Kvačianska dolina

Thursday and Friday at school were normal teaching days, and the evenings were normal too, giving English lessons and going to volleyball/basketball.  Unfortunately our washer went on the blink, and we forgot to mention it at school Friday morning, so I went down to tell our landlady after school, which of course means no one can take a look at it until Monday.  I goofed - oh well.  We'll manage!  

I spotted this big guy on the walk to school Friday morning.  We had a HUGE storm Thursday night with lots of thunder and lightning, so things were quite wet in the morning.  They say these are the kind of snails the French eat.  They definitely look more appetizing cooked and swimming in garlic butter!!  But it was fascinating to see a snail so big.

Saturday morning we got to sleep in, then were picked up at 10:00 for a day with Marian and Susan.  The original plan was to hike in the High Tatras, but the weather was cloudy and rainy there, so we headed west instead of east seeking partly sunny skies.   :-)

This pic is for Rod P., Brian R., and Dave S.  (Our beer-connaisseur friends!)   We headed to the village of Kvačany, at the entrance to a beautiful mountain valley where Marian and Susan planned to take us hiking.  Well, our first stop was at this micro-brewery for a beer to prepare us for the journey!   They had many different types including a green beer (nettles - we didn't try it) and a sweeter red beer which I actually enjoyed.  First time ever for me to have a beer before 10:30 a.m.!!  LOL!!  

The pub/chata/micro-brewery was charming, and we relaxed on the outdoor patio around the corner.  The river/creek was just out back.  

Then we headed up the trail through the Kvačianska dolina valley.  

The springtime mountain flowers along the way were so beautiful!  The tall white ones in the background were unlike anything we'd ever seen before.  

This famous rock formation is "The Head of Janošik", who was the legendary Slovak "Robin Hood" who stole from the rich to give to the poor.  See the face??    :-)

The mountain valley was so beautiful with the tall rocks and lush spring greenery!

We saw several beautiful waterfalls like this one, far below us.  

As we continued climbing, I, of course, had to find an outcropping with a steep drop below for a picture!   :-)  

More mountain spring flowers.  Many of the pretty varieties we noticed were really tiny, so wouldn't show up in a picture.  Most of the flowers were white, purple, or yellow.  We also saw a couple more living escargot --- I should have collected them for supper!!  LOL!  

Our destination for the journey was an old mill which has been restored in what was once the village of Oblazy.  This little girl was fascinated by a woodworker in his workshop.  He was being so patient, talking to her as he worked.  The hobby horses were cute too! 

This is the waterfall just above the mill.  

And this is the mill.  The water is diverted into a wooden sluice, and it falls over the mill wheel next to the middle section of the building.  The mill's power was used to grind flour and to saw wood and timber.  

This is inside the mill, where a series of gears redirect the power into the mechanical saws and to grind flour.  

There was a nice pathway along the river to the mill (past the footbridge in the distance behind us.)  We stopped and rested on one of the benches at the river's edge for some sweet snacks, apples & pears, and some cranberry sparkling water that Marian pulled out of his backpack for us.   :-)  

At the end of the trail, back where we parked the car, with the valley stretching out behind us.  Many of the car licenses were from Poland and the Czech Republic -- popular spot!  

By this time it was 2:00 - we couldn't believe how quickly the time had passed!  So we headed back through Liptovsky Trnovec, where we ate lunch at a nice restaurant in a pension near Liptovská Mara.  (The lake which is similar to Saylorville.)  We ate on the terrace outside, and had a delicious meal.  It was another amazing day enjoying beautiful Slovak scenery and nature with fun Slovak friends!!  Tim may or may not be napping on the couch while I've been blogging.   Tee hee!!