Change of location to Mala Fatra with castle visit

10.7.20

We are moving on to the next accommodation in Mala Fatra. Today, it is largely a national park and the Vratna Valley is one of the main attractions of this mountain region. We want to go hiking here again.

On our way, we come across the impressive Oravsky Hrad (Orava Castle). It majestically sits high on a limestone cliff above the Orava Valley and is one of the most spectacular castles in Slovakia. Accordingly, it attracts a lot of visitors. They charge €5 for parking. Then we have to walk steeply uphill.

Equipped with an audio guide on our smartphone, which the staff at the entrance helped us install, we start the tour. There is a lower, a middle, and the upper castle area with the citadel. You have to climb quite steep stairs to get to the different rooms.

But the ascent is worth it, because you have a great view all the way to the peaks of the Western Tatras.

Before we go to our accommodation in Terchova, we drive into the Vratna Valley. We want to see if the chairlift for our hike tomorrow is running. From Terchova, the only road winds through an impressive mountain landscape.

In the early afternoon, we arrive at our pension Garni "Fratna". We like it here. Everything is very nicely designed and from our room with balcony, we have a view of the mountains. Very nice!

After taking a break, which we Oldys have earned, we explore the village. There is not much to see, but there is a hill with a lookout tower that we climb up. From there, you can see the town and the surrounding area. On the way back, we stop for dinner.

It must be a bottle of wine on Friday. We enjoy it on our balcony, where it is still 26 degrees. Our neighbor offers us Slivovitz and we chat with the young Slovak woman. She works in Austria and speaks German well. She also recommends a hike. The weather forecast predicts rain for tomorrow, so our planned ridge hike may not happen. Let's see what happens!