Day 4: Spis Castle and a Tower Dinner

For some delightful reason, I've been waking up between 4:30 and 5 every morning...but at least that means we get a lot done. Like walking around the lake, Strbske Pleso, beside our hotel.


The view of our hotel from halfway around the lake.

 
Wooden chamois by the lake. (Sadly, I did not see a real chamois, or a marmot, but maybe next time.)

 
We started this hike to Popradske Pleso but quickly aborted it, as we didn't have water and my pale, pale skin was already roasting. Really we should have prepared more for this vacation.


 
I may not have seen a chamois, but I did see this awesome squirrel.

 
After our failed hike, we drove to Spis Castle, the largest castle in Central and Eastern Europe. It was built in the 12th century and originally owned by Hungarian kings. (It's also where Dragonheart was filmed, though I guess that's less historic.





 
From Spis Castle, we made a quick stop in Levoca, where I had marshmallow ice cream (I didn't see the "smurf" flavor in time or I would definitely have tried that, but at least now I can say "smurf" in Slovakian--smolska.)




 
After Levoca, we headed back to the hotel (pictured below) and did a short walk to the Lakes of Love, which was literally off the side of the road and does not count as a hike. It was still very pretty, though.



 
For lunch, I had one of the best burgers I've ever eaten--pork/beef blend with sheep's cheese, an egg, and lettuce. That was just a precursor to our tower dinner, though. When I booked it, I assumed it was a rooftop restaurant to eat while you watch the sun set. And you do eat while watching the sun set--but you're the only ones up there, at a table for two.

 
Our table at the top of the tower.

 
My dinner menu.

 
The view from the tower.

 
My asparagus, which was almost art.

 
Pork with garlic potato puree...all of the food here has been so good.

 
This dessert was also exceptional (it was Taylor's, but I took it)--strawberries and strawberry granita on a bed of chocolate crumbs, with thin chocolate and sweet jelly.

 


The dinner ended up lasting three and a half hours, with a CD on loop that Taylor kept resetting to play "Flight of the Bumblebee," so I never need to hear that particular song again. But it was a special and delicious experience, and it was also nice to talk one-on-one with our waiter and hear his thoughts on Slovakia and travel and the world.

Comments

  1. MomMay 30, 2018 at 5:48 PM

    The squirrel is freaky!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RachelJune 4, 2018 at 1:42 PM

    Those are some amazing pictures! And I'm very impressed by your private tower dinner.

    ReplyDelete

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