So, I have finally reached my last post in this series covering our visits to Karlovy Vary, Vyoske Tatry, Krakow, and Dresden. In retrospect, this trip was one of our best vacations. It even rivals our trip to Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia, back in 2021! The best part is, we didn’t do this trip during a pandemic… although given what happened on our way home, maybe it would have been better if I’d “masked up”.
We woke up to cloudy Dresden skies on October 13th. It happened to be my sister’s birthday, so I sent her a birthday message. Then, Bill and I got dressed and went to breakfast in the Moritz restaurant. Since we needed to get on the road, Bill and I stuck to the buffet.
Gotta say, I miss the cake…
After breakfast, Bill called the front desk to ask them to bring our car around. Then we hauled our bags down to the lobby and Bill settled our bill. I had already paid for the room, so we just had to pay for the city taxes and parking, and we got a slight discount for skipping housekeeping. We loaded up our car and headed out, immediately getting turned around at a roundabout and construction…
On our way out of Dresden, we passed a train station, where gay pride was on display. I love this about Germany. They are all about being inclusive… or, at least a lot of people are, anyway.
The sun came out for a brief time as we passed the local Russian Orthodox Church…
I’m afraid things got more boring once we left Dresden. The clouds came back, then we got rain, and the terrain was the usual German countryside that has become so familiar to me over the years. But I took a few photos, anyway, just to pass the time.
And then it happened. We crossed the border into Hessen, which is the state where we currently live. We had about 90 minutes left in our drive, and we needed a break. So Bill pulled off at a rest stop.
Rain was falling and it was chilly. The rest stop had a Burger King and a Gusticus, as well as a gas station and toilets. But it was laid out weirdly. Usually, at German rest stops, the doors are at the front of the building, and there’s no barrier on either side. If someone is walking slowly, you can easily pass them to enter.
At this stop, which was at Rimberg Nord, just off the A5, there were two entrances at the back of the building. The one closest to us had a single door, and there was a barrier on the other side of the sidewalk leading up to it. We were rushing to the door, to escape the rain, when we encountered a woman with a girl who appeared to be her daughter. The girl looked to be about ten or eleven years old.
As we approached the walkway, the woman and the girl stopped, and the girl vomited right in front of us. They were also blocking the way into the entrance, because they stopped at the end of the walkway and had the building on one side, and the barrier on the other. Perhaps that was a sign that we should walk the other way. But we waited for her to finish, which took a minute or two. We went into the restaurant, which was crowded with elderly tourists from a bus parked outside.
The interior of the rest stop was kind of weird. Instead of the big open layout one usually finds at German rest stops, this place had smaller rooms connected by corridors. I think that, somehow, we were exposed to the nasty virus Bill and I have had all week. It was either the vomiting girl on the way in, or someone in the large group of tourists. I’m sure eating Burger King didn’t help. The Gusticus was closed, not that it would have been that much better. When we left the rest stop, the girl’s puke was still on the sidewalk.
A picture of the entrance. You can see there’s a barrier by the walkway, making it hard to avoid other people.
Anyway, the upshot is, less than 48 hours after we got home, I started feeling sick with a respiratory virus that laid me out all last week. Bill also got the bug, although it doesn’t seem to have made him as sick as it made me. I am mostly over the bug now. I just have a residual cough and a lot of fatigue. But that was a rotten way to end what was otherwise an epic trip to Eastern Europe.
Since we got back from Eastern Europe, I have looked back on our trip with amazement. I wish we could have done more… and if I had to do it over again, perhaps I would have done two nights in Karlovy Vary and two nights in Dresden. I would have liked to have spent more time in Vyoske Tatry and Krakow. But overall, we had a wonderful time on our journey, and it was such great thing to get a change of scenery.
Just this morning, Bill said he was feeling better at work, even though he’s been very busy. Next week, he has to go to the US, and then after that, there’s another business trip. At the end of November, we will celebrate our wedding anniversary with a belated trip to a lovely hotel in Switzerland. So that will keep the travel blog going…
Anyway, so ends my blow by blow reporting on our Eastern European October. We just changed the clocks back to standard time, so it seems later than it is. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series, and will stay tuned for my usual ten things I learned post!
Our last full day in Dresden fell on what used to be known as Columbus Day. It was destined to be a drizzly day, but I wanted to go into the Frauenkirche and walk around the Der Zwinger, a palatial complex that now serves as a museum. Given the weather we had on October 12th, I wish we had gone into the museum, but I think we had kind of reached the end of our desire to be tourists.
We had a nice breakfast at the Moritz restaurant, with mimosas and Eggs Benedict. I remembered loving the egg dish during our first visit. It was pretty damned good the second time, too.
Bill and I had seen both the church and the museum on our visit in 2008. I remember when we went into the Frauenkirche, we also took the paid trip to the observation deck, which offers views of the Elbe River. Below is a picture from 2008.
I remember this to be a somewhat crowded activity in 2008…
The Frauenkirche is always worth a look, as it offers an example of the incredible restoration work done after the church was bombed by Allied forces during World War II. The fire caused by the bombing obliterated most of the church’s original structure. The church was reconstructed between 1994 and 2005, and opened to the public in 2005. It really is incredible what was done to resurrect the church to its former glory.
It’s interesting that I would be writing about the Frauenkirche today, as another German historic building was destroyed by fire on Friday night. The Kehlsteinhaus– popularly known as the Eagles’ Nest, and located in Berchtesgaden– was engulfed in flames and ruined. The Eagles’ Nest was built in 1938 and was meant to be a retreat for Nazi officials. It’s said that Adolf Hitler spent little time there, because he suffered from a fear of heights and enclosed spaces. In recent years, it was used as a cafe, which I happened to visit in June 2009. Below is a photo from my 2009 visit.
The Eagles’ Nest in June 2009. It was destroyed by fire over this weekend. On the day I visited, I was denied the beautiful views of the Bavarian Alps, thanks to the clouds.
The Eagles’ Nest will also be rebuilt, according to the news. I have every expectation that the work will be meticulously undertaken, and the cafe will be updated with state of the art equipment. Meanwhile, the person responsible for the fire has been arrested on charges of arson.
Anyway, we happened to visit the Frauenkirche just before a service. We considered staying for the service, but we were there 20 minutes too early, and didn’t feel like waiting. I managed to get some good pictures, though. The inside of this church is absolutely gorgeous!
This funny “angel” was encouraging people to visit the Frauenkirche. He was quite the ham!
Below are a couple of photos from 2008…
Another view from the observation deck, circa 2008.
After we visited the church, and Bill lit a candle for his late father, we walked around to the Zwinger. When we visited in 2008, we had sunny skies. We had no such luck in 2026.
Opera house in 2026
And here are a few photos from 2008… It blows my mind how few photos I took back then!
Opera house in 2008…
By the time we were finished walking through the Zwinger complex, it was raining. We decided it might be a good time to look for lunch. We ended up finding the Shamrock Irish Bar & Restaurant, which actually had pretty good food. It just needed some decent music. We passed a cool looking Italian market on the way there. If it hadn’t been raining, I would have definitely paid a visit.
They’ll put your face on a Guinness…This cheeseburger was pretty good. Bill had what amounted to tuna casserole.A good place to eat!
