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Eastern Europe

Travel through Bulgaria, Romania and Poland with short visits to Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia Read more
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  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    Rope detail symbolising the boundary between secular and spiritual world.Sculpt from one log.Choir stallsWomen sit in the back of the church, men sit in front where the altar is, even till today.A house we passed whilst drivingPlacinta Creata lunchBeef and truffle sushiNote the 3 large thick slices of pork in the ramen

    Day 46 ROMANIA Somcuta, Buciumi

    May 1 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We saw the tallest wooden church in Surdesti. Every other wooden church we had to call to get in but, when we arrived a lady was there as if waiting for us. We were the only ones there, had a good look around the inside and when we went out to look around the outside, she had locked up and was gone. We think she was sent by our Romanian travel angel from Perth.

    The church segregates the women at the back and the men in the front.
    Frescos since 1783. (Copied from Google). The churches were typically built from oak or spruce logs. They were set on high stone foundations to protect the wood from ground moisture. The walls were constructed using a horizontal log technique called "blockbau" or "blockwork." The heavy beams were laid horizontally and joined at the corners using intricate notches like the dovetail technique, which ensures stability without the need for metal nails.
    The Twisted Rope (Brâul): A prominent feature in the image was carved "twisted rope" (brâu) that circled the exterior. This symbol represented the Infinite Column or the "rope of life," served as a spiritual boundary between the profane world outside and the sacred space inside.
    The vertical and horizontal metal bands seen in the image were likely modern structural reinforcements added during restoration to stabilize the ancient wood beams and prevent further shifting or warping.

    We then drove through Somcuta Mare that was significant to this friend in Perth. She had arranged with a high school friend for us to call in to pick up a travel parcel in Buciumi. Her high school friend, was a chemistry teacher now married to a physics teacher, with 5 grandchildren. We had coffee with them and her husband even got out the violin to play for us. Such a beautiful experience. The travel package was huge and generous.

    We stopped at a restaurant recommended by the same Romanian friend to have placinta creata (roti chanai and gozleme crossed) at Valae Chioarlui. It was so much better than the one we had at the markets in Baia Mare.

    We finished our day at a fusion Japanese restaurant Vibe in Cluj Napoca. Delicious Japanese. We had a truffle beef steak sushi, ramen and torched salmon and sea bass nigiri. Might go back there tomorrow night.    Read more

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    Peculiar radish, looked like radish crossed with daikon
    Flea marketBiggest bag of chippies we've ever seen.Mars Cafe with Mars the dogBreakfast at Cafe MarsBeautiful tulips as we were entering a car parkBaptism of this little babyChocolate dessert

    Day 47 ROMANIA Cluj Napoca

    May 2 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We are at the halfway mark of the Schengen region.

    We went to a huge flea market and then to a food market to stock up on our chefir ( kefir) and yoghurt. We were hoping to find breakfast but ended up at a cafe in town called Cafe Mars, named after Mars the border collie dog. Mars was friendly and loved the kids at the restaurant. Breakfast was different here. Ruby had eggs on polenta with a spinach sauce and I had egg on chips with cheese.

    Walking around Cluj Napoca old town we gate crashed an Orthodox wedding at the Dormition of Theotokos Cathedral and a Catholic baptism at St Michael's Cathedral. Both beautiful ceremonies.

    We did go back to Vibe restaurant, for dinner. We learnt that the Japanese restaurant served Nikkei cuisine which originated from a Peruvian Japanese fusion because many Japanese immigrated to Peru in the 19th century to find work on sugar plantations.    Read more

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    The house where King Matthias was born in.
    St Michael CathedralMonument built to inaugurate the visit of King Ferdinand and Queen CarolinaKing Matthias monumentPalace of JusticeAvram Iancu, a revolutionary who is well loved.Inside the Orthodox CathedralHoia Forest with no trails markersPanko bread crumbed fried sushi

    Day 48 ROMANIA Cluj Napoca

    May 3 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We went on a free walking tour of Cluj and learnt that Cluj had a checkered history having Dacian, Roman, Hungarian, Ottoman, Saxon rulers. Transylvania was protected in the Ottoman period because besides paying taxes to the Ottoman, they were self governed.
    The much loved Hungarian King Matthias was born here.

