kozmopolit.de

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Dobry Den!

after i traveled now for about a week through the eastern Part of former Czechoslowakia i will tell you some of my experiences...

Riding the Bike through the High Tatra was the Top of this week. After i reached the highest Point of my Poland Trip (1130m) short before the Border the road continues hilly. After 15km i entered the High-Tatra panoramic-Road which goes all the way along the Peaks of the Ridge from East to West. The Rules of the Naturepark doesn´t allow climbing of the Mountains without Guide, so i decided just to ride beside them and take a look...
So i can view all the peaks one after another and be really astonished, i didn´t expect such an „Alpine“ Ridge up here.. Rocky and Steep the Peaks soar into the sky. The villages at their feets are Resorts from the beginning of the 20th Century. You can smell the sophisticated air of the old times, but from times to times there is a communistic Holidaybunker between... (
The view resches over the Valley to the other Side were the lowTatra reaches up. Then street goes on and i reach the highest Point of the Road at Strpske Pleso (1380m)...
After that Point there is just a long refreshing descent. I enjoyed the run and the beautiful views backwards to the Mountains...

The North and the South differentiate much. The North is dominated by the Mountains and Forests, the People are mostly simple and poor (i watched a 4 headed Family pulling the Plough by their hands!) The South is mostly Farmland and Industry, so it shows the prosperity of the People on the Streets.

I crossed Slowakia from North to South, visited two former important Mining Towns (Banske Bystrica und Banska Stiavnica) both in nice landscapes with beautiful Oldtowns. The Cities of Martin, Nitra und Trnava had also a special Flair... I met more People to talk to. The Slowakian is more opened and uses more foreign Languages (sometimes ;-) ). Short before Bratislava i met Andre and Imrich, two Brothers who took me on a Canoe-Trip and showed me their Swing at the River Vah. So we had a nice Morning on and in the Water before they accompanied me to Trnava from where i headed the last 50km to Bratislava.

Now i´m sitting here in a nice Cafe, enjoying the good Coffee and the Chillout-Music, writing the Story about the Country...

My Resume: Slowakia must be visited again! The High Tatra has to be climbed the next time with someone who knows the right way up and down again. Imrich invited me for climbing the next time, he said he knows some special places i the Karpaty´s... You see, i´m not finished with this Country ;-))

The last Days were very hot and so i enjoyed the Luxury of taking a shower every evening. This stretched my daily budget a lot, but it was the right decision... :-)

Now i will ride along the Donau to Budapest and then eastwards to Romania, but more of this in the next Story