A LAND OF CASTLES

As we travelled further into this land of castles it seemed as though every small town had at least one, and often two, castles bearing witness to the part it played in defending the Hungarian Empire from the Turkish invaders.  Many, like Strecno Old Castle, are now little more than ruins barely visible atop the rocky cliffs they once dominated …

… but some have been painstakingly restored, like Orava which was featured in the 1922 Dracula film.

We set sail on the good ship Slanica …

… and after a short cruise, landed on the island of the same name in the huge Orava Reservoir. 

When, against much local opposition, they flooded the valley to create the reservoir in 1953, five villages were submerged.  Only the hill in Slanica, on which the church stood, remained above the water.  The church now houses a permanent display of religious folk art and sculpture from the 14^th - 20^th century.

From a lovely riverside site in the Male Fatra National Park we drove up the Vratna Valley and took the cable car up to Snilovské Seidlo …

… a col from which we were able to follow easy, well signed paths (the signs all sponsored by Kia Motors who have a huge factory nearby) …

… to two peaks – Vel’ký Kriváň (1709 m) …

… and Chleb (1646 m).  Even on a hazy day the views were stunning with dozens of peaks crowded into a relatively small area.

Back at ground level we paid a short visit to Trenčin (with yet another castle) …

… on our way to the capital of Slovakia – Bratislava.