SLOVAK REPUBLIC

              Travel               

Total kilometers biked: 450 km

Days biked: 4 days

Road conditions: sealed, steep grades (12%) in the Tatry mountains

Weather: hot, dry and sunny

Food & Water:

Food: ate mostly with family, but food was easily accessible at grocery stores (called potraviny)

Water: no problem finding water, some underground springs in the lower Tatry mountains

Sleeping:

Camping in wild: while biking we slept in the woods/fields every night

Campgrounds/Other: we spent most nights with Meredith’s family in Strba

Alternate transportation: In order to spend more time with Meredith’s family, we took a train from Strba to Zilina.  We had no trouble taking our bikes onto the train. Cost – about $10 each one way

Maps Used: You can buy a detailed road map at any gas station (We used the Marco Polo 1:300,000.)

Highlights: visiting & meeting Meredith’s family, playing soccer with cousins, having Meredith’s 98 year old grandfather translate from English to Slovak and vice versa over the phone. 

Experiences: landscape was incredible, lots of 12% grade in the lower Tatry mountains, one man stopped us to sketch our bike trailers – loved them!