After another leisurely lunch at the Shamrock Bar, we walked back toward the market square. On the way there, we passed the very East German looking Kulturpalast. I took a picture of it in 2008, when Tracy Chapman was due to perform… The locals decided to keep the mural, which dates from the 1960s, as a relic of Dresden’s East German history.
And then again in 2026… it hasn’t changed a bit on the outside, although it was renovated in 2017…
We stopped in a souvenir shop to pick up a few things, including a couple of signs for the house. While we were in there, we admired an East German Trabant car.
The two signs I purchased, I could have bought at any rest stop. But it always seems silly to buy souvenirs at a gas station. I bought a sign that reads “Biergarten”, which I put over the door to our backyard. The other sign reads “Fickt-Euch-Allee”… which I’m sure you can figure out. That one is in my office. 😈
After we bought a few things from the souvenir shop, we headed back to the guys who were selling prints of Dresden. I hadn’t really wanted prints as much as I wanted original art, but that was what was available to us. The vendor was curious about us, and wanted to know where we were from, and what we were doing in Dresden. He also wanted to see my signs, and laughed at the one that contained German profanity… We bought three of his prints, and they are currently being framed.
We spotted this just before a protest started on the square.
After we bought our prints, we went back to the hotel room for a short rest. Neither of us were very hungry after our big meal at the Shamrock. Nevertheless, we ventured out one more time, just as a political protest and counter protest got started. It started with the LGBTQ crowd…
They were protesting the far right political swing in Saxony, but their protest was pretty peaceful and mostly included music and signs about Nazis getting out.
Bill and I decided to have a light dinner at the Augustiner Biergarten. We sat outside, which gave us a view and the ability to hear the far right protesters, who marched in to a drum beat. As we had beer, bread, butter pretzels, and potato sausage soup, we listened to the energetic rantings of far right politicians. It was a bit eerie. I was also a bit irritated, because everyone around us was smoking cigarettes.
The soup was good, but could have been hotter.
I’m sure you can guess which side of the debate Bill and I are on, but since we aren’t Germans, it’s not really our call. One thing I noticed during our first visit to Dresden, but not during our second visit, was the sign below. These people were forbidden to enter the premises of the restaurants, because of their behavior. I remember running into a couple of them during our 2008 visit. I have never seen another sign like this one, in all of my years in Germany. But I read that they aren’t actually uncommon.
Wonder where these folks are today…
Once we finished our light dinner, we went back to the hotel and called it a night. The next day, we were to head back to Wiesbaden. But we would run into something that would mess up our time at home since we returned. Read about that in my next post.
This is a repost of a review I originally wrote for Epinions.com in 2008, and also reposted to TripAdvisor. I am reposting it in 2026 to show how Hotel Suitess has changed since our first visit. It used to be better than it is now. The photos in this post were taken in November 2008, when we visited for two nights before we headed to Poland.
Hotel Suitess is located literally steps away from the Frauenkirche in the old part of Dresden. The hotel has a private parking garage, which requires reservations and at this writing costs 18 euros a day. We drove up to the hotel’s entrance and were met by two spiffy uniformed men who unloaded our luggage and spirited our car away.
Reception
We were greeted by a very professional looking young woman who spoke English with a heavy German accent. She offered us a glass of Sekt while we filled out the registration paperwork. As we enjoyed the welcome drink, I took a look around the lobby, which was decorated with lovely paintings, a bar, a fireplace, and lots of couches… almost too many for the small space. The lobby was very classy, but I think it could have done without a couple of those couches.
Our room
Our deluxe double room was located on the fourth floor. As she escorted us to our room, the receptionist explained that most of the hotel’s twenty-one rooms are on the fourth floor. I could smell the faint scent of fresh flowers as the receptionist presented our room in all its glory. Our room had a beautifully made up king sized bed, a small writing desk, a wardrobe with a safe, minibar, an array of German magazines, two telephones, robes and slippers, a huge mirror, free Internet, and a large flat screen television with satellite service and channels in a number of different languages.
I took a look out the window and noted that the view could have been better. Our room overlooked a construction site. Luckily, it was the weekend and no building seemed to be going on during our stay. The receptionist asked us what kind of newspaper we preferred in the morning. We asked for the International Herald-Tribune.
The hotel was very quiet while we were there. Although there were other guests staying there, the only time we saw evidence of them was when we ate breakfast. The hotel was very quiet and peaceful, and the bed was extremely comfortable, with first rate linens and a very nice mattress.
We appreciated the complimentary bottled water that was left in the room, but we were also impressed that the minibar was reasonably priced. We did not partake of the beer, wine, or snacks in the minibar, but we could have done so without feeling guilty.
The bathroom
The bathroom was truly impressive. First off, it was huge and appointed in marble with gold fixtures. There was a shower with a rainfall shower head, a generous sized bath tub, a toilet (of course), towel warmer, and scale. Fresh flowers were left between the marble his and hers sinks.
The lighting was excellent and actually very flattering. Excellent toiletries by Hermes were provided, including shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath, shower gel, and a small bar of soap. There was also a speaker in the bathroom which allowed for listening to the television and a telephone by the toilet. Towels were supposedly changed twice a day. We didn’t have a need for that level of service. I do wish, however, that the towels had been a little bit higher quality than they were.
Service
We were very pleased with the service we got at Hotel Suitess. It started on our first evening, when a very young and adorable housekeeper showed up to turn down our bed. She folded back the generous duvets and set down towels and slippers on either side of the bed. Then, she drew the curtains for us and presented us with a small plate of fine chocolates. My husband gave her an obviously unexpected tip and she rewarded him by beaming. Later, another young woman brought us a tray of fruit. Every time we encountered a staff member, we were given a cheerful greeting.
Food
We were tempted to try the hotel’s restaurant, Maurice, but decided we wanted to walk around the city. As it turned out, we were not able to eat dinner in the restaurant because it’s closed on Sundays. Of course, at a price of 98 euros a person, it’s also not cheap.
We did try the buffet breakfast on the morning we checked out. It was priced at 23 euros per person, a bit of a splurge, but we felt it was money well spent. The buffet included a huge variety of meats, cheeses, breads, cereals, vegetables, and even desserts. Several different fresh squeezed juices were offered. A very attentive server offered us coffee or tea. We both had cappuccinos, which were expertly presented.
I also opted to have Eggs Benedict, which was included in the price. The Eggs Benedict was absolutely perfectly prepared. So while I think paying 46 euros for breakfast is extravagant, I’m glad we did it this time. It was definitely worth it. Room service is, of course, also available. We didn’t use it.
Hotel amenities
Hotel Suitess has a full service spa, which we didn’t have the chance to use. There’s also a very small fitness room and a “wellness center”, which includes a jacuzzi, two showers, steam room, and sauna. There was not another soul in the wellness center when we used it. We had the whole place to ourselves.
One complaint I did have about the wellness center was that the jacuzzi was pretty cold. I don’t know if that was by design or not, but I sure would have appreciated warmer water.
The hotel also offers laundry service and a complimentary shoe shine service.
A word about Internet usage…
Hotel Suitess does offer free Internet, but it’s not wireless. The hotel provides a cable that patrons can use on their personal computers. My husband and I used the Internet and had some problems with it. First off, it was a bit slow. Secondly, the program the hotel uses caused some issues with some of our computer’s security settings. We were able to do some ‘Net surfing, but it wasn’t without effort and frustration. I guess that’s just as well, since most people don’t go on vacation to surf the Web, anyway. It could, however, be a problem for business travelers who depend on being able to use the Internet.
