Poprad

After we left Spisska Nova Ves we took a short bus ride to Poprad, a fairly insignificant city in Slovakia however it is a great place to base ourselves for some hiking in the Tatra Mountains. Arriving in Poprad we quickly went to the tourist information office and were given a list of available accommodation in Poprad so we set off to find a room for the next few days. We eventually found a nice and cheap place however it was fully booked for the first night so we decided to stay in a cheap hotel for that night before moving the next day. After dropping our bags off in the hotel we set off to explore the city for the rest of the afternoon and after finding that there wasn't much there we just found an internet cafe to spend the rest of the afternoon in. That evening we just enjoyed a delicious dinner in one of the only restaurants that we could find before heading back to the hotel for an early night.

The next morning we got up early and quickly checked out of our hotel so that we could drop off our luggage at our new room. After dumping our bags there we wasted no time in catching the train which quickly got us up to Stary Smokovec, a small mountain village where several trail heads started. Unfortunately once we reach Stary Smokovec it really started to pour so instead of starting a hike we just decided to enjoy a cup of coffee in one of the several cafes and wait out the rain. Luckily after an hour or so it seemed to stop raining so we set off up the trial to start hiking in the Tatras, but the rain started again quickly so we decided to just give up and return to Poprad. Back in Poprad we just relaxed in our room for the last bit of the afternoon before another great dinner and an early night.

The following morning we got up early and made our way straight to the electric train to return to Stary Smokovec. Thankfully when we reached Stary Smokovec it wasn't raining so we were able to start hiking right away on the trail that we started on the day before. Our day hike took us up into the mountains and past several huts and a couple of waterfalls. There were also a few nice viewpoints over the surrounding countryside although it was slightly cloudy so it wasn't perfect. We climbed up a beautiful valley to reach a high mountain hut. At the hut we enjoyed a fast lunch break since it was too cold to stay still very long. After lunch we continued up to climb over a pass so that we could return back down a different valley. Climbing up the to the top of the pass was extremely fun as the last 100 meters or so we had to haul ourselves up a near cliff face using chains. Once we reached the top of the pass we continued on down the slightly easier other side and after a few more hours of walking through another stunning valley we found ourselves back down near the start of the trail. Once we got back to Stary Smokovec we quickly returned to Poprad where after a bit of relaxing we enjoyed another simple dinner and an early night.

The following day we decided to take a day off from hiking and explore the nearby village of Kezmarok. When we got off the bus in Kezmarok we started to walk around the town and quickly found the Old Wooden Evangelical Church, which was our main reason for visiting Kezmarok. We were quite disappointed looking at the exterior of the church as it was quite plain but once we were inside it we were amazed. The wooden church was built entirely out of wood, not even any nails, and the interior was all beautifully carved and painted. It was truly amazing to see and the day trip to Kezmarok was worth it just for the church. Outside of the wooden church we wandered around the town and followed the historical walk which took as by a few more churches, a small castle and an old cemetery which were all fairly interesting. After spending a few hours checking out the town we made our way back to Poprad where we spent the last bit of the afternoon using the internet and relaxing. That night we enjoyed a nice dinner and a few drinks in one of the only restaurants that we could find before heading to bed.

The next day was our last full day in Slovakia and again we got up early to catch the train up to the Tatras; but this time we continued past Stary Smokovec to Strbske Pleso where we were planning to start our hike from. We started off our hike by walking around the beautiful lake in Strbske Pleso before heading up another stunning valley. The hike today took us up through one valley where we enjoyed some beautiful views before our lunch at the top of the valley in the sunny weather. After lunch we again climbed up over a pass but this time there were hardly any chains that we needed to use so it wasn't as thrilling. Climbing back down the other valley we were awarded some more great views in the sunny weather before we eventually returned to Strbske Pleso and caught a train back to Poprad. That evening was again spent pretty quietly as we were both tired from our long day of hiking.

