The previous fortnight I spent in the hitherto unexplored land of Slovakia with a fellow adventurer.. I flew into Bratislava and wandered around on buses until I reached the village of Svätý Anton, nestled in the hills of the country's heart. We stayed several nights in an ancient cottage that had its own well, no indoor plumbing and a sloping lawn full of musical grasshoppers. In the attic I found a chest of newspapers dating back through the communist era of Czechoslovakia and even before World War II.
We climbed the forests and lakes of Banská Štiavnica, wandered around Banská Bystrica and made our way eventually to Beňadiková near Liptovský Mikuláš.
From there, we journeyed to his hometown Štrbské pleso (above) and climbed Mount Rysy in the High Tatras. Although it was only 2500m high, I was quite dizzy by the time we reached the top to look over into the wilds of Poland.
I was wandering through the old town of Bratisalva and came upon a courtyard surrounded by the towering ruins of old brick buildings, hollowed out by years of neglect. Windows stared vacantly like the eyes of skulls and the doors gaped into rooms and cellars long abandoned by the living. How could I resist going in? 
