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Here wo go again. Ray Charles sang it in 1979 already. Now it is our turn to sing it. And Linda and I have reasons to sing. After three years of self imposed quarantine we hit the road again. With our little Volkswagen Polo we'll leave The Netherlands, cross Germany, cross Czech Republic, cross Slovakia, slowly traveling from spot to spot. Near the border with the Ukraine we will turn and travel back via another route, slowly again, enjoying the trip. It will take us one month. I don't remember anymore how many times we have been in Slovakia. Every time we visited our family in Košice in the very East of the country, we took pleasure in it to find new spots. So we have seen already a lot of Slovakia. But still there remain places to discover. Places we have heard of but where we never have been. It helps a lot that we travel by car this time and not by plane, so that we can reach places hidden in the very corners of Slovakia.
Komárno At wednesday 20th of april we crossed the border with Slovakia. Via Bratislava we drove via a beautiful road
to Komárno in the southwest of Slovakia. I will be honest and admit it right away: there is nothing in Komárno. Well nothing... In the middle of the Danube, which separates Slovakia from Hungary there is a fort. That is at least one positve point. The bad news is that the fort is closed.
But there are other positive points. We have a nice hotel, called
Banderium. And last but not least there is a special atmosphere in the town. It reminds me of the book I am reading:
Radetzkymarch of Joseph Roth. It describes the downfall of the Austrian-Hungarian empire around the beginning of the 20th century. A masterpiece that book. I don't know why Komárno reminds me of it. Maybe it is because the majority of the inhabitants are Hungarians. Maybe it is because of the historical paintings in the hotel. Or is it the easy going way of life? Probably it is the combination of the three. So all together I have nice memories of Komárno in spite of discovering a wheel clamp on our poor Volkswagen Polo next morning, when we wanted to leave the town.
It was a mistake admitted the two policemen
while removing the clamp. And once it was removed we drove off to new destinations, cheerfully waved goodbye by both policemen. I even did not have to bribe them.
Kolarovo But before we left town, we took a glance at the spot where Danube and Vah meet each other. It is a beautiful sight, though Linda remembers that she almost drowned here as a child, when she noticed that the flow of the river was far too strong.
So finally we drove off. Via little country roads we arrived at Kolarovo. It sits on the banks of the Little Donau. We walked over a covered wooden bridge and made a little hike across a wooded wetland. It is so quiet, so peaceful here. I regretted it to leave. But we had to, because we had a long way to go. Via Nitra and Banska Bistrica we headed to our farthest destination: Košice. It took four hours.
Košice Normally we go once a year to our family in Košice. But because of the corona crisis we have not seen eachother since three years. It is an emotional moment when I park our Volkwagen Polo in front
of Drienova number 4. We ring the doorbell, once, twice even three times, but there is not any reaction. Is Vlado, Linda's father, not at home? But finally after calling his mobile, he comes out and opens the gate. The doorbell is broken, he says. At least according to Linda's translation. Vlado speaks as much English as I speak Slovakian. Luckily Linda's brother Patrik and his family do speak English.
We'll stay here five days. I love Košice. It is the second biggest town of Slovakia after Bratislava. It sits in the very East of the country, about 95 kilometers from the border with the Ukraïne. Of course the people are afraid for what will happen, now that there is a war going on so nearby. Near the trainstation Ukranians have got a temporary shelter. Busses leave every now and then to pick up fugitives at the border.
Kosice has allure with its renaissance and baroque buildings around Hlavna Ulica, the magnificent Elisabeth cathedral, the immense State Theater. Everywhere are terraces and restaurants. We have our favorite spots here like
Aïda where you drink coffee and eat sweet pastries,
Pantha Rhei, the bookshop, comparable with Donner in Rotterdam
or Scheltema in Amsterdam and of course that elegant Jugendstil café at Kovacska Ulica, called
Racine, where you can have a nice lunch with a good friend and talk all afternoon about literature, science and the situation in the world, a good glass of wine at hand. In all the years we come here, Košice has become a second home to me.
And every time Linda and I discover something new. This time it is a little restaurant at Ulica Remesiel. We have an excellent lunch here for only five euro. At the wall is a historic painting. Vlado tells that it is Francis Rakoczi. Have I heard of him, he asks. With empty eyes I stare at the painting. Vlado is shaking his head. I learn that he opposed against The Holy Roman Empire. His son Francis II Rakoczi is a natural hero. He also was anti-Habsburgs. Both Slovakians as Hungarians claim him as their national hero. It was the wish of Francis II to be buried in Košice. We visit his grave in the Elisabeth Cathedral. Apparently his memorial is still alive in Hungary. The grave is covered with Hungarian flags. It irritates my Slovakian family.
Zadiel 39 kilometer out of Košice is a magnificent nature reservate, called Zadielska dolina. Every time we are in Košice we go there once. Also this time we won't leave Košice without seeing Zadiel. It is a strenuous hike uphill, which takes a full day. Do you think you still can do it, aks Linda. Of course I can, I say. Still we are in doubt. Dark clouds gather at the horizon. Thunderstorms are looming. Some rain is falling. But it is our only chance. Let's do it, we say.
We were lucky. Not a single raindrop came down, while there was a thunderstorm in Košice with hail and gusts. The ecosystems are continuously changing. Down there are maples with lots of hart's-tongue ferns and maidenhair spleenworts. On the slopes grow beeches slowly changing in oaks near the top. Most special are the steppes on the top. Once it was part of the Pannonian sea. As I found out earlier there are plantspecies which are relics of the ice age. The slopes at the other side are completely different with coniferous forest and downhill deciduous trees. Here the slopes are very steep. Going down is risky. In a
split of a second you can lose balance and fall. Which I did of course.
Spišská Magena Farther away from Košice is the ridge of Spišská Magena. It is on the border between Pieniny National Parc and Tatra National Parc. It is high in the Tatra with its snow capped mountains. With our family we made a walk over bridges between tree tops. In the far end you can see Poland. It is a magnificent area.
Trencin At wednesday the 27th of april we left our family in Košice and started our long way back. Our first destination is Trencin in the northwest of Slovakia. The road is excellent, but just before Žilina we got problems. The road stopped. From Ružomberok we had to follow narrow roads across the mountains. Normally I would like it here with its beautiful nature, but now I had to pay full attention on the road, which is crowded with big trucs. Meanwhile it is showering. Even Janešek, the Robin Hood of Slovakia who used to live in Terchová, cannot help us.
So we arrived at Trencin only late in the afternoon. Our hotel sits on top of a hill,
just below a castle. That evening we had a nice dinner in a beautiful brewery with eight beers on the tap.
Trencin is near the border with Czech Republic. And that is our destination for tomorrow. I will write about it in our next blog.
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