Figjam's Epic Adventure 'The Second Coming': Spisska Nova Ves & Slovak Paradise

16/8/12

1314 (local time)

Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia

Written on: a very noisy train from Zakopane to Krakow, Poland, listening to the Jail Bird Jokers new Album!

What a fantastic and crazy time I had in Spisska Nova Ves. This was a place that I only went to by coincidence. Whilst I was on Kosice, myself and Jaro’s friends went to a beer festival in the nearby town, where I watched a bunch of bands playing. One of the bands that caught my eye was a young group of guys and girls doing a few covers, one song that particularly caught my attention was Whole Lotta Love, by Led Zeppelin.

So I got chatty to the singer of the band after their set, and (she) Diana bought me a beer and I said that ‘I should come hang out with her in little her town after I had been in Zdiar’.

What I didn’t now, is that her ‘little’ town was home to some of the most beautiful forests I’ve ever hiked through, Slovak Paradise is its name.

Anyway, I arrange the date and time I arrived and Bruno picked me up from the train station. Bruno is one of Diana’s friends and he was also the guy I was going to be living with for what I thought was only going to be a few nights.

Well, that few nights turned into a week… and ill explain why!

The first night I was introduced to all their friends, and we went to Paul’s family cottage that’s in Slovak Paradise. Honestly I could live in this cottage for months. No running water, so you have to fetch water from the local spring, no internet just electricity. Away from big cities, away from big civilization it was perfect.

So we met the group there for a BBQ cooked on an open fire with some great music and great company! It was perfect. Wine’s and beers were drunk and I was content.

I was very keen to come back to the cottage the day after, so I convinced everyone that it was a great idea! So we all did! BBQ, Beers and Catan! Another perfect evening. But this was a bit different, I spent the night there a got up relatively early as I was going to begin my 8 hour hike from Paul’s cottage.

It was great, some of the hiking was steep, others flat. But what was great was the ladders and ropes that you had to climb over, around etc! See the photos.

That evening I was wiped! And even the next day I was wiped as well. One thing I did do, was get introduced into a magical drink called Kofola! This is the drink of champions! Its like a mixture of coke and Jesus siliva! Its from the gates of heaven… the sad thing is, that you can only get it in Slovakia!

It was the 13^th of August, a Monday when I went back into Slovak Paradise to finish off the rest of my hiking! It was another great day, this day I was a bit more prepared in terms of food, so I managed a 9hr hike! And that night I was wiped! We still went to the local pub for a few beers but nothing too big!

The next day, (Tuesday) we were going to have a party for my leaving! What I didn’t realise is that when the Slovaks party, they party with shots and drinking games… lets just say the next day (Wednesday) I missed my bus by 3 hours…

Looks like ill be leaving on Thursday then!!!

Spisska Nova Ves was an amazing experience for me. Maybe it was because I expected nothing but got given everything I asked for! Which almost sums up my experience of Slovakia altogether! I arrived to Slovakia knowing nothing about it at all, and it has given me some of the best experiences I’ve had in my life.

So thank you everybody that was involved in my experience!

A HUGE thanks goes to Bruno for letting me stay in his lovely apparment, and also I can’t forget Diana if it wasn’t for you, I would never have come! So thanks again everyone!

Next up Poland! – what do you have in store for me?

Much love to all!

Take care!

Xxx Steve