The next morning was our last in Slovakia so after a simple breakfast we packed up and made our way to the bus station. At the bus station we got on an early bus that took us along a beautiful road to Zakopane in Poland. Once we arrived in Zakopane we just got off a bus and hopped on another one right away that took us to Krakow which was our next destination and where we were meeting up with my cousin Celine and her boyfriend Adam.









Lianne freezing at our lunch stop on our first day hike in the Tatras.





















Lianne using the chains to haul herself up the cliff face to the pass on the first day hike.



















Looking down the valley on the first day hike. This was some of the typical scenery that we got to hike through and it was absolutely beautiful.

















The lake at Strbske Pleso which was stunning to walk around.














Standing in the valley that we hiked up through on the second day hike.














Standing at the pass that we crossed over on our second day hike.

Spisska Nova Ves

After spending quite a while riding in the train we finally arrived in Spisska Nova Ves where we immediately made our way to the tourist information center to find out about accommodation in the town. While there we were told of a nice and cheap hostel and also we found out all about Slovensky Raj, the nearby National Park that we planned on spending a couple of days exploring in. So after finding out all of the information we made our way to the hostel where we eventually got a room (after using an internet translation program) and settled in for a few days. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent buying groceries to make picnic lunches and enjoying a nice meal out in the only small area we could find with restaurants.

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.

Bratislava

Arriving at the train station in Bratislava we quickly walked down the road and found our hostel just a couple hundred meters away. After checking in and dumping our bags in our room we set off to explore the city for the rest of the day. Our first stop was the Bratislava Castle which is perched on top of a hill just at the edge of the old town and overlooking the Danube River. Climbing up the hill we were able to have some great views out over the old town of Bratislava and across the river to the newer communist side. The views were completely different and on one side we had beautiful old buildings while across the river all we saw were countless apartment blocks which all looked identical. The castle itself was sadly undergoing massive restoration work so we couldn't get close to the actual building but we did discover a small museum detailing Bratislava's history (only in Slovakian though) and contained a small ancient coin collection with some interesting stories in English. After visiting the castle we wandered back down the hill and started to wander through the old town where we found a place to eat a simple lunch. After lunch the rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the small alleyways of the old town and hunting for the unique statues present there. All together we saw at least 4 interesting statues and those were: The Watcher (a statue of a worker peeping out of an imaginary manhole), The Frenchman (a statue leaning on a park bench), The Photographer (a statue peering around a corner taking a picture, something like a paparazzi), and The Schoner Naci (a statue who is tipping his top hat). After exploring the charming old town we returned to our hostel for a short rest before heading out to eat an excellent dinner at a packed local pub where we spent most of the evening before returning home to bed.

The next morning was our last day to explore the Bratislava city area and we started off by taking the bus out to nearby Devin Castle. The castle contains a nice open space with green grass and lots of old stone buildings that are in various states of ruin. Upon entering the castle grounds we were delighted to find out that there was a large reenactment occurring that weekend so hundreds of people had turned up dressed in historic costumes and were marching around and displaying how people used to live in the castle. We watched the main performance for a few minutes but since it was all in Slovakian we couldn't understand anything so we then started to wander around the castle grounds. In one of the more restored buildings we found a small archeology museum that talked about restoration work being done to the castle and some of the finds that they had made there which was interesting; but other than that most of the castle was in ruins and the highest buildings were off limits to tourists so it only took a couple of hours to see everything.

Returning back to Bratislava in the early afternoon we then proceeded to visit the small Museum of Jewish Culture which contained a nice display about Jewish culture and an even more interesting and moving exhibit about the Jewish community lost in WWII. After visiting the museum we returned to the hostel for a short rest before returning to the delicious local pub for dinner and a few drinks to spend our last evening in Bratislava.

The next morning we set off for the train station and quickly got settled down for a long train journey to our next destination Spisska Nova Ves where we planned to explore the nearby Slovensky Raj National Park.









Lianne sitting on the park bench while The Frenchman leans on.




















The Watcher statue on the left with one of the most original street performers that we saw posing beside him.

















Some of the people dressed up for the reenactment at Devin Castle.











A view of the highest points of Devin Castle with some of the greenery in front of it.