Centre for Public Research in Czech Republic asked older Czechs about the split of Czechoslovakia and 60% were against the split.

Miroslav (Slovakia): I think we had better health care and school system when we were together. We lost all the heavy industry and natural resources which made us a poorer country than Czech Republic is now. Also Slovak sport is very poor now but you know when two countries are together, everything can be better and we were definitely stronger. It was all just a political action of two politics and we were not allowed to say anything. Now everything in Slovakia is much more expensive. The last but not least difference is that Czechs do have their products and they are consuming them but we need to sell everything to other countries.

The split is usually about the national identity and culture but “Everyone knows about Scotland and you have your national identity, so why do you need independence?”

The dissolution of Czechoslovakia was for some people very bad idea but some people think it is actually a good decision. Věra and Roman from Czech Republic said: “It was very shocking for us and we had no idea what will the independence bring to us but after all these years we think the separation was a good idea. Each of us developed our countries in our own way. “

What is wrong now?
As Czechoslovakia we were stronger in everything what we did. When we separated, we had many problems which affected both countries and Slovakia as the leader of the dissolution and the nation which wanted to be separated, because we did not want Prague (Czech Republic) to be the centre of our country, we suffered the most. In fact, after the separation everything changed. We did have the centre of our own republic and many people say that now we are a strong country with the history and national identity, but do you know where Slovakia is and what is our national food and culture? Many people do not. But we all know where Scotland is, we know about your culture and about your nation.

After the split of Czechoslovakia we accepted Slovak koruna which was lower than that of the Czech koruna. It had negative impact on our economy and Czech state was prosperous than the Slovak. Just after the separation we needed new buildings for the ministry which was not very cheap and the wealth division of the nations was 2:1 because Slovakia is smaller country. We rebuilt the roads and railways and the state boarder was another problem because people who lived on Czech side needed to stay, even though they wanted to be part of Slovakia.

So the conclusion is: Scotland, you should be proud of your country and people who voted NO in referendum. You did a great job because Britain as a whole really is “better together”.

June 06, 2014

Caption: The exhibition of two phenomenal Slovak artists at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London. Photo by: Lucia Hrda

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After two classmates from elementary school met and realized they have art as a common interest, their friendship and shared passion eventually transpired to create the great exhibition which has been transferred into the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London.

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The exhibition includes sculptures, paintings and photographs which have a mixture of themes including relationships, love, landscape and abstract art. Ladislav Cerny and Stanislav Jendek are both Slovak artists who came to London to present their amazing pieces of art at this exhibition.

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Even though it proved to be very difficult to transport all of their stunning artwork across Europe, both of the artists are very grateful to present their work to a British audience. Stanislav says: “Because of our small budget, it was very hard and expensive to transfer all of our paintings, photographs and especially sculptures because they are very heavy.”

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Ladislav Cerny is a painter, sculptor and restorer who incredibly, has only been creating sculptures for just few years. His creations are full of life and ideas, often relating to heterosexual relationships. “I painted my whole life and I started to create sculptures just five years ago, even though my sketches had been created a long time before.”

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The idea behind the sculptures was very easy for Ladislav who commented: “I needed to push myself into the 3D dimension.” The exhibition is full of his sculptures which represent love and strong relationships, creating a strong aura of eroticism.

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Cerny is a well-known artist not only in Slovakia but also in Austria, Poland, Hungary, Germany and Czech Republic. This is his first exhibition in London and he is very happy that Stanislav asked him to join the project.

Photographs which are available at this exhibition of two phenomenal Slovak artists are full of Slovak landscapes, fields and the stunning mountain Kriván. Stanislav also presents many abstract objects, including guitar strings, turbines or melted iron.

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Both of the artists are hoping that their art will be sold and Stanislav added: “The price of the smallest picture which I am presenting here is around 900 Euros and there are already some people who are interested to buy works from my collection.”

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The exhibition is open to public from 5th June until 11th July and if you are an art fan you should definitely visit this small exhibition full of interesting pieces where you can find yourself, your partner or your relationship in just one panting.

May 11, 2014

Being a fashion designer is something which many students of fashion want to achieve. They would love to have their own clothing brands and for many, there dream is to one day attain success in the fashion industry.

