Closing the loop

Day 15 (Saturday):  (written by Dave)

And so, it comes to the end of our lovely holiday; thanks to all for following us and please do join us again next time, whenever that might be.

Finally, we returned to Bratislava airport, returned our shockingly green Škoda Citigo and caught our flight home, which left promptly, arriving early to Birmingham. We walked to our own car, patiently waiting for us and left the car park and one short drive later were back at our little home; holidays all at an end. What a lovely time we have had; touring, visiting family and friends, but it does feel quite nice to be home; until next time! 😁

Sad farewells

Day 14 (Friday):  (written by Dave)

And so, it was time to say goodbye to Babka, Maximo, Jožko, Tomaš and all the extended family and with a few tears we were off. We called in at Slaná Voda to say goodbye to Marko, who was on summer camp there. We also paused to take a couple of photos at the lookout tower on the road back to the 78 road through town.

We were heading to Žilina for Elena to go with Katarína to the government offices to register Kyle and Lara as Slovak nationals and we met Michal outside the flat in Vlčince. Elena, Katarína  and the kids went of to the offices and Michal and I went to get a coffee and chat.

After coffee, I headed to Stranik to meet a guy called Peter, who I have contacted off and on over the past ten years, always intending to paraglide together, but up until now we have never managed to make it work. Since Peter now lives at the foot of Stranik and finished work around 1pm, this time it could finally work. Long story short; we met up finally, after all these years on the top of Stranik and finally managed to fly together. It was a very short flight for me, as I didn't want to risk landing at the bottom and having to get a ride back up, so once I'd landed near to the hire car on the saddle near Zastranie church, I packed and drove to the bottom to watch Peter land. We walked the short distance to his house and I had a coffee and nealko beer with him and we chatted some more, I was really pleased that we could catch up with what had happened in our lives since we first started communicating all those years ago. 

After a little chat I bade farewell to Peter and headed to Ovčiarsko, to join the rest of the family, who were at Michal and Andrea's beautiful new home there. I met Michal, waiting for me at the house, parked up and walked to meet the others. We found them just walking back from the woods and, on hearing the fun they'd had on a zip wire, set up by Pavol (a neighbour and friend), I returned with them to try it with them. Kyle, Lara and especially Katka were more than happy to have another go on it. We all had turns and took some pictures and video of our play.

We wandered back from there to the house, where I got a shower and freshened up a bit before we all walked back up the hill to the home of Miro and Renata, who were hosting a gulaš party. The food and drink was wonderful and the gathering of friends and neighbours typical of the welcome one receives in this part of the world; we enjoyed home made gulaš, made with locally reared meat and garden produced vegetables and we ate it washed down with home brewed beer produced by Miro; amazing to a group of westerners, who procure nearly everything shop-bought.

The party ran quite late, with us drinking, chatting and observing satellites and stars in the clear night sky. We returned to Michal and Andrea's house around midnight and more or less retired straight to bed, absolutely tired.

Out of the dark and into the light

Day 13 (Thursday):  (written by Dave)

Ah... normality restored, the Slovak Gipsy Kings are up and running again and once more plying their merry trade; announcements made and all's right with the world again.

The neighbour wants to paint his house and so wants the car moved, which Elena is doing as I type; he seems to me a little 'needy', in that he has erected massive scaffolding on Elena's family's land, which he appears in no rush to use and remove; things seem to work a bit differently here. Anyway; what to do today, as the sun is shining? A cup of coffee to get the ball rolling I think.

...and so, this 'family' blog is rapidly turning into a one man show; I seem to be the only contributor of late. You will just have to put up with my inane ramblings for now!

I went up Turña, to try to fly on the west side of the hill, which is tree covered. There is a small clear patch and it was my intention to inflate the wing, bring it up and wait for the right conditions to launch and try to turn to the right in front of the trees. It's quite a confined space and quite brambly, so would not work well with my new, lightweight glider. Luckily my old ragged one, with lines the thickness of schooner ropes, was not a problem. No, instead the problem was that the wind was not really west at all, but more like north, or at best NNW. After three fairly comical attempts I decided it was time to call it a day and landed and packed everything away again. Unbeknown to me Elena's brother Martin, who was watching from below later said to her that he would teach me how to do it, as I wasn't doing too well. I don't think he was joking either!

