For days we have been scurrying around the High Tatras. Sometimes we have to work, sometimes the weather is bad high up in the mountains. Now we have decided: We won't do it. We still want to see so many typical Slovakian things that we simply skip the alpine mountains. Because mountains - yes, that's just the way it is - we know enough.
So we drive all the way up north, to Červený Kláštor. And no, we'll never remember all those names, because we don't even know how to pronounce them! Here, right on the border with Poland, there is a pleasant border river that is perfect for rafting.
The navigation of the Dunajec has a long history. As early as the 19th century, tourists began to be carried on this waterway, which was originally only used for transporting timber. In 1708, the priest Daniel Krman even travelled as far as the Baltic Sea to deliver a message to the Swedish King Charles XII. Since we do not know any king personally, we are spared this task.
From Červený Kláštor you can experience the most impressive part of the Dunajec. The white foam on the water comes from dissolved calcium and has given the mountain and the national park its name. The rafters, often dressed in the traditional costume of the Gorals, steer rafts made of five wooden troughs held together by simple means. Although their jokes about using spruce branches as wreaths for drowned tourists are not always well received, they are very experienced and apparently have to pass tough tests.
So we get in right next to our dream sleeping campsite and get out again 11 km downstream in Lesnica.
We are incredibly lucky with the weather: it is the end of September and the sun is shining all day. The raftsmen were supposed to make funny remarks and tell us something about the surroundings, but our two were rather of the uncommunicative variety and kept silent. A pity really. So once again we had to Trippy our explainer app.
In return, the oh-so-experienced once made us run over stones in shallow water, which really went bang. After some back and forth and not getting anywhere, the boss jumped into the water, gave our raft a right nudge and lifted it over the stone. Okay, it can happen. It wasn't deep, so we could have easily waded to the shore.
All in all, it was a beautiful scenery through which we drove. And it reminded me a little of a boat trip in the Spreewald, the guests were mostly of retirement age (maybe we will be one day) and people waved politely to those standing on the shore.
Then in Lesnica the decision: taxi, bus, on foot or by bike back? We decided on the bike because I really wanted to ride along the river again. The cycle path leads directly along the river and so a few minutes later we were sitting on the rattling rented wire donkeys. Gerd swapped his immediately, I should have swapped better too.
So we set off and after about a kilometre it was clear: I am far too unathletic. The path is too heavy, the bike just doesn't roll. Gerd laughs, I'm annoyed. Until we realise that the brake on my bike is jammed and I'm kicking the brake all the time. Of course it doesn't work like that. And to be honest, I'm not a fan of bicycles anyway. And of course I immediately thought that the whole dilemma was down to me.
But then came the great hour of our teamwork: I armed with a stone, Gerd with his Swiss army knife, repaired or loosened my seized brake shoes. And my bike was rolling. The remaining 10 kilometres were pure pleasure.
Wow, what a great day in northern Slovakia! We immediately decided to stay here for another day and watch the hustle and bustle on the river. And we didn't shed a tear for the High Tatras, whose peaks we could see in the distance.
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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