Slovakia
In amongst a fairly rushed fortnight, we spent a lovely (too) few days in Slovakia, couchsurfing near Poprad, a hub town in the north, staying with a welcoming family in a small village just out of town. This area was one of the first places I visited in Europe as a callow youth and the Slovensky raj was the first time I walked in a 'real' European forest, so different from forests at home. Then I ended up staying with a family for a few days Spišská Nová Ves, a town just further east, after being invited back from a ride I'd hitched with; they took me around, I went walking in the Raj with one of the younger brothers and they gave me advice on further travel, suggesting I visit the Tatras. When I left the brother gave me a mouth organ as a parting gift; this kindness has remained strong in my memory ever since.
Our walk in the Slovensky raj was up a well-known ravine, the Suchá Belá. The track follows a creek, in many places over wooden platforms above the water, starting fairly flat at first. It then becomes steeper, with many slippery metal stairs, with chains attached to the rock for handholds and at places very long ladders! I'm not the best with heights and neither is Niamh, so there were some determinedly focussed moments!
After our day of walking in the Raj, we headed off in the other direction, north to the High Tatras, a mountain range that forms the border between Slovakia and Poland in that part of the world (this photo is a good panorama!).
Walking in many parts of Europe, as previously alluded to, is a far different affair, with lots of opportunities for food and accommodation on the track, something which seems a bit strange when you are getting away from it all, but which can also be very convenient! And so it was we set off for a two day hike in the mountains with a daypack each!
The walk can only be described as spectacular. We got the light rail from Poprad to Stary Smokovec, a major hub for the High Tatras, then got a long funicular up to the base of the walk. We set out amongst skinny pines, many of which had been blown over like matchsticks in a very severe storm a few years ago and, after a snack stop, then a detour along a wrong track, started heading up a long valley. We started up through well-wooded country, which gradually got lower and shrubbier, then heath, then moss, then only lichen, as we got closer to our hut, somewhere in the unknown distance amongst the mist.
After a pretty arduous last hour or so in the thin air, with a very steep last section, we reached our night's accommodation, the Teryho chata (Tery's hut/chalet).
After a sound night's sleep we started on again, now through a landscape of rocks and tarns (upland mountain lakes). At a track junction we got talking to a very experienced Tatras mountaineer from Poland we'd chatted to the night before, who was very doubtful about the route we were going on. At the tourist info we'd asked for advice on a pleasant, not too challenging loop walk, so were surprised when he said it was the most dangerous path in the Tatras! We decided reluctantly to change our route, which would mean going on ahead for a few hours then backtracking exactly the way we'd come to get home; then, from a different vantage we could see our original route and it seemed well-marked and not too hairy, so we decided to do it after all.
And it wasn't too hard for the first part, just steep and slow, but safe, then we hit the rock face, at about 70%, seemingly stretching forever, with only fixed chains to hold on to. Well, we were that far, and it shouldn't be that bad ... so up we went. While most of it wasn't too dangerous, with not too far to fall, some was not for people, like us both, who aren't too fond of heights. Up we went painstakingly slowly, not looking back, wondering if the other side would be worse...
Finally, thankfully, we reached the top, having beaten the mist that was rolling in!
And even better, the other side, after a short chain climb down, was walking track, so no more terrors!
The rest of the day was like the previous one in reverse, walking through a spectacular bowl, mountains all around, with lots more tarns, spectacular views down the valley to the flat lands, with the Slovensky raj beyond, back down to the heathlands then into the tree line, every now and then stopping to shake my head in disbelief about how far - and high - we'd come.
So, it was an absolutely fantastic walk - highly recommended! I would have gladly stayed another week or two and done lots more, but we had to get going the next day, to Budapest and beyond.
After another sound - though foreshortened! - night's sleep we got on a train to Bratislava. I can definitely recommend Slovak trains - a little worn maybe, but cheap (they still charge standard fares, not the infuriating airline-style pricing of most European trains that penalise spontaneous travel) and, best of all, a great bistro and dining car, where you can get very good meals at a very reasonable price!
See more photos of both lovely walks here