    After the walking tour we visited Hoia Forest, rumoured to be a haunted forest where a shepard and all 200 sheep vanished without a trace. We didn't find it creepy or spooky at all. We think the shepard and his sheep might have been carried away by mosquitoes. It was the descendentsof those mosquitoes that caused us to shorten our hike. Despite that, it was a very enjoyable hike, shady and not too hilly. Ruby did well navigating without trail markers and walking off track.    Read more

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    Day 49 ROMANIA Turda Salt Mines

    May 4 in Romania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Salt was such a precious commodity, Roman soldiers were paid their wage in salt, called sal or salè, where the word salary is derived from. There were 3 mines at the Turda Salt Mine but only 2 were open. The bell shaped Joseph Mine was closed but there Teresa Mine that was conical shaped and the Rudolf Mine that was trapezoid, were open.
    Absolutely impressive, it felt a little claustrophobic but the sheer size is unfathomable.
    There is even a lake at the bottom of the Teresa Mine. We wanted to ride the ferris wheel in the Rudolf Mine, but it was broken.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    Turda gorges
    Zip line that we chanced on. We did not do it.Food trucks that just happen in the middle of nowhereUniform white houses with green shutters1Note the size of door!Best langosAlba Iulia Citadel

    Day 50 ROMANIA Drive from Cluj to Sibiu

    May 4 in Romania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We drove through Turda Salt Mines, the Turda gorges, Rimitea and had the best langos before arriving at Alba Iulia citadel . A remarkably well kept and maintained, star shaped fortress. It took half an hour to walk half the fortress between the second and third defensive walls.

    We visited the 2 cathedrals first then the Arch the Triumph monument that was erected when the treaty of the unification of Transylvania was signed, before we walked the walls.

    We did not embark on the walk until we had the best gelato, recommended by the tourist information centre lady.    Read more

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    Eyes from the roofs looking at you.Street in lower townSt Joseph's Catholic Church

    Day 51 ROMANIA Sibiu

    May 5 in Romania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We went on a free walking tour with a history teacher who is currently doing his PhD. He was so informative and so happy to answer all our questions regarding Romania's rulers, occupation by the Romans, Mongols, Ottomans, Hapsburg, Hungarians, and Ceauescu and how each affected the people. He also highlighted the historical buildings and significant events that happened there like executions and demonstrations, Christmas markets and festival locations.

    Sibiu is a lovely melting pot of all the cultures mentioned above with varied architecture and food.

    Walking in and out of old streets chalked up 13km today. No hiking, just incidental walking.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    All the UNESCO Heritage Listed Fortified Churches in Transylvania
    Corvin CastleSt Nicholas Church in Densus. Built from salvaged materials of Roman ruins.Repurposed columnsRoman lions that were put in the roof above the altarPUNCT owners animals

    Day 52 ROMANIA Sibiu to Rau de Mori

    May 6 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    First stop of our drive from Sibiu to Rau de Mori was Calnic Fortress. We didn't stay long as there was a very noisy and precocious little boy breaking the serenity and peaceful atmosphere of the fortress.

    Corvin Castle was the next stop belonging to King Matthias. There was an excellent app on the phone that took us through a tour of the castle.

    Most of the St Nicholas churches were always open for Ruby. With our third stop at St Nicholas Church in Densus, that was a UNESCO heritage listed Fortified Church, this was no exception.

    After the Fortified Church we went to a PUNCT gastronomic in the middle of nowhere, down a dusty dirt track to have very fresh trout with polenta. The meal came with an appetizer and dessert and free flow of a variety of flavours of palinca for 50lei, AUD$16 per person. That was incredible value and we were shown the trout farm and the accommodation that they had built for tourist.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    Laksa made from packet mix that we carted from PerthView from the tiny house.1Ruby's new friend that she was trying to get away from.Tapas of lard spread, patata frittata and smoked troutOn extreme left is Zacuasa with a Spanish twistLocal Sausage and polenta with telemea cheese and slow cooked sheep.Croquettes with Romanian foraged mushroom.Beans cooked with Spanish sauce and local sausage with fermented cabbageTransylvanian Naked Neck Chickens also known as Turkens, not a hybrid

    Day 53 ROMANIA Rau de Mori Retezet Mt

    May 7 in Romania ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We were full of enthusiasm for a long hike at Fundutura Pondului. After a 45-minute driving on four-wheel drive track we could not proceed any further because the pot holes were far too deep. And we still had another three kilometers of that track to go before the start of the walk. We abandon the idea of that walk and found the Lolaia Waterfall and Magdalena Waterfall walk instead.

