September 25, 2021: Hello from Slovakia! We were all very excited for our first excursion of the term, and Slovakia does not disappoint. We’ve seen a castle, walked around beautiful villages, and experienced the breathtaking views of the Tatras Mountains. And that’s only the first couple days!
On Wednesday night, we left Prague on a sleeper train for Slovakia. We had some slight delays in the train schedule but used the extra time to explore the train terminal as well as walk around Prague at night. For most of us, it was our first time on a sleeper train, which led to a lot of excitement over the compact storage spaces, hidden sink, and other unique features. I personally had a lot of fun pushing all the buttons and switches, and I even found a secret door between my cabin and Joe and Joey’s!
After a little bit of sleep, we arrived in Poprad at 6:40am on Thursday and ate breakfast at a nearby hotel. After eating, we took a scenic bus ride to Spiš Castle, built in the 12th century. The castle was immediately visible from a distance, with a dramatic placement on top of the hill overlooking the nearby village. We spent the next several hours exploring the castle, including the torture chamber, kitchen, and other rooms inside.
As a group, we ascended the narrow, claustrophobic stairs to one of the towers of the castle. From the top, we had an incredible view of the Slovak countryside. Not only could we see the Tatras Mountains in the distance, but we were also able to see the colorful houses in nearby villages and the groves of fruit trees that line the roads. We were equally impressed by the herd of cows near the castle, which were ruled to be “very good cows” by several cow enthusiasts in the group.
We spent the afternoon walking around Levoča, a small, historical town in Slovakia. Given the beautiful weather, we were able to walk around the picturesque square and see the centrally located bell tower and a 14th century Church of St. James. After using the ATMs to withdraw euros (one of the many currency changes that will be necessary on the program), we ate lunch and took advantage of the plentiful sweet shops to buy ice cream. Another major feature of the town is the Cage of Shame, which was used historically to humiliate criminals and troublemakers. After that, we drove to our hotel in Nový Smokovec, had class, and ate dinner.
On Friday, we embarked upon our first hike in the Tatras Mountains, starting in Štrbské Pleso. After buying enough water and food to last us through the day-long hike, we rode the chairlift partially up the mountain before starting on the trail. The path consisted of uneven (and sometimes unstable) rocks, which made it important for us to watch our footing as we ascended the mountain. From the start, the views were fantastic. We passed by several different lakes over the course of the 8-hour hike, and a couple brave people in our group went closer to test the ice-cold water.
As we got higher and the path became steeper, we started seeing ice and snow lining the rocks. Naturally, this prompted a few snowballs, especially from Grace (who doesn’t see a lot of snow in Hawaii). When we reached the saddle point, the path was so steep that we had to use chains to pull ourselves up the mountain and then lower back down on the other side. A few of us were nervous about the heights (including me), but we all survived to see the breathtaking view from the top! It was incredibly windy at the top of the saddle, which often forced us to take shelter behind larger rocks to avoid being knocked over. Despite the wind, we were able to find a relatively protected corner to eat lunch and spend some time resting before we went back down.
On the way down, we passed by several waterfalls and another lake and were able to enjoy a less steep journey back to the start. The final stretch of the hike was through the forested area at the bottom of the mountain. The peaceful shade and smell of pine were enjoyable, but all of us were glad when we finally reached the tram stop (and an actual bathroom). Overall, we had an amazing time on the hike and all of us made it to the top despite some original doubts about the length and intensity of the hike.
Thanks for the great photos from everyone; it was hard to choose pictures because everyone had so many great shots! Also, shout out to Rebecca for formatting all lot of the text and photos for this post 🙂 Stay tuned for more adventures from Slovakia!