On Sunday (15th, my birthday) I got up at 7:30, found out that not even Maccas is open before 9am on a Sunday and got a coffee and croissant from the hostel for breakfast. Today was the beginning of our hitch-hiking trip around Slovakia. I walked to the main bus station to meet Nikki only to find that the bus to the airport that we wanted left from the train station and not the bus station. So we caught a bus to the train station and then got our bus towards the airport and got off just before the freeway.

We walked along the freeway til we found a gas station and that's where we started trying to find someone to pick us up and take as to Trenčín. It took probably about 2 hours but eventually a girl picked us up who was on her way to Trenčín to visit her parents. We were her first ever hitchhikers. I guess it was a day for firsts because it was also my first ever time hitch-hiking.

In Trenčín she dropped us off at a gas station along the road towards Prievidza which is where we were trying to get to for our first night. We already had a host waiting for us and near that town was an awesome castle. This gas station proved to be pretty quiet so we stood on the side of the road. Again it was like 2 hours before we got picked up. the guy that did eventually pick us up apparently had gone passed as the other way like an hour earlier and saw us then, so he felt sorry for us and took us halfway to a town called Bánovce nad Bebravou.

From there we walked to the edge of that town and it took only about 5 minutes to be picked up by a guy who had hitch-hiked himself in the past. I will say now that throughout most of this trip we were picked up by people who have hitched in the past. It's almost like once you've been on the other side you're now part of a club which requires you pick up hitch-hikers if you can.

So then we were where we wanted to be. We contacted our host and got a beer and pizza while we waited for them. Our hosts were Joseph and Mario. These guys were awesome. They gave us some snacks and beer and then some homemade liqueur made from apples. This stuff was basically rocket fuel, something like 70% and smelt like gasoline. We had mentioned earlier in the night that it was my birthday, so all of a sudden Mario switches off the lights and Joseph comes in with a cake with candles on it. I don't even remember him leaving to get one, but apparently he had ducked out to the shop. Then everyone sang Happy Birthday; I though I'd avoid that this year :P.

The next morning Mario made us scrambled eggs for breakfast; these guys totally spoiled us. Then we went to Bojnice Castle which is this amazing fairy tale looking castle and is the most visited in Slovakia. Right next to it is also the oldest tree in Prievidza, which was something like 800 years old.

After that we were hitching to Konice. Mario packed us some sandwiches for the trip (totally spoiled) and then took us to a good spot to hitch-hike from.