Back down the hill and at the family home, I found Elena about to head out to Mary and John's house, so we headed there as a crowd, via the Co-op supermarket to gather some provisions to arrive with, as one does in these parts. On our arrival, there was no sign of John, Mary, or the boys but, the signs of life suggested they were not far away; doors unlocked; fairly new petrol lawn mower abandoned on the freshly cut grass etc.

Elena and the kids set off to Babka's field to collect some fresh produce, in the form of; carrots; beans and a weird thing like Cinderella's coach before the magic happens. Just then John and Mary arrived with the two Tasmanian Devils Jano and Jakob. 

Soon all the family were back assembled and I was treated with a taste of Johnny's freshly salted and smoked bacon, with some horčica and bread; it was A-mazing! I proceeded to give the bacon due consideration, ensuring a thorough test was conducted and Mary announced that we could take the remaining piece of the joint away with us; I was in heaven right there!

Disclaimer; if you are vegetarian, you might want to look away now!

After an hour or so, just shooting the breeze, we headed back for Babka's house and a little respite from our exertions.

Later, Elena is planning to go back to Namestovo to visit some more friends, who apparently couldn't make it last night; #complicatedsociallife 

Maybe someone may see fit to update you further dear reader, meantime; I recommend you do not hold your breath while you wait! 😉

After Elena had left for Namestovo, we were having problems with the home wifi, so we spent a good amount of time trying to correct the problem (I'm sorry to report to no avail). Giving up on that, Anna, Max, Lara and Kyle and I went to the nearby pub, where we knew they have new puppies only a few weeks old. We were in luck; we had just sat down with our drink, when the landlord decided it was time to let the four boisterous characters out for a little exercise (no Lara, I'm afraid you can't keep her!)

Continuing with the rainy theme

Day 12 (Wednesday):  (written by Dave)

0723; and if my calculations are correct we should be getting very close now to time for piped country and folk music, followed by monotone, almost chanted morning greetings. Hmmm... a little late this morning? It almost seems as though the hours of rainfall have dampened their communist era spirits; that or the presenter has slept in, I hope they don't get the sack!

Probably the best night's sleep I've had since arriving here; couldn't be anything to do with Babka's bottle of alcohol last night, washed down with Zlatý Bažant by any chance? Whatever it was, I am grateful for the rest and the rain outside is quite therapeutic too, if you ignore the cars slooshing far too fast through the huge puddles in the road.

...It's now gone 10am and NO jingly piped morning call.. can they be dead? Or maybe Wednesdays are their day off? Who knows? Breakfast has been consumed, consisting of delicious Slovak smoked bacon and coffee very refreshing! Still raining and Elena has announced that she is planning to go to Namestovo in the afternoon to meet with some friends. Due to the weather, it could just be a book reading afternoon or, if it brightens a little, perhaps a short walk somewhere..? We'll have to see how it looks.

Rain check

Day 11 (Tuesday):  (written by Dave)

Raining today, so again no real desire to go too far afield. We went to Namestovo to give Tomaš' car another run, as he needed to do some admin in town and for Kyle to buy a new peaked cap to replace one he managed to lose somewhere along our way so far and also for Elena to drop her phone into a toilet; yes, you have read that correctly. Another obligatory visit to the now famous Cukraren for cakes and Kofola and we were soon on our way back, where delicious beef stew was awaiting us for lunch.

So far, we have spent the afternoon lazily Facebooking, WhatsApping etc, etc.

Elena and the children have pottered off to visit 'Prábabka' and the aunts and uncles etc, leaving me here alone with my thoughts for a while.

... Later in the evening, after the gang arrive back from Prábabka's house, laden with chocolates and sweets etc, we sit for a while listening to Joshko's rousing chorus of belching. 'Joshko', aka Joseph, Jojo (pronounced yoyo) has profound Downs syndrome and finds it quite entertaining to sit in the hall making these burping noises. 

Later again and Johnny and Maria arrive with two of their boys Jakob and Jano (Marco, I believe is on summer camp somewhere). We all sit in the kitchen/dining room, the default meeting, chatting room and the whole room is abuzz with loud babble all in Slovak, with the odd translation here or there. It doesn't seem to matter, as the two young boy's antics seem to transcend language barriers and entertain us whilst at times seemingly frustrating their parents.

