Friday 29th August 2008 – Haligovce, Slovakia

We had a few options for our next move but picked a campsite near the Polish border partially because it has a washing machine and the wash bag is overflowing. Our main objective was Spissky Hrad, Slovakia's largest castle and one of the largest in Central Europe. However, very close to the castle and with a view over it, is Spisska Kapitula, a 13th century ecclesiastical settlement surrounded by a defensive wall. Apart from a modern-looking seminary, the street between the two main gates is lined with mediaeval houses and is dominated by St. Martin's Cathedral. We took a tour of the cathedral, which again took the form of a written English guide but was actually better and more informative than the one in Levoca. The church dates from the 13th century but was expanded considerably over the following centuries. There was interesting architecture, stone carving and a fresco together with more carved wooden altars of various dates – none by Master Paul but some influenced by his style. We will have to rename this part of the Odyssey 'In the Footsteps of Pope John Paul II' as he had visited here as well.
The view of Spissky Hrad was very hazy but we drove to take a closer look. The car park in the village of Spisske Podhradie is at the bottom of the castle hill and we took the long climb up to the lower entrance together with many other visitors both Slovakian and foreign. The castle was very popular although it is so large that it never felt crowded. We walked around the walls of the lower bailey and then made our way up through the middle bailey to the heart and oldest part of the castle. After stone age occupation in 5000BC and the Celtic influenced Puchov people, it was the 12th century before fortifications were built and the castle was modified and extended, especially in the 15th century from which most of the visible remains date. I climbed a tall tower called the 'Don't be afraid' tower that had an interesting sign on the door - “There may be flying ants at the top of the tower – don't worry, they are not dangerous”. After negotiating the very narrow spiral staircase, I emerged into the open at the top of the tower and into a huge swarm of flying ants. No, they weren't dangerous but they were a total pain – everyone got covered in them – in the hair, down the shirt and all over the clothes and skin. I didn't stay there for very long but I was still trying to remove the ants 15 minutes later. There was a blacksmith and an excellent potter both working and selling their goods and I managed to fulfil one of my childhood dreams – I fired a cannon. OK, it was only a small cannon but it used real gunpowder and made a huge bang when it went off. I could have used a bow and arrow, a crossbow, a pistol or a rifle but it had to be the cannon even though it was the most expensive option at 50sk (£1.25).
We drove on a semi-circular arc past four more castles before we arrived at the succinctly named 'ATC Chatova Osada Goralsky Dvor' campsite at Haligovce, north of Stara Lubovna. We were very impressed – it is a flat site with excellent facilities and there were lots of caravans and motorhomes already there. It turned out that almost all of the campers were Dutch and part of an ACSI organised tour of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We found a good level pitch close to the shower block and not far from the stream that runs at the bottom of the site. After dinner we went across to the bar and restaurant area where there was live folk music from a three man band. There was a group of Slovaks, probably staying in the chalets, that were having a traditional night that included a meal together with the live music. It wasn't however exclusive and we were able to sit and drink whilst watching the band – two drinks (wine and beer) and live music for under £2.
Photos: Spis Castle from below; The castle keep from the lower bailey; Firing the cannon; Stara Lubovna castle, one of the other castles that we passed on our way to the campsite.