Reca

After leaving Bratislava behind, the summer heat chased me relentlessly. Every day the thermometer climbed to over 30 degrees Celsius, forcing me to stay in the shade. Already in the morning it became oppressively warm and I only got as far as Senec, just behind Bratislava. Most of the time I stayed in cafés and did some work, but even here it was so hot that one was slowly cooked through.
Every day I went to the city lake and bathed. I don't think I ever felt greater pleasure than on those occasions.
One day I didn't want to go far out of town to camp, so I pitched my tent on the shore of the lake. Some night fishermen had positioned themselves on the shore and I was left with only an exposed spot by the wayside. I don't like sleeping so close to strangers, but I was too tired from the day to look for another place to stay. I fell into a light, unrestful sleep; after all, I had to keep an ear on my bike and the bags.

In the middle of the night I hear a metallic noise and pull up.
Through the insect net of my tent I see that my bike is floating past me.
No, it is being carried!
Still completely drowsy, I wonder why someone would move my bike out of the way in the middle of the night. Maybe it was blocking the way and is now being cleared?
Very unlikely.
I shout the question buzzing in my head out into the night:
"Hey, why are you carrying my bike?"
The guy stops.
Weighing my chances, I come to the conclusion that this thief is probably not violent and I can take a chance on a confrontation.
In my pants I stand in front of the tent and ask again.
He looks at me, then lifts the bike and comes towards me. My pulse quickens and I am already bracing myself for a fight.
Silently, he puts the bike down in front of me and holds out his hand. 🤨
Puzzled, I lash out.
Then he turns around and shuffles off into the night.
I stand there for a moment and process what has just happened.

Since this place to spend the night is now 'burnt', I look for a new one and don't return here.
After this interlude, sleeping in the forest regains its previous high status.

Shortly afterwards I have another uncomfortable experience of a special kind.
Trigger warning - in the following I describe an experience with eight-legged animals that might be too crass for some people.Read more