After cake, tyčinky (small, thin salted bread sticks - a familiar snack) have been consumed, Maximo arrives with three large, tasty pizzas to share for his birthday Všetko najlepšie Max! Soon, as well as the beers the adult men are drinking, the small shots appear... Oh dear, this can quickly get out of hand! Fortunately not this evening, with only a few shots and a couple of beers, thing remain quite civilised.

And, before we know it; the little impromptu party is over, everyone having enjoyed some quality family time, chatted, laughed, shared stories and played with the two young boys, who are now stuffed with cake, pizza and munchies. Happy times!

The house quietens and people drift off to bed at a very respectable hour; around 2200..? A pleasant evening.

Lazy Daze

Day 10 (Monday):  (written by Dave)

Slow day today; everyone tired from their exertions of yesterday. After an 8 km walk uphill to 1725m and the agonising descent back down to Slaná Voda we were all exhausted, so no one was too keen to do much and we mostly slept later.

In the afternoon, having foolishly not taken the paraglider up Babia Hora yesterday and spotting a rare steady(ish) southwesterly breeze, dad took his paraglider up onto Turña and discovered that the direction was indeed favourable. Even with a good breeze and some thermic activity it is quite tricky to stay in the air for more than a few minutes, but he managed to eke a few minutes of airtime out of two short flights. After the second descent to terra firma, it was apparent that the weather was becoming a bit thundery, so he packed, walked down to the car and swung by the Co-op for some liquid provisions.

Coming out of the Co-op it was raining and there were some low rumbles in the distance.

After the brief storm had passed we all set out, as Max wanted to go for a walk. Elena leading, we went in a sort of roundabout route via the churchyard, along the track northwest (and a stranger's garden) down to the football pitch, where we had a kick-about. After about an hour's footie we headed on to Johnnie's house, where we found him smoking some bacon cuts in his smoking box in the garden.

On our return to Babka's house, dinner was ready for those who wanted to eat.

Not much more to report from the day really; probably a little excursion to Namestovo tomorrow, as Tomaš wants a few things, so we'll take him into town and give his car a run.

The last coupe of days, or three :)

Day 7, 8 & 9:  (written by Mum)

So, the last three days we spent in Oravska Polhora, resting, exploring the local area and visiting places we like to see.

On Friday, we ventured out to Slana Voda , a small holiday complex in beautiful area surrounded by forest. Rather than drive there we decided to walk there over the hills, steep but short distance, and it surprisingly took only half an hour.  However, we were not alone. Katarina, Anna and Maximo (my siblings) came with us and enjoyed our short adventure. We treated ourselves to Kofola and chrumpky and went on exploring the area around Slana Voda. I would just like to add that we have visited this place on many, many occasions but it still remains one of our firm favourites. Rain and thunder was a welcome addition to our walk as the weather was very close. The evening was spent in the pub until midnight with Maria my sister in law and Katarina 

Saturday was a very chilled day. We got up quite late, spent the day home with my mum and we really did not do much at all, apart from going for a run with Kyle. We chose the same route we walked on Friday and really enjoyed it. My other sister Andrea (yeah, I know I have 8 siblings!!!)  came for a short visit with her family and we made a plan for tomorrow. Hiking tour to Babia Hora.

Sunday. Great day. Babia Hora - 1725 meters above the sea level. 

The day started with an early start and mad rush but we managed to drive to Slana Voda where we began our journey to the top. My sister Andrea and her family, all of the Neals, Katarina and Anna. 

I always enjoy the walk to the top, but felt really tired today as the weather was too hot. The walk took nearly three hours to the top, but it was well worth it. Stunning views across Slovakia and Poland with glorious weather. On the way down we collected bilberries which we thoroughly enjoyed which was really evident from our blue/purple lips and tongues from eating and blue/purple fingers from collecting them. Another three hour walk down meant that we were absolutely exhausted once we reached Slana Voda. We refreshed ourselves with more kofola and decided to go home. However , my sister Andrea was kindly carrying my car key for me and as they left before us she also took it with her. Luckily she was only staying in the next village so she was able to come back and give me the key. Disaster averted!!!

