Via Prague

Of course, Czechoslovakia ended in 1993 with what is known here as the 'Velvet Divorce.' Czechs and Slovaks decided after the revolution to go their separate ways. Both are now EU members. But who says the divorce is final? My student Katja, who is Slovak, married her husband, who is Czech, this past summer. The wedding took place in Katja's hometown of Poprad, located in the High Tatry Mountains in northwest Slovakia. The photo is a typically Czech-Slovak wedding. The night before, it is custom here that the bride is kidnapped. The groom has to find her (usually she is 'held hostage' at a pub) by going from pub to pub, buying everyone drinks, until he finds and rescues his bride-to-be. As you can see, the search was a success! The couple had their first child this past month.