We were sad to be leaving the lovely apartment in Brno after only one night so we ended up having a very slow morning, not being ready to leave until 11, enjoying having comfortable beds and hot powerful showers. That was fine though as our journey to Slovakia was only due to be a couple of hours though. We fully donned waterproofs due to it raining a lot the previous night and it was supposed to be raining on our journey.
Thankfully it mainly held out but we did not stop in as many places as we would have done if we had been in less layers and there was less threat of it chucking it down any minute. We roded for 40 minutes to a petrol station, first having to get out of Brno where we just filled up. We were going to make a stop at a place called Bistro Tramp on the way which looked like a cool local side of the restaurant that on weekends had loads of bikes. But due to the weather we didn’t end up stopping as we just wanted to make it to Trencin. We had another stop about halfway to have some snacks and then pushed on through to Trencin. The scenery on the drive was equally as nice as previously but the road was the E50 - part of the European road that cuts all the way through Europe so it was very busy with lots of traffic and trucks which made it less enjoyable for Dave, especially with lots of hills and windy roads. We drove through the Slovakian border and then about 30 minutes later we were in Trencin, we had made it to another country!
Our local guesthouse-Penzion Pri Packu was only a short walk from the main old town and had a good view of the towering castle of Trencin. After unpacking and sorting ourselves out a bit we walked to a Lidl to buy some groceries for lunch/dinner/breakfast, trying to keep costs down but only having a fridge and kettle to work with. This was a nice walk which took us through a local park, passed the castle and across the river on the old railway bridge. The other side of the river gave a lovely view of the castle and old town which we hadn’t been expecting. We grabbed some different types of bread rolls for lunch but ended up having to find a local coop in town to get pasta pots for dinner. It did mean I got to pick up a Kofola to try though- the czech/slovak competitor to coke. A lot sweeter and a bit more medicinal than coke but I really liked it.
We spent some time relaxing in our room before then heading out again to check out the old town whilst it was dry. Trencin old town area is not very big, but it has nice cobbled streets and architecture with lots of restaurants and cafes lining the square. Lots of them were trying to promote the alfresco dining experience even in the grey weather. It is likely to get very busy in summer months but today it was relatively quiet. Shortly past the old town and you very quickly come into the normal part of town- marked with lots of concrete buildings and it looks a bit run down. After mooching in the town we headed back to the old town and made our way up the covered steps towards the castle. We got a lovely view from the church at the top of the stairs and wandered up to the main castle gate to look through the arrow windows at the view. Due to the time the main castle was closed but we just wanted to check out the view anyway.
We had a very quiet evening and a lazy morning, making the most of having time to get on with some blog writing/ editing. The weather was very drizzly but we headed out midday to wander around the old town a bit more and walked up to Brezina park/forest. This was a nice forested area next to the castle which on a clear day would have given some nice views out to the city, but everything was a bit of a white wash due to the weather. We did manage to find the other castle entrance from here, it wasn’t open due to it being the wrong season but meant we could get right up close to the castle and see a bit of the view without paying to go in it. It is an impressive building. From here we headed down to pick up some more lunch to eat back in our room and then got on with more blog writing/ editing. We wanted to make the most of the bad weather and the fact that we had seen everything we wanted to see here. There are loads of hiking trails/ skiing etc in the right season here, but we hadn’t come to do any of that.
In the evening we headed back into the town to treat ourselves to an actual meal. We ended up at Fair street food- that offered a wide range of different street food cuisines- right up our alley. Not within our budget, but normal restaurant prices. And we were very happy with our decision. The restaurant had a very cosy vibe, dark but modern styling with candles lightining it. The food was delicious as well for being such a wide selection of cuisines. Definitely check it out if you are in Trencin.
Now we have to try to make it to Banska Stivance on the edge of the Tatras National Park in likely rain and with some possible snow in days to come!
Thanks
Alex
Comments