Checking out
Checking out of Hotel Suitess was a breeze. The staff bid us a cheery farewell as we loaded up our SUV for Poland. My husband tipped the bellhop, and again, he was rewarded with a grateful smile. It was pretty apparent to us that the staff at the hotel has not yet been spoiled by big tippers. We definitely would not hesitate to book a stay at Hotel Suitess again.
Our first full day in Dresden happened to be on a Sunday. If you know anything about Germany on Sunday, you know that most shops are typically closed that day. I wanted to get some writing done, so I told Bill to go take a walk after we had breakfast in the Moritz restaurant. I remember when we visited Hotel Suitess in 2008, the restaurant was called Maurice, and we had no money to try it for dinner. We only ate one breakfast there, and it was delightful because of the Eggs Benedict.
This year, we ate breakfast at the hotel each day. I got a kick out of the very German sign directing people how to access the buffet. I’ve never seen a sign like this before in a hotel… but it strikes me as something Germans would do. They also posted a sign by the elevator on the ground floor, advising people of when they should try to have breakfast. On another note, I loved the cake on the plate below. It seemed kind of Black Forest inspired.
How VERY German…This sign was posted by the elevator on the ground floor!
I sat down at my computer to write, while Bill walked around in Dresden. He found a Biergarten and a guy who was selling prints of Dresden and, while I was writing, sent a photo. I was glad to see the Biergarten, especially since it was in a prime spot for gazing at Dresden’s amazing architecture. When he got back from his walk, we headed over there. It required crossing a bridge, which gave me more chances for great photos.
Just before the heavens opened up…
We were having a great time drinking beer and people watching when the first raindrops fell. We quickly finished our beers and made a run for shelter. It was quicker to keep going across the bridge to the other side of Dresden. I was kind of glad we did that, since I don’t think we ever ventured to that part during our first visit. Bill said he’d seen a brewpub on the other side, not too far from the bridge. As luck would have it, it was about time for lunch, anyway.
Some kid was flying a kite!
As we were heading across the bridge, the rain turned into sleet and hail. This is a pretty common thing in Germany, especially during the spring and fall seasons. I was grateful I wore a sweater, as we rushed towards the brewpub called Watzke. I see it has several locations. We were at the one near the Golden Rider. I got several good shots of it, once we were seated, and slowly drying off.
Maybe it seems like all we did was eat and drink on this trip, but we definitely got our heart rates up in our attempts to avoid the rain and sleet! And I was rewarded with good beer and some great chicken and fries. Bill had sausage with mushrooms and mashed potatoes. This restaurant seemed very popular with the locals. I didn’t notice a lot of Americans in Dresden, anyway, but this location of Watzke had mostly Germans in it, having a nice Sunday brunch.
This was really good! I loved the potatoes.I wouldn’t try the sausage, because it had ‘shrooms in it.
We enjoyed a very leisurely lunch, and I took a few photos of the “golden rider” statue from our table. It’s amazing what playing with the camera settings will do. Same camera, different modes… The bottom two were taken as we were headed back across the bridge. Dresden has lots of gold statutes. I couldn’t help but think of Trump when I saw them. 🤮
The Golden Rider statue commemorates Augustus the Strong (1670-1733). The statue was erected in 1736, in Baroque style, based on a design by the scultpor Jean Joseph Vinache. It’s very impressive… or gaudy, depending on your view.
On our way back, we stopped to tip a few buskers who were offering some ambiance. I also noticed some rather telling graffiti, which implored the government to put hospitals and healthcare back in public hands.
The newly sunny weather gave me a chance to take some more photos of Dresden’s beautiful architecture and the Elbe River… It’s amazing how quickly the weather can change! Especially at this time of year!
After some more walking around, we decided to have a rest at the hotel. Our vacation was definitely winding down, and we were thinking about going home. We did venture out again for dinner, though, at a restaurant called 1328. It was located just across the street from Hotel Suitess, and was clearly affiliated with the large Augustiner Brauhaus next door to the hotel.
We weren’t really all that hungry, but were mainly killing time. Still, I was glad we stopped in at 1328, as the food and service were very good. And we also had an interesting conversation with our dirndl clad server, a petite young lady from Asia. I didn’t ask which Asian country from which she came, although I noticed that several of her co-workers were also Asian. This matters, only because she asked us where we were from, and we ended up having a conversation about what it’s like to be foreign in Germany.
Bill and I often get mistaken for German. We blend right in here, until we start to speak. Our server was obviously not from Germany, and I got the sense that maybe she found it a bit lonely living here. She seemed very young, but obviously had accomplished a lot. I know she could speak at least three languages, for instance.
In any case, 1328 was a good find, because the food and service were good, but it also wasn’t crowded at all. I especially enjoyed my Wolfbarsch (sea bass) filet with risotto and tomato caponata. Bill had zander filet with root vegetables, fried potatoes, and a honey-mustard sauce. We also had a lovely bottle of wine. For dessert, I had three chocolates. Bill had pistachio creme brûlée.
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel room and prepared for bed. It was nice to be in Dresden again, if only to see some familiar sights and enjoy the atmosphere.
Tomorrow, I will write about our last full day of vacation, and our last day in Dresden.
It was finally October 10th, and we were due to move on to our next destination, Dresden, Germany. Bill and I visited Dresden for two nights in November 2008. The occasion was our 6th wedding anniversary. At the time, we lived near Stuttgart, having been sent there by the U.S. Army. We had little money in those days, so it was a big deal when I booked the five star Hotel Suitess. It was our first five star property.
I remembered enjoying our two nights at the Suitess, and I knew it was in an excellent location. It was also a lot less expensive than the five star Hotel Kempinski. So, in the interest of nostalgia, I booked the Suitess again.
But I was pretty sad to be leaving Kanonicza 22 on October 10th. I loved staying in the Prince Suite, with it’s gorgeous baltic blue, brown, and gold theme. I’d love that color scheme for my own house. On the whole, we really enjoyed Krakow, Poland. I hope we can go back. On a related note, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many priests and nuns in one place, outside of Vatican City!
We had our last breakfast in the apartment after packing most of our bags. Bill schlepped them to the garage, leaving me with just my purse and rolling suitcase.
The pancakes were really good!
Then, once we were finished with breakfast, we made our way downstairs, said goodbye to the lady on duty, and walked back to the huge garage where our car was. I would absolutely book Kanonicza 22 again, given the opportunity. it was my favorite of all of our lodging on this trip.
Below are a few more shots of Krakow before we said goodbye… What a beautiful city!
When we left Krakow, the skies were sunny and bright. But soon, as we headed west toward Germany, the clouds came out. I don’t have a lot to write about the drive, except for the difference in the quality of roads between Czechia and Slovakia versus Poland was quite obvious. Poland was a lot easier to drive across, even with its tolls.
Approaching Katowice…
It was pouring rain when we decided to stop for lunch. We were at a Polish McDonald’s. Things have really changed since our first Polish visit in 2008. I remember going to a McDonald’s in Jelena Gora, mainly because it was the only place where we could find parking. None of the staff spoke English and they had to present us with a picture menu so we could order. Now, everything is done on a touch screen, and so many people speak English!
We happened to be at McDonald’s at the same time a large tour group of teens were there. Fortunately, we managed to order just before their arrival. It wasn’t until later in the trip that I realized just how lucky we were in our timing. But I’ll get to that in a future post. There was a cheap hotel next to the McDonald’s. It looked like one of those places that is totally automated.
