Viktoria Tatranska Lomnica

... turning back.

While in the Polish part of the Tatry you can hike any time of the year, in the Slovakian one there are more restrictions. Between October and May, entering the Slovakian Tatra National Park is prohibited. As far as tthe Polish Tatra National Park, the rescue team always displays a note both in each mountain hostel and at every entrance to the park about the level of the avalanche danger.

... sme zopar tyciniek. Chceme ist do potravin, no mame smolu, je zatvorene.

Obchadzame Hnilecke vrchy smerom na Sykavku, kadial oficialne pokracuje cervena Hnilecka cyklomagistrala. Za Hnilcom sa vsak cesta meni z asflatovej na lesnu. Ideme lesom a lukami tesne popri zeleznici a potoku. KRASNE ! Vona ihlicnateho lesa nas sprevadza aj tu ... a v lese je prijemne vlhko, zeby tu prsalo ? Je aj dost mokro, co si hned obidvaja odskusame padom do blata :)

Prvy Hamor, Stredny Hamor, Zadny Hamor - Delava. Krasny usek, ciste a upravene chalupy, zije to tu chaluparmi. Delava je mala osada, par domov. Vidime tabulku potraviny, no miestny nam oznamuje, ze su davno zrusene. Cesta z Nalepkova az sem je asflatova, popri zeleznici. Miestami prechadza do strkovej. Ticho, slnko, este ranny opar. Za Dolnou Delavou je stary cintorin, s celkom peknou atmosferou - ak sa to tak da o cintorine povedat.

... te duren, en nu had Patricia opeens hoogtevrees. En helaas was er bij meer nummer 3 helemaal geen horeca-gelegenheid, dus met alleen wat Slowaakse choco-snacks in onze maag trokken we verder. Het laatste stuk was een heele heele lange, ongemakkelijke weg naar beneden, en nu begon Patricia's knie op te spelen, waardoor ze écht niet meer snel kon.. Zo kwamen we dus na zessen eindelijk eindelijk weer bij de trein aan, en waren we veel te laat thuis voor ons all inclusive avondeten. Dus ...

... on the shore of one of the lakes, and you should have a 'szarlotka' cake there; it's a traditional apple pie with castor sugar and cinnamon.

If you don't really like trekking, take a car and drive to some villages around Bukowina. The views are stunning, you'd be really surprised. Try to find the Łapszanka Pass, a village of Rzepiska or Przełom Białki, a gorge of the river Białka.

The best time to ...

... strong enough to work, "lived". The famous rail station is here where the prisoners truly believed this to be the beginning of a new life. Originally there were over 300 barracks and only 60 remain today and we visited several barracks which were untouched. Our tour guide was fantastic and her 20 yrs of time spent as a guide at Auschwitz-Birkenau was a treat. Dorota shared sad stories of survivors who continue to visit and share their personal experiences with her ...

Leaving Krakow, we drove towards the Wieliczka Salt Mines, and, for once, the signage of was very good -- or, at least, our following of the signage was efficient. We intended just a morning stop, but the lines were very long; we had to wait an hour and a half ... but at least we got an English-speaking tour. The tour talks very little about salt mining, though there is a demonstration of how the machinery worked, but one visited the mines to see the strange salt ...

... to make the most of the full day I had! With almost every time I've been hiking before, I've always wondered why some people feel the need to buy all the fancy gore-tex clothing and hiking poles when I have been quite capable of doing the exact same trail in everyday clothing. Now, I understand. Hiking in the mountains during ski season, whilst still possible, isn't quite the same as in the height of summer. If anything, the scenery is even more awe ...

... have so many vowels, bt nvr s thm? And how the &*% are you supposed to pronounce it? 2) The name Slovakia came from the Turkish attackers in the 13th century, who brought with them souvlaki, a type of kebab. They established this far-flung colony as a place to export their favourite lamb-based tasty snack, so called it Souvlakia, and the present name has thus developed. 3) Slovakia beat Germany 2-0 at football last night. HA! HA! (* One of these may not be true)

... the Murphy's, we weren't bitter, and we went off to explore the closed restaurants. It was so busy in fact that the same woman was responsible for the bar, the coffee shop and the supermarket. We made her earn her Slovak Crowns by using all three in the one evening, as there really wasn't that much to do once the sun had gone down. Still, she was loopy and wished us 'Happy Way' whenever we left. As for the mountains, we had a bit of a ...