The University of the Arts London and the London College of Fashion are the best fashion universities in the capital city, and just recently, they have created a brand new course which will let the designers do their own job while someone else will help them with all the other important stuff.

International Fashion Production Management is a brand new course which has been developed to address the contemporary requirements of the fashion industry. The main job of the students is to learn the art of sourcing, production and management of international supply chains. The reason that the university decided to create this course was mainly because the fashion industry is missing individuals who would be able to create and produce actual pieces of clothing and will also be able to manage it, find the right textiles and to know everything about the business at the same time.

Karin Lucanova is a twenty year old Slovak student of this course and she is very happy that she decided to take this opportunity and to study both production and management. After her graduation she would love to work for big fashion brands but she also knows that breaking into the industry is very hard. She says: “It is a really hectic job because the person who really wants to do it in the future will be working many hours and overtime, but for me it is something which I would love to do.”

The course is all about the productions of patterns while the students need to be able to create the piece of clothing. They are required to sew the clothing and also draw the designs, but the crucial point for the students of International Fashion Production Management is to have knowledge about the production itself. Karin also says: “Even though I will actually never sew a shirt, I need to know how it looks and how to create it. The most important is to have the knowledge about the management and production and then languages, because this job is also about travelling.”

Working in both production and management is a lucrative job because the University degree is a brand new course with very few experts. “There is no one in the real fashion world who is currently working in this position.” The designers will have more time to create their fashion pieces and the person who will graduate from this course will help them with the business and they will also be ready to find the right textiles and to re-create the work for some reasonable reasons.

Karin would love to stay here in London to work with the biggest brands and fashion designers and she is also ready to learn more languages in order to satisfy the potential employer´s needs. She loves her university lectures, her lecturer was a person who worked for Gucci and for Louis Vuitton and here at Euron, we wish her best of luck to achieve everything what she is dreaming of as she is working really hard and we are sure she has the desire to achieve great things.

April 30, 2014

Caption: Peter with the client and colleague Stephen Martin at the Waltham Forest Design Awards 2014 Ceremony. Photo by: Jenna Selby

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Peter Lancaric came to England thirteen years ago, and he has since progressed his career to become an associate director at PRP Architects, a company which has recently been working on Chobham Manor, a new residential area in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Even though his dream as a youngster was to become a musician, he eventually decided to study architecture, which amalgamates art and science. He still writes and plays music which has remained to be his passion.

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As a young student from Slovakia, he decided to come to the United Kingdom through the Socrates student exchange framework to study for just three months at the University of Bedfordshire, however they offered him a longer stay with the possibility of waiving the tuition fees. He later taught at the university and after few years he moved to London “to make a change” and to build his architecture career. Studying abroad is now a popular choice for many Europeans as it is now very easy to travel. Years ago it was much more complicated and people needed to plan their journey very carefully. “Studying abroad opened my horizons and gave me confidence. When one is left to their own devices in a new environment, success is not always guaranteed.

Being foreign I soon realised how important it was to integrate. The whole experience pushed me to another level as a person, but also on the professional side of life.” Later he also studied at Bartlett School of Architecture, one of the top architecture universities in the UK, helping him in his future career.

Being a one child family, his parents missed him back home but at the same time they supported him in everything he did. The idea of living abroad  had always been present in his mind. He loves travelling, it is one of his passions. Now he can say that London is his home and he is not considering going back to Slovakia. “I have my roots there and a person needs to remember where they come from. I am still Slovakian and always will be, however, London is my home now and I feel that after 13 years I can call myself a Londoner.” He also maintains an interest in Slovakian affairs and politics, and travels back there twice a year to see his family.

Regarding his work placement, thanks to his academic success, he fairly easily secured a job at a local architecture company and after a while he decided to move to London where his friends from Slovakia who were already working for PRP, asked him to come and try it. He did not hesitate and took this great opportunity with enthusiasm. “Contacts are very important. Family and good friends are the ‘safety net’ in life. It is the thing which we lack here because having come from other countries, we do not have those close people around us. It makes dealing with everyday life harder for us.” He did not experience any problems with integration as he is a very positive and single-minded person.

