It was high time to cross the border. To see what Slovaks have to offer.
Ok, we knew what we were going for, so no huge surprises there. We weren't looking for other things to see, either. Cause it was still soooo hot.
Back in 2006, when we first visited Pieniny Mountains, we climbed all the way up to Okrąglica (one of the summits of Three Crowns, the only one accessible) for a perfect view of the area. Dunajec River right below us, swirling among the mountains. The little towns in the distance. The lonely houses on the sides of the mountains. And lots of green forests around. And right there, among the trees, on the bank of the river, there was that little red square-ish building. But so vividly visible, that I wanted to visit the place.
We didn't have enough time to visit the place back then. Though we both knew what that was. And we both wanted to go there. When we finally decided that this year we were going to Pieniny Mountains again, we knew that crossing the border was a must. And we were not disappointed.
There were two options for getting to the Red Monastery for us. We could either drive to Sromowce Niżne, leave the car on Polish side and walk the bridge to the Slovakian side (nine years ago this bridge was still under construction, which made getting to the monastery a bit harder for us, too). Or we could drive to the Slovakian side and leave the car on one of the car parks there. We chose the latter.
Walking along the river (and along the road as well), we got to the park with lots of old trees (like really old trees, huge ones). And from that park we entered the premises of the Red Monastery.
We paid the entrance fees (which was not much, but I can't remember the exact prices now), got a map of the place with some information on the monastery, and we were ready to explore, to look into as many rooms as possible, to see all there was to see.
There were not too many tourists inside, so, for most part, we felt like we were the only ones visiting the place. You could find out a bit more about the local culture, and the monastery itself there. Plus the views are just so spectacular!
And in the village, we could either pay with euros or with Polish zlotys. It made no difference. And the exchange rate wasn't a steal either.
You can see the place through my lens below. But that is not all that awaited us in the monastery. The rest was a surprise for us, too. Willing to find out what that was? Details very soon!
On the way - the two castles
On the way to the park - along the road...
...and along the river.
in the park
And, finally, in the Red Monastery
That's where we met some other people. Not in the buildings, but in this little, grassy square with a well.
The Three Crowns in the back
Some interiors
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