A glimpse of the misty Tatras Mountains
A snapshot of the Tatras Mountain range
Kim posting here! Our team can now add “Road trip through the Tatras Mountains” to our list of Rotary adventures! Fellow GSE’r Erik (from the District 2240 team) picked up on our conversation about wanting to see the mountain range – if only from a car – and the Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Rotarians made it happen!
On Sunday morning, we said goodbye to our friend and Rotarian guide Juraj Paulinsky in Kosice and embarked our 4-hour drive to Banska Bystrica.
Though cloaked in fog, we got a glimpse of the Slovakian countryside that varied greatly from our usual tour of castles and city halls. We took a road that wound through the Tatras, a lush mountain range of the inner Western Carpathians. While foggy conditions obscured our view, the silhouettes of trees in the mist gave the feel of an Ansel Adams photo. At times, the fog was so dense it seemed we were driving right into the setting of a Brother’s Grimm fairy tale. Alas, we made it through the mountain pass safe and sound.
Any road trip wouldn’t be complete without food! We stopped at Koliba Bodega, a traditional Slovakian restaurant, for lunch and enjoyed traditional dishes including Goulash (thick, savory beef stew served with dumplings), Kapustnica (smoked sausage and sauerkraut soup), and local favorites like Vinea, a grape soda that Sarah and I have really taken a liking to (sadly, it’s only available here in Slovakia!)
Now, back to that road trip. We discovered our good friend and driver Honza Krejci(president of the Olomouc Rotary Club) shared our penchant for jazz and Frank Sinatra. The only Frank available in his playlist was a complete set of Christmas tunes. Driving through lush evergreens, it was almost appropriate. Picture our team and Honza singing classic holiday Frank tunes in a car packed with luggage… needless to say, we keep things entertaining. From there, we tuned into the Czech version of Johnny Cash. We enjoyed Cash classics like Ring of Fire and Girl from The North Country. We may not speak the language, but music is a pretty universal unifier 🙂
After unwinding upon our arrival to Banska Bystrica, we headed to Koliba u Sv. Krištofa for another traditional meal (we’re not returning home on this trip any lighter, I’ll tell you that!). Dinner was a feast of firsts. For the first time, we sampled national dishes like Halušky (potato dumplings with sheep cheese and bacon), Soušúlance makom (poppy seed dough rolls), and shots of Becherovka (herbal liqueur).
The team took an evening stroll through the city to finish out the day. The setting sun cast a beautiful glow over the city’s historic architecture, creating the perfect conclusion to a day of long travel. From the food to the scenery – and right down to the radio playlist – it was a day of firsts. We’ve found that even the days spent traveling from city to city are memorable. Thanks to our drivers for taking the road less traveled to give us a glimpse of Slovakia we never expected!
Road trip! The mountains can be seen behind us.
42 kilometers to Banska Bystrica!
Downtown Banska Bystrica at dusk.
Downtown Banska Bystrica castle at dusk.
rotarygse7390to2240 