    After the walk we went to a PUNCT gastronomic restaurant where the cook is Spanish married to a Romanian lady who blends Spanish with Romanian flavors called Arturo of Nopsca Grill Restaurant. For 95lei, about A$35 per person, we had six courses for the dinner. 3 appetizers, 1 starter, 1 main and 1 dessert. Each appetizer had 2 to 3 different tapas. We spent 4 hours at this restaurant as Arturo and his wife took us for a grand tour of their property. They showed us the veggie garden, flower garden, their home that they built brick by brick, introduced us to the daughter, chickens and ducks.
    Ruby's favourite was the croquettes because it had a thin crust and a nice oozy middle. Mine was a lard spread made with paprika and garlic and a simple paella with just chicken, cabbage and spices. He said that traditional paella was only chicken and rabbit in Spain.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    Spring water collection.
    Colt FortressRausor Waterfall trail11Saua Crilui trail11

    Day 54 ROMANIA Rau de Mori

    May 8 in Romania ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We had so much left over from the Spanish Romanian PUNCT meal that we had our breakfast and some of for dinner too.

    After breakfast we set off to do a hike at Colt Fortress but when we got there because the fortress was perched above a main busy road, we weren't inspired to climb.

    We drove to Rausor and found a Rausor Waterfall hike that was two kilometres and graded as moderate. There were a few river crossings where we had to balance on very slippery rocks. Fortunately they were only a narrow crossing. Ruby could not resist dipping her feet in the freezing cold water but could only tolerate for 2s. She had numb cold feet but happy and refreshed.

    We found that we had more time as the first hike was short so we found another hike to a saddle of the Retezet range. We trudged through snow at 1445m and came to a stop where there was the fast flowing stream from the melting a snow, at 1,545 metres. We were unable to complete the hike so turned back around to descend.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    Goat Jam
    Farmers' market in Caransebeș.Plants sold with soil but not green leafy vegetables.Băile Herculane Europe's most prestigious spa resort in the 1900 under the Austrian Hungarian EmpireThe catholic churchNeptune Imperial Baths. Still an extremely imposing statement despite the state it is in now.Brella restaurant in OrsovaWe found it interesting that the locals sit on the benches facing the road, not the Danube River.1View from our little bedroom. Actually from our bed as that's all the room has space for.Otter in the Danube

    Day 55 ROMANIA ORSOVA

    May 9 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We are more than halfway through our trip and it feels like it's going so quickly.
    Our drive from Rau de Mori to Orsova was uneventful.

    We went to the central markets first to stock up on keffir, yoghurt, fruit and vegetables. The only thing we didn't get were the leafy greens. They sold vegetables that you could plant but not for cooking and eating straight away. The vegetables came with a whole heap of soil like how seedlings were sold at Bunnings. One stall had a bag of spinach which we wanted but the bag was huge. We would have been eating spinach everyday for a week.

    We stopped at the Herculean, a town where, Emperor and Empress Elizabeth (SiSi), built a massive bath house because there were natural hot springs in that region. It's now a broken town where most of the buildings are in disrepair, abandoned and even the roads, very broken with lots of potholes.

    We found unexpectedly, torta cream cakes and lovely eclairs in a shop that's like a corner deli. It was very nice, though you'd never have thought that cakes were sold there.

    Our apartment is very well appointed with uninterrupted views of the Danube River and Serbia directly across the river.
    The iris here were in bloom with very varied colours. Most beautiful.    Read more

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    Our purple speedboat
    Our accommodationFirst stopRestaurant CalypsoOne of the many dead fish we've encountered.

    Day 56 ROMANIA Orsova

    May 10 in Romania ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The host helped arrange a speed boat ride from the private jetty of the accommodation to see the Danube Gorge with 6 special stops.

    It was beautiful, majestic and impressive formations.

    We finished the day with a meal at Restaurant Calypso which had traditional Romanian dishes. It was so good we plan to return tomorrow.

    We have been seeing a larger number of dead fish in the Danube. A quick Google of this reveled that it could be a natural occurrence with the increase in spring temperatures causing a decrease in water oxygen levels, or pollution.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    Our doggy guide waiting for us at the start of the hike.
    Dogs waiting for us as we took too long at a lookout. They never barked, nor even once.Had to leave this one behind. He couldn't keep up.Like kids, we were mesmerised watching vehicles enter and then emerging out of the tunneWe were concerned Incontinent Rug was dehydrated as it kept peeing.Duck with truffle mash1St Ana Monastery, OrsovaRelaxing on the deck of our accommodation late afternoon.

    Day 57 ROMANIA Orsova

    May 11 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We did a wonderful 5km hike that meandered along the Danube River on the ridge of the range which gave us an panoramic views of the river.

    When we began the hike a shaggy dog joined us for the first 100m then another brown dog joined our merry pack. They stayed with us for the entire hike mostly running ahead and then waiting for us to catch up.

