Our Eastern European October… part seven

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.

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.*

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!

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!

Lakes, Slovak Republic

Our Eastern European October… part six

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!*

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.*

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.

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!

Czechia, Purchases

Our Eastern European October… part four

On Saturday, October 3, I hoped we could go back to Karlovy Vary and visit an area called Diana. It’s a park that offers trails, a mini zoo, a butterfly house, a restaurant, and a lookout tower, among other things. I wanted to go there for most of those things, but I especially wanted to see their peacock, Frosty, in the mini zoo. Frosty is so named because he’s white.

I had seen pictures of Frosty and was enchanted by his unusual look. Frosty is not your typical Indian peafowl. Aside from the peacock, the mini zoo also has a petting zoo, which includes goats, mini pigs, and ponies! I know I’m 54 years old, but I turn into a little kid when there’s a petting zoo.

After breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I realized that I had forgotten to bring a jacket or sweater with me. The weather had been warm when we left Germany, but I worried about cooler temperatures, especially on the later segments of our trip. So we decided to visit Karlovy Vary’s Globus.

I’ve written about the Globus chain before. It’s an enormous “hypermarket” that is so big it puts Walmart to shame. I actually hate visiting the one in Wiesbaden, because it’s so huge and overwhelming. I almost always leave there feeling exhausted. But, on this particular Saturday, Globus was a successful stop. We managed to find some Il Santo flavored mineral water, sold by Chodovar, that I fell in love with in 2009, but can never find outside of that region in the Czech Republic. We also found a bottle of ten year old Ararat brandy, Chodovar beer, and a birthday present for Bill’s grandson.

I did NOT find a suitable jacket at Globus, but I did find one next door at the Decathalon Store, which is a chain that specializes in exercise and outdoor wear. I got the sense that they didn’t see too many Americans at the Decathalon Store, as the cashier, a teenaged girl who spoke English, beamed at us when we thanked her.

After we went to the Globus, we made our way to the city… and promptly found that parking was practically impossible to find. The weather was beautiful, with sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. Consequently, there wasn’t a parking spot for love or money in the city. Then I realized that the lack of parking also meant the city would be positively teeming with people, and that would be quite annoying for both Bill and me. So, although I was sorry to miss seeing Frosty, we decided to go elsewhere.

We set off toward a smaller spa town called Mariánské Lázně, which we remembered from our 2009 visit to Chodovar. We thought maybe we might have better luck finding parking there, and could walk around the town. On the way there, I took lots of photos. The drive was on an enchanting two lane road through forests and mountains. I even saw a deer grazing in a woodsy meadow on the side of the road.

*A sign for a trout farm. We have these in Germany, too. They’re kind of sad, but they do offer fresh fish!*

Alas, it was the same story in Mariánské Lázně. It seemed like everybody was out and about… not that I could blame them. October 3rd was a really nice day for sightseeing in the Czech Republic. I did manage to take a few photos from the car… I think this town is one I’d like to see more of. Maybe if we come back to this region, we’ll stay in Mariánské Lázně, instead of Karlovy Vary.

So we kept going through Mariánské Lázně, and started looking for a place to have lunch, mainly because Bill really needed to pee. At one point, we thought we might have found a spot, but it, too, was lacking parking. Bill ended up having to pull over on the side of the road to pee. But at least the scenery was beautiful. Look at these views!

After awhile, we found ourselves on a familiar road… It was the one that led to Chodova Plana, which is where Chodovar is. There are two restaurants at Chodovar, so we decided to see if we could have lunch there. At first, it looked like we might be out of luck again, but then Bill drove around to where Chodovar’s cool cave restaurant, Ve Skále, is. Much to our delight, he managed to score a parking spot! Soon, we were walking through the “cave” entrance to the dining room, still familiar after 17.5 years!

*In February 2009, we stayed at this hotel! It was nice then… and probably still is, today.*

Below are some photos from Ve Skále… which really saved the day, and filled us up for the rest of the evening! I had duck, with delicious Czech style potato dumplings and red kraut. Bill had trout again…

Ve Skále was a great place to stop. It’s a unique restaurant with good food, huge portions, and excellent beers and other beverages. If you speak German, and happen to run into a staff member who can’t speak English, you’ll be in luck. Our waiter spoke English very well and was super cute, too.

When I used the restroom, I realized by their familiar pleasant aroma, the staff had stocked the soap dispensers with the brewery’s own cosmetics. I remembered buying them on our previous visit, and was delighted to stop at the gift shop on the way out and get more. We also got a six pack of 1.5 liter bottles of Il Santo Hoppy, which is a non-alcoholic drink the brewery now makes.

