Nature and Freedom in Slovakia – The Unforgettable Final Stops of Our Journey

Hello everyone. We were approaching the end of our journey and for our final stop, we visited Slovakia. We wandered through beautiful places and felt as happy as children. Over the past ten days we covered a lot of ground, traveling through Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. After that we moved from Vienna toward the Slovakian border. Vienna is actually only about 60 kilometers away from the Slovakian border. What's even more surprising is that Bratislava, Slovakia's capital is almost right on the border.

We were getting a bit tired of cities. I think Vienna perfectly concluded our series of beautiful cities. Now we wanted to spend more time in nature. We deliberately saved Slovakia for last because it has mountains and for me mountains are everything.

After arriving in Slovakia, we spent our first night in a small town. We ended up in some kind of industrial area. We needed to buy engine oil for the car and there was a large warehouse here with good prices. I didn't know exactly where it was, but as the saying goes, seek and you shall find. we found a store where you can get everything at reasonable prices.

The roads in Slovakia are of course, not perfect, but there aren't any major potholes either. There are also beautiful sunflower fields and to me, everything here feels simpler and more sincere. We stopped by a burger place.

In general there is a great sense of warmth. The people seem to think in a way similar to us. Anyway, the villages we passed through were charming orderly and pleasant. We then left the highway, deciding to travel only on side roads and smaller routes because the most beautiful landscapes were there.

Our first destination was the village or settlement of Liptovská Osada. There is a protected area here, such as the Low Tatras National Park. The mountains in Slovakia are called the Tatras, divided into the Low Tatras and the High Tatras. We passed through the Low Tatras, where we had a stunning view of the High Tatras. Later, we headed to the High Tatras, which feature ski resorts in winter and interesting hiking trails. Mountains loomed ahead of us and we had to navigate around them. The entire route was planned.

The area wasn't crowded and there were few vehicles on the roads. To our right, a stream was flowing. It was the ultimate relaxation. In front of us, the High Tatras rose majestically, appearing even more massive. We made our way toward a lake that looked quite large on the map.

When we arrived at this vast lake, we found out it was called Liptovská Mara. I believe the word Mara is somehow related to the sea. The lake is enormous. When I checked the GPS, I realized I hadn't even crossed a tenth of its shoreline. It was a huge lake.

The next day was my birthday. I think over the past year, I have done more than in all my previous years combined. Most importantly, I decided how I want to live and where I want to live. More specifically, I realized where I don’t want to live. And what is happening now is something I couldn't have even imagined a few years ago. That's why I was so happy to be here.

I’ve never really celebrated my birthday. Maybe my parents did when I was a child, but it never became a tradition for me. For everyone, the word celebration can mean different things. For some, it means drinking, going to a club, dancing and taking a taxi home. For me, it means doing what I love, doing what makes me happy.

We traveled to the far end of the lake and stopped for the night. This was the freedom I had always dreamed of going wherever you want, following your gaze. It was incredible. To be honest, this was exactly what I had wished for during this trip: to just go somewhere. I didn’t know where it would be, but I thought it might be possible in Slovakia. I stumbled upon this road completely by chance. There was a viewing platform to observe the lake and suddenly, I noticed this road and decided to follow it. We passed through fields of rye and what I saw was breathtaking. It was a feeling beyond comparison.

I believe the most important thing in any journey is freedom and you feel it most strongly in places like this. The wind is blowing and I can't even express my emotions. It’s amazing and magical. I think this feeling becomes even more profound after spending time in many cities crowded with tourists.

And now here we are: on a mountaintop, at high altitude. You can look around and there is almost no one. If there is someone, they are far away, out on the lake in small boats. Silence, birds. It’s incredible. You want to freeze the moment, feeling like you’ve gone mad, as if you’ve been transported to another world. It’s an unfamiliar place, yet everything is familiar. The same grass, the same water, but everything feels different.

Nearby there was an aqua park and an entertainment complex, an area with five ski resorts clustered together. It seemed like a hub for recreational activities. We saw an upside-down house.

When we arrived at our guesthouse, the manager refused to check us in for a long time and kept stalling, despite our confirmed reservation through Booking. In the end, right in front of us, he gave the last available room to other tourists. Those tourists had just arrived and their booking was made through a completely unknown website. I had never heard of it. The reality was that the manager prioritized them because they planned to stay longer.

This sums up what you need to know about hotel services in Slovakia. We later realized that such incidents are not uncommon. The manager kept disappearing for 20 minute phone calls and eventually started avoiding us. When we finally understood that we wouldn’t be getting a room, we started looking for another hotel. It was already dark outside.

At 5 a.m. we got confirmation from Booking that this time, the hotel had no available rooms. The second hotel was the same story. The female manager told me, We have no vacancies. So why did Booking show availability? Because someone arrived and I forgot to update it, she explained. What a great excuse.

I tried another hotel, this time avoiding Booking. A man who lived in a neighboring house helped us. Fortunately, we found a guesthouse for around 20-21 euros. It wasn’t our initial plan, but we had no choice.

Earlier I mentioned the large lake we passed. I looked into its history and found out it’s actually a reservoir, partially artificial. In the past, rivers would periodically flood, submerging entire valleys and destroying buildings. The Slovaks dismantled all the historic buildings, churches and old houses and moved them to a neighboring village. Yes, they relocated entire buildings. The next village we passed through was the one where these structures had been relocated. The flooded area was then turned into a reservoir. It’s a huge lake, with a depth of 45 meters,quite deep for a reservoir.

That day police were more active than usual. We saw two traffic stops: one in a residential area under a 40 km/h speed limit sign on a bridge, with a tripod-mounted camera and officers stationed nearby. The second one involved an unmarked Audi pulling over a vehicle with flashing lights. So, my advice is: always stick to speed limits, even on the narrowest village roads. The fines are hefty.

Mission accomplished. We sat in the middle of a mountain river, with no one around. It was wonderful. It was time to check the water temperature, but suddenly, it started raining and we had to evacuate quickly.

Later we arrived at a pasture with cows, each wearing a bell. Traveling on paved roads isn't very emotional, but here, you feel free. We ran around, spent time and took amazing photos. We didn’t want to leave.

Whenever I see wheat fields, I feel like running through them. Here, I couldn’t resist.

The sun reigned victorious again and I felt elated. I love places without crowds, just pure, beautiful nature. If we had brought our picnic set, we could have camped here. Unfortunately, we didn’t bring our tent. Something to fix next time.