    Even though there was a group of about 25 hikers walking in the opposite direction giving the dogs lots of cuddles and pats, the pair of dogs stayed with us. (Ruby would not deign nor dare touch an animal for fear of fleas or rabies or mere mangyness.)

    The black shaggy dog who we called Incontinent Rug was hilarious. It would pee every few metres, run into the bush and come back with all sorts of leaves, twigs, vines and dust caught in its coat. Then shakes itself vigorously and drag its bottom along the path for a good scratch. It gave us a lot of laughs. Unlike the dog at the hike after Sinia that freaked Ruby out, Incontinent Rug was great company.    Read more

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    Just fogging upThe rain and the stormAfter the stormThis is supposed to be 1 serve of burger cut in halfDrive in the Danube GorgeEftimie Murgu WatermillBigar waterfall

    Day58 ROMANIA EftimieMurgu Bigar Oravita

    May 12 in Romania ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Last night we witnessed from our bed,  a spectacular electrical thunderstorm that blew in suddenly causing the river to have waves like the ocean which made the pontoon rock as if it was going to break from its moorings. It rained so hard that we couldn't see the Serbian town nor the range in front of our window. We could not even see past the pontoon. Fortunately the storm did not last long, but the lightning continued for a couple of hours. There was no disturbance to our sleep.

    Today we stopped at a working watermill and at a tiny waterfall.

    The watermill at Eftimie Murgu was built in 1722 and is still a working water mill today. It mills cornmeal or polenta and other grains. We asked to buy 500 grams of polenta from the Miller. He generously gave us a kilo and a half for the price of 500 grams. We also bought yummy elderberry drink from him to a total sum of 10lei about AUD$3.

    The Bigar waterfall was located just off the main highway. We saw a very tiny waterfall but saw signs to a grotto. Following the sign, we found we had to scale the last 10 meters using cable and chains because of the vertical inclines and the rains made the rocks very slippery. It was quite exhilarating climbing but the cave was nothing to write home about.

    The accommodation we are in for only 1 night was called Le Jardin Glamping but we weren't in tents. We were in an upscaled containers with ensuite. Very comfortable with air-conditioning and heating as required. We were here to catch a diesal train tomorrow from this town of Oravita.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    Our demountable that they call Glamping
    Train Station in OravitaAbandoned train carriagesA home in Anina that was King Ferdinand's home.Stuffed tofuBeef keluark soup and chicken curryKueh Dada, coconut pancakeOur second night out at Liberty Square.Public piano played by random people

    Day 59 ROMANIA Train Oravita to Anina

    May 13 in Romania ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We went for a return diesal train ride from Oravita to Anina. We met a fellow traveller from Belgium and a chatty train conductor.
    Both very interesting to speak to.
    The conductor however got pretty carried away telling us about the history of the train through Google Translate and, his large antique collection. When the internet dropped out, we thought that it would stop him talking but he carried on talking with gestures and charade. He finally stopped when we each slowly moved away glancing out the windows.

    The train ride wasn't as good as the Mocanita as the windows couldn't be opened and the glass was old and had an uneven surface which reflected in photos.

    The drive to Timisoara was uneventful but dinner at Timisoara was a lovely surprise.

    We found a restaurant called Taste of Bali. Our first chilli hot meal in a restaurant after 2 months with the exception of the Sriracha sauce at the spa resort in Gura Humorului. I was having chilli withdrawals. ( Although, I did by a chilli jam at the markets in Bucharest which I've been carrying around with me to put on food that we cook in the accommodations.)
    Food was rather authentic with even keluark, a black nut, found in curries in Asia, in one of the dishes. The waitress was from Myanmar and she was bringing out extras like prawn crackers and sambal to augment our meal.    Read more

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    Romanian Orthodox Cathedral
    We went back a second time when the liturgy was on.1Strada Alba IuliaUnion SquareBridge from the vaporotoReform ChurchRiverview home.Liberty SquareDefensive walls that were once around TimisoaraCatholic CathedralBruck HouseSerbian Orthodox CathedralUnion Square

    Day 60 ROMANIA Timisoara

    May 14 in Romania ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We had a walk around the Old Town of Timisoara. It's a town that has some famous individuals born here and some events of great significance started here.
    Jon Weissmueller, the original Tarzan, Illy coffee owner, and the start of revolutions all began here in Timisoara. Their claim to fame was that street lights also started here.

    Timisoara also had lovely architecture and interesting streets to walk down.

