As an introduction watch video:“Johann Strauss Wiener Walz An der Shonen Blauen Donau (Viennese Waltz)”

Malacky, a small Slovakian town, near Bratislava. Synagogue, not functioning, as the whole congregation was perished during the Holocaust. Nowadays a local arts children’s school is located here. To the right and to the left one can see the photos from that event. We entered inside. Summer, time of children’s vacation. Repairing and renovation works are being carried out. Everywhere on the walls are hung up children’s art works. The atmosphere of calmness and silence. One friendly, middle aged woman, with a kind face, came up to us. Having found out that we were from Canada, she became shy without knowing what language she should have talked to us. We did not speak Slovak, she could not speak English. My instant intuition came to aid us. “Maybeshe speaks German, doesn’t she? They are yet neighbours to Austria, there the speak German, all know that.” “Sprechen Sie Deutsch?”, asked I, recollecting everything what I knew in German from my student days and put into this effort trying to start the conversation. “Ja”, she answered. The dialogue began flowing smoothly and without interruptions and understood by all. She told us about the school, about children’s activities, how the local authorities were sponsoring  the school programs generously. Put it in one word, as everywhere and as always was their motto” Hello, we are looking for talents!”, and here they are, nearby, remarkable and unrepeatable. Janko was interested in history and culture. The conversation finished warmly, we parted cordially and left Synagogue. Crossing the street we headed for the car to go home. Suddenly somebody of our company looked back while having heard one person’s call. It was that woman, Rosalia by name, a teacher from the Children’s Arts School, chased us panting because she thought she would never see us again. A tiny ceramic fish was in her hands, her children’s arts piece, painted and polishe by the careful pupils’ hands. Very talented, indeed. “This is for you as a souvenir of our meeting”, said she and handed it to us. We thanked her a lot. So that small fish lives with us since then as a symbol of creativity and heart felt relation. It stands on my desk, looking at me with her open mouth as if challenging me saying:”Hey, you, why do you sit idle doing nothing? Go ahead bravely, create, think out, try to do good, my dear friend!” In this mood I composed a story:” A Fish and a Rose”.

Listen: rose rosse-massimo ranieri

“Once there lived a Fish. Her home was the Morava River, a middle European watershed, one of the largest tributaries flowing into the Danube River. The River was was wide and deep, enough space for every kind of specimen to dwell in. The whole brotherhood of crucian carps, pikes and others, big and tiny. The tsarina of all the fish was Mother Morava. When time arrived thefish were heading up to the Danube River to spawn and die, giving the birth to the new generation. At that point greedy sports fishing population tried to catch as much fish as possible. More they caught more they wanted. Meanwhile one tiny fish swam a long way from Morava’s place through Malacky and all down the beautiful blue Danube River seeing the sights of forests and open clearances, children along the banks and laughing gaily. And lo! and behold! his fishy nose stuck into something red-and-green with the thorns. The little fish stopped, his eyes witnessed an unusual picture: curved purple, scarlet, pink petals wrapped around greenish leaves, along the thorny stem. ‘A flower’, thought the fish,” that ugly thorn sticking out hurt me”. A Rose. He enjoyed the encounter’s beauty.

Watch photo expose: “A Fish and A Rose”

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Their frienship started on sunset and lasted till sunrise. There was moonshine that night. All poets, musicians, artists were out. Kind of bacchanalia  happened to be: bacchanalia of colors, sounds and oddness.

Watch video:Sofia Rotaru “Madam Kazanova”

With the first ray of sunrise all disappeared as there were nothing before. A little, tiny fish kept on his way to the big waters, all life remembering the Rose”.

Watch video:“The Roses”