Crossing the border to Poprad, Slovakia

I wanted to avoid zigzagging around a country so for Slovakia, I decided that I would start in Košice in the east, and work my way back to the capital, Bratislava. As I heard so much about the Tatra Mountains between Czechia and Slovakia, I decided to break my journey in Poprad to get a glimpse.

This leg of the journey I had booked much earlier than the others, some of which I had booked only when in Europe. Regiojet is a major travel company and this train service was very comfortable. The in-seat menu options were good, as you can see from the photo, and very reasonably priced.

These were the mountains I was looking for.

On arrival I first checked into my pension. I had already noted that the train station was not too far from the pension but about 15 minutes walk from town. I got a very comfortable room over a restaurant. I decided that I would dine there instead of in town. I was also fortunate that I had the Slovakian currency, the €, with me as they wanted cash payment on check-in.

I wandered into town before it got too dark and found the local shopping centre. Only a small proportion of people know that Bata, or Baťa with the accent, started in Moravia, in what is now Czechia. It expanded across Europe and throughout the world, but after WWII it was based in Great Britain, which is why many people in ex-British colonies think Bata is British. It was a well-known shoe brand when I was growing up in Malaysia. The company history is a fascinating cross-section of European history.

The shopping mall was like malls anywhere, and the surrounding neighbourhood just normal suburbia. The population of Poprad is about 50,000 so it's like a suburb.

I found an outdoor balcony where I finished my snack and took this telephoto view of the Tatra Mountains. Then I walked back to the pension for dinner and to retire for the evening.