Alena Pavlová

“I married in 1956 and the currency reform took place in 1953. It was another great disaster for my parents, because dad told me: ‘Alenka, if you don’t have to, do not marry. That’s because your dowry is in a blocked deposit. And we will never get it back. That would be a very poor wedding – if you don’t have to marry, do not marry.’ And my husband, who was a very independent-minded man, said: ‘Mr. Zápeca, we don’t have to marry, we really don’t have to. But my parents are already quite old, and I am their youngest son. And my old parents would like me to marry. I would thus fulfill their wish. And if Alenka agrees, do not object against it and we will take care of the wedding ourselves.’ My dad was just staring at him in amazement!”

“On August 20th 1968, I was going to the bus stop to go to work as usual, and suddenly there were (Russian) tanks and airplanes, and one tank was turned upside down and one soldier died there. The place is called Staré Místo, between Jičín and Libáň. As the tank turned over, they were not able to pull him out. And for the following two days we were passing by that tank on my way to work, and of course, that guy was screaming there. It was terrible.”