More New Friends

After our rafting trip we were very hungry, so we found ourselves a pleasant Slovakian restaurant to try a traditional meal of bread dumplings and goulash. It was hearty fare and it went down very well. It certainly stopped us being grizzly bears. After our refuelling it was time to make some new friends. First had to be a local bear. He was giving one of the locals such a big bear hug that we had to sit patiently and wait our turn. He was a lot bigger than us but we reminded ourselves that 'size isn't everything' and so we didn't feel in any way inferior. Were we wrong not to be scared, given how close we were sitting to those teeth?


The next friendly looking local who we stopped to greet, was one of the boatmen. He didn't look quite as modern as the two chaps who had poled us an hour or so earlier, but we bet with his age and experience he had a tale or two to tell.


Unfortunately we didn't have time to hang around to listen to his tales, as it was time to cycle along the Pieniny Way, a cycle path carved out of the cliff running the whole length of the Dunajec Gorge which we had seen from the raft earlier. Only cyclists and walkers can use the path so it was great to cycle away from the traffic and have time to stop and enjoy the spectacular scenery.

At the end of the way, we crossed back into Poland. There were some border guards at this crossing point but they were too interested in their conversation to give our bearports more than a cursory glance and no stamp was offered.

That evening we stayed in a spa town with another rather unpronounceable name - Szczawanica. Here we found a great squirrel - he was great not only in personality but also in size. We wasted no time making his acquaintance in the hope he would tell us the best places to visit and the best restaurant to eat in.


Lots of love, George, Yorkie and squirrel xxx

Lets Run those Rapids

We promised yesterday that we would tell you about our rafting trip. This was the highlight of our day out in Slovakia.

Before we could go rafting though, the raft had to arrive on a lorry, in bits, and be put together. This is because the trip is one way, owing to the fast moving water and stretches of white water.


The raft sections were slid off the top of the lorry along a couple of poles and two men had to catch the sections in mid flight before they crashed into the ground. It was a bit scary and we made sure we didn't get in the way.

Strapping the sections together on the river was a rather more straightforward operation and we were happy to lend a paw with the finishing touch - sprigs of fur to keep splashes from coming in the raft. In reality, as it was a real scorcher of a day, we could have done without these splash guards although they did make the raft look traditional.


As we got under way on our trip through the simply beautiful Dunajec Gorge we discovered that our seating position wasn't really that comfortable and we kept slipping down the gap between the raft sections. You've got to agree we don't look too relaxed in our next picture.


After a chat with our friendly Slovakian polers we soon discovered a better solution. They suggested we make ourselves a comfortable nest at the front of the raft using their traditional waistcoats, which it was too hot to wear, as cushioning. We found this very comfortable and it enabled us to make the most of the breeze and any splashes which came aboard as we were expertly manoeuvred through some fairly exciting stretches of white water.


The only drawback, only a slight one, was that we got to see everything backwards and it was quite hard to keep our eyes open.

Lots of love George & Yorkie xxx