We’ve been wanting to see more of Slovakia than just Bratislava for a while. Several weekends ago we went to Liptovský Mikuláš in the lower Tatras about 3 hours east of Bratislava. Wow, this little town had everything outdoorsy one could want. It had a large ski resort, a few caves, a really big lake, and all of the other small activities that go along with those. We stayed at our first B&B (Chalet Slovakia, highly recommended) in Europe and it was perfect and so much fun. The family was from the UK (yay, they spoke English) and they had a small boy a few months older than Skye, which was really fun watching them interact. They drove us around, had a backyard and garden complete with a rabbit. We had our own room and Amber even got her own room which must have been wonderful after our small quarters in BA. It was really, really nice having all of the accommodations of home. They were really nice and provided just enough hovering and freedom. It was one of our better traveling experiences because of all of their personal touches and not having to deal with public transit and hotel rooms.
The train took a little longer getting up there (of course). So the first day we just got settled in and walked around the small village and watched some professional river kayakers practice for a while. It was just so great being outside in this stunning valley. It kind of reminds of Heber Valley a bit.
The next day Amber wanted to do a really rigorous, 8 hour hike to the countries emblem peak, Kriváň. While she did that, the three of us went to the largest show cave in Slovakia. The caves were on the way up the mountain to the ski resort, and the tree line was encroaching on the road because it is so absolutely lush and rain-foresty. The caves were really fun and cool to walk through. We of course didn’t know what the tour guide was saying, but it was neat nonetheless. Skye was in the backpack and for the most part seemed to enjoy it to. The B&B guy picked us up and took is back to the chalet for Skye’s nap. Then we just lounged around while the kids played. We wanted to do more things that Skye wouldn’t have to be stroller tied to so we went to the town of relocated buildings from when the lake was created. Kinda like the This Is The Place park. Skye loved the freedom and it was cool seeing this culture’s heritage a bit. The B&B lady and her son went with us and it was all and all just a nice day being outdoors but not anything crazy. That night after Amber came home and we swapped daily stories before we went to dinner at an “American” restaurant.
The next day was just a half day since we wanted to be home Sunday night. Again Amber had such a good hike, that she went to do another one. Benjam, Skye, and I took the B&B’s bikes and rode to the lake. I wish we would have had time to stay and play. They use lakes the way we use swimming pools, so it had slides and picnic areas and boats. We only had time to stay for a bit before riding back through the Slovak countryside before getting to our train.
We said our goodbyes to the cool family and dashed to the train, which was of course 40 min delayed. It was a really great weekend where we all got to do what we wanted but still be together. I wish we would have tried the B&B’s before, but this place didn’t have any other occupants, so we had the place and owner’s to ourselves, which I don’t think would have been the case in Italy, for example.
It looks beautiful. I’m glad you had a great experience this time with the traveling. You have a nice backpack for Skye. Their lakes sounds like so much fun. That is cool you got to experience that with your sister also.
Wow – A playmate for Skye – People who actually speak English – beautiful countryside, mountains for Amber to climb – not having to take the train everywhere – This sounds like your best getaway yet. Skye is sure getting around so good – and growing so cute. I miss you all so much but I am glad that you are having a wonderful time and this looked like a really wonderful time. You all look great.