A Volcano of Bears

Last week we went mushroom picking in the evening in a valley near Hrochot. It turns out we were in the crater of an extinct volcano. I also learnt that the biggest hungriest bears in Slovakia are also found here. As I got out of the car Maros pointed out I was basically in a volcano of bears.

We climbed up the damp and darkening hillside and found quite a few mushrooms though rather wormy. When I got in I fried them up with an onion (including a couple of worms no doubt that sneaked passed my inspection) and the next day I had them in an omelette for breakfast.

The Return to Slovakia

We woke up to another bright sunny morning in our strange little campsite. We cheerily greeted our fellow campers who seemed a friendly bunch and clearly understood proper bedding airing techniques.

We tried to pay at the reception of the penzion. It wasn't easy - the receptionist was very cheerful but rather inefficient, and then we were off and bombing along the German autobahn again.

Soon we got to the Polish border and the next hundred kilometres of awful rutted pitted road surface on the 'motorway' with stretches overgrown with grass stands as a monument to human folly. As we drove along all the pots and pans rattled in the cupboards of the campervan, as did the plates and cups and cutlery, and the table threatened to rattle itself into pieces, our bones rattled around and our teeth rattled in our heads. The only entertainment was watching the lorry in front of us bounce along in a bizzare way. Then it started raining.

By the time we got to a more normal road surface, the sun was out and we stopped for coffee and the delicious sour soup zurek. We drove across Poland and crossed into the Czech Republic and then into Slovakia.

The weather grew colder and greyer and we were dismayed by all the roadside billboards spoiling the views of the hills and mountains. There had been very few in Norway, Denmark and the other countries - even free-wheeling Poland had reined in the excesses but in Slovakia they appeared as a blight. We also bounced along the 'tankodrome' road between Martin and Turcianska Teplica which also made us annoyed. Then we had bryndzove halusky at the famous St Christof salas (shepherd's hut) and even they tasted like they'd been made from a packet mix. So though we were all glad to be back, we suffered a bit of a culture shock and felt a bit sad.

We travelled 8,100 km in three weeks and stayed in four countries - Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and we drove across the Czech Republic, Poland and Finland. We'd been in 7 boats, 5 of which were ferries. Highlights were experiencing the midnight sun, whale and dolphin watching, seeing Copenhagen and Oslo, swimming in the sea, spaghetti, the beauty of the fjords, first sights of the reindeer, delicious fish, oystercatchers on the beach, and rowing on the fjord. It was a really great holiday and we had seen and learnt a lot on our trip.

From Denmark to Germany

Another nice sunny day again in Bisserup. We had breakfast and set off to catch the ferry to Rostock from Gedser.

We arrived in Gedser in good time and Katka and I went for a walk around the town. We found a garden of the senses and ate red currents and gooseberries and sniffed the herbs.

Then we got on the ferry to Rostock and the journey took two hours. At the big Hanseatic port of Rostock, Maros spotted the big cruiseliner we had seen in Oslo.

Then we travelled for about 4 hours on the good German autobahns. We went around Berlin and found a strange and rather crowded campsite by a motorway that was rather full of mosquitos and near Cottbus.

Katka prepared the last Swedish carrot for our last soup. We enjoyed pasta squares with sauerkraut for supper - and I learnt to eat it the caravan way, that is, with plenty of sugar and pepper. We also had a couple of beers and listened to country and blues music on a German radio station and discussed theories of the origins argriculture, the benefits of red current wine and different fermented foods. It was a good evening.

A day by the beach in Bisserup

Today we had a nice day at the beach - walking, cycling, reading and a lovely meal at a smart restaurant in the pretty village. Maros joined a toddler (and possible future member of Danish squad) and grandparents playing football. We also all went swimming in the Baltic where the water was quite warm. KAatla and Maros went twice and I went once.

In the evening we had supper and a pleasant walk. We saw a pet hare on someone's lawn. Then later we watched the dreary Argentina-Holland match with the Danish holiday makers. It was a lovely sunny day, though rather windy.

Copenhagen pt 3

After visiting Christianshavn we returned by metro and drove out to the south west coast of Zeeland to a campsite in the quaint village of Bisserup. We went to dip our toes in the Baltic sea and after a good supper we watched Germany annihilate Brazil in the world cup semi-final on a screen outside at the camp. It was a popular match and the result seemed to delight the Danish viewers - me too, but Katka and Maros were not so happy.

Copenhagen pt 2

After visiting the aquarium we took the metro into the centre to the borough of Christianshavn, and went for a walk around Freetown Christiania - the anarchist commune which has been operating since 1971. There were lots of signs asking people not to take photos so I don't have many. There were people openly selling and smoking dope, stalls for t-shirts, musicians practising, home-made Buddhist temples, people lying in the sun reading by the lake. We discussed anarchy, freedom and the Vietnam War as we wandered round.

Copenhagen pt 1

When we woke up the weather had improved and it got better as the day went on.

We drove round Copenhagen on the motorway to Kastrup and the airport on the south west side of the city. We parked and went to the National Aquarium to see the puffins and piranhas, sharks and a cousin of the coley we ate in Norway.