DAY 11/12: 17/18 AUGUST

Camping costs: €22 – 2 nights for 3 adults, 1 child, 2 tents & 2 cars

We decided to stop at the pension we had wanted to stay at for a drink before setting off again. What a pity it had been full, it looked like a lovely place to stay. Perhaps if we are back in that neck of the woods again we might book into it. Out of interest we asked when they would have a free room, they said they were fully booked for the next week. There were plums and apples growing on the side of the roads next to the pension, Cassie picked some and ate them. Not quite ripe enough, but she seemed to enjoy them all the same.

Today’s camp site search was a long and interesting one. So, the map showed a camp site, we headed there. Only to find that it was just day camping, for swimming. We decided that it was a good enough spot to have lunch and look at the map to see where the other camp sites were plotted. We saw that there were 3 on the other side of the lake and decided to head for those. The first one was full of travellers, scary, so we moved on. The next we just could not find. The 3rd, again was a site for travellers. There were these camp sites on the map, but they just didn’t exist. It was now getting late. Pete decided to consult his GPS to find B&Bs listed in the area or camp sites. He finds a camp site, hotel and B&B listed on the opposite side of the lake. We decide to head there. When we get there, there is a toll to pay to access the road down to the camp site. We paid €2.50, Pete paid €2…why Pete paid a different price, we just don’t know. We finally stumbled across the camp site and decided to stay. The lake was warm, there were toilets and showers so we decided to stay for 2 nights. The tents got put up and off we went for a beer up at the bar. We made the decision to braai tonight and go out for dinner tomorrow, so off we trudged back down to the tents to cook dinner. At the Tesco in Snina we had picked up some meat, ready made Slovakian salads and vegetables. The salads were not very tasty, what was in them I still have no clue.

Our tents were under a street lamp type light, it was very bright. Poor Pete ended up moving his tent and Dan and I decided to put up with the light. Wendy had an awful nights sleep, but that could have also been due to a VERY loud party happening next to the camp site.

DAY 12: 18 AUGUST

We decided to treat ourselves to a breakfast of french toast and coffee, to make up for the terrible nights sleep. We spent the day lazing in the sun and Cassie got a day swimming in the lake. A nice lazy day. We also determined the next leg of our journey, where Pete would be leaving us. We decided to head for Martin in Slovakia where Pete would go his way and we’d head off into Czech. We showered and walked to find the local eatery. The menu was small. Dan ordered what he was told to be a typical Slovak dish: Bryndzové halušky (potato dumplings with sheep’s-milk cheese). Pete and I were unadventurous and had burgers, Cassie had chicken in a mushroom sauce with chips. We paid up after Dan and Pete devoured a chocolate tart slice each. The night turned chilly and we walked back for a cold nights sleep, big contrast to the scorcher of a day we had just had.