Lazarow World-Hike-About

Note: For those who struggle with English, the blog can now be read in many different languages. (See the bottom of the page to select a language.) We apologize should your language not be available. We were only able to translate something of the order of 60 languages as we are a little slow. 😏 A gentle opener. The largest of the park's waterfalls is also off the 'beaten track'. Plitvika Lakes is a major attraction, being a UNESCO recognized wonder. This recognition, on top of its great natural beauty makes it very popular and too busy for our liking. Therefore, on our second visit to the park, we headed on a hike through the forests instead of stopping at the lakes. The contrast was amazing. Thousands of people visiting the lakes and not a sole on the trails we walked. The reward for us was earned upon near-completion of the hike when we arrived at the park's largest waterfall. A couple were leaving and we had it to ourselves while we enjoyed breakfas...

Popradske Pleso (lake), an hour-and-half up from the trailhead. On our return from the peak 1,650 feet above, the sun shone for nearly 10 minutes. (See below for a view from top). After arriving in Slovakia from Hungary via Austria, it became clear to us that the high Tatra Mountains, together with the villages and towns below them, make for an extraordinary experience. What we do find confusing is the weather. When we left Hungary, we'd like to believe the country was suffering from a heat wave. Temperatures reached 96 degrees F. The following day, the high of the day nearly halved when we crossed into Austria. We traveled to Slovakia, through Bratislava and headed north. We climbed high, this time in the car and then after cresting the mountains, dipped into the valleys far below. It looked like we'd be spending near on 3 weeks in the middle of nowhere. After nearly two-hours of slow travel, and stopping at a large supermarket to replenish stocks, we made our way thr...

A view from the top, some 3,800 feet above sea level. To stand so high is an amazing feeling. Bear in mind, it's all elevation gain. Taking the gap. We arrived in the town of Seline, one of many small enclaves abutting the Paklenika National Park, a massive canyon surrounding by mountains comprising dolomite and limestone. It's an incredible region, effectively an extension of the Velebit National Park. As expected and to be welcomed, each country operates its parks differently even per region and not un-expectantly, no two countries function in a similar manner. This makes the set-up, set-out, rules and such like different for most parks we visit. The unique aspect of this park is it has a fortune of trails and sparsely used from our little experience. (On this day, we saw three other hikers who had followed a long way behind.) However, the trails are extremely long, the underfoot is particularly tough on the feet but the place is magnificent. The karst formation ...

"I hope this is the correct route, it seems a little odd." Jenni sent me down to the car, parked in the street, outside our building in Budapest. The landlord had advertised free parking in the building. It was a drawcard as we don’t normally have a car when we visit major cities (infrequently), for obvious reasons. This time we have a car as we are returning from Austria and Croatia, spending a week in Hungary and then off to Slovakia. When we met our young landlord, he told me after I made the inquiry, that he’s from Azerbaijan. Turns out the free parking in the building is on the main road outside the building provided one of the good citizens of Budapest gives up his hard-earned parking space for us. In the alternative, along the side road across the way, there’s also parking available but one has to pay by the hour to the taxing authority of the city. Early each morning, our hero has to sprint from the bedroom half-dressed, ensure he has coins and buy a ticket fro...

The second part of the ascent, from the Caves toward the summit. By the time we reached, what appeared the halfway stage, one of us thought it, arguably, the best hike we've done. On what basis does one of you keep making those bold (foolish) pronouncements? We're pleased you asked. Well, it's like this. Firstly, you should know the surface could be a lot softer. Currently, it's mostly karst which is a formation comprising dolomite and limestone. It's particularly horrible should one place the foot in molds slightly smaller than the sole and have the stone squeeze the foot into a different shape like we'd imagine a torturer would. You should try it sometime—the relief afterwards is soothing. Second point is the hikes begin some 30-40 minutes from the parking lot. Of course, one walks through the canyon to get to the so called-trailhead—no shuttle available, no roads either. Thirdly, the hikes are long and mostly steep or if not steep, very steep. Other t...