Across Eastern SlovakiaVýchodom Slovenska

The Košice-to-Tatras cycling trip was perfect in one particular way: there were a lot of us. Eight people rode their bikes all the way from Bratislava to Košice, and in Košice a ninth, Ondro, was already waiting for us. By the way, eight is a great number, because you fit exactly into two four-seat compartments on an IC train, so the fun is guaranteed.

Somewhere on the way to Košice we realized it would probably be a good idea to actually sort out somewhere to sleep. But before we managed to finalize a hotel booking just outside Košice, our friend Mišo offered to put us up at his place instead. You know you have good friends when nine people descend on their home and not only do they find room for everyone to sleep, but they also greet you in the morning with homemade pâté. Thanks again, Mišo.

This was the first time we'd been out this far east on our bikes, and it turned out to be a great decision. From Košice we headed west, past the Bukovec reservoir (Pod Bukovcom), where we cooled off nicely, and a bit further on past the other Bukovec reservoir. A decent climb awaited us toward Kojšovská hoľa, and below it we took a break at Erik's cabin.

Heading down from Kojšovská hoľa things got worse, because the tarmac gave way to gravel, and my front wheel didn't like that one bit. We fixed the flat pretty quickly though, and from there on into Gelnica it was pure fun.

In Gelnica we met up with Čolka's aunt, who took us for a beer near the stadium. Later we carried on toward Rolová Huta, where some friends of Kika's put us up. I want to thank them here too, same as Mišo -- full respect for letting nine people crash at their place and treating us to a lovely evening barbecue.

On our second day of riding we carried on further west. Along the way we passed many Roma settlements, picturesque villages and shaggy cows, until we settled in for the night at a lovely spot on the shore of the Mlynky-Dedinky reservoir.

On the last day we carried on toward Poprad. This was the hardest stretch, since it took us over the biggest hills of the whole trip. At the same time, crossing through the Slovenský raj national park was hands-down the most beautiful part of the entire trip. We eventually made our way out of the hills, and through Belanovce and the scenic little hills below the Tatras we finally reached Poprad.

Since Ondro lives in Poprad, we had accommodation sorted, and the next day we continued home by train.

This short cycling trip completely charmed us. We loved the many lakes, the crossing through Slovenský raj national park, and the beautiful landscape between the villages and the lowlands beneath the Tatras. We definitely recommend it to all of you -- the bigger the group, the better.