Delicious days off...

On our hiking days, we ate responsible breakfasts of fruits, nuts and grains and lots of water.

On our day off, Beth partook of the real delights of the buffet breakfast – a variety of cakes washed down with a glass of bubbly.  

It was the most delightful breakfast…that totally wiped away all of the health benefits of the hiking.  

Hot hikes

In between work, we did a couple of fantastic hikes during our stay.  

Having brought with us our ski jackets, gloves and hats to be comfortable in climate that was forecast, we had to change our strategy somewhat when we were met with an unseasonable heatwave that had the climate reaching the mid-30s in the middle of the day!  Naturally, the ski jacket was shelved and substituted with our gym clothes! 

The first trail left right from our hotel and took us straight up the mountain to a beautiful arctic-looking lake. It was long and exhausting but well worth it.

For the second, we drove into town and then took a funicular before starting our ascent in hopes of reaching a cable car (that still had tickets available) to take us to the mountain’s top peak.  

Not being diligent enough at confirming the path en route, however, we ended up on a completely different trail.  It was a beautiful hike but after two hours, we began scaling rocks up the  mountain.  Starting to (likely unjustifiably) fear for our safety (Beth not Geoff), we decided to cut our losses and turn back.  

Thank goodness we couldn’t purchase the cable car tickets in advance!

And after a long and bizarre day, there was little more welcoming than soothing our achy muscles with a little relaxation (and a glass of bubbly!) in the Adults-Only area at the spa.

Not quite the Grand Budapest Hotel...

Eager to do some hiking, we investigated online and found an adorable looking hotel in the Tatra Mountains.  It reminded us of the hotel façade in the movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, so although it was expensive, we decided to go for it and booked it and a rental car to get us to Slovakia.

The drive to Slovakia was a beautiful one – even if a bit slow at times as we dodged the Tour de Polonia bike race that happened to take place on that very day and follow our very route!

Eager to take a break en route, we found a well-rated and charming chalet-type restaurant and scarfed down some perogies to fuel up but get done in time to beat the oncoming bike race.

As we crossed over into Slovakia – almost an unnoticeable marking – we were struck by the immediate difference in road conditions and houses.  Driving through Poland, we were impressed by the well-maintained roads and well-maintained and large houses that lined the streets.  In Slovakia, the roads were cracked and uneven and the houses felt unkempt.  

As we wove our way up the mountain, stopping first to buy the road permit and then to pick up some wine at the local gas station (!), we were beginning to wonder if this was our best idea after all.  The mountains were stunning but the accommodations we passed seemed lost in a different time.  And not in a good way.

As we turned the corner to head down the final street to our hotel, we were stopped by a security guard who was turning away the masses of local tourists eager to sneak a peak.  This was not quite the serenity we expected.

We pulled up to the hotel to find an attractive exterior and were greeted at the door with a glass of sparkling wine feeling instantly hopeful that things were back on track.  But as we checked into our room and went out onto the patio to take a look at the beautiful mountain surround, we were met with a view of the parking lot - which we had paid substantially more for.

As the hotel was full, the front desk informed that they could not change our reservation but that we could get our fill of the outside using their beautiful outdoor facilities.  Upon investigation, we learned about a strict rule prohibiting outdoor development/allowances in the area (?!); we documented this as four outdoor tables and a smoking tent, all of which were full. 

Disheartened, we spent the next hour online looking for alternatives and considering whether to just head straight to Gdansk.  Luckily, getting the hotel manager involved, we were able to find a decent solution that, although imperfect, at least offered us some better views of nature.

Putting the situation behind us, we decided to head over to an International Folk Festival that was happening on the other side of the lake.  The turnout was enormous with several thousand seats sold out and the grassy picnic areas along the side buzzing with people.  

Perhaps due to the afternoon’s conversations or perhaps the several welcome drinks that they offered to us as we got everything sorted, we arrived wholly unprepared for the evening, without sweaters to wear or blankets to cover the very damp ground.  We had totally lost our mojo.

Nonetheless, for the next hour we took in the traditional folk dancing and singing that Geoff had craved to see as we planned our Polish adventure.  The performances were professional and impressive and even though the singing hurt our ears sometimes, the evening was a splendid display of local culture.

As we walked back to the hotel, we sucked in all of the outdoor air we could before heading inside for dinner and bed.