lovely slovakia

on top of lomnicky stit (-17.3degC; brrrrrr)

in the post-christmas slump i booked a short break so i had something to look forward to in the dark of feb. (i did have a weekend in norway -- when i feel i really need to vent spleen i'll write about that experience)

i booked a mixed trip of skiing, sight-seeing and snow-shoeing. for some reason i thought i was heading to slovenia so was suprised and, later, delighted to end up in slovakia (i didn't mention this to the lovely tour leader, who was, for good reason, very proud of his country).

i had no expectations --- so when it turned out to be extremely gorgeous and populated with friendly smiley people i was more than happy...

the hotel in levoca - u leva - fantastic

(room 101, luckily didn't live up to its rep. it was palatial. sadly the planned bikini party never came to pass so the cage of shame remained empty)

the holiday had started badly; i had to fly ryanair to luton first (which, alone, would be enough to destroy the most enthusiastic heart) - then i split my forehead open in a tragic stationery shop accident. (wh smith be prepared; a howler your way comes). i was row 27 on the plane (right by the toilet; hmmmm) and the plane was almost diverted to kosice (miles and miles away) owing to it being -8degC at our destination airport (poprad) with zero visability. the first inkling that things were looking up was the pilot deciding he was a real man and landing the plane at poprad anyway!

quick trip to the hotel in levoca (which was our base). the trajectory of enjoyability shot skyward when i reached the hotel. we stayed at the u leva. which is a 14c building - it used to be an apothecary, and den den deeen it still is (the lady that owns it is a pharmacist and has a little shop in part of the building). the building itself is superb; impressive and substantial; a manly building that gathers you to its chest and reassures that all is well. As is the case for all of the buildings in, and around, the central mediaeval square. the square also contains a fabulous church with amazing altars (no pics, not allowed; google master pavol images) and a huge town hall (in front of which is the "cage of shame" where ladies out after hours were put to demonstrate what hussies they were!)

town hall, levoca

mediaeval buildings and church of st james, levoca

first day was a trip to the tatras mountains. a cable car took us to the top of lomnicky stit. on top of the mountain is an observatory and, as we fell out of the cable car in our uber-unsexy winter clothes we found ourselves in the coolest bar i'd seen in a very long time. it was all white leather cube seats primary coloured walls and a smartly dressed (and attractive) barman! after many photo ops and mooching about at -17degC (utterly feckin' cold) it was back inside for a hot chocolate. i cannot say enough about the magnificence of the hot choccy. it has spoiled all hot chocolate i have ever had, or will ever have. it was divine!

after all that effort and sight-seeing the afternoon was spent in bliss in the thermal pools of aquacity. it was really odd being outside in -8degC in a bikini. swimming in hot water while my head bobbed about in icy-coldness. the popradians seemed a happy lot and who'd blame them - the complex of pools and spas are brill.

evenings were spent in the teatro bar which was in the lower floor of yet another historical building in the square. as it's associated with the theatre it is decorated in a really quirky way. and for some reason the locals in this pub are prone to buying rounds of beer for the visitors. (always a good sign).

monday saw the start of the active-activities. we headed out to snow-shoe in the tatras paradise - (which, fortunately, lives up to its name).

kitting up for hours of snow-shoeing through narnia-esque forests

for the small, hard core, all the oceans of fresh air and tramping about in pristine forests just wasn't enough. so apres four hours of walking... we decided to walk up from the town to the church on the hill. (a pilgrimage site). the climb was tough. the only thing that kept me going was the fact that in july thousands of little old ladies manage to skip up here, no probs; never underestimate the miraculous effect the promise of a good mass has on little old ladies. (great chalice work, ted)

the church on the hill - no matter how far you walk it doesn't get any closer; view of levoca from the hill

next day the skiing happened at slopes only 6km from levoca. i'm used to having to endure four hour transfers airport to ski resort - slovakia wins by having all the activities close to town and close to the airport. the thing that struck me most about the little ski resort was the trust. usually there are lockers for your kit - not here, everyone just dump their bags and shoes and head off. the snow was lovely and the views great - ski hire, lift pass and food enjoyably affordable.

so if you're looking for a lovely hol, in gorgeous surroundings with friendly people - have a go at slovakia!

lol