Popradske Pleso (lake), an hour-and-half up from the trailhead. On our return from the peak 1,650 feet above, the sun shone for nearly 10 minutes. (See below for a view from top).
After arriving in Slovakia from Hungary via Austria, it became clear to us that the high Tatra Mountains, together with the villages and towns below them, make for an extraordinary experience. What we do find confusing is the weather. When we left Hungary, we'd like to believe the country was suffering from a heat wave. Temperatures reached 96 degrees F. The following day, the high of the day nearly halved when we crossed into Austria.
We traveled to Slovakia, through Bratislava and headed north. We climbed high, this time in the car and then after cresting the mountains, dipped into the valleys far below. It looked like we'd be spending near on 3 weeks in the middle of nowhere. After nearly two-hours of slow travel, and stopping at a large supermarket to replenish stocks, we made our way through small villages and beautiful farmland and meadows. Then out of nowhere, we reached a freeway, a first-class road that led to Strba, our new home, and small cities and other towns. It was a surreal feeling after seeing so little development and then confronting 'civilization'. While it's not inhabited by many people, it has a surprising array of modern services and structures including hotels and ski resorts that are world class. In fact, we might say they outdo the Swiss with some of their hotels perched thousands of feet deep in and high on the mountains. More about that later.
Back to the weather. Temperatures dropped to freezing and below in the Tatra Mountains and towns situate in the valley since we're here. That's where our confusion arises. We thought summer covered the northern hemisphere at this time of the year. Apparently, we are wrong again. Furthermore, at time of writing, we have undertaken 3 great hikes and have spent part, half and three-quarters respectively, walking in the rain, with a little snow and hail thrown in for good measure. Each day, we have returned soaked, lacking a full complement of pictures because of weather issues, cold but on a high. Go figure. Perhaps, the answer for me relates to what my Dad would say in earlier days: "Jeffrey, don't be afraid of the rain—it makes everything beautiful—you should try it." (I miss him very much.)
Side note: I have not been able to change the front-cover picture as we normally do because the flowers and colors thereof are too good to remove.
We mentioned in the last blog of the Hungarian gentleman whom we spoke with in Budapest. We should have mentioned that his grandmother emigrated from Johannesburg. (Seems like there's always a lot of movement from the motherland, what a pity.)
Popradske Pleso (lake) and Dom (hotel), approximately 1,650 below, with rain falling (4 hours of it).
A scene out of Andorra, one of many in this region. A view from peak of Solisco, some 2,600 feet of elevation gain.
Partway up Solisco, Jenni looks toward Strbske Pleso (lake and resort). Raincoats take a breather.
Jenni's 'pansy' is prominent on the way to Dom Slieszky while the editor fades into 'unfocus' in rain suit.
A view into a town on the way up the Tatra.
Solisco true peak:"Now where did I leave my bag?"
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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