That kid looks how I have been feeling since we got home.
It wasn’t long before we were crossing the German border. We were required to drive through a repurposed rest area that had been turned into a security checkpoint. Since we have German plates and look very much like Germans, we were waved through with no fanfare. I made a joke about how “hot” one of the cops was. Fortunately, Bill is a good sport about such things.
Hallo Deutschland…
The rain continued as we arrived in Dresden. It was still familiar to me after so many years away.
Hotel Suitess is located in a pedestrian area, but it’s permissable to pull up in front of the hotel to check in. I remembered when we visited in 2008, there was a valet waiting to park the car. This time, we had to park outside and go into the hotel to check in. I noticed that they had also done some renovations. In 2008, there were two ways to enter the hotel, and the check in desk was at the bar in the hotel’s parlor. Now, the desk is set up in what used to be a corridor leading into the hotel. It seemed a little strange to me.
The lady who checked us in was nice enough. She didn’t offer us a welcome drink, though, and that was something I remembered that happened in November 2008. I had read in recent reviews that the standards at Hotel Suitess weren’t really what you’d expect at a five star hotel, so I wasn’t surprised about the lack of a ready valet or welcome drink. It was a little disappointing, though.
The receptionist asked us if we would mind forgoing housekeeping during our stay, since it was only three nights. She said this was for “environmental reasons”, but personally I think it’s more likely that the hotel doesn’t want to employ people to clean. It certainly didn’t give off five star vibes, although we agreed to skip housekeeping. I didn’t realize it at the time, but not getting the room cleaned resulted in a slight discount on our nightly rate. At least there was that, then.
I booked us an executive suite, which came with a bedroom, sitting room, refrigerator, and three TVs, including one in the marble bathroom. The room was big enough, but it looked like some of the frills from our earlier stay were gone. The bed was not made up with anything beyond pillows and duvets. The desk, while massive, wasn’t near any electrical outlets. The bathroom had a tiny shower and narrow tub, and no Hermes toiletries, as we had enjoyed in 2008. And this was our view…
We had two big windows that overlooked two courtyards…
I could see some traces of the hotel’s former glamor. The artwork in the room had little lamps over them. The color scheme was beige and gold, just as it was in 2008. But I got the impression that the place could use an overhaul. Below are some photos of the room.
The blue pillows are ones we brought with us, because European hotels usually don’t supply pillows we like.
And below is a picture I took during our 2008 visit…
Notice the decor is the same, but the bed is more completely made up. We also got turn down service in 2008. We didn’t get that in 2026.
Hotel Suitess was okay for three nights, but it’s definitely gone downhill since our first visit. If we go back to Dresden, I’ll probably go ahead and spring for the Kempinski, or try a different hotel. There are quite a few good ones to choose from now. The Suitess does have a spa area that I thought we might use, but as it turned out, we skipped the spa. I never got a chance to see if the whirlpool was heated. It wasn’t when we were there in 2008. And yet, I was still impressed in 2008… How things can change!
After we checked in and had a chance to rest for a few minutes, we decided to venture out. It was close to dinner time, so we went to the restaurant next door to see if we could get a table. They were fully booked, so we walked across the market square and wound up at a place serving typical Bavarian cuisine and Hofbrau beer, with wait staff curiously dressed in dirndls and lederhosen. A lot of the restaurants in Dresden were Bavarian themed, even though we were in Saxony.
We were lucky to get a table at the Hofbrau, because the tables were all reserved after 7:00 PM. We were there at 5:30 PM, so we had plenty of time to eat and enjoy a couple of brews.
Magnificent FrauenkircheThis church was meticulously rebuilt…After it was bombed and almost completely destroyed during World War II.
After we ate dinner, we visited the shop across the way and bought a few things to tide us over until it was time to head home on the 13th. Below are a few more photos I took before we turned in for the night. Neither Bill nor I are big night owls, especially nowadays. And driving is tiring… but it was nice to be in Dresden again.
Tomorrow, I will write about our first full day in Dresden, Germany. It really is a beautiful city, and more people should visit it.
We had no big plans for October 9th, save for a little souvenir shopping. I was still hoping to find some art to bring home, and maybe some trinkets for Bill’s grandchildren. For breakfast, we ordered more eggs with croissants. The croissants were initially forgotten, but the guy who brought us our breakfast later came back with them.
The weather was slightly cooler, so I wore a sweater. We decided to walk in the opposite direction, to see if we might see something noteworthy in that area. Perhaps we did see some notable things, but we were clearly headed away from the touristy area, so we did a loop that eventually took us back to the market square. Below are some photos from that leisurely stroll. It was interesting to walk that way, if only because I noticed the little old ladies selling obwarzanek krakowski, a Polish ring shaped bread roll that are kind of like bagels. They were selling them cheaper outside of the square…
I had just made a joke about falafel, because we were near the Jewish Quarter.Don’t want to break an ankle, thanks…
There was a “bazaar” type shopping arcade in the middle of the market square, where vendors were selling souvenirs. It was pretty crowded in there, and we didn’t really see what we were hoping to find, which was original artwork. Instead, we found a lot of touristy stuff, so we walked out and sat down by the Town Hall Tower. Those who are ambitious can climb the tower and learn all about its history, which dates from the end of the 14th century. It’s the only remnant left of the old Krakow Town Hall, which was demolished in 1820.
In the shopping area. Lots of very touristy stuff.
It was getting close to lunchtime, so we went looking for a place to have lunch. I didn’t really want to dine in the market square, though, because I knew prices would be higher, and likely, the food would be mediocre. I was thinking about patronizing one place, but was turned off when someone from the adjacent restaurant came out and tried to lure us in. I noticed this was a big thing in Krakow… people hired to draw in tourists. I know they do it to drum up business, but I find it off putting.
In a nearby park.
After a short rest in a park, Bill and I continued walking, and soon oriented ourselves. We were near the main drag that leads to the market square. After a short time, looking for a lunch stop, I noticed a place in a corridor that offered Tuscan food.
Il Toscano turned out to be a sandwich shop, which was not exactly what I thought I wanted. It turned out to be a good place to stop, anyway. We had a leisurely light lunch. I had a tuna sandwich with capers and sundried tomatoes. Bill had a sandwich with mortadella and mozzarella cheese. We had water and prosecco, while 80s music played. It was just enough, and not very expensive, either!
After lunch, we stopped in a couple of souvenir shops to pick up a few things for the grandchildren and Bill’s daughter. I also got a new mug, which I’ve been using a lot this week, as I’ve been drinking a lot of hot tea to help me get over this sickness. Unfortunately, I still didn’t find any art I wanted. The art sellers in the market square only had prints that depicted scenes from Krakow.
Careful in this shop!
After a brief rest in our apartment, which allowed us to drop off our souvenirs in the car, we ventured out again and stopped at a cool looking cafe/bar at the end of Kanonicza Street. We had a of round of beer, then switched to coffee drinks. We people watched, horse watched, and listened to folks socialize… I really liked Pianola. What a quirky place!
