Today is the second day of my two-day hiking trip. As today’s stage is scheduled to finish in Kosice, which is not so far anymore, I can have breakfast at a decent hour. At the same time the first guests of the wedding party of last night are having their sandwiches and eggs as the start of the new day.

The weather is okay when I leave the hotel around 8.45am. There is a lot of overcast, but it is not expected to rain today. From Zlata Idka I walk up the hill again, back to the ridge of the hills that surround this valley. Once up on the ridge again, the Trail is easy to follow, also because the signs are in good quality. In the first hour of today’s hike there are a few hikers coming from the other direction. They have probabely stayed in the refuge Chata Lajoska. When I arrive there I take a break. There is much activity going on; people that have stayed the night are leaving, daytrippers are coming up from the valley, many mountainbikers are passing by, or just riding up and down to the refuge.

Chata Lajoska

After the Chata Lajoska it only gets easier. The Trail goes downhill, slowly or steep, more or less all the way to the city of Kosice. Just below the Chata there is a nice view all the way down to Kosice. Unfortunately, due to the situation of the city behind the hills, there is no more nice views in the next kilometers. At one third of the decent the Trail passes the refuge Chata Lahodna. It is situated next to the regular road, near a busstop, and surrounded by skiing facilities. There are many Sunday tourists up here for a walk or a ride. From the Chata Lahodna the path goes down the hill comfortably, to the Bankov Hill. From here you can have a nice view over the city of Kosice. It is very busy around here, the parking lots are full and there are buses driving up and down constantly. From Bankov the Trail continues east towards Cermel, the first residential area in the suburbs of Kosice.

Unfortunately, the Trail does not lead gloriously through the city centre, but leaves Cermel/Kosice immediately northbound. From Cermel I take a bus and a tram to get to the central railway station. I have a few hours to spend in Kosice as I will be taking the night train back to Bratislava.

Kosice