After we finally arrived home my mum was waiting for us with lovely beef soup and pork schnitzels. Due to our mistake of not bringing enough food my mum's food tasted heavenly 😀

All fed and watered we retired to our beds and kids to their electronics.

Catching up with family

Day 6:  (written by Mum)

After a long travelling day yesterday we decided to spend a quiet, non travelling day at my mother's house. We all love my mum's cooking so it was nice for a while not to think what to cook for dinner and just sit down at the table and eat great food. We had lovely pork sauce with potatoes, yummy.

In the afternoon we have however ventured to the nearest town Namestovo with uncle Maximo. I decided to drive and have a go at driving on the right side for the first time in so many years. Not bad, but a bit stressful.

Namestovo is a lovely town that has a lovely cake shop that we always stop at and it has become one of 'the things we do' when we visit. Great cakes, very cheap and always accompanied by a glass of kofola.

The afternoon was spent at the field, where Kyle and Lara enjoyed spending time with their cousins, having a great time, playing football and myself catching up with my sister in law. 

We spent the evening in our local pub with auntie Katka, enjoying local beer and non alcoholic radler. 

An uneventful day but very much needed after the last couple of days of travelling. 

The journey to Babka's

Day 5:  (Written by Dave) 

Košice to Oravská Polhora

We got up, had a lovely breakfast and packed, leaving our belongings in the car, to investigate Košice old town. After a couple of hours we were on the road again; heading first north, then west after Prešov. Soon after Prešov, we passed through a tunnel about 5km long and when we popped out the west side, we were greeted with the familiar view of Spišsky Hrad, a prominent castle atop a small round hill. We had visited this castle many years ago and this view prompted some memories and chatter about our time there. Soon, it was behind us and Poprad followed it and before we knew it we were presented with the splendid vista of the high Tatry; the dramatic mountain range that separates the north and south of the country in the eastern regions; a very impressive view it is too!

We rested and stretched at a small service station (Odpočívadlo Východná), before continuing on our way.

The remainder of the journey to Oravská Polhora became increasingly familiar the nearer we got to our destination, arriving at a very respectable 4.15pm to be greeted by lots of smiley faces.

Soon after the usual meet and greet, we took a walk down to see Mary, John being at work and we chatted and caught up the past several years.

A typical day?

Day 4:  (Written by Lara) 

Well, day 4 started out like a typical day, get up, eat, brush your teeth, yada yada yada. Then we all started packing up our things ready to set off on our next part of the journey. Mum wanted to take a visit to see the bronze shoes that represent the people who had their shoes taken off them when sent to concentration camps in the 2nd World War. We had only seen them in the darkness because we went to see them after our boat trip which is why Mum wanted to see them in the light so you could see the details. She got Dad to take a bunch of pictures since her camera is rubbish! People had tied ribbons and bracelets around the shoes to show they care.

Moving on from the sad stuff, we went to visit Saint Margarets Island which is in the middle of the River Danube. We started walking around and eventually saw that they have an outdoor pool. Well we bought the ticket  and then remembered that you have to have something to swim in!! Mum and Kyle went back to the car to get the costumes, and me and Dad sat down. I'm not going to go into detail but all you need to know is that we started naming crows and talking to them! They finally came back and we got changed and went for a swim. We went into the normal pools and then Mum spotted that there was another pool which was a THERMAL POOL!!! We relaxed in there for a looooong time and then we went to the wave pool. The thing is, it was freezing! But then Kyle spotted some water rides. Honestly, everyone was spotting things and I was getting serious F.O.M.O. ( Fear of missing out!!!!) Me and Kyle first went on the purple one together and then we did the singular ones. We finished up there and everyone wanted a drink and some food so we stopped and ordered some food. It was ok, Mum had some chicken and some ... interesting vegetables. Me, Kyle and Dad had a chicken bucket and some ice coffee. We didn't really want to swim seeing as we just ate so we went back to the thermal pool to relax. After a good 20 minutes we left the pool and dried off. We again got changed and left the outdoor pool to go for a walk before we left Budapest!!😭😩 We got back to the car and began our journey to Košice.

