a walk in the woods #2

Good Friday

What better way to kill a beer fuzz than to have a brisk walk in “the nature”? Well, my location of choice would indeed be coastal, but Slovakia doesn’t accommodate that need, so Bratislava Forest Park it was.

It was a pleasant 25 degrees when I set off with my flatmate, plenty of water and a smile on my face and I was pleased to be donning a pair of shorts, slapping on the sunscreen and smothering myself in Autan. With a very helpful email from a very enthusiastic student ( concerned I would spend Easter weekend in Petrzalka) complete with bus timetables and her phone “if you will any questions” we made the fairly short commute of 3 bus changes to Železná studnička, one of the many stops in the park.

On arrival we were greeted with a pen of goats, 3 bars offering wonderful Slovak food ( a disgusting hotdog was consumed which I later regretted about halfway up the mountain) hiking trails, picturesque lake and general feeling of people out having a nice time in the countryside.

The Interpretive trail was the aim of the day, with some accidental but nevertheless beautiful detours, from out starting point to Koliba. You may remember a previous entry A walk in the woods was to this part of the park. Then a brown, dead and chilly; today lush green, alive and warm!

The trail, written in Slovak and ( google translate) English, details the various types of Flora and Fauna native to Slovakia and apparently possible to spot. Naturally, I didn’t spot any deer, otters or foxes. The trees were now too abundant with leaves and blossom to see the woodpecker I could hear and though I tried to pay attention to the leaves on the plants or the wild flowers I’m not sure I was able to actually point any out.

As it was Good Friday ( any excuse ) I enjoyed a glass of Frankovka Modra (wine) once we’d reached the summit where I’d previously enjoyed “cooked wine” in February, absorbing the view and breathing in the wonderfully warm spring.

Hopefully my photos capture some of the locally beautiful Slovakia!