The Tatras

I am pretty sure I fell in love this weekend: the Tatra mountains in Slovakia are AMAZING! After school on Friday, five of us hopped on a train and spent the weekend in a small village close to the Tatras. On Saturday, we hiked for nine hours up Mount Rysy. It was the most dynamic hike I have ever been on, and the part where we were hanging off the mountains on chains was absolutely my favorite! The pictures help illustrate the story better than I could with words, and it was great to be able to capture some fall color before winter strikes.

In other realms, my classes are going well. I showed the Princess Bride to my first years and they loved it. (The really ridiculous part was that during the movie, I was in the back quoting the whole thing! It is probably good that they didn't catch on to this. :) I am wrapping up an oral traditions unit with my first years, and they are writing me all sorts of folk tales, fairy tales, fables, myths, and other wonderful pieces of writing. I had one student write "Sugarella," which is about a girl who can't have salt or she will turn into a salt pillar! It is great to read their creativity and see their enthusiasm.

And story: trains in Slovakia are madhouses! There are bars of course, but there are also bottle cap openers under every individual table on the train. On our last journey, we spent some time in the bar area, just listening to the drunken Slovak men sing folk songs. It was a riot. On another train, a Swede approached us and started talking to us about how the United States was full of guerillas, that all the jobs were in China now, and that everything was S#@* - he said that a lot. He was the kind of guy that you think is interesting at first, and then just can't believe that he is so prejudiced and jerky. While one of the members of our group was kindly listening to him (there was no disagreeing with the man), the train stopped at a station and there was a knock on the window that I was leaning against. I looked out the window and saw a big *flash!* There was a whole group of teenage boys taking photos of us! So strange! I also ran through the bus with gloves on my pig tails - I blame it on the delirium that accompanies six hours of hiking! The main point is: if you come to Slovakia, you must ride a train. :D

:0) Maika

This is my train ticket and the fall colors!

Breathtaking; simply breathtaking

I spent most of the hike with Becks and Carsten

Flatties! Me and Amy.

The chains and snowy cliff :)