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| Lunch at the Chateau Grand Castle |
Leaving our
campsite in the Low Tatra Mountains, we drove north-east. For much of the
route, we followed a very bendy, but picturesque road, with great views of the
Low Tatras.
Then suddenly,
the mountains were on our right instead of our left, and we realised we had
taken a very wrong turn.
We found a road
that would take us back in the right direction, but when we turned onto it, we
saw a large castle-like complex. So, we decided to take a look.
Glad we did,
because it was the Chateau Grand Castle which had an interesting fit out, and
also beautiful looking restaurant. Hmm…we thought…..let’s have an early lunch.
So, we decided
to partake of the local fare called Ballroom Balls.
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| View of the High Tatra Mountains |
Yes, I know what you are
thinking - but they were great. Smoked ham inside potato dumplings with
sauerkraut – excellent with the local white wine.
After a lovely
lunch there, we carried on and once again, had our great views back. We were
headed for the High Tatras.
The High Tatras
are the largest alpine-type massif in Central Europe, it includes 15 mountains
ranging between 2,547 and 2,655 m in height.
They sit along
the border of northern Slovakia and southern Poland.
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| Leigh in Starý Smokovec |
The area is
dotted with lovely little alpine-like villages, and one that we were headed for
is called Poprad, which sits at the foot of the High Tatras. However, we found
that to be more of a city rather than village (population about 50 k) but it
has a nice old town centre.
After a quick
look around there, we drove further north into the mountains. We were heading
for Starý Smokovec in the central part of the High Tatras, and one of the main
Tatra towns.
It has a nice
town centre and good parking so we stopped for a look around. There were lots
of interesting buildings and it was quite vibrant.
We wanted to
explore the Tatras a little more, so leaving Starý Smokovec, drove further
into the mountains to Tatranská Lomnica.
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| Lomnicky stit cable car |
There, we got
the cable car to the summit of Lomnicky stit (2632m), the Tatras 3rd highest
peak.
The cable car is
apparently, one of the steepest in Europe. It’s famous for its lack of support
pylons between the two stations. Quite scary but we trusted it.
Arriving at the
top, we had great views back down to the villages below. But it sure was cold.
We were glad we weren’t there any later in the season when it is fully covered
in snow.
After we arrived
back at the bottom, we took a little side detour to check some waterfalls.
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| Top of Lomnicky stit (2632 m) |
We found several, but liked the Obrovsky
Vodopád waterfall. It had quite a narrow cascade with a 20 meter fall.
Soon after, we
decided that we needed to get back to the campervan and find a place to stay
for the night. We’d had such a great day.
Our preferred campsite was closed, and after searching the area, we ended up outside the Hotel Hills
in Stari Lesna. We enjoyed a chat and local beer with Eduard the
manager/owner(?) who kindly let us camp in his carpark.
The next morning,
we drove south-east, away from the mountains, quickly arriving in Kezmarok.
This is a quaint old town dominated by the Kežmarský hrad Castle.
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| Marg with Levoča Town Hall and church behind (UNESCO) |
Moving on, we
stopped for lunch in the town of Levoča. This town is a UNESCO World Heritage
site. The town sits inside a well-preserved wall, and there are many lovely
Renaissance buildings inside it.
We particularly
liked the Old Town Hall which was built during the 15th-17th centuries (it’s now a
museum), and the 14th century of Basilica of St. James, which contains the
largest wooden Gothic altar in Europe.
We were also
quite taken with a black birdcage-like structure outside the Town Hall. It’s
called the “Cage of Shame”, and in the 17th century, was used as a jail for
female villains.
After a good
look around, and another interesting day in Slovakia, we decided to call it
quits and spent the night at the nearby Camp Levoca Dolina.
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| Spišský hrad (UNESCO) |
The next
morning, still driving south-east, we found Spišský hrad, also known as Spiš
Castle.
This castle ruin
is the largest in central Europe at 41,426 m², and is a UNESCO World Heritage
site.
Built in the
12th century on the site of an earlier castle, the main structure sits high on
a limestone rock, while its outer wall trails down the rocky hill behind. We found it quite impressive.
Our next stop
was Presov, Slovakia’s 3rd largest city. It has a medieval
town centre, but as its mostly all in the main street, we just did a
drive-by.
Leaving there,
we arrived in Košice, another large city. They also have an old town centre and it dates back to
the 13th century.
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| Košice State Theatre |
There were many
narrow, winding streets and heaps of restaurants, pubs and cafes. It was quite
a vibrant place.
That night, we
stayed at Salas Barca campsite in Košice. However, it was in a ghastly
location, close to a motorway junction, an airport, trains, and dogs that fight
a lot.
But it was also, right beside a pub. We visited there for our evening
meal, and were pleasantly surprised as it served up a delicious traditional
Slovak dinner.
We must say, we would have been lost many times on this trip if it hadn’t been for the new
Samsung Galaxy phone purchased before we left. It has, among other things,
offline GPS. It’s been great
as we have focussed on the small back roads and villages that barely show on
the paper maps.
We’re heading
off again tomorrow, with our destination being the wine regions of Hungary.