PRP is a company which has completed many different and significant projects, with the main focus on housing and urban regeneration. Peter lives near the Olympic Park and now nine years after he moved into the area, he is leading a high-profile project in the neighbourhood. Apart from architecture, PRP also specialise in landscape design, environmental services, planning, transport and project management. There are many people from different countries working for this company, and apart from Peter there are two other people from Slovakia working as architects, Fero Lukacovic and Pavol Perdoch. They all met during their studies in the UK.

Peter has been an associate director at PRP for two years now. He is not tempted to start his own company any time soon as working at PRP gives him not just great opportunities but job satisfaction, too. “I am appreciated and my work is respected as well. We have a very consistent team, we change projects but the key people are still the same. It is almost like a small company within a big one.” His work is all about the architecture but his work days are all very different. He likes to work on initial designs drawing concept sketches  with a pencil on a piece of paper, but he also likes to go out and check if everything is done right during construction. “On each project I have a team of people and in my role it is not just about the design but also about management and paperwork as well. Besides, I attend numerous meetings, deliver presentations and on many projects I also get involved in public consultation. If we have projects in construction stages I need to visit the site regularly. It is very hard to explain how my usual day goes because it is never the same but that is what I like most about it.”

Recently, one of Peter’s projects won the Best Residential Scheme Category at the Waltham Forest Design Awards 2014. “It is a clever and inventive project where we created modern family homes taking inspiration from the surrounding traditional houses. We reinvented the traditional building form to which we introduced roof terraces and other features that cater for today’s family’s needs. The scheme also responds to the immediate context in a very positive manner.” He is very proud of this achievement, as even though PRP did not push for involvement in the competition, the organisers nominated them all the same. “I was very pleasantly surprised. It is a big compliment because the project was nominated by the local authority and then we won the award for Best Residential Project. Size-wise the project is quite modest, only twenty-four houses, but it is one I am proud of because it demonstrates how good family housing can be delivered in London.”

London is his home now and this city fascinates him because of the history, culture, music and art. It is also very convenient for him because of the travel opportunities as nowadays people can easily travel from London to anywhere in the world. “Although I have lived in London for many years, I cannot say I know every ‘nook and cranny’ of the city. It is one big village and the environment often changes from street to street. I really like London. When you go to the local park you feel that you are a part of the community. I am aware of the stereotypes and prejudices, but I have not had any bad experiences and I definitely do not get depressed by the people or the weather. “

Peter is one of the few people who did not come to London with the primary aim to earn some money and then return to his home country to enjoy his earnings.  He came to build his career and to live a good and happy life. His experience of London is very positive and his family are proud of his work and achievements even though it was very hard for them to send their only child out into the world full of unknowns. He not only survived but he is living his dream which has made him a happier and more fulfilled person. Now he is building his life with his Spanish partner Helena and they are planning a future which will push him into another passage of life. Peter is ambitious yet modest at the same time, and that is what has made him so successful.

April 13, 2014

Tears, sweat and water were yesterday´s best friends of the athletes who ran in the 34th London Marathon, with the great weather only adding to the challenge, allowing the participants to test and display their excellent stamina in hot conditions. Entrants were running for a number of reasons, from dedicating their run to the memory of loved ones, to raising money for charity, and even achieving new Guinness World´s Records.

There were around 36,000 runners involved in the event, but not all of them were from Britain. People from all around the world came to attend this exceptionally big and important occasion and Europeans were not an exception. There were people from a number of countries, from France, across all of central Europe, all the way through to Moldova. Well known European athletes running the marathon included Swiss Paralympian athlete Manuela Schar as well as renowned French chef Michel Roux.

Runners were surrounded by thousands of people who were supporting them as much as they could. The crowd held banners and shouted the names of runners, even though they did not know all of them. Rebecca was one of the supporters at the event: “I am shouting out the names from people´s jerseys and I am trying to support them because I would not be able to run such a long distance myself. It is admirable!”

For many people, this event can be extremely challenging. Many of the athletes complete the event to prove to themselves that they are able to complete the 26 mile distance. Also, there were some emotional scenes throughout the day, with people running in memory of their loved ones, being supported by their family members in the crowd. Some people from the crowd were crying and they felt a great deal of pride and awe of their family members or friends who managed to run through the finish line.