    We had a ride in the vapretto, public transport ferry, up and down the Bega River for 5lei ($1.60 AUD) each. Most inexpensive. There was a character on the ferry, an enthusiasts elderly lady who dragged the obliging conductor to different parts of the ferry to have her photo taken. She was travelling alone and wanted to post the photos on Facebook for her family and grandchildren.
    Ruby and I got honked at because we moved in front of the ferry waiting to disembark and obscured the captain's view. Gave me a great start but served us right for not thinking.

    We had a conversation with the owner of the coffee shop we stopped at for me to have coffee. He explained his thoughts behind the setting up of this coffee shop, that his primary focus was about the coffee; not about fancy food, not about decor, and certainly not about being trendy. The coffee was certainly delicious. Somehow the conversation steered to his experience of the last days of communism and the years after. I had to drag Ruby away as we had a walking tour booked.    Read more

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    Timisoara from our window.
    1Central CFR Train StationYummy beans1Nela in the flower marketMarele Restaurant Chinezesc

    Day 61 ROMANIA Arad and Oradea

    May 15 in Romania ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We left Timisoara for Oradea but stopped off at Arad to meet friends. They kindly drove us around the city, stopping off at special sights. Because the husband was still recovering from knee surgery, he would drive us, park and wait for us in the car whilst his wife showed us around.

    We went to the farmers' market, Central Train Station, a park, an Orthodox Cathedral and they pointed out special buildings during the drive through.

    The Arad visit ended at a beautiful and authentic Chinese restaurant called Marele Restaurant Chinezesc.    Read more

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    1Oradea is so colourful even this Japonos restaurant is so colourful. We had ramen here.

    Day 62 ROMANIA Oradea

    May 16 in Romania ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    For breakfast today, we cooked the polenta from the watermill. It had a bit more texture, fresh corn taste and quick to cook.

    Oradea is divided into a north side and south side by the river Crisul Repede.
    We had planned to only do south of the river sights today and north tomorrow. However we finished the south side by 12.30pm, so were also able to do explore the north side.

    Oradea is a literally a sweet city as it has buildings that made us think of buttercream icing on a cake, like lavishly decorated cupcakes. These Art Nouveau and Succession buildings looked like they belonged in a fairy tale.

     A couple who had returned to Oradea from Amsterdam stopped and spoke to Ruby. Ruby mentioned that we noticed a lot of restoration and infrastructure work being done and asked them where the funds for such works came from. They explained that the European Union were supporting vast rebuilding of Romania, project by project. They said that they had been away for 15 years and despite returning a few times a year, they notice changes with each visit.

    Having walked both South and North of the river, we covered just over 15km today. It did justify our detour to get cake on the way back to our accommodation from a place that must be cake paradise.    Read more

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    Cake shop revisitedWith better photos of cakes.What we finally settled for.Brasov Stew and Toros ( pickled cabbage and pork) with grilled mushrooms

    Day 63 ROMANIA Oradea

    May 17 in Romania ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Our last full day in Romania.
    We attended a Hungarian mass at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Oradea. Walked around the Baroque Centre.

    We then visited the Art Museum. The Art Gallery was housed in a large complex, housing the Natural history, Enthropological history, Art Gallery and and a small animal gallery. The ticket we had only allowed us into the Art Gallery so when we were finished, we couldn't wait to return to our cake shop.

    We went out for one more Romanian style cooking and ordered 2 mains thinking we could have our fill. The serves were so big, we hardly made a dent in the dinner. We have take away for 3 to 4 meals.    Read more

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    Romania Reflections

    May 17 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Before we left Perth, we were warned by many to be careful in Romania, especially of the Romany gypsies. We would like to announce that contrary to popular belief, Romania is a very safe country to travel in. We have not come across many gypsies, and the ones that have crossed our path are totally harmless. We have concluded that all the scary gypsies seem to have gone to Italy and Spain. We certainly had to be more guarded there than in Romania. Even accounting for us having a rental car and not being on public transport much, and spending more time in smaller towns, we would like to assert that Romania is very safe.

    Romania and its people do seem very progressive and affluent. The road conditions here are much better than Bulgaria, and with wider lanes. Both public and private houses and buildings are well mantained, and even the few abandoned ones don't look too sad. There is much infrastructure work and restoration going on. I don't know if we are seeing the country from rose tinted travelers' glasses, but there is a positivity and confidence in the air.

    The Romanians are very warm and friendly. Like Bulgaria, we did not experience much if any of the post communist suspicion stereotype. What we did find were warm, open, intelligent and educated people who are interested in talking to us and hearing about Australia. They have a strong nationalistic pride. Many wanted to know why we chose to chose to Romania, and stay for such a long time (6 weeks). Even for those who work away from Romania, Romania is still very much home. Their ties to family are strong. Romanians are beautiful. They take pride in their appearance, always present well. Even if they are in tracksuits, it is fitted well and worn as a matching set, sometimes with the whole family in the same matching set. I do try (without much success) to remember to apply some lipstick in a feeble attempt to look less shabby in my travelling / hiking clothes.

