2017-PROJECT CARPATHIAN BALKAN-Day 01

“LET’S START!”

As always before such a trip, I was a bit nervous the night before. I was thinking about answers to questions, which i can´t know before i finished the planned trip. Will everything go well? Where would I stay over the night? Is the planned route doable alone? Do you have packed all the things which are necessary? So why I think about it again and again and destroy therefore the refreshing night rest before the incoming adventure? I don´t know … .
The only thing I know is that there will be some nights during the trip, where I surely will sleep like a stone, due to the exciting incoming adventures out there. So let´s start!

The first day of the Project Carpathian Balkan took us from Austria/Vienna 445km or 276mi directly into the heart of Slovakia.

Around 0700 in the morning Чернотa and I left Vienna along the airport.

Via a few easy morning gravel tracks we went on into the direction of the Austrian/Slovakian border.

The border river called “March” was crossed over the “Cycling Bridge of Freedom”, also …

known as “Chuck Norris Bridge.” (What a shame that this cool name was not used^^)

Along some nice curvy roads on asphalt and shortcuts through…

spring green forest areas, we made a …

a quick brake at this stylish biker bar/club/… whatever building.

After a “nuclear” gravel track it was time to have some …

detoxifying refreshment in the village Trencianske Teplice. Strengthened with caffeine …

the first longer …

gravel parts in Slovakia have been a pleasure to ride. They brought us to a well known …

Slovakian village called “CICMANY”. This village is noted for its …

old wooden houses with flourish paintings and patterns. Sadfully there are only a few of this old buildings left over in “CICMANY”.

Afterwards we went on further east. Due to a not existing track in the woods which was shown on the map but was absent in real, Чернотa and I have been forced …

to take more asphalt than planned. This led us directly into a classy Eastern Bloc City.

Fastly we left the city and went on in the direction of the “High Tatra Mountains”.

We rode on along a real nice …

scenery. Time to get some food for tonight: In a local shop aside the street I stopped. The lady at the shop recommended me some “Klo basa” which first sounded to me like the German word “Klobesen” – which means THIS hehe.

Starring at her like a lunatic she showed me what she meant. Sausages! That was fine, better than chewing on a old toilet brush. ^^
I also took a can of beer and some cheese and water.

Near the borderline to Poland, …

right in the hilly areas in the west of the High Tatra …

i called it a day. After a short search we found a nice meadow in the woods, where I built up the shelter for the night. At next …

cooking was on the schedule. I put the “toiletbrushes” in the pan and roasted them well. ^_^

With a bit of cheese gratin on top of the sausages and a 11% Slovakian beer the end of the day was perfect. With a full belly I did a short hike …

around the camp. Afterwards I read in my e-book and later, when the …

sun sunk down, I crawled into my cosy sleeping bag and slowly snored away.
*zzz zzZ ZZZ*