More than 70 people wanted to achieve some sort of new Guinness World´s Record, one of those being Glen Burmeister. After running with a 100lb pack and crossing the line in under eight hours, he could become a new world record holder. There was also a guy dressed as a toilet who wanted to be the fastest runner in that particular costume. He proved to himself that he was able to do it in less than three hours.

The London Marathon is not only about winning but it is also about people and for people as it is one of the biggest fundraising events in the city. People tested their stamina and they proved to themselves that they are able to do it. All of the visitors enjoyed it also because of the great weather and all of the families and friends that were watching felt very proud, just like the contestants themselves. Well done to everyone!

April 06, 2014

The London Coffee Festival is one of the largest coffee and artisan food events in the UK. It is a celebration of London´s coffee scene alongside great artisan foods, amazing and skilful baristas and peaceful live music. It is also a place where coffee lovers can meet and enjoy the best coffee globally in just one London building. Brick Lane´s Old Truman Brewery was the 2014 venue which hosted this annual coffee event.

The festival began on Friday 4th April and lasted until Sunday 6th April. On Friday there was an Espresso Martini Launch Party and all the tickets were divided into three separate hour sessions – brunch, lunch and tea time. There was also the possibility of buying different types of tickets, with each ticket including coffee tastings, brewing tutorials, interactive workshops, baristas competitions and free access to the Milk & Sugar fashion showcase. Furthermore, 50% of the standard ticket value went to a donation of clean water projects in coffee-producing countries.

Many companies presented their products and there were also demonstrations of different approaches to making coffee, ranging from classical Turkish methods to easily watered coffee beans; all of them producing different tastes and results. Famous coffee company Costa, which was founded by two Italian brothers in the UK, presented their method of roasting coffee by using green coffee beans, and with their special coffee maker and the high temperature it generates they created the so called “magic”. The result being perfectly roasted coffee beans which had increased in volume, colour and smell. Many European coffee companies were also on the list of exhibitors, which is of course why we were so interested in this annual event.

Among all of the biggest coffee brands there were many Italian coffee companies, some of which are really famous in London while others have just started expanding. For example the company Caffé Cagliari presented their NespressoTM Compatible Capsules alongside their unique blends of beans. They are celebrated for making truly exceptional coffee with amazing flavour and taste. Caffè Fratelli, an authentic Italian coffee shop, brought a real sense of Italian family and community to the festival, while the company Cimbali was also present, famous for being a global ambassador for the espresso coffee culture.

Among the well-known companies there was De’Longhi, a market leader in premium Italian coffee machines and also Lavazza, a company marketing the “real” Italian espresso.

Other countries brought their culture not only to the world of coffee but also to the world of artisan food. Tatár Pékség Kft, a Hungarian company presented their frozen pastries, developed from raw ingredients from eastern and central Europe. Fritz-Kola, a German company founded by students in Hamburg, displayed their range of lemonades and French company Ganache Macaron exposed their delicious macaroons to the travelling coffee enthusiasts.The Alpro stand was also full of people who wanted to try their delicious almond and rice milks whiles Lindt EXCELLENCE were also present, showing their talent in making chocolate.

The Lindt stand was overflowing with different products and the staff worked hard to explain which chocolate would complement your chosen coffee.

The London Coffee Festival was an exceptional event full of delicious coffee, tea and chocolate where everybody found something which they loved. There was great music and great drinks where people also began ordering some alcoholic cocktails which really pushed this coffee festival into another level. People really enjoyed the event and they all received some complimentary products. We are now looking forward to next year´s London Coffee Festival, which promises to be an equally spectacular occasion.

April 01, 2014

British police with the cooperation of Metropolitan Police London found another case of human trafficking. According to Slovak police, two men from Kosice, Slovakia asked a woman to travel to Great Britain and to have a wedding with very rich man from Pakistan in exchange for cash.

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They also said that after a while she would be able to go back to Slovakia to enjoy her earned money. Other men, who are nowadays in a jail in Great Britain, took her to location in Kent where they asked her for oral sex and after that they took her to Walthamstow, London.