    We could wax all lyrical about the Romanian food. Suffice it to say that although we walked and hiked much, it is a miracle we did not leave Romania looking like an overstuffed sarmale (cabbage roll).

    Romania is a stunning, jaw-dropping, beautiful country. We explored some of the alpine regions of the Carpathian Mountains, and the valley of the mighty Danube River. For the first time in Bucovina region in the north-east, we saw churches intricately painted on the exterior only to walk inside to see more frescoes. Architecture is varied as it is incredible. The Saxon homes and Fortified churches in Transylvania, the wooden churches in Maramures and the oh-too-pretty cupcake buildings of Oradea were our highlights.

    Oh Romania, we should have visited you much sooner, stayed much longer, and we do hope to see you again.    Read more

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    Poppies!!Look at second item on the menu.Main : Wild boar stew with porcini, and dumpling noodles with sheep curd1Andrassy Kuria Spa Resort. Cave bathJacuzziEntree : Salad & Pig's seats with pickled vegetablesMain: Lamb parpadelle & Pork bellyDessert: Crepes & Panacotta

    Day 64 HUNGARY Andrassy Kuria Spa Resort

    May 18 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Sadly, we have left Romania and
    crossed the border into Hungary. This is the route via Slovakia into Poland by car. The alternate route which was shorter would have been through Ukraine. However that wasn't an option. As we didn't purchase a vignette permit into Hungary, we drove on the no toll, no motorway roads. It took us through a little restaurant in the middle of the forest about 11mins outside Debrecen where we stopped to have brunch. We had an unusual popular cold soup that tasted like melted berry icecream. It had some unusual items on the menu. ( look in photos). We settled for wild boar with porcini mushrooms and sheep curd noodles.

    We have been in budget to average accommodations so far with a few exceptions, namely Piatra Crailui, the other Spa resort in Gura Humorului. This one is our special treat for one night.

    We arrived at this very highly rated, Michelin recommended Andrassy Kuria Spa Resort.

    Apparently we could have left our bags in the car and the luggage service would deliver it to our room. That was just too difficult a concept for us, so we carried our one little duffle bag into a splendid lobby to check in, with welcome champagne at the salon and macarons in our room. In some accommodations we weren't even provided with shampoo or shower gels. Here we had L'Occitane products, a fancy Nespresso machine and mini bar.

    We spent an entire three and the half hours in the spa today. We went from a cave bath with seated booths of different jets and hydro massage, to three different types of saunas, steam room, salt room and jacuzzi.

    We have had a rather adventurous holiday. First we hired a car and drove for the first time in Europe. We've had hikes in snow with the threat of bears and wild boars. We had driven in all sorts of road conditions even in rather remote areas of both Bulgaria and Romania, but this was the most exciting adventure today.

    We had the experience of Adventurous Showers( actually labelled so) with our Spa. There was rainforest shower, Niagara Falls shower and tropical storm shower, where water came from the top, the side, the bottom and the most adventurous shower of all was one button did all nozzles and jets of various intensities. Water came from everywhere. There were lights that mimicked lightning, birds chirping like in rain forest...

    After a totally relaxing afternoon we were treated to a three course meal as part of the package. Having food coma and totally relaxed from all the jets, heat and infrared red sauna, we collapsed and melted into a luxuriously large bed with six pillows.    Read more

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    Day 65 Slovakia Stary Smokvec

    May 20 in Slovakia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Our accommodation was only 500m to the furnicular that took us to Hrebienok this morning. We bought a return ticket thinking we'll do a fair bit of hiking and would need the assistance of the furnicular to take us down the mountain.

    We chose a 11 km hike from Hrebienok to the Zamkovskeho chalet loop. The hike to the chalet was graded incline the whole way but we took our time and enjoyed the scenery. After a hearty lunch, we decided to extend the hike by 3km to find the Alpine Lake Skalnate pleso. Ruby found that she was getting light headed maybe because of the altitude and constant climb on difficult lumpy rock trails.
    I continued on my own to the Alpine Lake. It was a good thing Ruby did not come along because the incline at the end were very steep and it was above the snow line. The views from the top of the karst were expansive and scenic, with both views of the valley, towns, pastures and icecapped mountains.

    Ruby found flat rocks to sit on to look at the mountains whilst waiting for me. She also wandered off to a secluded spot away from the main track to answer a nature's call.

