It is always interesting how we perceive a country that is completely new to us. And so we write down what we notice in the first few days.
First of all: Slovakia is not Slovenia. Nor is Slavonia. Slovakia lies "behind" the Czech Republic, and was even once part of Czechoslovakia. Then Slovakia was Hungarian for 1000 years. All in all, there are 2758 years of suffering under foreign rule. Turks, Habsburgs, Czechs, Hitler, Árpáds and many more. (Source: https://www.goethe.de/prj/jad/de/exil/23550062.html)
And that brings us to our first Perception: There is little smiling here. Somehow people are nice, helpful, but they don't smile. After a few days, we notice a kind of apathy in the faces. As I said, not angry, rather a bit absent.
Does this sound familiar? Yes, it is similar in Georgia. And yes, Georgia was also under foreign rule about 40 times. Is there a connection there?
But now to the really great impressions, because the Slovakia is a treasure, a whole treasure chest! Somehow unknown to tourists, we hardly know anyone who (apart from GDR citizens in the past) goes on holiday to Slovakia. And yet one should definitely do so once.
Because: There are an incredible number of Well-preserved historic villages and town centres. The towns are small and cosy, you can really get everywhere with a camper van. The Slovaks are folkloric and, it seems, outdoorsy. Besides, the country is only as big as Switzerland, from one place to another it's often only 30 minutes. So everything is easy.
And then nature! The Roads are mostly in tip-top condition, the forests so dense that you can't even get a few metres in to pee. Here, nothing is cleaned up in the forest; fortunately, everything is left to nature. And nature does an excellent job of it, of course! Simply fantastic.
And then, wherever the eye looks: Green! Green in all colours. The meadows are lush, the forests too. The roads, even the small ones, meander comfortably up and down, certainly simply beautiful for motorcyclists. There is little to no traffic, somehow time has stood still a little here. But without seeming old.
Although hardly anyone perceives Slovakia as a hotspot, tourist things are well organised locally. 24h parking usually costs €5 (yes, we pay with euros here!), you can stay overnight almost everywhere. The Hiking trails are well signposted, sometimes the walking times are a bit confusing, but we found that out right on the first day. If there are gondolas, they are usually fairly new. In the hiking areas that are ski resorts in winter, you can speak of German or Swiss standards (and also prices).
The Internet is really great everywhere here! Telecom, O2 or the Slovakian network: simply tip-top. Wonderful for working. And on top of that, there is often, very often, free WIFI. And that too: great. Conference calls, backing up data, uploading pictures: no problem.
What we also like: the land is empty and has a wonderful expanse. Empty of tourists, empty of crowds, everything is calm and really serene. The country is only similar in size to Switzerland, but somehow we have a less crowded feeling.
And then the Food: the opposite of empty plates. Rich, very healthy and tasty. Is it good for a bikini figure? Hardly. There are an incredible number of small and medium-sized restaurants everywhere. The service is fast and good, and the food tends to be cheaper than in Germany, for example. But there's not much left to do.
Oh yes, and really fascinating is the Music in the cafés, restaurants. We have never heard Modern Talking, Nino de Angelo and Albano and Romina Power as often as here. But not in the original, but always in the Slovakian version! Simply divine!
All in all we are incredibly excited of this country, its culture, its nature and its cuisine. You can really spend a few weeks here, there are so many national parks, so many nature reserves and beautiful corners to enjoy.
And we already know that we won't be able to do everything, after all, we want to be back in Berlin in time for our daughter's wedding.
Merci for "travelling with us
We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.
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