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She has been sold to Pakistani man who wanted to legalize his visit in Great Britain by the wedding. He raped her repeatedly which led to bad mental conditions and also to serious internal injuries.

The police arrested two men with the help of Metropolitan Police London. Other man was captured after the airport operation in London.

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According to BBC, Judge Michael Topoloski QC who sentenced men from previous similar case said: “Trafficking in people was a modern-day form of slavery. People who trade in human beings will receive a harsh punishment.”

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These men face the same accusations in Slovakia where they asked a very young woman to have a wedding with Albanian in Germany and the decoy was €5000. They also forced another woman to marry Pakistani in Ireland who sent her to another man but she escaped.

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TASR – News Agency of the Slovak Republic

March 24, 2014

After my flatmate, who works as an assistant manager at an Italian restaurant, called me to come and try their pizza I was so sure that it would be nothing special. Having been to Italy many times, I know what real pizza should taste like and there are just a few places in London which can fulfil my high expectations.

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I came for the dinner quite late because I thought that it would not be busy at around 8pm and it was in the middle of the week. However, the queue was so long, that had it not been for my friend I would have just left and bought something in Pret a Manger located just next to their restaurant without any life inside, but I waited in the freezing cold and with other people patiently. I saw a couple leaving the queue, but this was just one case from around twenty others. Maybe you are asking what is it about this restaurant that makes you wait in a freezing cold for almost an hour, but Franco Manca is very good place to pop in.

While waiting in the queue, the lovely staff will bring you tasters of their pizza alongside an organic wine. After that you can easily leave and forget about everything but the taste of the delicious homemade pizza and heavenly smells from inside will undoubtedly force you to stay. At this point, I knew what to expect and knew that I needed to have more and more.

My flatmate´s wife came, and I thought that when the staff saw us together they would directly seat us. Actually they did not, and I was very surprised because they acted so professionally. After more than thirty minutes they finally gave us a place next to a couple who were already eating something, and in full view of the kitchen, where I saw the whole process of making pizza.

The menu was hand written on recycled paper and it was constructed from six dishes. It is not very common in many pizzerias or restaurants, and this is what it makes Franco Manca so different. Prices range from £4.50 to £6.95 and there are very simple ingredients, with almost every pizza containing tomato and mozzarella.

Tomato, cured organic chorizo – dry and semi-dry and mozzarella was also one of the choices. They also serve special pizzas which are changed regularly and on that day they offered a meat special.

The pizza is made from a slow-rising sourdough and it is baked in a wood burning brick oven made by artisans from Naples. The oven produces a heat of about 500°C, a temperature which  gets each pizza ready in just about thirty seconds. The result is that pizza is very soft but it has nice and crispy edges.  This system was originally developed by the Greek settlers who founded Neapolis.

Not only does Franco Manca serves homemade, delicious, organic pizza, but they also offer organic wine.  Their organic wine is made with little or no sulphur and without the aid of temperature control or selected yeast. The price of this wine is £13.95 for a bottle, and they also have a further selection of drinks where you can enjoy organic lemonade, juices, water or No Logo pale ale and No Logo craft brewed lager.

The atmosphere is nice because of the rush and the noise, but if you are a person who prefers quieter places, then I guess this is not for you. Franco Manca restaurant is located on Tottenham Court Road and is a quite small place, where people waiting in a queue are watching you eat, however this should not put you off your attempt to enjoy one of the restaurant´s delicious tender pizzas, the same as you would find in Naples.

May 19, 2015

The Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London is offering its visitors another beautiful exhibition full of Slovak culture and traditions. An exceptional project is the combination of art, design and story-telling, where every object is telling an authentic story about Slovakia, customs and people. This exhibition is also spreading beautiful news about this small European country and for the first time, people living in London have the unique opportunity to get the idea of what Slovakia is all about through Flowers for Slovakia.

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Founders of this project are Lars Kemper and Peter Olah and the general idea was to create some platform for exceptional students. Their motto is “to give flowers means to share beauty” and this concrete collection is the result and work of twelve most talented design students who get the opportunity to create something really beautiful and extraordinary.