Aquatic journey: (Post-edit by Dave) 

After we had left Budapest, travelling first east then north, we passed through a storm of biblical proportions. At one point I'd swear I saw an old grey bearded man frantically nailing wooden boards together, as a line of animals queued beside him. Or, perhaps I was just weary from our travels 😲. It was nearly impossible to see the road ahead and we slowed right down to a steady 40kph whilst Lara softly snored in the back seat and Kyle was engrossed in his phone.

Perhaps the below might explain the demonic magnitude of the storm; we encountered this 90 minutes further down the road:

Arrival in Košice: (Written by Mum as Lara had enough writing for tonight 😊)

We arrived in Košice after a long journey and eventually managed to find the apartment and arrived just in time to check in, as the receptionist was just on her way out. The apartment was a lovely modern place situated on the upper floor of a very nice Steak House right at the centre of the Old Town.

After unpacking the car we swiftly got ourselves ready and headed to the aforementioned Old Town for a walk around and to see what Košice had to offer. It is a small city but very beautiful and clean, amazing cathedral in the centre of the town, myriads of cafes and bars with outdoor eating and stunning scenery, no cars, but watch out for the cyclists 😉. 

We finished our evening in the Steak House underneath the apartment, with great food, not the cheapest, but very tasty.

Tomorrow we will explore Košice for a while and then we head off to my mother's house on the opposite side of the country. More travelling !!!! 

Mondays

Day 3:  (Written by Kyle)

Monday. Said to be the unluckiest of days. The beginning of a new work week. The end of a relaxing weekend. No one likes a Monday.

Ironically enough, today was going to prove that stereotype to be completely false.

I began my day by waking up from a perfect 10 hours of sleep. From here I was quickly ushered out of our apartment and walking around the beautiful city of Budapest before my eyes could adjust to the summer day's light. Although we had been walking for what felt like hours on end just the night before, I very quickly realised that Gellert Hill and the beautiful view from its peak had only given me a sliver of what Hungary's expansive capital had to offer.

Thanks to a nifty businessman, we were hastily booked into an open-top tour bus ride, uncovering detailed history about the city's creation. Along the way, we made several pitstops to enjoy Budapest's astounding architecture, sip on some ice tea and bask in the sun at the same time. One thing we promptly noticed is that the Hungarians are big on their statues and sculptures. Metal reincarnations of large, historical figureheads decorate the streets like the pictures in a storybook, retelling their roles in the origins of the city, the reintroduction of Christianity after the wars and so much more that would make this blog continue for much longer than it already is.

We also stopped off outside what is called the "old town Buda", which sits on top of a hill and is preserved by tall walls. Besides the once again amazing view - a recurring theme - the city had so many sights and sculptures to offer. After wandering around and taking in the sights, we sat down for a fizzy drink while a thunderstorm loomed in the distance, heading our way. If it were any other Monday, we would have probably been soaked within half an hour, however the storm never came closer than lightly showering us with rainwater. What luck!

After the bus journey and a quick stop-in to the area of the apartment for a specific phone charger and some more ice tea, we all headed off to enjoy a boat ride along the Danube. As we watched the streetlights begin to illuminate the night sky (while also taking photos like madmen), our boat drifted below the busy bridges and cars, gliding along the water very effortlessly and quietly. 

After that, we came across some metal shoes I didn't fully understand, gazed at Budapest's beautiful house of Parliament, grabbed a bite and headed back to the apartment on our tired legs. 

It really hadn't been the stereotypical Monday, and I couldn't have been more glad about it.

Airports (catch up narrative)

DAY 1 + 2:  (Written by Dad)

Saturday: 

Heavy roadworks meant delays getting off the M42 and made for some fraught moments in the car, as I was advised in vociferous terms of the inadvisability of not having left the motorway at the previous junction. As it transpired, we were at the airport in good time; so much for wasted angst.

COVID? What COVID?

So, the flight (FR734) was around half full (or half empty if you're feeling pessimistic, as may be your wont), so around 150-200 random strangers shoe-horned into a 3.5m steel cylinder; just as well then, that we were all wearing our fabric or paper face masks, otherwise we might have spread the Coronavirus!

