The next morning we got up fairly early and after a quick breakfast we ran to the bus station where we boarded a bus that would take us to Cingov, the starting point of our day hike. From Cingov we paid our small entrance fee and began the hike along a nice wide and flat path that led into the small hills. After a short distance (and a few junctions) we came to the Hornad River, the main river in the National Park, and continued to hike along it. This is the point when the hiking became more interesting as both the terrain and the scenery started to change. The scenery was quite beautiful as we were walking along the river bank through some great forests and we even occasionally had to walk over top of the river on small metal grates that jutted out from cliff faces. This was quite fun as the way it was setup you wouldn't normally find back home in the Rockies so the change was nice. After hiking along the river for a bit we came to another junction where we left the river and started to make our way uphill through one of the many gorges in the National Park. The short hike through this gorge was absolutely fabulous as we were hiking along a small stream and at several points throughout the gorge we had to climb ladders up cliff faces right next to small waterfalls. It was lots of fun taking our time to climb through this gorge and it felt like the hike was truly a jungle gym for adults. Once we reached the top of the gorge we climbed up to a nice grassy meadow with a small hut and restaurant and we sat down to enjoy our well earned lunch while enjoying some fantastic views over the surrounding countryside. After lunch we started to make our way back down along a ridge line and we were rewarded with some great views. A couple of hours later we found ourselves back at the trail head and after a short wait we caught a bus bound for Spisska Nova Ves where we just returned to our hostel to relax after the days hike. That evening was again spent enjoying a simply meal outdoors before another fairly early night.
The following morning was pretty similar to the previous one and after our breakfast we raced off to the bus station to catch a bus to Podlesok, a different trail head. Arriving at the trail head we again paid the small entrance fee and immediately started off along one of the many trails. This morning we started off hiking up through another gorge and this one contained even more ladders, bridges and other obstacles. Again we had a great time climbing through all of this and the beautiful day and scenery only helped. About half way up the gorge we were hiking through a relatively easy section when right in front of us a goat ran across the path. We were both pleasantly surprised and spent the next few minutes watching him stare at us before continuing on our way to the top of the gorge. Once we completed climbing all of the ladders and bridges we emerged at the top of the gorge from where we had a short walk back to the grassy meadow where we enjoyed lunch the previous day. Upon reaching the meadow we again sat down to admire the views and enjoy some food before continuing on. This time from the top we climbed down right next to the gorge we had climbed up the previous day (all the gorge trails were only 1 way due to the numerous ladders) and when we got to the river we continued along that to see the rest of it that we didn't get to see before. The walk back to the bus stop along the river wasn't as fun as the hike up through the gorge although it was still through some beautiful scenery so we enjoyed it all the same; and after a short while we found ourselves back at the bus stop where after a short wait we hopped on a bus that took us back to Spisska Nova Ves. The evening was spent in similar fashion to the two previous ones with a simple dinner and lots of relaxing with a few beers before heading to bed.
Our last full day spent in the Spisska Nova Ves region we spent doing a short day trip to the nearby town of Levoca. After getting off the bus in Levoca we made our way to the old town which is one of the few Slovakian cities that has its ancient city defenses mostly intact. Walking through the city walls we came into the quieter old part of the city and after a couple more minutes we emerged at the small main square. Once at the square we wandered around for a few minuets admiring the old buildings lining the square and eventually came around in a complete circle so decided to enter the huge Church of St Jacob. The actual architecture of the church was fairly boring although in the interior were lots of beautiful alters including a huge golden alter that's one of the most famous in Slovakia. After visiting the church we wandered around the exterior of the town hall, into a couple of other smaller churches and saw the cage of shame: a small cage where women were occasionally held to discipline them. We then enjoyed lunch in the town square before wandering around the old town and its walls. By this time the sky had darkened quite a bit so we made our way back to the bus station and just as we got on the bus it started to pour. Thankfully when we reached Spisska Nova Ves the rain had let up but we still decided to hang out inside using the internet in case it changed again. The evening was again spent fairly quietly because the city seemed to shut down at 10pm so we had to return to the hostel where we just went to bed.
Our last morning in Spisska Nova Ves we just packed up our bags and made our way to the bus station where we boarded a bus to Poprad our next destination where we planned on doing some hiking in the High Tatra Mountains.
Lianne hugging the cliff face while walking along the small metal grates over the Hornad River during our first day hike.
Lianne climbing one of the many ladders that we had to during our hike up through the gorges.
Another photo of Lianne climbing the several ladders.
Standing at the midpoint of two ladders on our second day hike with a small waterfall running down right beside me.
Lianne looking shameful in front of the cage of shame in Levoca.
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