Slovensky Czechia .......

Heading south I stopped for the night at a small campsite near a lake which was busy but not full (the site that is) and had a good bar and decent enough wifi to update the blog whilst downing a beer or two. A local band played some Slovakian versions of pop classics as families barbecued but it was all quiet by 11.

 

I stopped at Banska Stiavnica, a former mining town and UNESCO WH site with its fine old buildings, two castles - the Old and New but both old and enjoyed a coffee and cake at a newly opened bar that was elegantly decorated inside and out. Just below it an area was cordoned off after a disastrous fire back in March that had destroyed half a dozen of the town's finer buildings. Restoration was underway but many precious works of art, museum pieces and antique books had been lost.

 

 

Arriving at a large but outdated campsite north of Bratislava in the suburb of Zlaty Pieski I pitched up as far under the trees as possible as the temperatures across Central and Southern Europe were staying very high. A short walk over to the tram terminus and a twenty minute journey put me in the centre and I walked down to the river and out to the impressive bridge that is supported primarily from one end by the 'UFO Tower' built in the 70s as a display of Soviet engineering. Apparently the circular restaurant at the top was supposed to be a revolving one but they were unable to access the Western technology to achieve this. It acts as an excellent observation platform after taking the lift up and I could see beyond Bratislava's old centre to the new skyscrapers of the business district to the east and the impressive Red Stone Castle to the west (which shone a brilliant white.....) After checking out a number of lovely churches and old buildings I caught the tram back up to the site which had filled up considerably. A friend from Swansea who is a bothy maintenance stalwart was from the city and used to swim in the local lake almost 40 years ago, which was also the scene of a fatal aircrash.

 

My intention to visit Trencin Castle was thwarted by yet another infuriating park by App or SMS system that refused to work but as I had stopped at the smaller but very impressive Beckov Castle I wasn't too bothered.

 

Thus I was over in to the Czech Republic and originally considered staying at a park-up out in the hills but it was on the junction of a couple of local roads and I doubted it would be particularly peaceful. Thus an aire in Uherse Hradiske caught my attention with the promise of free hook up but when I arrived none of the four outlets were working and a few locally owned Czech vans were occupying most of the spaces, however I could squeeze in and walked across to the supermarket and ATM as the Czech currency is still the Crown despite an intention to join the Euro over a decade ago. I was perhaps still mindful of the Hungarian forint arithmetic when it came to conversions and inadvertently took out £700 instead of £70 which to be honest I'm surprised my bank even let me do.......few machines elsewhere would allow you to withdraw that much. Anyway fortunately I have sufficient funds for it not to matter and it will act as an incentive to stay longer than planned!

The city of Olomouc was easily reached on foot from the campsite north of the centre and I enjoyed another old central zone with open squares including the main Trinity Square in front of the Town Hall that has a fascinating astronomical clock on one wall. I also walked out to the St Wenceslas cathedral passing through an arty tunnel before coffee and cake in the shade to energise me for the walk back. 

 

 

The UNESCO listed Archbishop's Palace at Kromeriz is surrounded by very pleasant parklands that I walked round keeping in the shade before heading south again to the Punkva Caves complex just north east of Blansko. It took some working out but basically by parking for the Macocha gorge which was an impressively large canyon lined with greenery you then walked a mile or so down to the Punkva entrance for a timed visit with a guide. Arriving early gave me time to enjoy the small museum, a Czech beer and a snack before we headed in to the system. Whilst not on the scale or grandeur of Skocjan back in Slovenia it was still a good visit which eventually emerged at the bottom of the gorge I had peered in to earlier. From there after more caverns and passages we all jumped in to flat bottomed battery powered skiffs that took us along a flooded section with a stop to look at a beautifully decorated chamber before finally emerging in to daylight. Then a cable car returned us to the top car park to cap off a very enjoyable experience.

Visiting Brno, Czechia's second largest city, yesterday was another interesting combination of transport options. I was staying at a lovely Dutch run site at Veverska Bityska at the top end of the valley flooded to provide drinking water for Brno and had spent the first evening chatting to Phillip, a Czech guy with a T4 who was very interested in my set up and lifestyle - he has a wife and young son and wants to live a simpler and more sustainable life in a hut he owns in wooded hills in the north of the country. The reception provided details of how to get down to the far end of the lake by boat and then hop on a tram to the city centre so at 9.30 am I was waiting by a slow moving, greenish coloured river when a lovely old fashioned vessel turned up for those of us on the bank. For a very reasonable £8 return we enjoyed a serene journey along a valley which opened up to become a large lake with numerous beaches, swimming spots and paddleboarders. Our vessel was electric so slid smoothly alongside various jetties for others to join or leave before reaching the dam wall. A short walk away I joined the tram in to town that seemed to operate a tap'n' go system for fares using my bank card although a couple I had met on the boat said they had tried to do the same, come unstuck and been hit with a hefty fine. For me as a change to the usual castles and fine buildings Brno had 3 varied underground attractions. The ossuary in a catacomb beneath St Jacob's Church once contained the bones of 50,000 deceased from many hundreds of years ago when cremations were not seen as acceptable. Many remains were later reinterred elsewhere but the collection remaining provided a poignant sight in the cool dark crypt. After an unusually decadent (for me) KFC mainly to get some wifi, unlimited drink top ups and use the loo I then climbed the tower of the old Town hall for a good overview of the city and some useful breeze as it was still hot. Dropping down to the large outdoor Krautmarkt or cabbage market, which of course sold far more than just cabbages, I then joined up for the tour of the extensive cellars that fan out from beneath the market place under adjacent buildings and were used for storage of everything from wines to vegetables, cheeses, grains and even prisoners.

 

 After climbing up to Spilberk Castle for more panoramic views and a jar of the excellent Urquell lager I then took my final excursion underground in to the 10-z nuclear fall out shelter which lies inside the castle's hill. It was an eerie experience and took me back to last summer's visit to a former Soviet nuclear missile silo in the Baltics - mankind is capable of acheiving so much looking back at the history of all the places I have been to in recent weeks and yet seems capable of putting it all at irreversible risk. For centuries Eastern Europe has seen wars and invasions with huge changes in the powers that be creating a complex historical web that prior to this trip I was only vaguley aware of. The stability of the EU may harbour well for the future but I am also acutely aware that Britain's narrow minded and pointless exit from Europe is impacting negatively on our country, those who would wish to live, work and study for a time there and the likes of yours truly who like to get away. To this end I have about a month left of this 9 month trip and will be heading across Germany by the end of July.

A tram back to the lake followed by an hour's gliding across still waters passing Veveri Castle, which I plan on cycling down to shortly, returned me to the site which was now full. I'd met Jay and Carol from amongst other places Sydney, Ireland and Berlin who are just embarking on an extended tour of Europe in a brand new VW Grand California van based on the Crafter. They have a loose itinerary so we chatted about various options and I hope to get a closer look at the impressive vehicle later.

Anyway a few hours in the shade bringing this up to date has also enabled me to do some laundry, have a clean out, deal with the loo which has gone a useful 3 weeks without needing emptying and checked my gas bottles - I am less than half way through the last Moroccan cylinder as the fridge has not been used on gas, I'm mostly enjoying salads for meals and the hot weather has meant that less gas has been needed to enjoy a shower. I have been using mostly sites and taken EHU occasionally which gives me hot water and a cold fridge for a further 48 hours so everything is fine for my last few weeks.

Pics as always by clicking this link.