High and dry:

Sadly, this first anxiety was not to be the only one, as we arrived in Bratislava M R Štefánika (BTS to its friends) to find no hire car waiting for us; no friendly agent with a folder and keys; nada! How fortunate then, that we had elected, some months before to break our journey with a stay in Bratislava; even more fortuitous that we'd chosen the Garni Aviator Hotel, about 500m, a short walk from the terminal.

We arrived, having tried numerous times to no avail to organise a replacement for our non-existent hire car, at the hotel reception. Once there, selflessly offering myself as the sole sacrificial interest for the city's mosquito population we stood bemused as the concierge examined, then seemingly transcribed slowly and oh so very carefully every detail of each one of our passports into his 386 Commodore computer, unseen below the counter (or maybe I was just a little tired and more than just a little fractious). Checked in, exhausted and anxious from our day's traumas, I showered the layers of tiredness off and scribbled down some brief notes for this update upon a scrap of notepad with a pencil both, ironically from the Park Plaza hotel in London, Victoria. I guess, I thought, in my addled state; you get what you pay for!

Wheels:

Once back at the airport terminal on Monday morning, we soon had our chariot organised; the wonderful machine you see below:

At least we would not miss it in a crowded car park!

...and we're off!

DAY 1 + 2:  (Written by Mum)

And we are off on holidays !!!

Unfortunately, nothing goes according to plan as always, better not to plan sometimes in my opinion. 

So, we left sunny England, it was unseasonably hot, and travelled up the M5 and onto the M42 where we encountered a minor traffic jam that brought anxiety and stress to the start of our holidays, but we managed to board the flight and took off to Slovakia. 

We landed, boarded the bus to go to a terminal, had our temperature taken and were on our merry way to get our pre-booked hire car. We waited and waited and eventually realised that the person with our hire car was not coming. Dave phoned the company in UK, and after a long phone call we set off on foot to our hotel. Luckily, we had booked a hotel close to the airport for one night only as we arrived very late. 

After a sleepless night , wondering what are we going to do about our travel arrangement we walked back to the airport and went on a mission to get a car. 

During that time the person from the hire company phoned and apologised about the misunderstanding and explained that due to coronavirus situation their company was no longer operating. To cut a long story short,  we managed to get a bright green car in the end and were on our way to Budapest. 

We arrived in Budapest greeted by heavy rain and storm, which was more than welcome as the weather was really hot. The thermometer in the car was reading 35 ºC !!!

We found our apartment on the Pest side, offloaded our bags and went for a walk around the city, not really knowing where we were going but we decided to go with the flow. We walked to the Buda side and onto a beautiful walk through some woodland area of the Gellert Hill to the Freedom Statue with magnificent views of the city.  As we walked down the hill the sun was already set and the city was lit with the lights reflecting in the Danube river. 

We walked for miles to find a grocery shop on Sunday evening and quickly learnt that no grocery shops were open at that time. We were so excited to see Tesco Express in the distance, but found that it was also closed. As it was getting really late we decided to look for breakfast the next morning and we treated the kids to a meal from Mc Donalds, not the most adventurous, but easy and hassle free at that time of the night.  We walked back to our beautiful and very quirky apartment and went promptly to bed, tired from a more than eventful day. 

What a day!!! Hoping for a better day tomorrow exploring Budapest and hopefully enjoying our holidays without too much drama 🤞😉

The Plan

Like all good plans this one was hatched well in advance of execution. Unlike all good plans, this one was hatched before COVID-19 happened and blew all good plans out of the water.

Having carefully, comprehensively considered and booked every part of this plan; flights, hotels, hire car, parking... COVID came along and we honestly thought it was not going to happen. That continued to be the case and we contemplated having to go through the painful process of trying to claim back all of the expenses we had laid out for all of the above.

Around July 2020, things began to change... for the better. Slowly, things and processes began to emerge from under the dark blanket of global lockdown and before we knew it.. it was on again.

As I write this, we have flights, though not quite the same ones; we had to rebook the return flights from Bratislava a few days earlier, sadly meaning a slightly shorter visit, but we agreed that we had to consider ourselves fortunate that we were going at all.

And so, I present to you; the route:

The time displayed is that for the entire route, whereas we would not be concerning ourselves with that. Rather this journey will be broken down into three broadly equal stages; Bratislava to Budapest, Budapest to Košice, Košice to Orava.