In this Blorecast episode, I respond to viewer feedback on two recent videos:

🇸🇰🇬🇧 Slovak vs British Christmas and 5 Ways Slovakia Is Definitely Better Than the UK.

Over the holidays, both videos generated thoughtful discussion on YouTube and Instagram. Here, I reflect on what people agreed with, what they challenged, and what I learned from the comments — from Christmas traditions and food, to practicality, multilingualism, and access to nature.

Topics include:

• Slovak vs British Christmas traditions (and the “no birds” debate)

• Why turkey replaced goose in the UK

• Slovak practicality and real-life repair stories

• Multilingualism, dialects, and a controversial language quote

• Name days and traditions

• Food quality and processed food

• Nature in Slovakia vs the UK — and why people disagree

This episode is about cultural comparison without hostility, and why good discussion matters.

💬 Which translation of the language quote do you prefer — and does the attribution matter?

👍 Like, subscribe, and share if you enjoy thoughtful takes on language, culture, and life in Slovakia.

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🔔 Subscribe for more

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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#Slovakia #UK #ExpatLife #LivingAbroad #CultureComparison #FoodCulture #Nature #Multilingualism #CentralEurope #BritsAbroad

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📺 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

📸 Or instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blore.sk/

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Photos used for the thumbnail and interstitials:

Jastrabia veža (I think), https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/stone

View of the Cheshire Countryside from Beeston Castle, https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/british-countryside

Masaryk photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom%C3%A1%C5%A1_Garrigue_Masaryk_1925.PNG

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

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/

Is Slovakia actually better than the UK? 🇸🇰🇬🇧

I spent the first half of my life in the UK — and the second half in Slovakia.

So I’ve experienced plenty of Christmases, dentists, supermarkets, and public offices in both.

In this episode of The Blorecast, I ask a slightly dangerous question:

Is Slovakia genuinely better than the UK — and if so, how?

To keep things fair, I set myself some rules:

• No cheap shots

• No unfair comparisons

• No obvious wins like skiing or ice hockey

• And no pretending that salaries, healthcare, or history are simple

What’s left are five areas where Slovakia really does have an edge — based on lived experience, culture, data, and everyday life.

This episode covers:

• Why Slovaks are often more practical and pragmatic

• How Slovakia became quietly multilingual

• Why traditions are still lived, not just performed

• How Slovak food culture avoids the worst of ultra-processed diets

• And why nature, forests, and mountains are Slovakia’s greatest advantage

This isn’t about claiming Slovakia is perfect.

And it’s definitely not about saying the UK is awful.

It’s about noticing what works — and what we might lose if we’re not paying attention.

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⏱ Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:42 The Rules

01:49 #5 Practicality & Pragmatism

03:34 #4 Multilingualism

05:56 #3 Traditions

07:50 #2 Food

09:43 #1 Nature

12:05 Outro

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💬 Join the conversation

Have you lived in Slovakia, the UK, or both?

Do you agree — or am I talking complete nonsense?

Leave a comment — I read them all, and I often feature viewer responses in future episodes.

⸻

🔔 Subscribe for more

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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#Slovakia #UK #ExpatLife #LivingAbroad #CultureComparison #FoodCulture #Nature #Multilingualism #CentralEurope #BritsAbroad

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The Blorecast is also available as a podcast

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

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

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

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📺 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

📸 Or instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blore.sk/

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Photos used for the thumbnail and interstitials:

Jastrabia veža (I think), https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/stone

View of the Cheshire Countryside from Beeston Castle, https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/british-countryside

EU flag: www.vecteezy.com/video/36025113-european-union-waving-flag-realistic-flag-animation-seamless-loop-background

Masaryk photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom%C3%A1%C5%A1_Garrigue_Masaryk_1925.PNG

Morena: Jaroslav Moravcik - stock.adobe.com 605763679 a 497770811

Folk dancing: kviktor - stock.adobe.com 76542936

Morris Dancers: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morris_Dancers,_York_(26579460201).jpg

Infographic adapted from here: https://slidesgo.com/theme/visual-comparison-infographics

All other photos (and the wood warbler video) are mine.

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

The funky breakbeat drum loop is by Alexander, used under a Creative Commons...

I spent the first half of my life in the UK, and I've lived the second half in Slovakia — which means I’ve experienced Christmas from both sides.

In this episode of the Blorecast, I put British and Slovak Christmas head to head in 10 festive rounds, comparing everything from food and traditions to timing, TV, Christmas markets, and the man himself.

This isn’t a rant, and it’s not a culture war — just a good-natured, slightly nerdy comparison from someone lucky enough to have lived both.

1. The Christmas build-up
2. Decorations
3. Christmas markets
4. Timing
5. Starters
6. Main courses
7. Desserts
8. Traditions
9. TV
10. The Dude

#ukchristmas #vianoce #slovakiaculture #christmastraditions #fatherchristmas #christmasfood #livinginslovakia

🔔 Subscribe for regular Blorecast episodes on culture, life in Slovakia, and a bit of humor along the way!

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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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🌍 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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Jingle Sound Effect from https://pixabay.com/users/dragon-studio-38165424/

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

Is Slovakia a safe country to live in? After 27 years of living here, I share my personal experiences with safety, weather, and everyday life on Slovak streets. From harsh winters and quirky pedestrian crossings to the one time I was accosted while bird watching, I’ll give you a realistic view of life in Slovakia.

