Why does Slovakia sometimes feel like it’s living in a different decade? And is that actually a bad thing?

In this episode of The Blorecast, James Blore explores a country that has modernised rapidly yet still holds tight to its roots. From carpet beaters and top-loading washing machines to rural life, birds, mushrooms, and boars, James reflects on the pros and cons of the Slovak time warp.

Comparing Slovak pragmatism with British romanticism towards nature, he asks: have Brits become too detached from our rural past? And could Slovakia’s “one foot in the mud” approach actually be a strength in an over-urbanised world?

🪶 Topics in this episode:

• What Slovakia was like in the late 1990s

• Why life here sometimes feels 20 years behind (in a good way)

• Birdwatching, mushroom picking, and the Slovak countryside

• Rural vs urban life: UK vs Slovakia

• Why Brits romanticise nature while Slovaks live it

🎧 Listen to the full episode for stories of carpet-beating grannies, birdwatching epiphanies, and one man’s theory about why Slovakia might just be winning the slow-life game.

💬 What do you think?

Is Slovakia stuck in the past, or preserving something precious?

Do you prefer birdwatching or mushroom picking?

👇 Leave a comment or reach out via the links below.

#Slovakia #BritishExpat #LifeInSlovakia #SlovakCulture #ExpatPodcast #TheBlorecast #JamesBlore #CulturalDifferences #Timewarp #Birdwatching #MushroomPicking #RuralLife #SlovakiaVsUK

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🌍 About the Blorecast

The Blorecast is a podcast from The School of Blore in Košice, Slovakia. It’s about life, culture, language, and exams – all served up with a dose of humour and storytelling. Whether you’re learning English, preparing for Cambridge exams, or just curious about life in Slovakia, you’ll find something here.

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🎧 Listen: https://feeds.captivate.fm/blorecast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/0kHQShCL2BG10TD20ILDNb

https://podcasts.apple.com/sk/podcast/the-blorecast/id1837288694

📺 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@bloresk

📌 Find out more at: https://blore.sk/

📧 Contact: podcast@blore.sk

👍 Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blore.sk

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Our theme tune is Ode to Joy – Heavy Edition, written specially for us by the most excellent dafteaux: https://youtu.be/rU6nLowrtmE

Blackbird singing: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/blackbird-singing-296516/

The funky breakbeat drum loop is by Alexander, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: http://www.orangefreesounds.com/vintage-drum-and-organ-beat-87-bpm/

Blog: https://blore.sk/en/why-did-you-stay/

Stats:

https://www.campop.geog.cam.ac.uk/blog/2024/10/31/urban-society/

https://doc.ukdataservice.ac.uk/doc/7154/mrdoc/pdf/guide.pdf

https://www.czechfriends.net/news/lecture-by-dr-lorman-on-4th-febraury-2020

https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/svk/slovak-republic/rural-population

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/rural_population_percent/European-union/

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-findings-statistical-digest-of-rural-england/key-findings-statistical-digest-of-rural-england

The Jamie Oliver series referred to is Jamie’s School Dinners, Season 1 — Episode 02