Hiking in the High Tatras

 My knees were shaking, and as I slowly started to move forward I wondered how I should stop.  No, I was not at the top of a large mountain looking down at a treacherous slope, but rather at the foot of a small hill that was slightly tilted towards my right, which was the direction that I started to move. While I was still getting use to the heavy boots and ski’s, I finally realized that the sharp pains just above my ankles were the metal ski pant hooks trying to grip my socks.  After slowly lowering myself to the ground to stop, I then had to wait for someone to unlock my boots from the ski.

 Located in the north central part of Slovakia on the borders between Slovakia and Poland, the High Tatras Mountains with 17 peaks, rise 2650 meters (8,700 feet) above the European continent.  The area is well known for winter sports, with ski resorts in Štrbské pleso, and town of Poprad a short distance away. While the temperature was warm 18 (65) degrees in Bratislava, the snow was just perfect for skiing and hiking the beautiful, mountainous terrain located 4 hours by train from the capital.  Arriving mid-day on Friday, the clouds blocked all of the mountain peaks, however, that did not affect exploring the landscape.  Setting out into the designated paths, one could only notice the waist high railings were now at feet level because of the amount of snow that had fallen.  Proceeding further down the narrow and, at times, slippery path, signs warned of the different dangers that lurk.  While I did not need a sign to tell me that 2 meters to my right would be a long fall broken by numerous large trees, surprises could arise from avalanches and falling rocks, to snow covered areas which hide a undercover river.  Each turn of the path revealed new scenery and a beautiful array of snow covered trees, slopes, and a slowly melting waterfall trying to free itself from winter’s wrath.  The night ended with a warm meal after a walk around the frozen lake and cross country ski paths.

 The morning sun peered through the windows early, and you could immediately tell that the clouds had moved away during the night, and revealed the vast mountains in all there might.  It was a perfect day to hit the slopes, and learn to ski.  Although the weather in Chicago is harsh, the land is flat, and I never had the opportunity to snow ski.  While learning to ice stake came naturally, and water skiing great once I finally was able to get up on the ski’s, snow skiing was going to take more patience.  Approaching the crowded and challenging ski facility, I knew my best attempt to learn the correct way was going to be on the small hill passed earlier.  The instructor taught at the right pace, with short lessons about footwork without facing a slope; I also learned how to remove the skis on my own by observing others.  Next came time to tackle the small hill with back and forth turns down to the bottom.  After about two hours, and five falls because of insufficient foot work and balance, I improved my ability to ski and really enjoyed the experience.  I am looking forward to next time and facing one of the higher and longer slopes.  The rest of the afternoon was spent heading up the side of the mountain for beautiful views of the surrounding areas, however, the hike was cut short by the large amounts of snow covering the path signs. 

 Unfortunately Sunday was a bit more cloudy, but the day's challenge involved cross country skiing.  Although, the boots are much more flexible and comfortable, cross country skis are much longer, and thinner than downhill, meaning I feel a couple more times.  Also, Cross country involves a much more effort than downhill which has lifts bring you to the top of the hill and you allow gravity to pull you down.  Cross country requires you to climb hills while in the skis, and use your energy to travel across flat land, or in some cases, the frozen lake.  The purpose is to get exercise using your legs more than your upper body, but I resorted to using my upper body more, and felt the pain the next morning.  Traveling down the steeper, shorter paths was fun, but stopping and turning was much more challenging, which is why I ended up falling more.  The night was spent away from the mountains, in the town of Poprad at a indoor water park and spa, which was very relaxing given the bumps and bruises from the prior two days.

 On the way home, the trip was cut in half with a short stop in the city of Trenčín, about 1.5 hours from Bratislava to tour the local castle and have lunch.  Trenčín castle was built on the site in the 11th century served as a royal guard castle.  The castle, complete with narrow and steep passages, contains numerous artifacts and weapons.  The trip ended with a short train ride back to Bratislava, complete with yogurt covered strawberries, and was very enjoyable.

 Two final notes, my Slovak language learning has taken a few steps in the wrong direction.  While out at dinner and ordering pizza, decided to get some additional toppings.  Instead of ordering onions by saying cibulas, I said uhorka, or cucumbers.  The waitress wondered if I liked the pizza because of all the cucumbers that I put to the side.  Finally, while sitting down for ice cream after returning from skiing, I found RC Cola on the menu.  In all my travels across the US, Europe, Africa, and South America, I have never seen RC Cola outside Chicago and St. Bede’s gym, not even here in Bratislava, so I definitely had to enjoy one while in Central Slovakia.

Photos from High Tatras and Trencin 

Offshore Banking

With the dawn of a new month, it is time to pay the monthly rent.  As I log onto the Tatra Banka website, I am first asked for my account number, and online password.  Upon entering in my password, I am then prompted for an 8 digit code, which I must retrieve by using my small calculator like key pad, inserting my bank debit card, and entering the pin code, almost like a mini ATM without the cash.  I then am allowed to enter the site.  But before I can make any transfers, I again must use the calculator like key pad and debit card, confirming both the amount and account which I am transferring funds to, before my transaction is complete.  While the Caribbean or Switzerland account might be more popular, offshore banking in Slovakia might be more secure.

 Although the Euro is constantly making headlines for other reasons, the actual currency itself is very different from traditional US.  Coin denominations include a .01, .02, .05, .10, .20, and .50.  Unlike the US, which I have seen recent articles written to replace the $1 USD with a coin, there is no paper currency for €1 and €2 Euros as both denominations are only coins as well.  The lowest denominated bill is €5 Euro.  The amounts of paper currency include the €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, and €500 Euros.  However, what makes the paper currency most interesting is actually the different sizes and colors which represent each amount, very similar to monopoly money (color wise).  The larger the Euro amount, the greater the width and length of the note.

  When obtaining cash from an ATM (or cash station as I say in Chicago), typically in the US, the highest bill the machine will provide is $20.  However, here the machines typically provide €50 and €100 notes, and in extreme cases the €200 or €500 notes, both of which I have yet to see.  The €200 or €500 notes would be equal to $262 and $655 respectively in US Dollars.  The one other thing I notice here in Europe is when paying, anytime change is due, the cashier will put the change due on a plate or tray rather than hand over the money directly to you.

  The more difficult thing has been converting amounts back to $US using changing exchange rates to compare the price of things vs the US standards.  Currently the Euro is 31% greater, meaning every €1 is worth $1.31.  While dealing with a single currency with a fairly similar amount, the challenge becomes even greater when traveling to Hungary, where one Forint is worth .0034 Euros.  Thus 295 Forints = 1 Euro = $1.31 Dollars.  I am glad my prior role did force me to understand the numerous currencies in comparison to USD ($1USD = 19 Czech Korunas = 5.6 Danish Krones = 6.8 Swedish Kronas = .92 Swiss Francs).  At least 17 of the 27 European Union countries are currently using the Euro (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain), so that has made things somewhat easier.  The UK is a little harder because the amounts are very comparable to NY standards, but then you must include the currency impact and the price is 57% more in USD.  However, most of the time, I prefer to let the credit card company do the conversion for me.  I compare it to a long night out when the next morning you check your credit card balance and realize the damage.

  It will be interesting to see how the currency situation here plays out and the impact on the different economies.  At least it has made travel within the continent easier, even it that means less likely to obtain passport stamps between countries within the EU.