Central-Eastern Europe Trip, Day 5, June 23rd, 2010

Countryside flowers.

We woke up early (6am) and got breakfast in order to hit the road with the whole group by 8am. We headed east to the Beskydy Mountains in eastern Czech Republic. We had a rest stop around 10:30am, shortly after passing Brno, to stretch and grab some snacks.

Stramberk.

Stramberk Town Square.

Eventually we got into the small moutainside town of Stramberk around 1pm. We had a pizza lunch there with 5 of our group mates. The food was good and we had nice conversation getting to know each other.

There was a tower in Stramberk, and together with a few of the group mates, we climbed up to the top. The views of the valley were great from above.

Stramberk view from above.

Stramberk view from above.

Stramberk atop the tower.

Stramberk local delicacy: ginger bread ears.

In Stramberk, apparently, the local delicacy is a ginger bread ear cookie. Coming back down from the tower, I inhaled two at a dessert place, and they were really good.

Pustevny.

Our hotel for the night, Pustevny.

Following this stop, we continued on to Pustevny. We arrived around 3:30pm. Pustevny was a lovely town, up in the mountains, in the eastern part of the country. It is a ski resort destination in the winters. There was a nice mountain trail leading to a church with nice valley views along the way. I embarked on the trip with Marie and Bill and Gerry joined us for the walk. The church looked like it was built in Japanese style. Altogether, the walk took 2 hours.

Upon returning, folks informed us that the US and England had won their games and were advancing in the World Cup. That was good news to my ears.

Lovely dinner setting, Pustevny.

Post dinner folk dancing, Pustevny.

Later in the evening we headed out to a group dinner. We sat on wooden benches in front of large wooden tables, with a large fireplace in the middle of the room that kept us warm. It was exactly the sort of setting I picture when thinking of a dinner in a ski resort town. The food was great. Following our main course, the locals performed some folk dances along with music for us. At some point dessert came out, then I remember being pulled in to dance with one of the locals. After the dancing we wrapped up for the night and turned in.