Slovakia Road Trip

J: Alex, what do you want to do this weekend?
A: Do you want to take a road trip to Slovenia?
J: That is kind of far for a weekend trip. Do you want to explore the caves in Slovakia instead?
A: That sounds cool. I'll pick you up at 6:30 AM on Saturday.

We headed out early for Liptovsky Mikulas, a town in northern Slovakia. We were close to the Polish border and the low Tatras, a mountain range which prisoners climbed over to ecape from Auschwitz and into Slovakia during WWII. The area is known for its outdoor activities, caves and sheep's milk cheese (which you eat with salt and paprika). We took a three kilometer tour of the Demänovská Cave of Liberty, the largest cave open to the public. Just call me Ms. Frizzle.





J: Why did the GPS lead us 45 kilometers to the dead end of a dirt road?
A: That is so strange. We typed in "Kastiel" under tourist attractions.
J: Maybe "Kastiel" doesn't mean "castle" in Slovak?
A: Oh. Good point.

After unsuccessfully trying to find a few castles in nearby towns (we saw some churches instead), Jackie and I ate dinner at The Grand Castle in Liptovsky Hradok. The castle's brochure touted its "discrete" location "ideal for meetings of diplomats, businessman, and adulterers." (OK, the last one was my interpretation.)

The highlight of the trip was staying at Chalet Slovakia, a hostel run by an English couple, Clare & Danny, and their 1 1/2 year old son, Oscar. Clare & Danny had always wanted to own a B&B, visited Slovakia two years ago for the first time, fell in love with Liptovsky Mikulas, and bought a house the next day before they could chicken out. Not only did Clare leave out chocolate cake for us when we got back on Saturday night and we had an incredibly peaceful night of sleep, she and Danny gave us great advice about what to do and see around the area. And just when I thought Chalet Slovakia could not get more perfect, Clare showed us her English garden complete with a bunny rabbit.




On Sunday morning, we visited Liptovske Muzeum, a preserved historic Slovakian town. It basically was like visiting Williamsburg, except Liptovske dates back to the 1900s - not the 1700s. And you know the Taylor Swift lyrics "She wears high heels, I wear sneakers"? It was hilarious watching the female tourists trying to navigate around the mud and horse crap while wearing stilettos. We then checked out the Ice Cave, Demänovská ľadová Jaskyňa.


J: Alex, I think these are dragon bones!
A: Silly girl - these are actually bear bones but you are not the first person to make this mistake! Scientists errorenously thought bones found in the Ice Cave were those of dragons until the 1890s.


The scenary to and from the Tatras was amazing. The beautiful mountains and greenery were juxtaposed with communist-style buildings which have been repainted neon colors to liven up the landscape.



QED - I love Slovakia.