I’m pretty impressed with how much the “Beer Wellness Land” has grown since 2009. They now have a pool, whirlpool, Kneipp therapy, and a couple of specialized saunas. Unfortunately, Chodovar’s Web site still really sucks. But they DO have some great products– from drinks to shampoo! I wish it were easier to get their products from Germany. So far, I’ve only found them offered priced in euros on a site that sells truck parts! Make no mistake, though… they smell great, even if they are made of beer!

After we ate at Chodovar, we headed back to our hotel on the outskirts of Karlovy Vary. Since we were no longer exploring, it didn’t take long at all. I still got a few more fall photos…

We decided to have a couple of beers for dinner, instead of food… Then, we headed back to our room for our last night in the Tower Room. In the morning, we’d be rising early to make our way to Stary Smokovec, Slovakia…

*Chateau Cilheny’s salon. There’s a piano in there, and one rather “ballsy” young woman we ran into at breakfast with her friends, was playing it.*

Unfortunately, I have brought back a souvenir from our trip. Bill and I are both sick with nasty colds (or some other icky virus). So, for today, I’m going to stop here, and maybe tomorrow, if I’m not dead, I’ll write about our all day travel to Slovakia’s gorgeous High Tatra Mountains. See you then…

Uncategorized

A fabulous Friday!

Yesterday started off with Bill and me visiting the dental lab in Stuttgart. I am in the end stages of getting a dental implant done for a baby tooth that abscessed last year. There was no permanent tooth under my baby tooth, so I’m replacing it with an implant. Last week, we went to the dental lab to allow them to get pictures and measurements for the new tooth. The crown has now been fabricated. Yesterday, I tried it on and got it adjusted before it gets permanently installed on Wednesday of this week.

Though it took some time to get the crown right, we finally got it to a point at which it’s pretty much perfect. I was very excited to see the new crown, especially since it looks completely natural. I will take a picture of my new smile next week as I write a detailed post about my whole experience of getting a dental implant in Germany. I can hardly wait to get the big hole in my smile filled in!

After Bill dropped me off at home, I took the dogs for a walk. We have a “dump” for yard waste in the forest area near our home. Next to it is a locked area that I think is used to dump discarded bricks and lumber. To be honest, I’ve never taken a long look at it to see what all gets left there. This dump is located at about the midpoint of our usual route. As we were about to pass it, we ran into a German guy with a tractor. He was unlocking the gate to the dumping area. It’s near a field we usually walk through when we’re exercising Zane and Arran.

As we were about to pass, suddenly a huge European hare bolted out of the gate, only to be confronted by my two hounds. Both dogs were eager to chase the hare and it was all I could do to hang on to Arran, who was barking furiously and lunging at the scared creature. The hare then spun around to go back the way it came, only to be confronted by the guy with his tractor.

The poor thing was confused and terrified and spent several seconds going back and forth in an frenzied attempt to escape. I looked up at the German guy and met his eyes for a split second. It was like we were both amazed and amused at the sight of this poor wild hare running for its life. Finally, the hare figured out that it needed to go in one of the other two available directions. It dashed to the left and made its escape. I was finally able to drag the dogs away, though not without some effort. I wish I’d been able to film that scene. It was the kind of close encounter with nature you don’t see every day.

Bill got home from work early, so we enjoyed a couple of beers. Then we went to Taverne bei Dimi, which is a Greek restaurant in our neighborhood. We’ve been there quite a few times in the almost two years we’ve lived in Jettingen, though our last visit was a couple of months ago. Dimi was happy to see us and had clearly upped his culinary game. I have already reviewed his restaurant a few times, but thought I’d include a few photos of new stuff he offered last night. I think he has someone new cooking.

A nice green salad and ouzo. I prefer to skip the kraut because it gives me gas… 😉 Dimi also brought out an amuse, which is pictured on the salad plate. Basically, it was a fried zucchini and cheese fritter. It was delicious!

Our usual gyros with an unusual dusting of paprika… I brought about half of this home.

And then Dimi brought out a little surprise dessert for us. This was a little piece of cake with a dollop of yogurt, some honey, and cinnamon. It was an unexpected treat.

We came home and chatted a bit over beer. Then we had a good sleep.

Today, we have plans to go to Ludwigsburg to their market. We have to pick up a case of wine we ordered from a vintner in France. Last time we lived here, we ran into these folks at the Tubingen market and liked their wine enough that we’d buy it regularly. I got an email from them out of the blue a couple of weeks ago letting us know they’d be in Ludwigsburg today. So we ordered the wine and will pick it up. I was thinking we might visit Tubingen later, but it’s raining now. We’ll see what happens.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: wildlife

Our Eastern European October… part seven

Our Eastern European October… part six

Our Eastern European October… part four

A fabulous Friday!