And then we walked around some more… just to take in the sights. On the way back toward the market square, a man tried to get us to go to the Georgian restaurant. We were interested, but it was too early for dinner. We walked around some more, and stopped by Bania Luka for a beer and a pee stop. 😉
On the way back, we ran into the same breakdancers from the day before. Since I was more sober and the weather was better, we stopped to watch them again, so I could get a better video. Their show was slightly different. I think maybe they had one or two different guys dancing.
The same dancers from the day before.
These guys were worth a second look!
Then, when we ran into the guy from the Georgian restaurant wanting us to come in for a meal, we said yes. He told us it was his second day doing that job. I’m sure he got credit for bringing us in, but the truth is, we had planned to go there, anyway. Bill and I love Georgian food. You can see Bill helping me out by removing the mushrooms from my chicken shashlik!
After dinner, we decided to call it a night. But on our way back to the hotel, we stopped in the candy shop and picked up a lot of goodies for the grandkids! I kind of wish we’d bought more for ourselves.
Yes, I know we should have done more cultural stuff in Krakow, but we definitely had a good time. I hope we can visit again before too long and see even more of this fabulous city. What a great place to visit.
In my next post, we’ll be moving onward to Dresden. Stay tuned!
The day before our first morning in Krakow, Bill and I filled out a form that indicated our menu choices for breakfast. We opted to have breakfast in the apartment, since there was a table and chairs set up there. Eating breakfast in the apartment meant I could put off wearing a bra that much longer.
Breakfast is served from 9-11. I would have preferred it slightly earlier, since Bill and I are early risers. But having it at nine gave us an incentive to sleep in, and God knows Bill needs to do more of that. Also, the bed in the Prince Suite is surprisingly comfortable, so sleeping in wasn’t difficult. If we couldn’t have slept in, we could have watched television. There are THREE TVs in the apartment, including one in the bathroom!
The bathroom TV. You can watch the news while shaving!First breakfast… Scrambled eggs with bacon and fresh orange juice.The huge fruit plate that came with our suite.And a chocolate… it was kind of like a Rolo.
After a leisurely breakfast, Bill and I ventured out into the city. The weather was sunny and somewhat warm, which was nice, since I forgot to bring my jacket with me. The first thing we saw, once we started walking on Kanonicza Street, was Pope John Paul II’s former residence, which is now the Archdiocesan Museum.
A look at the exterior of the place where we stayed.
We probably should have taken a look at it, since it was so close, but I had heard so much about how beautiful Krakow is that I wanted to keep walking. The museum is literally across the street from Kanonicza 22, though, and if you’re Catholic, or interested in things that are Catholic, it’s probably a must see. I am not Catholic, so it was of less interest to me.
We did stop by the Church of Saints Apostles Peter and Paul, a nearby, historic, Catholic church that is iconic in Krakow. This church was built between 1597 and 1635, and is known for being the city’s first Baroque structure. The front of the church is notable for having statues of the twelve apostles.
When we visited the church, a man was speaking to a small group of people as a pendulum moved in front of him. I was curious about the pendulum, but couldn’t understand what the man was saying, even if I could have heard him clearly. But we did get some photos, at least… And Bill lit a candle for his late father, who was a Catholic. Although we didn’t attend any concerts at this church, I understand that they are offered daily at around 8:00 PM and cost about 60 zloty per ticket (about $15.50).
From the church, we headed down the street to the big market square, Rynek Główny. The crowded street was bustling with modern stores, restaurants, and tour guides trying to sell tours. There were plenty of people in Krakow, but somehow the guides knew which people were tourists and which were locals.
This was where I saw the first of many horse drawn carriages. I was delighted to see a team of Appaloosas, since my beloved Rusty was an Appaloosa. I explained to Bill the difference between the American Appaloosa breed, and the Danish Knabstrupper breed. Both are known for their spots, but are different types of horses. I’m pretty sure we were seeing Appaloosas, since they aren’t as rare as Knabstruppers. But I could be wrong, of course. The carriages in Krakow were pretty much all pulled by two horses, all of whom appeared to be well cared for. They kept their routes close to the pedestrian areas.
Pretty spotted beauties…More chimney cakes!
We walked to the center of the market square and sat for a bit, just taking in the scene. The square is constantly teeming with people and activity, with lots of restaurants, shops, and live performers. While we were sitting in the middle of the square, we noticed that we were surrounded by a lot of very young, beautiful women, who all appeared to be styled in similar ways. I wondered if they were training to be models or… perhaps tour guides? I don’t know, but something was going on with them.
You can’t go to the market square in Krakow without seeing St. Mary’s Basilica, although if you notice my photos below, you’ll see that they actually ask people NOT to visit. I understand you can go into the basilica for free if you are appropriately dressed and have religious business there. You can also purchase a ticket to see parts of the church that are intended for tourists. Again, you are expected to be appropriately dressed for the occasion.
There is a tower there, where tourists can usually pay an extra fee to get panoramic views of the city, but I’m not sure if it was open to the public while we were visiting. I read that it was undergoing renovations. If it had been open, I think Bill and I would have skipped it. As I get older, climbing steep church towers is less appealing than it used to be. Every hour, there is a trumpet call from the taller of the two towers. It’s a tradition that dates from the Middle Ages, and the call is played in each direction.
After we visited the market square, we continued down another street and a sign caught my eye. Then I heard music, noticed quirky art, and found myself in a brewpub called Bania Luka. I later discovered that this pub has several locations, making it a chain. No matter… I was in the mood for a little day drinking. They were playing awesome Generation X music! I didn’t really care for the stools, which weren’t that easy to sit on, but they had good beer, light food, and plenty of vodka. They also had a toilet! We enjoyed a round or two while I admired the artwork.
Then it was time for lunch… so we turned right and walked a little further. I noticed a couple of dark passageways and stopped in one that advertised a traditional Polish restaurant called Stodola 47. This appeared to be a very tourist friendly place. Indeed, there was a large group of Americans there. They were with an outfit called Catholic Journeys. I know this, because they had signs on the tables that were reserved for them.
There was also an Asian Catholic priest with them, complete with collar. I see from Googling that this tour operator is in New Orleans, Louisiana, and offers pilgrimages to different places of interest to Catholics. Again, I’m not Catholic, so I don’t know. I do wonder, though, if they visit Lithuania, a place that seems as religious as Poland is.
Bill and I got the last available table, which was right next to the toilets, and enjoyed a nice heavy lunch, washed down with more beer… Zywiec is a mass produced Polish beer that is very light and refreshing. It’s a lot like water, actually!
More chimney cakes!Good ribs.
Right next door to Stodola 47 is a very inviting underground pub called Dorby Kumpel. So, although I hadn’t planned on the day turning into a pub crawl, that is exactly what it turned into, as we went down to check out the underground bar that was also playing some great Generation X style music! There were a bunch of Brits down there, too, so we didn’t feel out of place. Maybe I should have felt guilty for pub crawling, but our main goal was to relax and enjoy ourselves. We definitely managed to do that in Krakow.
When we emerged from the underground bar, we were confronted by rain showers. So we turned back toward the market square and started heading back the way we came… But then I noticed another inviting pub called Baza. And yes, we stopped in for a bit…
Baza Pub was probably my least favorite of our three stops, mainly because of an annoying guy who happened to be there at the same time we were. The bartender was not the friendliest guy, either. He seemed rather bored with his job. Most of the patrons were sitting outside under umbrellas, probably because they could smoke. The door was left often, though, so the smoke wafted inside the bar. The barkeep would close it, and the annoying guy I referenced would open the door again. That was annoying, but it wasn’t the MOST annoying thing… I did enjoy the artwork.
