After two nights in Hrensko it’s time to leave this fantastic family hotel. The goal for next stage was to see both the upper and the lower Tatras on our way to Romania but we decided to “save” some goodies for our way back so the upper Tatras will be for the return. I think it’s important when you go so far away that the return trip also feels inspiring and not only a return, as quick as posible.

Our first milestone was Špindlerův Mlýn in, Tjeckien, one o many Ski resorts. The weather started with sun and as always, we stayed on very small roads as much as we could. We usually just put in a town on the GPS and then just go straight. That means very small roads and I navigate while we are driving. That road looks good, ah that roads looks better, na let's take a right in next turn and so on. For med the 3D view is totaly useles. I need to see the map from on top.

A little phone stop to check out the situation at home.

We drowe on very small road and did not go very fast at all.

We had only made 150km when we reach Špindlerův Mlýn at lunch time. This is the home for the River Elbe and if the whether was fin I wanted to explore that. The closer we came the darker it turned and I felt small droops on the visor on the helmet, hm….. time for lunch and no walkin to the spring of Elbe.

We hurried to stop and found a place out side so we could watch the bike and have lunch as well. It was raining heavier and heavier and we were very happy we sat under the huge sun umbrellas. I slowly got better and when it only was light rain I run and got our rain clothes and we redressed.

We were following the border to Polen and the rain didn’t stop as we hoped, it got worse. We decided to make an early stop for the day. We had some very nice driving in deep leaf forrest and if it had been dry, I think this was a top 10 road.
We came in to a to a nice little small town on the Polish side. We stopped at many palaces and asked for room but the were all full. I think it was a tourist town and I was kind of pissed of at the end. Can you imagine yourself sitting in the rain for 4 hours and then when you like to fi d a place jumping on and of the bike asking for room and then get a negative answer all the time. You get quit warm and moistest inside you rain suite as well and the visor on your helmet is getting all foggy…… grrrr. A holliday with the car is very easy.

Finally we found a Hotel, not that nice and not that cheap either but not that bad at all. The only room they had was on the third floor and no elevator.
We took it, carried all our stuff upp the stairs, got out of our rain suites and hang it all in the bathroom. Hungry we were and down town and found a very nice restaurant. I was full but after 10 minutes we got a table. We had the most wonderful meal. We started with a hot and spicy red beat soup to get the heat up in our bodys. As main course we had a biff bourgogne style stew and a couple of tasty hand crafted beers.

We had a double espresso with milk afterwards and no desert.
This was one of top five meals of the trip I think. We walked slowly back to the hotel along the walking street.

All the bad thinking about the rain was long gon and forgotten.

I think Polen played against Sweden that night and we saw that game without understanding any thing from the speakers. I think Polen won that night.
Next morning we started with our rain clothes packed down even if the rain hanged very lose och we just waited for it. It was sunny and 30 degrees every day back home in Sweden and I think we had 12° that morning. We stayed in the area of the ring.

It didn’t take long until it started to rain again and I was a bit disappointed of the weather. Last time I drove here we had so nice weather and I wanted to show Gertrud the soundings and the roiling hills/ mountains but it was all gray.

That day we didn’t stop much since the weather but when we reach the area of Ostawa we had some sun and felt better.
As soon as we came in to the higher areas of Slovakia it started to rain again. I had found such a nice pass that I wanted to go and we hoped it should stop but it was like driving an air plain in the clouds. You have to Google Malý Kriváň and see for your self. I didn’t take any photos that day. :-(

https://www.google.se/maps/place/Mal%C3%BD+Kriv%C3%A1%C5%88/@49.1810773,18.9929245,3a,75y,57.54h,83.13t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMMpf4Fkj8qoreuCYicmHzPcn25Y5JgTmFD5gY6!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMMpf4Fkj8qoreuCYicmHzPcn25Y5JgTmFD5gY6%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-2.9338646-ya350.5-ro-0-fo100!7i8704!8i4352!4m5!3m4!1s0x47145408687dffed:0xdd8dff01af0ca011!8m2!3d49.1810301!4d18.9929581?hl=sv&authuser=0