In this episode of the Blorecast, I cover:

• Crime and street safety in Slovakia

• What Slovak weather might throw at you

• Pedestrian experiences and unusual road culture

• Funny and unexpected encounters in Slovak towns

Whether you’re planning to move to Slovakia, travel here, or are just curious about life in Central Europe, this episode will give you insights you won’t find in guidebooks.

🔔 Subscribe for regular Blorecast episodes on culture, life in Slovakia, and a bit of humor along the way!

#slovakia #safety #livinginslovakia #Blorecast #JamesBlore #movingtoSlovakia #Slovakiatraveltips

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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

⸻

🌍 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.

⸻

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/

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

This week on the Blorecast: a short, clear update on what’s been happening in Slovakia — explained in simple English for international students, expats, and anyone trying to follow Slovak news without perfect Slovak.

In this episode, I talk about the recent protests in Košice, the growing tension between conservative and liberal parts of Slovak society, and some of the major political events from November — including the chalk protests, the cancelled 17 November holiday, and the controversial visit of Prime Minister Robert Fico to a school in Poprad.

I’m not a political expert, and this isn’t political analysis — it’s a friendly monthly news summary, told from the perspective of someone living in Slovakia who remembers what it was like to have no idea what was going on.

If you’re a foreign student in Košice, an expat anywhere in Slovakia, or simply someone learning English or Slovak, this episode should help you keep up with what’s happening.

If you’re new here:

The Blorecast is a weekly podcast about Slovak culture, British culture, language, food, and life in Eastern Slovakia — with the occasional news breakdown to help non-Slovaks understand what’s going on.

Let me know in the comments:

Would you like a monthly English-language summary of Slovak news?

👉 Subscribe for more (language, culture, food, politics-lite).

👉 Like, share, and ring the bell — it really helps the channel!

#slovakia #kosice #slovaknews #internationalstudents #slovenskopolitika #blorecast #englishpodcast #slovakiaculture #velvetrevolution

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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

⸻

🌍 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.

⸻

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/

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

Thumbnail image adapted from DC Studio on Freepik: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/journalist-talks-about-news-segment_134858590.htm

What happens when a Brit moves to Slovakia and stays (almost) forever?

In this episode of The Blorecast, I’m joined once again by Andy Billingham, a long-time expat, Slovak citizen and all-round legend, to talk about:

🇸🇰 Getting used to life in socialist-era Slovakia

🛒 Strange supermarket rules in the 80s

🥾 Hiking culture

🕖 Why everyone wakes up so early

🗣️ Tykanie, vykanie & the dying art of onikanie

Whether you’re a Slovak curious about how foreigners see your country, or a foreigner thinking about moving to Slovakia, this episode is packed with stories, cultural insights, language quirks, and plenty of laughs:

👉 Have a question for Andy or me? Leave a comment or find all the contact links below.

🎧 Watch More Blore – my new video series on UK–Slovakia culture https://youtu.be/nJhGT70BRyY?si=LVHKL2CLLvLCOOEX

📩 Website • Email • YouTube • Facebook — all links below

#Slovakia #BritishInSlovakia #SlovakCulture #TykanieVykanie #SlovakLanguage #Slovensko #BritishPodcast #CulturalDifferences

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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

⸻

🌍 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.

⸻

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/

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

When I first arrived in Slovakia back in 1998, “doing the shopping” meant visiting three or four different little shops — Potraviny Narcis for basics, Coop Jednota for salami and coffee, and Vrchovina for a litre of Cappy juice.

Twenty-five years later, things look a little different. In this episode, I take a nostalgic (and slightly caffeinated) trip from those early shopping days in Humenné to Košice's supermarkets today.

Along the way, I talk about how grocery shopping has changed, what British immigrant's like me still bring home in our suitcases (tea and biscuits, of course), and why I think Lidl’s new “quiet hour” for autistic shoppers is one of the best ideas I’ve seen in Slovakia.

🔗 https://www.noviny.sk/slovensko/1119735-slovensky-retazec-zavadza-tichu-hodinku-ludia-s-autizmom-budu-moct-nakupovat-bez-hudby

🎧 Listen for reflections on food, memory, and culture — and stick around to hear about my new side project More Blore, where British and Slovak foods go head-to-head in a series called Food Fight!

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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

⸻

🌍 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.

⸻

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/

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

In this episode of The Blorecast, James steps outside to enjoy a beautiful autumn day and share the surprising story behind a viral Instagram short — the infamous Slovak snail rhyme! 🐌🔥

From Slimák, slimák to Šnečku, šnečku and even the brutal Serbian version, James compares how different countries talk to their snails (some nicely… some not so much). He also chats about Guy Fawkes Night, cultural quirks, and why one short video suddenly got over 200,000 views.

If you enjoy British humour, Slovak culture, and language learning with laughs, hit Like, Subscribe, and Share this episode!

#Slovakia #SlovakCulture #NurseryRhymes #BritishInSlovakia #Blorecast #SlovakLanguage #Folklore #BonfireNight #GuyFawkes #Podcast #EnglishInSlovakia #CulturalDifferences #AutumnVibes #LanguageLearning

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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

⸻

🌍 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.

⸻

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/

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