At one point, I got up to use the toilet, which was unisex. There was one stall, but it hid everything, so it wasn’t a big deal that there weren’t separate rooms for men and women. The annoying man-bunned guy, who had been fouling the air with his chain smoking, came into the bathroom while I was peeing and waited for me to exit the stall. In doing so, he trapped me as I tried to maneuver past the narrow space between the sink and the stall door.
He said, “It’s a very tiny space.” as I worked out what to do.
No shit, guy. Why not wait outside so I can wash my hands in peace? It’s not like there’s a line. 🙄 The guy struck me as a bit of a weirdo. I think the bartender thought so, too.
It was still a bit damp when we left the Baza Bar, but we were still in for a treat. Stevie Wonder was playing and people were kind of dancing along… and then we ran into a group of very talented male breakdancers who entertained us with a fabulous show. I got a video of that.
This is the first video of two I got of this dance group. I will share the other one in the next post.
I had wanted to go looking for artwork, but it was getting late, and was a bit dark and cold. So we kept walking back to the apartment, where we spent the rest of the evening digesting lunch and lots of Polish beer…
Pretty dappled greys…
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped into another church for a few minutes. It turned out to be the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, which definitely should have gotten more of our time. We had to keep it short, because Bill really had to pee! What a beautiful church, though… and just outside, we were confronted by Pope John Paul II again.
Bill turned in our breakfast choices for the next morning while I enjoyed the shower. The most notable thing about the shower in the apartment were the toiletries. They were called Oliva del Mediterraneo, and they smelled lovely. I’ve already started looking to see if I can find a full sized bottle for home!
Stay tuned for my next post about our second day in Krakow!
On October 7th, we awoke to another stunning sunrise. We were going to be moving on to Krakow, Poland, a city I was very curious about and really looked forward to visiting. For years, some of my well traveled friends told me about the beautiful architecture in Krakow.
I had originally thought that maybe we could use the city as a base for visiting Auschwitz, but I soon found out that was impossible. I guess I wasn’t that wedded to the idea of going there, because I didn’t plan ahead. Now that I’ve been to Krakow, I’m glad we didn’t try to go to Auschwitz on this trip. There’s so much to see in the city, and we didn’t really have enough time to do it justice. We’ll have to try to do Auschwitz on a later trip.
Because Krakow isn’t that far from Vyoske Tatry, we took our time packing. Our host at the panoraMic Mountain Residence was really cool about our checkout time. I’m not sure he gets a lot of business at this time of year, although once winter hits, his property will surely be in demand. It will be ski season. He came over to give us a bottle of Slovakian wine and say goodbye, and he brought along his gorgeous dog, a Black Russian Terrier.
I had never seen a Black Russian Terrier before. If I had seen her on her own, I would have assumed she was a large black poodle. Our host explained that Black Russian Terriers, otherwise known as Chornyi Terriers, are dogs that were bred in the Soviet Union during the 1940s and 50s. They are descended from about 17 different breeds of dogs brought from countries where the Soviets were active during World War II. They are not true terriers, but were bred to protect, guard, and serve as companions.
I wish I’d had a chance to take a picture of the host’s dog, who was very well trained and extremely sweet and friendly. She was clearly very bonded to her master, but was also quite happy to accept pets from me. It’s hard to imagine such a loving dog could come from a breed that was known to guard Russian prisons! Obviously, she was okay with cats, too, as the host had several roaming his property.
Bill told the host that our destination was Krakow, but we thought maybe we’d go by way of Zakopane, Poland, since Krakow wasn’t that far from Vyoske Tatry. We needed to take our time getting to our destination, because our lodging would not be ready until 3:00 PM. Vyoske Tatry is maybe a 2 or 3 hour drive from Krakow.
I had read Zakopane was charming, and I wanted to have a look at it. Maybe, if it was charming enough, we might stop there for lunch. The host gave us some suggestions, and said that before we left the area, we should venture down a country road and have a look at the stunning fall colors.
One last picture of our Slovakian lodging…A pretty mountain flower growing in the parking lot…
We did as the host suggested, and it was a good idea, as I got some incredible pictures of fall foliage just before we left Slovakia. We drove back the same way we went to go to the Tree Walk, drove down the country road, and then got on our way to Poland. Below are a few shots before we got on the country road.
Just beyond Bachledka, we encountered the road, which the host had warned would be kind of primitive, but serviceable. I noticed there was a rickety looking arm barrier that was up. I guess when the weather gets bad and they have to close the road, the arm comes down. Or maybe it’s a relic from another era. Anyway, we started down the country road, I got lots of photos, some of which are pretty similar. I still find the colors stunning, and worth the trip! I think Slovakia might be my favorite of all our stops!
I don’t know these people, but I think I know how they were feeling! What a beautiful place!Bill stopped here for a whiz.
I didn’t realize it when I was taking these photos, but we were extremely close to the Polish border. We came back down the country road and got back on our route… Very soon after, we encountered these signs, and everything changed.
Suddenly, the houses looked different. There were steep angled roofs, with wooden panels that looked like they were whittled from a tree. I wish I’d had a chance to take more and better pictures, because the change was very obvious in a short time. There were more billboards, more businesses, more construction areas, and and more traffic. It was obvious there was more money, too.
Just over the Polish border, toward Zakopane…Carved houses!I always see crosses in Poland. There are many Catholics there.
We stopped at a gas station to top off our tank and allow Bill the chance to pee. Bill was instantly delighted to see that in Poland, higher grade gas is available. It was not available in Czechia or Slovakia. I noticed the busier vibe and realized that as charming as the housing was, I was already missing Slovakia’s rugged charm, peace, and quiet.
We didn’t end up stopping in Zakopane. It just looked too touristy to me. At one point, I noticed several huge billboards set up, obviously meant to lure tourists. I wondered how it must feel to the locals who have to look at that shit. Still, it was interesting to see some of the more charming aspects of Poland, and realize how different it is from Czechia and Slovakia. Some things about it were genuinely great.
As time went on, Bill urgently needed to pee again. He grew ever more desperate as we crept toward Krakow on a busy road with no rest areas. He finally got desperate and pulled off at an exit for a small town. At first, he felt like he’d made a big mistake, as the town was very crowded with cars and no parking spots. But then we ended up near a town square that instantly reminded me of Freudenstadt, a city we used to live near when we lived in Jettingen, Baden-Württemberg. It had a charming square, a fountain, and a town hall.
Bill saw an open spot, so he parked the car. As he was getting ready to buy a parking ticket, a lady who was backing out of her spot rolled down her window and said something to me in rapid fire Polish. She smiled and handed me her ticket, which still had about an hour’s worth of time on it. She was gone before I could thank her.
We ended up visiting a patisserie called MonoDe, which, thankfully, had a toilet Bill could use. Over delicious pastries and coffee, which served as lunch, we took care of the urgent business, and enjoyed a rare treat. Welcome to Poland! I still don’t know where it was that we stopped. I’ll have to do some sleuthing later. Edited to add: The town is called Myślenice! It is about 30 kilometers south of Krakow.
This patisserie was a Godsend!And the pastries were delicious, too. I liked Bill’s even better than mine.Looks like Freudenstadt!
