TATRA MOUNTAINS
Hurray - Some real mountains for a change!
16th July - 19th July | 2022
Last night it was decided that Tuyce and Fatih (IG: ride2world) will join me today towards the Tatra Mountains (on the Slovakian side) as a friend from Turkey is on his way to them. We were planning to meet all together for late lunch close to Presov. Unfortunately on the way from Krakow direction Zakopane it was, due to roadworks, lots of traffic. Well, the summer holidays, weekend and good weather didn’t help at all ...
The meeting point worked out perfect, as their friend Tan (IG: tan_kurtcebe) didn’t have internet or roaming (as coming from Turkey). We had fun during lunch; he is taking over the couch I slept the last night, so the poor neighbours will be even more confused ;-)
After lunch, it was time to different directions - unfortunately :-( I had booked a small pension room in Poprad for two nights so that I can go tomorrow "light" to the Tatra mountains for some easy hiking as the weather forecast is good.
I am surprised, at how many Roma are living around here, but then I remembered a photography book about Slovakian Gypsies in the 60s I read at Pavel’s home. It was a very interesting book with very unique pictures and the story about their life.
Blue sky today for the mountains, what do you want more? I parked Schimmelchen in Strbske Pleso and left my biking gear chained up on the bike and off I went to get a ticket for the cable car to the top (well as close as possible). Was going up a bit steep ..., but once up there you had a fantastic view over the mountains and the valley. I must admit, I missed the mountains!
I walked around that level for some pictures and then it was time to descend. The shortest route was down the ski slope! That was really rocky and steep - and me only in my trainers! I was glad that I didn´t break anything once down at the parking level.
Back at the hotel, I had some lunch and dessert in a Cafe Cat Club just around the corner. What a fantastic idea for animal (cat) lovers! And the service was also very good! The rest of the day was recovery ;-)
The next morning I have chosen some backroads towards Presdov to still enjoy the mountains. Today I had a bit of a low in combination with being very tired - both for no reason. Once having some food and a cafe I started feeling a bit more optimistic and awake. However, I have passed a region with a lot of Roma again, which made me even google the subject.
As I felt so low and a bit lost in my journey, I opted for a cheap hotel in Sidnik. The ride there somehow finally cheered me up.
Even though it was a very cheap and simple hotel, I slept well, and breakfast was simple but good. After oiling the chain and packing Schimmelchen, I headed toward the Polish border. On my way there I visited places like the open war museum of Dukla Pass. This place played a very important role during WWII. Also in this area is the so-called "Carpathian Wooden Road" that lists traditional wooden churches; some of them are even listed as UNESCO heritage. So a real controversy mixture of landmarks this morning.
Unfortunately, the churches were all locked up, so you couldn’t have a look at what they looked like inside, especially their decoration. One church was open though, but the lady wouldn’t let you go in without payment (€5.00 comments on google review say) plus payment for pictures; she even didn’t speak any English or German though! Sorry, I will give this a miss as I am not agreeing to this!
Once back on Polish soil I headed East to the area of Bieszczady, a very nice area with rolling hills and lots of forests. I found a very nice camping spot along the route for tonight.
And the good news is, I will meet Tuyce tomorrow afternoon to do some TET together - HURRAY! Looking forward to that as it will be entertaining and lots of giggles; and sweat though by looking at the weather forecast!
Sit back with a nice beer, nibble some crisps, and soon will be the next blog ready about some girls off-roading on Polish TET!
Places | Cities:
POLAND:
Myslenice, Rabka Kdroj, Nowy Targ, Spisska Bela, Barvinek, Cisna, Ustrzyki Gorne
SLOVAKIA:
Plavec, Poprad, Strbske Pleso, Nalepkovo, Helcmanovco, Gelnica, Jaclovce, Kaplusany, Presov, Hanusovce Nad Toplou, Stropkov, Sidnik, Krajna Polana
Driven km | Trip:
Total | Steffi: 18230 km
Maintenance | Breakdown:
./.
Health issues:
./.
Special thanks to:
Tuyce & Fatih (IG: ride2world) for their hospitality and accompanying me to Tatra!
Tatra mountains being so fascinating!