The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Travel days are never boring!

So we set off yesterday morning, headed for the village of Zuberec, without any idea of where we were staying. We walked down to the train station in Istebne, with lots of time to wait for our 9:52am train. And we waited. And we waited.

We've found the train and bus schedules to be very accurate in both Czech Republic and Slovakia. They have a great website for checking schedules at http://cp.atlas.sk/vlak/spojenie/ and it even has an English version. So when 10:00am came and went, and still no train, we were a little confused. Even the board posting the schedule at the tiny station said 9:52am, so we have no idea what happened. The next train wasn't scheduled until almost noon, so we figured we had a long wait. And then just before 10:30am, it arrived!

It's a slow train that makes lots of stops, so it was about an hour journey to Nizna, only about 34 kms (21 miles) away. Train cost €3.44 ($4.30) for the two of us.

The bus station was only a short walk from the train station, and we had to wait half an hour or so for the bus to Zuberec. Cost of the bus was €2.20 ($2.75) for the two of us.

(A) Istebne, (B) Nizna, (C) Zuberec.

Zuberec is a bit of a tourist town, but only because it is located close to several major ski areas and so there are many guest houses and private accommodation available. We are only about 20 kms (12 miles) from the border of Poland! And more importantly, we are only a few minutes from the western edge of Tatra National Park!

We walked to the tourist office and explained that we were looking for inexpensive accommodation. Many of these places are advertised at between €8.00 to €12.00 ($10.00 to $15.00) per person, per night. The lady made a few phone calls and the first couple came back as "full", so we were getting a little worried. But then she found one for us, and only a 5 minute walk away!

We walked up to the side door, and there were a couple of teen girls, one of whom spoke some English. She went to get her grandmother who owns the building, and soon we were being shown the small apartment. Best room we've had yet, and only €8.50 ($10.63) per person, per night. So, for $21.25 per night, we are staying for four nights!

Our street. We are in the building on the right with the silver roof.

And wi-fi internet included!

Fridge, hotplate, and the microwave is in the hall.

Nice little bedroom!

No picture, but even our own bathroom and shower!

So we are all set up for the next four days. We went for a short walk around town and did some grocery shopping.

This guy has a beautiful spot!

Does this look like a nice area to do some hiking??!!

Ruth, overlooking the town of Zuberec.

Slept great last night, and it's a good thing because we have an 18 km (11 mile) hike planned for today. The sky is blue, and the sun is shining! We bought a hiking map of the area, so we plan on using it. I expect there will be some fantastic pictures in tomorrow's blog post, so be sure to check in then! 


14 comments:

  1. You EACH carry a computer? Wow. I suppose though if one starts acting wonky, there's at least a back-up. I sometimes lament even carrying the one laptop, and that's when we're going by car!
    I humbly bow to your travelling moxy.
    Enjoy your stay.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we both carry a computer. It solves lots of problems this way, plus then we also have a back-up for our pictures and as you said if one goes bad then we always have the other. Luckily mine is the small one, not as much weight to carry!

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  2. Great deal on your accommodation here, enjoy the hiking.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I think we did pretty good with this one, although many of the penzions in this area are about the same rate unless you would really like to have a much classier one. We think this one is great!

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  3. You guys sure are finding some great places to see, stay and share with us!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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  4. I just love the fact that you can get from town to town by train. How stupid were we in this country to tear up those rails. I also love that you just show up in town and an apartment, not a hotel room, is available for $21 and change per night for the two of you. No wonder you love to travel. Looks like a beatuful place just like everywhere else you've been. What a life!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The bus and train system are great here and very economical too! I can't understand why Canada and the United States can't do the same. It would sure keep a lot more cars off the road.

      Not all towns have many penzions like this but most have very affordable accommodation.

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    2. I totally agree. We are so far behind Europe in many ways.

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  5. Beautiful scenery. The worst part of public transportation is all that waiting:(

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    Replies
    1. This was the only time that we have had a late train or bus. We have found overall that they have a great network of public transportation, even to the small towns and villages. As for any waiting in between buses and trains, we have the time to wait and we often get to see a lot more of the everyday living that way.

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  6. Great accommodations! What a lovely setting, made me think of the movie "The Sound of Music".

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