Hotel Narodny Dom Banska Bystrica

... we didn't feel like socializing with the chickens and got a penzion instead. <br><br>Luckily there was a Pension just near the campsite but unfortunatly they were full up except for the Suite. Fortunatly the Suite was only 28 Euros, Gotta love hotels in the middle of nowhere. Most of our campsites cost that much! <br><br>After a great nights sleep and a delicious breakfast we made our way to Krakow through the Tatras mountains.

... to be anyway) we gave up and decided to head into Hungary. Our legs were itching from the spiky nettles that attacked our legs during our so called "bush walks" so we pulled up at a stream and jumped in. It was freezing and made us yelp like girls. We washed, shaved and warmed in the sun before heading away from the mountains and over the border. Destined for Budapest, Hungary we were on top of the world after experiencing the unexpected beauty of Slovakia. Cheers

... their engines as soon as they see the 'get ready' light so they are almost in motion when it does turn green. The result is smoother traffic. * Special bonus traffic idea - the roundabout. How this one has never caught on in the US I don't know but it makes for smooth traffic and without the unnecessary delays that pre-programmed traffic lights can cause. * Rubbish bins. This idea is specially for the ...

... bus down the mountain to Ivana's village church. ........the ceremony was great very relaxed and amazing experience to see another cultures traditions although it was a bit confusing at time as to what we were supossed tobe doing and everything said had to be translated both ways. With the vows rings kisses and signing done we left the church and the first thing we get is a shot of the local specialty a ...

... arrived ahead of mine. We met his friend Adam, a witty chemist with a charming demeanor, in whose place we would be crashing for the night. On the way to Adam's apartment we popped in for a bite to eat at the local vegetarian bar which served an excellent lentil lasagna. Once at Adam's apartment filled with books on art, photography, poetry, and all sorts of literature we were soon joined by his friend also named Michal. I didn't know it then but later was informed that I was officially ...

... Even if you're not seeing your peaceful, inexistent self in the air, the Slovakian nature makes you smile. A high-grass, squirmy "V" valley opened up atwixt dominantly-large pine trees, slowly revealing its mountainous nooks to the hiker. Jana spotted a black-and-bright-orange salamander crawling dinosaurically on the ground. In the Kopcek Hills between the Low and High Tatra's, we had to scale bulky metal ladders and ...

... stayed there long enough. Very little going on, but with a couple of nice cafes empty enough that they don't mind you taking two hours over a cup of coffee and a few bars (though admittedly not as much choice as Krumlov had even in the depths of winter) that don't seem to close until the customers want to go home, these people seem to be trying to turn relaxation into an art form. Maybe not quite as scenic as Krumlov and not quite as much to do, there is one big thing in it ...

Sat July 9 2005 Budapest, Hungary to Krakow, Poland We left the Hotel Stadion at 8a.m. Nearly four hours later, we crossed the Slovakian border and stopped for lunch at a town by the name of Banska Bystrica. The Slovakian town was celebrating its 750th birthday. It lies at ...

... chap, the bandleader, into his house, past his slack-jawed, staring kids. We all squeezed into his relatively normal-looking living room and sunk into his couch, being careful to avoid exposed springs. Dom yelled something angrily over his shoulder and his wife appeared momentarily with two packets of biscuits, quietly placed them on the coffee table and backed out of the room. Dom then started to tell us how good his band was. Well, he was telling Janko, Jane and Maria and ...

... some - mainly just checked out the old town area as per usual. Also went to see another ruin of a castle (Devin Castle) dating back to the 11th century and as we were to find out another Palffy castle. One night at the pub on campas while watching the Olympics we met some Slovak guys who after a few hours of chatting and drinking offered to take us on a day trip to a nearby lake in the town of Senec the next day. We were ...