We discussed where to stay and heard about a lake on a high elevation that should be nice. It’s called Liptovská Mara in Slovakien and I thought we chould find a nice gasthouse there.
It was raining cats and dogs when we got there and we felt a little cold and wanted to find a nice place wher we could park the bike inside a garage and hang all the rain clothes to dry but that dream felt far away.
We stopped at several places but it was only apartments but finally at one place the girl said, I have a brother and he have a little family hotel and he also have a restaurant/pizzeria just across the street. If you drive abut 5 km you will come to a street crossing and there it is. I will call him and make sure he have a room ready for you. Yes there is a room for you and they are waiting for you. Just look for pension Mara she said. I was a bit afraid we should miss it but no, how could we? The whole family was waiting outside and they had backed out their own car and pointed that we should drive directly in to the the garage. Do you think I felt happy?

A very nice place to stay at Pension Mara. That night we could see the mountains in the background.

We could hang all the raiy clothes in the garage and we only had to take the most necessary thing with us up to the room. Luxury, we could even goo inside the house from the garage.
We took a shower and then we walked over the street and had a nice pizza and a big beer.
We slept very well that night even if we had some thunder.
Next morning we had a wonderful breakfast and it was sunny out side. Jippy. I could also use the garden house and i uses my vacuum packed cleaning sponge to clean the bike. It was so dirty after driving in the mountains with all that rain = a lot of dirt on the roads.

During the breakfast we asked a little about where we should go if we wanted to explore the mountains in a good way. We were recommended to visit a ski resort first and then go back again and drive a pas as you can see on the map where the hart is.

The map for the day

I felt so good when I paid and extra 10€ for we could use the garage and clean the bike and all. I had to convince them to accept that. The hole family was standing outside waving good by when we left. We felt so welcome and of you are in the area, stay at Pension Mara.

The air was so fresh this morning, almost as an early spring day.

On the mountain top we came in to a site where they built a lot of very nice cabins.

It was wonderful but no so easy to catch on camera.

Time to go back down again and find that pas we were recommend to take.

We hade such a nice weather and I think you can imagine the lovely smell from logs and fresh pine three.
We got compensated from the day before….

It’s not getting much better views then this.

When we reach the top we stopped for a lunch and I had a chicken soup and Gertrud took what she thought was a Goulash soup, It smelled like manure when she got it and the taste was just horrible. It turned out to be cow stomach she ordered. Gertrud didn’t eat it, we splitted my soup and had the bread and our alcohol free beer along with it. Bye bye, lets get out of here.
The mountain pas was wonderful and we enjoyed it a lot. I think we could stayed in the lower Tatras a week, just driving around in that mountain area. Google “Lower Tatras” and look closer to the roads with the yellow man “road view” and you will understand what i meant.

The closer we came to the Hungary border the more horse carts we saw as well

The road quality was also getting “different”.

When we got in to Hungary and drow on lower land we saw a lot of “Stork”. We passed a lot of farm areas and we wanted to go close to the Romanian border before we started to look for a place to stay over night.

We kept on driving and the roads on the countryside was not so good so we decided to do some bigger roads. We drove with a Harley gang for about 100km and we chatted a little at every stop or red light. They were impressed about the fact that we came all the way from Sweden. They also helped us not get caught in a radar control. Very kind of them and I felt i a little cool when we drowe in formation together.
The temperature reach over 30 degree that day

Quite late that day we found a place that turned out to be an old horse farm from the good old days. You can Google Debrecen, Paripa Csárda and you will see exactly where the place in.
It was a long drive that day and I was tired when we had our supper. I had pork filè and Gertrud had some pork steak. We had normal fired potato ans a good creamy sauce.

We slept very well that night and we were happy for the Air cooler in the room.

Our room was on second floor at the nearest two windows.

Tomorrow our plans are to reach the Romanian border but we take the day as it comes.