It was cold when I woke up, almost below zero and outside the sun had´nt show up… yet.

A quick breakfast and then up on the saddle and pedaling away south to Stavra Lubovna.

I had positive hopes for warmer weather within couple hours If I could be trusted to the local weatherforcast

I been told Slovakia is a little more mountainous than Poland and more grandious nature to look at.

It is the the views and magnificent nature together with all the encounters with people that give me the drive to ride a bike with panniers

The road follows a stream slavishly the first 4-5 km and surrondings is dense deciduous forest. Small villages with green sloping meadows and nice wooden houses.

One of some nice and cozy villages on the ride to Stavra Lubovna

Exactly what I expected after I checked my routeplan in Garmin GPS yesterday.

Every half an hour rises the heat both inside my self and the air, the sun was shinning and the altitude is rising

For the first time since start , I had to take off the jacket and just ride a short-sleeved shirt and it feels absolutely wonderful.

At the top of this hill at Sedlo Vabec I got a magnificent view over the valley, Tatra mountains and down to Stavra Lubovna.

View over Jabrinba Valley and Tara Mountains from Sedlo Vabec

after a speedy descent I stopped in Stavra Lubovna just for provisioning at LIDL for dinner tonight and some coffee at a coffebar in the city.

Buildings with beautiful architecture at, St. Nicolaus´ Square, Stavr Lubovna

Nice landscape views close to Plavnica

This day was the shortest on a saddle since I started in Ö-vik.  Barely 50 km and in Puste Pole, beside  and down by the railroad I pitch up my tent near a field and surrounded by small trees and shrubs

Next day april 26 in Lipany a  meeting  with my first  touring bicyclist on my journey, a cycle geek like myself and I notice him from distance , a long-haul cyclist, we cycle in a little special way when we have panniers and other stuffs on the bicycle .

My first meeting with an other touring cyclist, Lee Jay from Seoul

We stoped and talk to each other. He was from Seuol and his name was  Lee Jae and also only two years younger than me.
We mostly talk about where we came from and where we are heading. Changes email addresses and also ”Selfi-card”.

I like this, meetings with like-minded nerds. I noticed Lee only had two panniers, and he told
me because he sleept only at hotels.
His next goal was  passing Slovakia, then Poland futhrt into Russia and from there he would take a flight home Korea

In Presova coffe break for an hour, relaxing and som WiFi connecting, then I take a direction towards Kosice.

The happiness and joy in Pečovská Nová Ves

The tailwind I had before lunch is gone, headwind on very bad roadsurface, but the weather was warm so I stopped at Lemesany and my first icecreame this year.

In Kosice I did some dinner shopping at Tesco, but move on quite quickly to the Hungarian border.

After half a mile I saw a roadsign showing Kechnec which was near the border, but somewhere, now in the eveninglight and in the dense traffic, especially the long trucks, I missed an exit to a smaller road and I end up on a motorway.

After a few miles I was stopped by a traffic controllers who told me I can not ride with a bike on this road.

– This is an speedy highway
– You can´t cycle here, turn back and choose road 17!

After a crude intensive discussion, I could continue my bikeride in the dark that increases… to first and best exit I had promised.

Late evening around about half past nine p.m finally I find a place to put up the tent. Just 25 meter from the highway beside a sort of buildning for traffice monitoring .

Tent camp beside highway E71

The only thing I worried about just then was if some borderguards notice my choice of camping place.

Tomorow, Hungary border and thewn Miskolc.

See yeah
// P-G

Crossed the borderline into Slovakia whithout a control but that´s the facts if you choose the smaller border crossings.

Crossing river Poprad at Mníšek nad Popradom.

Just 100 meters after the bridge a campingplace with roofed camping tables lined up, large green areas surrounded by forest, perfect place for me.
After 101 km on the saddle today, my legs was a little bit stiff and my self tired.

To pitch up my tent did´nt took long time and then I occupied the roofed camping table and prepared the evening’s dinner.

Late dinner at Mníšek nad Popradom

Tomorrow an other country on my global journey, Slovakia

See Yeah
//P-G