    We have stayed in villages with less in the entire population than people on the trail today. No chance of a bear sighting and no need to clap or shout. We were lucky to see a deer on the trail after lunch though.

    Towards the end of the hike, 600m away from the funicular station, we found a high fence across our path. We couldn't find another path except to retrace our steps for two kilometres to take another route back to the funicular station. This would have meant that we would miss our last funicular down.
    We decided to climb 30m of the steep embankment to get around the fence. We don't know why the path was fenced off because we were able to walk the entire 600 metres without any obstruction. Looked like the landslide had been cleared. Besides dirty hiking pants from the scrambling, it's saved us the extra 2 kilometres of incline.
    We got to the station with half hour to spare and were so relieved to see it because we were completely exhausted.

    At the terminal, the gift shop lady said the funicular was broken and she didn't know when it would be fixed. Her only suggestion for this problem was for us to walk a further three kilometres down to the village. Imagine my horror while she nonchalantly pointed out to us the track down. We could not understand why they did not just put a bus on to take the passengers down.

    We were supposed to walk to dinner which was a further one kilometre from the village but we were not going to walk another step more. We settled for a Vietnamese restaurant literally in front of the station.

    Hike on track was 15.73km. Total distance walked today was 18.5km    Read more

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    Day 66 SLOVAKIA Stary Smokvec

    May 21 in Slovakia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Dobsinska ice cave is UNESCO listed. To get to the ice cave we had to hike a steep incline for 25 minutes to the entrance of the cave. The cave is set in the territory of the Slovak Paradise National Park. Discovered in 1871, and in 1882 electricity was installed, the first in the world. It comprised of three main features Ruffini's Corridor named after the discoverer, the Great Hall and a Small Hall.
    The Cave was used by the local youths for ice skating and 'ice festivals' since 1893.

    We had langos again from Poprad after the ice caves because it was so delicious the first time. I even got a complimentary cup of expresso for our second visit.

    We then headed to a thermal bath in Vrbov to soak our aching bodies and limbs. We observed that we were one of the youngest there. (Maybe it was seniors concession day.)
    We met fellow hikers visiting from the UK, one from Bratislava originally, her husband and their 2 friends. We met them yesterday when we were trying to get our refunds for the broken down furnicular, and told them about the baths and the langos. She gave us a tip to try bryndza halušky, a traditional Slovakian dish made from sheep cheese, pasta and bacon at a Koliba (restaurant). We had that for dinner with pirohy (dumpling) and pickled cabbage with pasta and beef cheeks. It was delicious. Glad we weren't eating that daily because it was rich, creamy and full of bacon fat.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    We did the red route on this mapOne of the stops for this train, Ruby's station

    Day 67 SLOVAKIA Hike & Zakopane

    May 22 in Slovakia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    The host allowed us to park our car till the evening though we were checked out. We caught a train from Stary Smokvec to Strbske Pleso and the ride took 45 mins. The trains ran hourly and were nice trains with large windows to take in the view. The host also advised us to get the full day 7€ ticket because it was cheaper than each individual trip.

    When we got to Strbske Pleso, we went to the visitors information and Ruby asked if the porters were still running supplies. To our astonishment they still are. They carry kegs, wood, supplies like Sherpas to the chalets not accessible by vehicle. The lady added that hikers sometimes volunteer to carry bags of flour, sugar and smaller items too.

    There was a school group of teenagers that were very friendly and wanted to do selfies with us. After the exchange of country of origin, they declared they were Gypsy from Slovakia. Coincidentally Ruby's mum rang from Perth, the teenagers wanted to wave and speak to granny.

    After a false start heading in the wrong direction, we started our hike from Strbske Pleso to Popradske Pleso. They are 2 huge Alpine Lakes. The hike was difficult because it was a constant climb for 4.5 km on rocky terrain. We had many rest stops on the way up and at one stop we dipped our feet in the freezing cold water from a running brook. It was so cold but refreshing. Only a 3 second dip was all that was tolerated with each dip, before the feet got painfully cold. Ruby had been doing this foot soak regularly so she tolerated a few seconds more.
    Slower hikers didn't move out of the way to let you pass. They tended to hog the whole trail. We had to keep a reasonable distance so as not to make them feel that we were tailgating, plus the air was much fresher a few metres back. When the path widened and the rocks not too difficult to negotiate, we would then overtake them.

    Both Plesos had crystal clear water and beautiful scenery. We had lunch at the chalet with magnificent mountain views.
    I remembered wrongly thinking that the walk to the train station was only 15mins. We had no internet so I asked the chalet staff and they said 50mins to an hour. Remembering that the trains ran hourly, we walked so fast to the station not wanting to miss the train. We made it in record time of 40mins. Fortunately the walk was downhill on bitumen the whole way.

