The next morning on the road, everything suddenly got a lot worse. It was overcast, drizzling, and pretty cold. On top of that, our battery charging stopped working – both from the solar panels and the engine – so we didn't charge at all for the entire morning. Then Leo took a look at it and at least got the engine charging working. So off we go, looking forward to hiking a shorter trail in Muráňská Planina National Park, the youngest national park in Slovakia. Supposedly it's a place for romantics... And I was also looking forward to the local specialty – muráňské buchty (pastries)! They're mainly sold in the town of Muráň, which we'd planned to reach that day.

You'd enjoy it too. This one was nougat-filled.

Just before the town of Tisovec, our turbo seized up and we had to stop at the nearest suitable spot. It was a few meters past the town limit sign heading toward Muráň. Luckily, not far from us was a mineral spring with drinking water (Šťavica), where even President Beneš used to stop. They've built a beautiful area around it, and as a bonus for us, there are even outhouses. And that's where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Leo was poking around in the engine while I ran to buy some bread at the local shop. We were almost about to order a new turbo when Leo somehow got it working again. He accidentally loosened a few bolts, but even so, after reattaching everything and topping off the oil, we moved forward a bit and it worked!

See those outhouses! And they only smelled a little!
Our van is parked in the back, and under that roof is the mineral spring where anyone can fill up as much as they want.

So we finally fall asleep feeling like it might actually run...

In the morning I notice we have a completely dead battery and all the electricity is disconnected. This must be what it feels like to have your power cut off! I'm in a terrible mood, but at least I go make breakfast. Meanwhile, Leo also drags himself out of bed and goes to tinker with the battery this time. Fortunately, this problem is easy to solve. There was just a bad connection on the cables. As soon as he reconnects it, the solar panels start charging right away and the battery is happy.

See how happy it looks? It's pleased too.

After breakfast we refill our water supply with mineral water from the spring and head on to the small town of Muráň. We buy lots of pastries and stop at a small parking lot outside town near Syslí Louka (Squirrel Meadow). There are no actual squirrels here, but we do meet several donkeys who are a popular destination for families. The kids are thrilled that they can feed the animals.

Donkeys!

I want to come back to Muráň National Park someday with just a backpack and hike through the whole thing. Even though we only saw it briefly, it was really beautiful, and if you look at photos online, you'll definitely want to go too. Given the cooling weather and car problems, we continue on our way through Slovakia. Next stop is Slovak Paradise, so we'll see what it has in store for us and if we even make it there! So far it looks like the turbo is working :)