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Every object is totally different and it is presenting values and traditions. The Well of Love by Ondřej Elfmark is all about Omar and Fatima where she was held captive at Trenčín Castle after the unsuccessful invasion of Turkish army. Another glass object made by Kristína Chudíková is inspired by the legend of Countess of Čachtice Castle, best known as The Blood Countess. According to the legend, she bathed in the blood of 300 virgins and it is somehow visible in this particular glass object called Bathory.

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Handle with Care is consisted of 12 conceptual glass objects all inspired by Slovak folk legends and fairy tales.  It is also the first output of the Flowers for Slovakia platform. Each object is telling a different story and it is a real mixture of Slovak traditions.

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“The jar with grips from a handbag updates a story of a girl who chose love over money, unlike nowadays gold-diggers who hunt after millionaires, with expensive handbags as their signal sign.“

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The collection is also part of the Clerkenwell Design Week 2015, a three day festival celebrating creativity, social relevance and advancements in technology behind design, which is also full of discussions, debates and series of talks.

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Flowers for Slovakia: Handle with Care exhibition is open to public from 19.05.2015 until 20.06.2015 at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London and you should definitely come if you want to know more about Slovakia.

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For more information about Flowers for Slovakia click here

May 22, 2015

Tonight it was the 60th Eurovision Song Contest and it all happened in Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. The two themes of this year´s Eurovision are circles as a sign that we all are connected somehow and building bridges. Londoners had many great opportunities to watch this competition out with a glass of wine or beer, alongside with their friends.

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The venues where they were able to watch it live were mainly in central London and the funkiest club was the Retro Bar near Leicester Square. The bar offered a free-entry screening on the contest and the fun meant to continue till 12am. There were many other venues where the London audition was able to watch it live.

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From the early beginning we were waiting for the Great Gatsby themed song of the Great Britain from Electro Velvet but people were also looking forward to hear Sweden, Latvia, Germany or Italy as they were most favoured. The songs were really good this year and we heard many of them about the love, war and power. The truth behind the Eurovision is that it is supposed to not only showcase the talent and great songs but also to connect European countries and Europeans themselves.

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Australia was performing for the first time in the competition and their song was powerful and full of emotion. The audience really praise many of the songs and they truly enjoyed the night. Also Conchita Wurst was one of the hosts of the show and she did really well. She sang more than three songs during the live show and she showed her talent once again and confirmed that she deserved to be the winner of the last year´s Eurovision.

While waiting for Nigella Lawson to read the UK´s voting results during the grand final and listening to Conchita Wurst, people all around the Europe and Australia were tweeting about the show and they were guessing who this year´s winner will be.

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Eurovision “is all about respecting people,” Conchita Wurst said.

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Also the winner of the junior Eurovision Song Contest came to sing few lines from his song and it allowed audience to see that Eurovision is really special in all the possible ways. The artists were really special too and they were all very different. The Green Room, which was first featured in the Vienna, was full of content people and singers who really enjoyed the night and they all were hoping for the best – to win the competition.

People in the UK were able to watch Eurovision at BBC1 and lovely comments from Graham Norton were really funny and picky at some points. He proved that he is the best commentator and once again he proved that he has a talent and fashion sense.

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The scoring began and after first 10 countries and their voting, Russia was first, Sweden second and Italy third. It was a real surprise that the UK only had 1 point, very similar as Germany. After the first shock we knew that it will be very tight. It was real three horse race at the top.

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After Nigela Lawson announced 12 points to Sweden, she totally mixed the cards and they suddenly became the lead of the chart!

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Finally, the winner of the Eurovision was announced. SWEDEN WON the 60th Eurovision Song Contest for the sixth time.

March 19, 2016

Zdenek Sverak is celebrating 80th birthday and his son and film director Jan Sverak together with Zdenek Sverak´s fans are organising a worldwide birthday celebration with the premiere of The Elementary School (Czech: Obecna Skola), the film which was nominated for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1991 and is considered to belong among the best Czechoslovak films ever.