    We then drove to the other side of the High Tatras to Zakopane Poland. Our start to Poland wasn't a good one. When we got out of the car at dinner, I discovered in a panic that I had left my wallet in the accommodation. If I had been calm, I would have realised that I had credit cards on my phone. We ended the evening with no dinner because it was too late by the time we drove back to the accommodation.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    Smoked cheese grilled with cranberry sauce
    Inside the Shepard HutFinally found yoghurt from the Shepard Hut.11We didn't drink all. 2 of the glasses were tastings but generous amounts.Pork knuckle and fried cabbage.

    Day 68 Poland Zakopane

    May 23 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Technically Slovakia and Poland are not Eastern Europe They consider themselves Central Europe.
    Today was a day when things did not start right for us. Plans that we made were not working out today.
    We tried to get a carpark to do a hike but couldn't work out the parking meter. So we gave up on Zakopane town and went to Nowa Targowica Market in Nowy Targ, a town about 20 minutes away. It was a huge market that spanned a kilometre at least. We tried grilled smoked cheese with cranberry sauce done directly on wood fire. This market had everything except yoghurt which was what we were mainly wanting to buy. We did get fruits and walnut though. Ruby did find a shepard hut along a rural road that sold fresh yoghurt with milk from his animals. The shepherd/ man was rather startled when he saw us, and I showed him my phone with the Polish word for yoghurt, jogjurt. He looked as it's even more quizzically and went to the back of his very smokey hut and waved an empty bottle at us. We nodded. He held up fingers to indicate price. It was a transaction without any words.
    I think it was sheep yoghurt. It even had a fizzyiness when we drank it. 15PLN ($6 aud) for the 1.5 litre bottle.

    We went to the UNESCO listed wooden Catholic church, St Michael the Archangel. It was full with bus loads of local tourist. We waited to see for the crowds to thin out but another bus load arrived. We finally went in with the crowd. We put Google Translate on as the guide was giving information in Polish. It gave us some information but dropped out often so we only got the gist of it.

    Needing help with parking and information, we went to the visitors information but did not get much help there. When I asked about the cost of parking and if there was a whole day ticket. They said they didn't know and that I had to check the meters. They didn't give me much information about the hikes we could do in Zakopane either. Fortunately, Ruby had discovered AI. We managed to get the information we needed with the help of AI.

    I got my second fine of 500zl equivalent to A$191 for driving into a no entry area. Firstly, I didn't see the sign and secondly if I had seen the sign for no entry in Poland, I would not have recognised it. It is a red circle with white in the middle. The area was restricted to buses ride share and taxis only. We were pulled over by a female constable that told me what I did wrong then told me the fine was 5000 zl if it is sent out to my home address, but if I paid it straight away, it would only be 500zl. We paid the fine.

    Dinner was at a traditional polish restaurant. Food was average, but halfway through mains, a grandpa garage band started to sing and play music. They were out of time, out of tune and out of harmony. Ruby was very happy as she wanted a beer and discussed the various beers on menu with the waiter. He then brought different beers for her to try. Ruby thought the piwo z sokiem (literally translated as "beer with juice") was rather peculiar. Despite the name calling it "juice" (sok), it is made using a raspberry cordial mixed into a local lager. Ruby settled for a dark beer from a bottle and asked for the cap to take the rest of the 500ml back to our accommodation, which she then proceeded to finish.

    Best to sleep and start again tomorrow.    Read more

  • AwesomesEastern EuropeTraveler
    To sleep in to recover from the steep climbLunchView from our table

    Day 69 POLAND Zakopane

    May 24 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We had a much better day today. We were able to find free parking, which is rare in Zakopane, near the trailhead of the hike. There wasn't as many people on the hike. The hike was again uphill and rocky but the trail took us through the forest, to an Alpine meadow and finally to the peak with breathtaking views. Ruby was able to do the ascent very well with rest stops and slowly. On the way down towards the end of the hike, we soaked our feet in the roaring river again. This time it wasn't as cold and Ruby waded out till before the rapids.

    There was a Sacred Heart Catholic Church to visit after the hike that was empty after the crowds left, with only 1 man praying. It was lovely, serene and peaceful.

    Next to the hike, the meal we had was delicious and memorable. The restaurant was a recommendation to us by our niece. Ruby had lamb rump while I had truffle pasta. We finished with a meringue dessert with mascopone cheese, fruits and passionfruit drizzle.

    We had a marvellous day.    Read more