Slovakia
Stary Smokevec Levoca Kosice
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Stary Smokevec
Zakopane, Poland sits on the northern slopes of the Tatra mountain range. The range acts as the political border between Poland and Slovakia. So we took a bumpy, twisty, scenic, mountainous bus ride through the Tatras to get to Stary Smokovec, Slovakia, which sits on the southern slopes. While our memories of Zakopane consist mostly of the snow and mountains, Stary Smokovec is slightly warmer and more about trees and woodlands. Of course, both towns have a bit of both, and we did get the occasional stunning mountain views from Stary Smokevec. But the highlight of our stay was a day hike in one of their lush national parks.Most of our photos are of the national park woodlands, but we included a few at the end from around town. There were lots of interesting wood-carved art pieces scattered about the town. The moon photos against the trees along the page border were also taken here.
| A peak at the snow-capped Tatras past the trees. |
| Most of the southern slopes are densly forested. |
| Our path through the woods. |
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| Some of the vibrant architecture around town. |
| You can rest on this train bench, one of the many wood-carvings that enhance the towns atmosphere. |
| This interesting piece of art was too odd to pass up. |
Levoca
Levoca was a quaint looking little town, but we made the mistake of arriving there on a Sunday morning. Apparently, the entire town goes to sleep on Sundays and it was so deserted that it was more than a little eerie walking around. We spent a couple of hours in town without seeing anyone on the street, and even most of the restaurants were closed. Unfortunately, so was the hostel, though we did find a nice enough hotel, if a bit pricey. Levoca made it on Lonely Planet Eastern Europe's suggested itinerary stops for Slovakia, but apparently in fall, no one but us was taking note of that recommendation.The ghostly quiet combined with the nicer-than-required hotel got us packing the next morning. Happily, we did see quite a few people on the streets on Monday morning. Still, the town was small and we stuck with our newly devised plan of heading out after only one night.
| This cool church sits on a hill overlooking the city. It was visible from our room. |
| The town square with its vibrant autumn trees and lack of people. |
| The 14th century church of St. James. |
| The Levoca town hall |
| One side is ornately painted with frescos of "civil virtues". |
| The "Cage of Shame" for those who weren't adhering to said virtues. |
Kosice
As soon as we arrived in Kosice, we knew that leaving Levoca for here was the right decision. A gorgeous, bustling old town, surround by a small river and a large park provided us with a beautiful, active place to explore and relax in. The tourist information center gave us a tip on a bed and breakfast that had just opened and was offering discounted rates on the few rooms available while renovations continued on the rest of the building. The kitchen wasn't finished, so it was really just a bed without breakfast, but that was also part of the discount. The room was fabulous, with an oversized tub so we could actually take baths.An additional benefit that most people wouldn't normally consider was that the room had 5 heaters in it. Now this may seem like a trivial thing, but since Slovakia, and Poland before it, do not have public laundromats, all our clothes were being washed in the sink. So 5 heaters gave us extra room to hang them out to dry on, and for the first time in weeks we were able to catch up on all the laundry!
| The bridge connecting Kosice's old and new towns. |
| Jakab Palace stands at the old town entrance. |
| Another view of this 19th century palace. |
| St. Elizabeth's Cathedral, the oldest structure in town. |
| St. Urbain's Tower, a bell tower from the 14th century. |
| This plague memorial stands in the wide central square. |
| The market area of the old town has unusually wide streets. |
| Kosice's State Theater with St. Elizabeth's tower in the background |
| The architecture throughtout the old town was stunning. |