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Zdenek Sverak was born on 28th March 1936 in Prague, Czech Republic. He is one of the most popular Czech cultural personalities and is best known as one of the leading figures in the Jara Cimrman theatre which has been entertaining Czech audiences with its comic and absurd productions for nearly 40 years. He graduated in Czech language and literature at Charles University Prague and he was also the member of the jury at the 39thBerlin International Film Festival. During his career, he has worked with director Jiri Menzel, writing the screenplay for his films My Sweet Little Village (Oscar nominated, 1998) and The Life and Extraordinary

Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin (1994). With his son Jan Sverak, he worked on various projects, as for example the successful comedy Empties (2007) which completes a trilogy and a personal history of the Czech experience embodied in Sverak´s scripts and central performances. Both of them were working on the Czech-UK co-production Dark Blue World (2001), Kooky (2010) and their most recent domestic box office hit, the musical fairy tale Three Brothers (2014).

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The Elementary School is a 1991 Czechoslovak comedy film, which was based on Sverak´s childhood memories and who used his own experiences both as pupil of a similar school and as a former teacher. The film was directed by the 1997 Oscar winner for the Best Foreign Language film, Jan “Kolya” Sverak, and the film is recalling the time when boys are still children but already perceive the adult world with great intensity. It is a film of humour, secrets and compassion for human weakness. The Elementary School became notable because it includes one of the last roles for two prominent Czech actors Rudolf Hrusinsky and Petr Cepek.

The story is of a boy Eda who attends a single-sex elementary school in Prague, where he belongs to a class with a complete lack of discipline. After their teacher goes insane, the schoolmaster has to implement special measures and he employs a new male teacher Igor Hnizdo (played by Jan Triska) who is said to be a Great War hero. Igor is seen as half-dictator and half-hero and Eda is charmed by him and starts to compare him to his own unheroic father.

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You can directly book your tickets here:

MONDAY 28th MARCH 2016 (8pm)

Deptford Cinema, 39 Deptford Broadway, London SE8 4PQ

Booking – Tickets cost £3.50 – £5.00

MONDAY 28th MARCH 2016 (8:30pm)

Gate Picturehouse, 87 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JZ

Booking – Tickets cost £13

The event is organised by the Czech Centre London, Anglo-Czechoslovak Trust and Czech and Slovak Stories in collaboration with Jan Svěrák and Artinii.

September 19, 2015

Both Slovak and English audience were able to see the exhibition of Ellen Rogers and Emilia Pelech during the Open House London weekend at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London.

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Photographers Ellen Rogers and creative director Emilia Pelech presented their photo series “Forma” at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London. The images feature two notable modernist Bratislava locations from the 1960s-70s: the Lounge for Guests of State at Bratislava Airport and the Trade Union Building.

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The decision to exhibit at this Embassy was really straight forward. “I attended the exhibition Flowers for Slovakia here at the embassy and I though this building fits into the concept of our photos,” explained Emilia Pelech, who is from Canada. Also, the idea of creating photos in Slovakia arose because of the fact that Emilia Pelech visited Slovakia few times because of her Slovak roots. She is also interested in the architecture and she really enjoyed working on this project.

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Photographer Ellen Rogers is working in the industry for 10 years now but she only had few chances to showcase her talent to the international audience. She mainly worked on projects in Britain and she had few opportunities in Italy and France. “It was really nice to work with the Slovak people. I really enjoyed it.”

Both of them are aiming to work on other international projects. They also really enjoyed working in Slovak environment and with Slovak people. Their designs and photos contained work of Slovak fashion designers Miklosko, Drevená Helena, Sewologylab, Petra Poórová, Krasa Vesmirna.

The Forma exhibition was part of the Open House London and the visitors had a chance to see the architecture and get more information about the home of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London. This architecture is really unique and it corresponds with Slovakia itself.

Visitors of the embassy always feel that they are part of the bigger system and they really feel that the building itself has the atmosphere of what is called “back home”. Igor, one of the visitors, said that the architecture is unique and exclusive and he has never seen the same kind of building in London: “I really feel that it has the smell of what we are used to see back home. It is old, stylish and I love the chandelier the most.”