We got back on the road to Krakow, and immediately hit more traffic. It turned out there was a McDonald’s very close to the exit where we’d gotten off, and that would have also solved Bill’s pressing problem. But I’m so glad we got off at this little suburban town, ate pastries, and saw a quaint Polish village square. We can go to McDonald’s pretty much anywhere. 😁
Traffic got heavier as we approached Krakow. Fortunately, we had already pre-booked and paid for a parking spot in a huge garage near our Krakow lodging, an apartment over a well-regarded restaurant. Nevertheless, I got pretty antsy as we inched toward the city…
The Poles like their KFC. I spotted one on either side of the highway!Homely church
We were getting closer as we approached what appeared to be a carnival on the side of the road, along with some pretty ugly communist era architecture…
Yikes!
And then, before we knew it, we were there in the garage. I had rented what was called Kanonicza 22, basically the street address of the apartment I found. When I was looking for lodging in Krakow, I was having a hard time deciding where we should go. I was very attracted to Kanonicza 22, but was a bit hesitant, because of the parking situation. This place is on one of the oldest streets in Krakow, and it doesn’t have parking. However, it is very close to the parking garage.
Kanonicza 22 has three apartments available over a small restaurant called Pod Nosem. The restaurant staff run the apartments, which are really more like suites, since they don’t have any cooking facilities. We were in what is known as the Prince Suite, which is on the second floor. Fortunately, there is an elevator.
When we arrived at the Prince Suite, I was blown away how beautiful it was. This huge suite had a living room and a very comfortable bedroom, along with an enormous bathroom. The suite included a large bowl of fresh fruit, a bottle each of red and white wine, still and sparkling water, and a couple of soft drinks. Breakfast was included, and could either be enjoyed in the restaurant, or in the apartment. The only thing I didn’t like about this suite was the mirror by the toilet. Otherwise, it was absolutely gorgeous! I think, for three nights, I paid just under $1,000 for this… I’m so glad I booked it!
Yes, there is also a bidet, which might come in handy!
Since it was late afternoon when we arrived, Bill and I decided to have dinner at Pod Nosem. That, too, was a great experience, although there were a number of Americans there. One couple sat near us and I overheard the male half say that he’d dined there several years before and loved it. He wanted to eat there again on his last visit, but it was fully booked, so he made sure to reserve a spot for his most current trip.
Bill and I tried to keep a low profile, but our waitress soon asked where we were from. I noticed that in Krakow, people generally pegged us for Americans. Or, maybe they just defaulted to English, because if you don’t look like a local, they assume you can speak English…
Below are some photos from dinner… This was our only fine dining experience on the trip.
The amuseSmoked trout with roeBill had a lovely saladI had perch, because it didn’t have mushrooms…Venison for BillThis wine was suggested by the server. It was very good!CheesecakeA brownie with ice creamAnd finally…20 year old Nairi Armenian brandy… AhhhhhA treat to soften the blow of the check. It was pretty reasonable, for what we had.
Our waitress was impressed that we ordered Armenian brandy. She said she’d been to Georgia, but could not go to Armenia, because she didn’t have a passport. That led to a discussion about our American status, and how expensive it is to have an American passport. She said she didn’t want to go to America. I can’t blame her for that!
After dinner, we went back to the apartment for a much needed rest. And that we got, because the bed in the Prince Suite was–hands down– the best of all of our stops on this trip. I would definitely book this property again, in spite of the parking pain!
In the next post, I’ll write about our first glimpse of Krakow.
Tuesday, October 6th, was another incredibly beautiful day. I was thinking maybe it would be fun to go to Poprad, the local town, south of where we were. I wanted see if they had a nice old town we could visit, and perhaps look for something to bring home with us. We had heard there was a nice church there, and our host’s son had mentioned something about an old castle… I was in the shower when he visited, though, so I base that comment only on what Bill said.
I looked on the Internet, and I thought it looked like there was a proper centrum in Poprad, a city at the base of the Tatra Mountains. There’s an art gallery, and I knew there were some restaurants.
So we ate breakfast, and headed out, stopping to greet one of the several cats that live at the panoraMic Mountain Residence. But, when we got to Poprad, we had trouble finding exactly what we were hoping to find. The main thing we hoped for was parking, and that proved to be elusive. We followed the signs for the centrum, but never saw a place that invited us to stop. Instead, I got the feeling that Poprad hadn’t yet evolved from its communist history.
Before anyone comes at me… let me state that I’m sure that if you know where to look, the city of Poprad does have its charms. It has an airport, after all, and a connection to London’s Luton Airport, as well as a few other seemingly obscure and inconvenient destinations. But we were not successful in finding anything that made us want to explore. So we decided to head back to the mountains and search for something to do there. I got a few photos on the way.
This was at the airport… which actually kind of resembled a hospital.
We decided to stop at the apartment so Bill could pee, and on the way there, I got a couple of pictures of a deer near where we were staying. Maybe she was related to the gorgeous buck we saw the first night. Yeah… I was “horny”, too…
We decided to explore in the opposite direction of where we had gone on Monday. We got on the road, and soon found ourselves driving through some splendid scenery. At one point, we saw several men standing on the side of the road holding out baskets, as if they were offering treats.
Bill said, “It looks like they have goodies to share. What is that? Bread?”
Looking at the man who offered a basket on Bill’s side, I could see why he thought it was bread. It kind of looked like the guy was holding bread, based on the color. On my side, a different man held out his basket, and I got a better look at the wares, which were clearly visible– much to my horror. They were selling wild mushrooms! If you know me, you know that I would never consider that a treat! In fact, that’s my idea of a nightmare! But mushroom hunting is very popular in the region, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.
In spite of the mushroom nightmare, it was a good decision to explore in the opposite direction, as we soon found several things to do. There were a couple of caves to visit, some traditional looking restaurants, and also the place where we ultimately decided to stop, Bachledka Ski & Sun.
We had no plans to stop at Bachledka before we stumbled across it. It simply looked like an appealing place to go. And it turned out to be a good decision to stop there, because besides a hotel and apartment rentals, this place offers a “tree top walk”, mountain carts, restaurants, shopping, and The Forest Kingdom, an adventure park for the whole family.
Bill and I are very familiar with treetop walks. We’ve done the one in the Schwarzwald. We’ve also done one in Bad Camberg, which is close to where we live now. The two treetop walks we had done before our visit to Slovakia were made by different companies, though. The one we encountered in Slovakia was made by the same people who made the treetop walk in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald). I noticed that the treetop walks in the Schwarzwald and the Tatras differed from the one in Bad Camberg, because they don’t have any steps, and they seem to be more focused toward education.
The treetop walk at Bachledka is very similar to the one in the Black Forest, in terms of its height and length. It started operations in 2017, and offers stunning views of the national park where it’s situated. Like the treetop walk in the Schwarzwald, the walk at Bachledka also has a slide to the bottom, although it wasn’t operating on the day we visited.
As we pulled into a parking space, we noticed a group of people parked near us. They started speaking and I realized I understood what they were saying, even though they weren’t speaking English. Sure enough, they were Germans, and they noticed our license plate. The father in the group said hello, noting that we were “neighbors”. For the second time on our trip, we’d run into people who live in Mainz… which is VERY close to Wiesbaden! 😁 And once again, we were mistaken for being Germans.
To get to the treetop walk, one can either take a mountain cart, or ride a cable car. We opted for the cable car, but having seen the mountain cart, I’m a little more curious about that option. I could see people on the little carts going up the mountain side from the cable car, where Bill and I were sitting.
