Country #7! Slovakia was our first foray in a country that was truly mountainous, and it was fantastic. After climbing out of the Tatras on the Polish border we descended into Slovakia on a grey rainy day. Luckily we were crossing at a not so popular border crossing and had a fairly quiet ride. The rain was coming down heavily so to escape the rain and treat ourselves we ducked into a store to indulge in some sugary treats. As we were about to hit the road and continue down the mountains to our surprise, we bumped into two other bike tourers. Silvia and Gabriela two Slovakian girls were taking a short tour of the Tatras and crossing into Poland. It was really great to see some other tourers on the road, as in Poland we had bumped into one other cyclist during our entire time in the country! We had a nice chat and exchanged details and we may even see Gabriela if we cycle through Georgia in a few months!
Fuelled by some conversation and a lot of sugar we tackled the 5km climb out of the valley. The quality of Slovakian roads was a very welcome surprise with smooth tarmac and wide shoulders, a cyclist’s best friend! We made short work of the climb and were quickly descending again, deeper into Slovakia. However, with the rain, the elevation and the speed we were picking up down the mountains we were feeling really chilly for the first time on the trip. We took a quick break at the first turnout at a ski resort on the side of the road. As if it were meant to be, a camper van proudly wearing a GB sticker on its rear pulled in right after us. We said hello and started chatting to Christopher and his Dad Duncan, and before you knew it, we were out of the rain and inside the camper van having a cup of tea and a bite to eat! Claire was happy to enjoy some English ‘comforts’ and we were both happy to have a break from the rain. Duncan is also a bicycle tourer (where did all these tourers come from all the sudden?) and we exchanged some stories, and received some tips and were on our way after drying off and warming up a bit.
We had a great deal more descending to go and the winter gloves were pulled out… in August, crazy I know. The ride down was quick, but it felt like forever. Descending on the main ‘highway’ in rainy weather is exhausting for a variety of reasons, but the biggest one is that you need to be ‘on’ the entire time. Constantly concentrating on where you are positioned on the road, what is coming up in front of you, potholes, gravel, debris, etc… and what is coming up behind you, trucks, cars, tractors, you name it. It’s tiring and a little stressful, and coupled with foggy and wet glasses I’m sure you can imagine why. You don’t realise this until it’s over, your body relaxes a little and a weight is lifted from your shoulders. It’s a normal thing, but it feels a little strange everytime it happens. Wet, tired and maybe a little cranky we arrived into Spišská Belá. You could see the change immediately across the border in the cultural makeup of the people. There was more of a mixture of cultures south of the Tatras.
Our original plan was to camp for the night, but we threw that plan straight out the window as we were feeling far too fragile to be camping out in the wilderness that night. Standing inside a Tesco supermarket (it had wifi) feeling sorry for ourselves, we looked for hosts for the night and hostels nearby. After about an hour of waiting for the rain to pass (it had gotten much worse by this time) and for all the people in the area to reply to us by email within a half an hour (we were a little deluded at this point I think) we headed to the closest hostel which was located in Kežmarok.
Every good story has a hero. Well enter the hero for this story. Vlado! We arrived into Kežmarok quite late, found the hostel (which is normally a boarding school) and sadly there was no one there aside from some kids hanging around the front door. We eventually found a phone number to call and had some help with Slovak. A few minutes later the owner arrived with his daughter. We were a little worried that it would be more than we were able to pay, but when you are cold, wet, hungry and late that bar fluctuates a little bit. The owner’s daughter, Linda, acted as translator and we asked the price and mentioned what we were doing, and where we had come from and that is when things turned around. The owner, who you may have surmised is Vlado, immediately said we could stay at the hostel for free, and quickly whisked us inside and then into his office for a toast and some whiskey! It’s amazing how you can go from feeling so low to really happy, so fast. We chatted with Linda and her father for a while, learned that he is also a cycle tourer and has done a few long distance treks. After another glass of whiskey and being shown to our room, we were taken out for dinner at the local restaurant! Our lives feel ridiculous sometimes, some people are so generous and kind; it is truly what has been making the trip special.
The next morning we were treated to a breakfast made by the kitchen staff especially for us and then toured around the city. We were also brought to the 17th century wooden church which was a pretty amazing site, built in one year without any metal in the structure, no nails screws, straps etc.. and a foundation only a few inches deep the structure has met the test of time. The tour continued as we were brought to the family home where we stopped for a coffee and tea before we said our goodbyes and were then escorted by Vlado on his bicycle to a scenic road through the mountains.
The road we were brought to was in a valley which passed through a large forested area which used to be a military zone controlled by the Russian army until only a decade or two ago. It was fantastic riding. There were next to no cars, the scenery was amazing and the road was great for the ascent. The descent however was a different story, the road was let’s say, not in the best shape. It was slow going but we made it into the town of Levoča, a World Heritage Site for its historic town centre, just in time to catch the end of a festival. We took in the scenery, market stalls and music with a well-deserved beer. After which we stormed up a hill and into the woods where we found a great place to camp for the night in a shanty hut next to a motocross course! Although this was probably the shortest distance we covered over a day of cycling it was one of the most beautiful.
The next days we spent speeding through the country. We opted to take the main roads to get some kilometres in, and they flew by quickly. We had some great riding, with wonderful scenery. There was the occasional 10km climb over a mini mountain, with switchback after switchback but the roads of Slovakia lend themselves to getting places on a bicycle. Straight, well paved, and with wide shoulders, in a day we were in Prešov. The next day we were in Hungary just after lunch. Slovakia might just be the country we will have spent the least amount of time in on our trip, but it will definitely be one of the most memorable. It’s beautiful landscape and friendly people make it well worth a visit. Thanks Slovakia!
From Slovakia we crossed in to Hungary, where our journey continues as we cycle from London to Japan!
For more photos of our time in Slovakia click HERE!
Loved it ,great blog!
Really enjoying the blog, sounds like you’re having a great time, keep it up!
Love the blog too! André you have a great style of writing, makes me feel relaxed. xxx
Sounds like you guys are having an amazing time and charming the pants off everyone you meet! It must be due to that small furry animal on Andre’s face 🙂
We love the blog, hope everything will be allright
Yay another great stay, Vlado sounds like a true hero and running into a ski resort is always good!