The High Tatras Mountains
23 October 2018
Total contrast in the weather department, bright sunshine. I opened the glass door/window of our room on to the small balcony, and there were the distant hills after all! It was a free activity day, so we made our way by train to the system of ski lifts up into the mountains, and managed to get two thirds of the way up. Further up was not possible, as it had apparently been prebooked and was full. The queue for tickets was hard going, as everyone accused everyone else of queue-jumping! We brazened it out. It happened that our friend D was doing the same trip, so we joined forces for a time.
When we got to the top of the second cable car there were lots of people milling about, and a cafe doing good business. Workmen were busy on an extension to the building, and the view up to the top of these jagged grey mountains was free of cloud for some of the time. A single small red gondola plied its slow way up a single loop of cables towards the very top. A journey not for the faint-hearted, we thought, watching it recede into a small red dot by the time it got to the top. In the still air two paragliders soared above us, but Ju could not spot a single bird, despite this being a likely habitat for eagles and the like.
We took lots of photographs and then came back down, and had lunch at a small cafe near the foot of the slope. Then off in the train again this time to see a very unlikely lake half way up another mountain in this range. Good weather persisted all day, then we went back to the hotel and hung out in the bar with the others until it was time to go to dinner, and get our luggage to the station. Our heavy bags were delivered to the station, so off we walked to a lively restaurant full of locals, where we took so long over dinner that we missed the first train, and had to catch the next one. An accordionist started up with a table of singers and made so much noise singing local folk songs that Ju and I paid our bill and headed off for the waiting room at the station ahead of the others, just for some peace and quiet.
The others followed, and we caught the later train to Poprad, where we were to board the sleeper for Prague. Michal had this totally sussed. We were all allocated to bunk numbers, three per compartment, and he had us line up in that order on the platform exactly where carriage 6 would stop. He told us this express would only stop for two minutes so we had to be slick. The train rolled in, Michal found the door, and we filed on board, Ju in the lead as she was berth 1, and we all slotted in to our compartments like clockwork! Brilliant! And the train was on its way again.
Ju took the top bunk, D the bottom one, with me in the middle. Heating was fierce, but we opened the window and the temperature stayed cool all night. Some compartments had parties going, with beer bought from the steward, but we three all went out like lights. It was ten to eleven, and arrival in Prague would be about 6am.
Shake rattle and roll, shake rattle and roll............
Comments