Slovakia - High Tatra
The way back
small obstacles on the way to Berlin
Please note: this text is an automatic translation with Systran
The return trip to Berlin actually does not belong to the route, but nevertheless I want to insert still another chapter for it here. The weather did not improve since the evening of yesterday. In Telc I say good-bye to all, since I will drive from here over Prague to Berlin. The remainder of the troop continues to drive to the west.
Mariam still accompanies me up to the motorway. It must drive today the whole way to Poprad back. I hardly am on the motorway, catch it from excavator buckets to pour on. I can recognize hardly the display of the government inspection department. That continues to behind Prague in such a way. I put stop to invest still another around my last crowns in sprit and coffee. It is sensitive cold and the coffee comes exactly correctly. In irregular distances small groups of Hells Angels drive past at me. To over-hear and survey easily. They are, exactly like I, toward tin forest on the way. Still I continue to imagine nothing thereby.
Tin forest lies in the clouds. There is only 8° and coolly a wind blows. ' power anything ' I do not imagine, am soon of the mountains. Tja, lasts there not the border crossing. Here uncertainty phase 1 and all motorradfahrer prevails raus to gewunken and a special treatment is submitted. The full program. Before me degrees a troop arrived with its Harleys. Papers, chassis numbers etc.. I stand and wait. First the Czech Grenzer comes. Helmet down, sun glasses down, papers. Again wait. Then the same mirror-image moose again with our Grenzern. There the coronation/culmination was then the question "belongs it to those?" and points to the Hells Angels. Gehts still? Do I look in such a way on my Japan Tourer in Goretex Klamotten? A half hour later gehts toward Dresden, past at some speed controls.
The remainder of the distance to Berlin is then soon created. Raus from the mountains hardly becomes suddenly warm and the sun shines. No trace of rains. The journey is terminated and I makes itself over the pictures ago.
Summary
What else happen?
One finds official information about the Slowakei on the web pages of the Ministry for foreign affairs of the Slowaki republic, which otherwise only heavy I times left, dan one her here finds.
My fears over a journey to the former Eastern Bloc proved as completely unfounded. I experienced the country and the people as very much open and hospitable. The language is still incomprehensible for me, but with German, English, hands and feet is not that a problem. Bills of fare are in several languages available in nearly all restaurants. Always folds somehow with the communication.
Apropos meals. With the view into a bill of fare one must get accustomed to the following: lettuces are to a large extent unknown. Here there is to herb or cucumber salad and the like. Also the courts are specified in individual parts with declarations of weight. One must usually arrange oneself the court which one to eat would like. At noon there is nearly everywhere simple kitchen with the Gulasch already mentioned. To it one can get accustomed.
The currency is in both countries the crown, but with different conversion factors and other appearance. In the Slowakei I pulled myself the money from one of the plentifully distributed money automats of the savings bank. Yes, really savings bank as with us, but the gang deducted naturally nevertheless a juicy foreign addition of my account. Very annoying.
Since that 1.1.2000 one must have the green insurance card with the entry thereby. If one forgets these and one controls, the entry can be refused. With controls in the country a high penalty can threaten. Due to an unclear legislation also possibly the proof is necessary over a travel health insurance!
Since we were off the main traffic veins on the way, we remained exempted from Blitzern. In the cities one must watch out, since in the Slowakei wide speed 40 one tests. Here one sees also from time to time times a notion post the brisk driver with its small spoon stops.
We were careful, which concerns the possible theft of motorcycles. During the night these were always enclosed. In the high Tatra stood they however openly before the hotel. Here we did not have doubts. During inspections someone always stayed at the vehicles. There were places with high gypsy density and was there nevertheless watches out announced (because of the luggage).
If I speak here of gypsy, is not meant bad. With us that is called Sinti and Roma however in the Slowakei is that different. Here there are also partly house-made problems. I did not understand so completely background, but the state obviously makes accommodations available at certain places for her. That leads to Slumbildung as we live locally to see could. Only with the motorcycle to stand do not remain even photographing and evtl. One warned us of it.
I would undertake at any time again a journey into the Slowakei. The country did not overflow from tourism yet and the roads is in the good condition. Everywhere troops are for preservation on the way. Off the cities one can enjoy the country. A travel into the high Tatra from Berlin over Poland is also not particularly far. Only scarcely 650km and one are locally. The Germans appreciated that and spent there their vacation at times of the GDR.
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