Today is the last day of my four-day hiking trip. I get up early and first walk back four kilometers from Mikulcin Vrch to Mechnac, the section that I did not walk last night. From Mechnac I walk the same way back to Mikulcin Vrch, to the inn, where I have my breakfast and pick up my backpack.

During my walk before breakfast it has started to rain, like it was forecasted. When I continue half an hour later it still rains. The next kilometers from Mikulcin Vrch to the Slovakian border are not exciting; rain, increasing wind up on the hills, limited visibility due to the fog (of course!), and no excitement along the Trail. After a few kilometers of muddy paths the Trail follows again the Czech-Slovakian border. There is no corridor here as the main ridge of the hill is an open meadow. On top of the hill Machnac at 771 meters, the border goes north, and the Trail goes to the southeast, back into Slovakia. There is no view on top of this hill, of course, due to the fog. The next kilometers are probabely nice in the summertime, walking in the forrests and overlooking the fields, but today it is grey, wet and cold. After leaving the forrest I cross the village of Drietoma, and then cross the hill on my way to today’s finish: the city of Trencin. This last hill is kind of difficult as the signs are not clear and I spend some time before I find out that the next signs are situated in the middle of a huge section of farming land. First I need to cross it for 300 meters before I find the sign. After this “excitement” I am heading for Trencin, one of the biggest cities in Slovakia. Its characteristic castle on top of a rocky hill is visible from far away, but in this gloomy weather it is not impressive. The final kilometers of today’s stage are disappointing: I cross a huge section of open land where the construction is done for a new highway, and consequently some kind of industrial area. Finally, after crossing the suburbs of Zlatovce, I cross the river Vah, and I arrive in downtown Trencin. Another milestone in my E8 is achieved. I have the feeling I am really far away from home, now.

Trencin

I get a room in an inn along the E8, in Trencin’s city centre. Trencin is a big-sized city in Slovakia, which means there are some restaurants, some bars, many shops and a railway and bus station with many connections to all corners of the country. Partly due to the location of the city at the foot of a steep rocky hill there has never been much space for the city to grow, so everything is sort of “around the corner”.