Slovakia

*Spiš Castle, one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe*

Slovakia was a true whirlwind for us and we did not do the country justice. Sandwiched between our visits to Poland and Hungary and on a tight timeline due to a much antificipated family visit in Croatia, Andy researched which key sites not to miss on our four day drive through. The countryside was rural and pastoral and wild camping sites easy to come by which made it even harder to just blast through. Our initial plan was to re-enter the country and visit Bratislava when we were in Austria, but unfortunately this never happened.

*Four day route through Slovakia - too short, and so sorry we never returned to visit Bratislava as planned. Someday . . .*

*Vlkolnec, UNESCO world heritage wooden village*

Our first stop was Vlkolinec, a small wooden village nestled at the edge of the mountains. Fall was in the air and tourist attractions closing up so we were able to wander the atmospheric streets and admire the architecture on our own.

*Forest valley wild camping spot - nobody but us and a few local mushroom pickers passing through*

Next we made our way to Slovensky Raj National Park, beautiful steep wooded canyons and land of caves and twisty roads. We stopped off to tour Dobšinská Ice Cave, the part of a 24 km cave system with an impressive volume of ice. We descended metal steps into the cold depths on a guided tour describing the formations and history.

*Inside Dobšinská Ice Cave, only one photo, we didn’t realize we were supposed to pay $10 to take photos and were quickly told off by our guide*

Our next sight seeing stop was Spiš Castle, an impressive complex built in the 12th century on the highest point around (of course).

*Posing the truck in front of our first view of Spiš Castle. Somehow the first glimpses in the distance of these impressive historic edifices dotting the European skylines is always the most magical.*

*A beautiful place to wander, views for miles*

*Castle grounds and foundation ruins of exterior buildings*

And then on to an urban adventure with a wander around Košice, the largest city in eastern Slovakia. With a preserved historic core, the city felt both historic and modern. It’s dynamic history includes going back and forth between Czechoslovakian and Hungarian ownership and as recently as 1944 it was part of Hungary.

*And we indulged in our favorite - bakery visit for dessert*

*Then finally the day turned from grey to drippy so we indulged in another favorite - 2 hours in a cafe with wifi - working on blogs and downloading Amazon and Netflix episodes.*

A very quick trip through a gently beautiful country, we really hope to get back to Bratislava someday. Now on to race through Hungary to meet up with family. You would think that life on the road would be a relaxing wander, but not always, for us. Thank you for reading!

Poland

Czech Republic