What, A Gin is Cheaper Than A Coke?

VYSNY MEDZEV.

We have plenty of time for another dip in the spa pool before breakfast. We're on the road just before noon. The route is mainly motorway out of Hungary. We call at a garage to use up our forints. Unfortunately, we still can't get the gas bottle to fill.

Drive into Slovakia after an hour or so. This appears to have wider valleys than Hungary but is a similar landscape. Call at a Lidl for provisions. The security guard is built like a house. We realise that there are a lot of immigrants in the area when we pass a shanty town which could have been transplanted from South Africa. The occupants appear Romanian.

Our stop is about 6 miles away and couldn't be more different. A quiet village, we struggle to find the site. Eventually, we notice a phone number on a gate. A phone call in English at one end and German at the other results in the woman owner opening up. From the street, we drive into a lovely garden area.

It turns out that Rosie has been talking to a neighbour, the owners are Dutch and speak English. He tells us of a 2 hour walk which includes stages showing the history of the Hummel valley. We decide that we have time to do it and it proves stimulating and challenging with some uphill climbs. Very quickly into the walk we are treated to the sight of a buzzard flying across our path. The views of the surrounding are stunning. We hear a stag in the distance but no sighting unfortunately.

After almost 2 hours walking, we believe that we've earned a drink. We find a bar tucked away in the village. It appears to have a number of uses including the village hall. The fire is roaring and there are about ten people drinking. The only woman wants to engage us in conversation but can only offer German. It reminds us a lot of the cot. Beer is 1 euro for half a litre. We look at the price list and discover that a coke costs 90 cents. We could get a gin for only 65 cents!