Here are some photos from just before we started the treetop walk, which was a pleasant, and not too strenuous, activity for me and my fat ass.
The colorful bottles in the background are different flavors of a special tea liqueur called Tatratea. They are made in the Tatras.
I didn’t take any photos on the way up to the walk, because the cable car we were in was completely enclosed, and the view wasn’t very good. But once we got to the top, I had plenty of options for taking pictures, of which I took full advantage! Even the trail to the observation tower is a treat for the eyes, especially on a clear sunny day, like the one we enjoyed on the day of our visit!
As you can see, there is a real emphasis on education. There are a number of stops that are meant to engage youngsters and teach them about the environment, as well as help them burn off some steam. The tower itself is great if you have a stroller, or even a wheelchair. It’s just a 1250 meter ramp that doesn’t require taking any steps.
My guess is that the toboggan slide was closed because there was no one available to work…
I got some pictures at the top of the tower, too… The net was stretched across the top, and I assume it was allowed to be on it. I did see one girl on the net, and there were signs advising not to jump on it. Of course, I wasn’t about to try it myself.
We walked down the tower and, after a quick stop in the gift shop, decided to have lunch in the restaurant. That was also a bit of an experience, as it was set up like a cafeteria. The guy who tried to help us was a teenager who spoke almost no English, and Bill was pointing at it and saying yes and no as the guy tried to figure out what we wanted. Fortunately, one of his co-workers was able to explain things. They didn’t didn’t have their whole menu available, but I was satisfied with my grilled salmon. Bill had lasagna. We bought some mustard and mead in the shop.
Kid friendly play area.
Soon it was time to come down off the mountain, since the cable cars were soon going to close. I did try to take a couple of pictures going down. I also noticed the tinkling of the cowbells on the cows grazing in the bucolic pastures below. But, as you can see, the views were a little marred by the enclosed car.
A couple of deciduous trees among the conifers.More cowbell! Shame about the dirty glare.
Since it was late afternoon by the time we finished our excursion, we decided to head back to the apartment. I was suddenly sorry we didn’t have another day or two to spend in the High Tatras, as there were other things I wanted to do. For instance, there are a couple of cool art galleries/museums in that area. And if you follow my travel blog, you know I love visiting caves and waterfalls. Ah well… now that I know what this area has to offer, perhaps we can visit again sometime.
For now, there are a few more photos to share… Slovakia is SO beautiful! Especially at this time of year!
Me so horny!
For dinner, Bill decided to go out and get us a Hawaiian pizza. I don’t mind ham and pineapple on pizza, although it’s not my favorite. But here in Europe, I often get Hawaiian pizza, because it’s pretty much guaranteed to be mushroom free. I have a phobia of mushrooms and will not eat them under any circumstances. Consequently, I eat Hawaiian pizza… which is probably a nightmare for a lot of other people!
The next day, we went to Poland, and I’ll report more on that in the next post!
On Monday, October 5th, we awoke to gorgeous sunny skies in Stary Smokovec. I didn’t sleep so well in the bed, which had kind of a cheap mattress that left tingly pressure points on various parts of my body. Nevertheless, I was delighted by how beautiful the weather was. It was practically warm outside.
Bill got up and went to a small COOP grocery store, near where we’d had dinner the night before. The paid parking lot near the store was expensive, but the old guy running it was kind enough to let Bill briefly park for free, so he could pick up a few groceries for breakfast.
I was eager to see Štrbské Pleso, a glacial lake near the Kempinski Hotel. People had written about how beautiful it was, and I figured it wouldn’t be too physically taxing to go there. I would say the Vysoke Tatry area is a wonderland for athletic types who love to hike.
There are mountains to climb and ski down, caves to explore, lakes to swim in and walk (or run) around, and waterfalls to hike to and gaze at. There is even a handy tram that will take explorers to some of the more remote areas, although I’ve read that they are pretty well attended by visitors. If you choose to hike to a waterfall, it’s likely you’ll be joined by others with the same plan.
Unfortunately, I’m not as fit or as ambitious as I once was. It doesn’t take much to wind me these days. I’m not sure why, although maybe menopause has something to do with it. But I did muster enough energy to go to the lake and walk around it. The locals made it easy. There were plenty of benches for resting, and even a free public toilet to use. And when we were finished walking around the lake, we had a good choice of restaurants to visit for a hearty lunch.
Below are some photos from our morning at the lake. I’m very glad the weather was so agreeable! The first three are shots from the property where we were staying.
The toilets were a nice touch. They were clean, and free of charge!This restaurant looked interesting, but it was closed.
There’s a path that goes around this lake. If you’re fit, you can probably make it around in under an hour. We saw a few young, athletic guys who ran around it a couple of times while we slowly made our way. We also saw a couple of girls racing each other. And we heard an elderly German woman praising the lake for not being too large. One Asian lady saw me coming out of the bathroom and asked if she needed to pay. I was happy to tell her it was free to pee!
I made Bill stop for a photo or two… and so I could catch my breath. I think you can rent a boat to row around in this lake, too. We saw a couple of people doing that.
I was reminded a little of Lake Bled in Slovenia, except it was less touristy, and didn’t have an island with a church on it. I also didn’t see any swans at this lake, although we did run into a few ducks. There was also a memorial at the lake that commemorated a World War II partnership between the United States and Russia.
Everything was so rustic. That part reminded me a bit of Croatia, and the Plitvice Lakes park, where it seemed like the whole area was set up for outdoorsy fun. It doesn’t compare to the incredible beauty of Plitvice Parks, nor does it offer the same stunning colors. But Štrbské Pleso is very beautiful in its own way, and is more manageable for people who aren’t very fit. As much as I loved our 2021 trip to Croatia and Slovenia, I don’t think I could do 7 or 8 miles in a day again in 2026… at least not without getting in better shape.
We decided to have lunch at a restaurant outside of the lake area. They had traditional Slovakian food, and played annoying music with a video on a loop. The food and beer were good, but the music was grating. Also, this was another place for people with smaller asses than mine. I don’t remember the name of this restaurant, but I do remember they charged 2 euros (!) to use the restroom. I’m sure it’s because they were tired of tourists coming in just to use the facilities. Still, it’s off putting when you have to pay to pee at a restaurant you’re patronizing. I’m sure all of the restaurants in the lake area do it, though.
I had ribs. They were pretty good, although I couldn’t finish everything.Bill had chicken with potatoes and a salad.
We decided to drive back to the apartment as the skies started to dim a bit. I wanted to do some reading and writing, and Bill wanted to pick up some more supplies. As we were driving back, I marveled at how beautiful the scenery was, and how it seemed to me like Slovakia is a place with ambitions to be a great destination for outdoorsy types.
A little night cap before bed.
In my younger days, we might have tried to take an afternoon walk to one of several waterfalls in Vyoske Tatry. There’s even a tram that takes visitors part of the way there, so they don’t have to expend too much energy on a hike. Maybe if we make it back to this very enchanting area, I’ll pay a visit to the falls. I’d also love a chance to visit the caves in the area.
We decided to skip dinner, since we had a big lunch and some snacks we needed to consume. That was a wise choice, given how big and hearty lunch was. Meat dishes are a big deal in Slovakia.
In my next post, I’ll write about our visit to the “treewalk” in the area. Stay tuned!
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