It was a cloudy day, but we left early for a Boy Scout outing to the Tatras, the mountains near the border with Poland. My parents had come on 2/2 (my birthday) and were also going with us. It was a three-hour drive and since our Volvo holds only five, my mother rode with another family from the American school. We drove to Donovaly through Nitra and Branska Bystrica. Donovaly is at about 3000 feet elevation and once the road started into the mountains it looked a lot like being in West Virginia. There was about three inches of very wet snow on the ground.
We reached the central parking area at noon and after a picnic lunch that we had packed, the tour service Tara Well split the group in to snowshoeing and dog sledding. I was recovering from the flu that I got on 2/3, so our family opted for snowshoeing because I was hoping to be able to participate the next in dog sledding.
Brian, both boys, and my parents snowshoed for 13 km and 3 hours through the picturesque town of Bully. The houses there are now rented for winter tourists and the trails were groomed much like U.S. Forrest Service roads that are utilized for cross-country skiing. I had no idea it would be that long - I am still so proud of them for doing it!
After their super long hike, we left directly from the parking lot where everyone was gathered for a mineral pool spa in Bessenova. The waters in the outside pools were of different temperatures, but we liked the two pools at 38 degrees C. The air temperature was seven degrees C, but the coldest part was walking on the wet pavers around the pools.
After two hours in the pools, we went to a buffet dinner (it’s now 8:30 and very late for all these small kids) at Koliba (Chalet) Greta with traditional fare and traditional music. Then it was back to the Hotel Donovaly by 10:00 to find only tepid water to wash off the minerals before retiring. Needless to say many chose not to bathe in the tepid water.
(Ghost Writing Provided by Carl Winters - Thanks Dad!!)
What wonderful adventures you are having!!
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