The building was built in 1970 in the post-war period by architects Jan Bočan, Jan Šrámek and Karel Štěpánsky while the most interesting part of the building is the chandelier designed by a leading Czech figure in glass art René Roubíček. Rooms situated on the ground floor were intended for social gatherings and the offices were situated on the upper floors. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia the embassy complex was divided between both successor states, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

Even though the Open House weekend is over, it is worth to see the photographs of Ellen Rodgers and Emilia Pelech which are meant to stay at the embassy for the rest of the year. They are all representing Slovak culture, fashion and architecture.

June 25, 2015

Caption: Official London Visit of Andrej Kiska, President of the Slovak Republic and presentation of the AeroMobil 3.0 by Juraj Vaculík and Štefan Klein. Photo by © Lucia Hrdá www.luciahrda.com

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Do people love the political leaders and do they appreciate their words? At this time, it is very hard to say whether most of the population living in one particular country are happy with their presidents and prime ministers or not. The leaders of political parties and sometimes even various queens and kings are only seen as the figures that are making only some important political and economical decisions which are supposed to help their countries. But to have kind, successful, charming, intelligent and representative president, who is acting more like a human rather than the actual politician is the privilege of the Slovak Republic.

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Mr Andrej Kiska is not only representing the people by his acts and decisions but also by his strong and powerful words and by his heart. Slovakia is very proud that for the first time in the history of its small country they voted for the president who is acting like a human and not like an actual politician. They feel proud because he is strongly supporting people living in Slovakia and he is trying to help them in their careers and progression, especially if it is someone who wants to be successful not only at home.

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Slovak political and cultural figures living in the United Kingdom had a great opportunity and pleasure to meet President of the Slovak Republic HE Andrej Kiska at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London during the reception on Monday 22nd June. People not only had a chance to meet him in person and talk to him for few minutes but the whole event was part of a big networking opportunity for both British and Slovak professionals.

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During presidential speech he reminded Slovaks living in the UK to not forget that they are very welcome to come back and to help Slovakia grow because they are seen as a new and young talent. He spoke about the opportunities that are directly in Slovakia and about the fact that Slovakia will still be our homeland, especially in our hearts. It was really good to hear that someone is calling us and even expecting us to come back to Slovakia and live there the same life we have in the United Kingdom.

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And for various reasons, he also brought entrepreneurs from Slovakia to come and talk about their careers. Maybe it was the tactic he set for this meeting as he wanted to show all Slovaks that to be a successful entrepreneur is now possible in Slovakia as well and that young people do not have to leave their countries in order to make a successful career. He explained that it was his decision to bring them to London.

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“Our entrepreneurs do not want to be successful only at home but also in the world. Therefore, good contacts are important. For that reason, I brought 50 of them to London with me.”

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At this ceremony the Slovak AeroMobil 3.0 was launched by Juraj Vaculik and Stefan Klein. The AeroMobil is a Slovakprototype roadable aircraft designed by Mr Klein and intended for “wealthy supercar buyers and flight enthusiasts” and first flown in 2013 while it will be available for sale in 2017. And it was another amazing moment for both Slovak and British professionals who were invited for the reception with Mr Andrej Kiska because they all felt really proud and flattered by amazing invention of really nice and modest inventors who are directly from Slovakia.

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Mr Andrej Kiska also visited military Brookwood cemetery during his visit in London. At this place, there are buried war time heroes from Czechoslovakia and it is one of the most important parts for Slovak, Czech and British history. He has laid a wreath and he met veterans including General Major Otto Schwartz who is 91 years old and at that time he was a radio operator and a gunner at the 311th Squadron. Mr President promised that he will come to meet him at his 100th birthday.

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He also attended the panel discussion of Startup Grind where he presented Slovak Republic as a country with the potential for innovative companies and for building new corporations.

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Being a president is not an easy job even though some people are thinking the opposite. They are not only leading the country and celebrating various occasions but they also have to surrender all their knowledge and personality to one nation. They have to represent their country and speak in front of millions of people about serious topics as immigration or referendum and they are always trying to say it in the best possible way. Slovakia is really proud country because their President is amazing person who understand and help others and who is representing them in the best way.

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Dear Mr President, thank you for your visit of United Kingdom and especially the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London because we had a chance to meet you and speak to you. I am sure that many of Slovaks living in the UK will return one day to their beautiful homeland.