(20.10.2014 – 22.10.2014) If you need to escape from the crowded city and tourist-filled destinations no longer appeal to you, the Jeseníky area could be just the ticket. Jeseníky cater to cross-country skiing enthusiasts, hikers, natural reserves, castles, but also Absinthe lovers. The local villages and towns have a unique charm, especially due to their history, which was truly turbulent in this region. The influence of the medieval period, infamous witch burnings, times of gold panning and mining, battles of royal families, Germanic influence, all the way to the Sudetes, can still be felt here today. We are heading to the autumn Jeseníky Mountains at the invitation of the organizations Czech Tourism and Euroregion Praděd. Unaware of the action-packed program that awaits us, we set off from Bratislava…

Contents

1st Day (20.10.) –The world is more fun with you, absinthe, and electric bicycles
Day 2 (21.10.) – Toothed frogs, go-karts, waterfalls, and cow Evelina
Day 3 (22.10.) – Witches, regulars, and the return

Day 1 – The world is more fun with you, absinthe, and electric bicycles

The journey from Bratislava takes approximately 3 hours. We drive along winding roads in a melancholic, drizzly, and misty weather. A small miracle happens as we pass by a sign saying Malá Morávka, our destination. The sun breaks through the clouds, and by the time we park at our hotel Kopřivná, it’s quite clear. We breathe in the fresh air under Praděd, reportedly the cleanest in Central Europe, and head to check-in and especially to have lunch. The homemade chicken soup and expertly grilled meat, cheese, and vegetables at the hotel’s panoramic restaurant are a balm for the soul and body. Strengthened, we head towards the first point of our program – the picturesque mining and spa villageKarlova Studánka. Its architecture resembles our Orava cottages, enriched with Germanic elements.

At the information center, we meet our lovely guide Kateřina Kočí from the company Actaea. She leads us along the main promenade and we learn about the rich history of each house in the village. One house seemed somewhat familiar to us. We understood right away. It’s the hotel where every night in the film, Zdena Studenková’s movie husband Pepa skied to meet her. Yes, in the beloved movie “The World Is Laughing at Me With You”. Continuing our walk, we head towards a 20-meter-high waterfall. On the way back, we stop at a geological exhibition and learn about a geological fault that the area owes its precious metals, minerals, and healing water to. There are up to 20 educational trails in the area, where you can explore botanically rich nature and spruce forests. If we didn’t have such an interesting next item on our agenda, we might have been tempted to explore one of those paths.

In the nearby village of Bělá pod Pradědem, we are already awaited by the owner of the distillery and absinthe specialist Kyle Bairnsfather. Kyle, his five children, and a dog as big as a small calf welcome us at an unassuming cottage where all the alchemy happens. In the herbal garden, we have the opportunity to taste and smell the herbs that Kyle uses in the production of liqueurs. We decide to spit out the one with hallucinogens, which is added to absinthe, as the owner explains with laughter that these substances are only released during thermal processes. Upon entering the house, we are engulfed in an atmosphere of paintings featuring green fairies. On the wall hangs a photograph of Kyle with Johnny Depp, next to Zeman. We are fascinated by various distillation vessels and bottles and listen to explanations about chemical processes and the production of real absinthe. We find ourselves in a small bar where Kyle lets us taste his liqueurs—herbal, spicy, made with real vanilla, and of course, absinthe. And then it hits us. We realize that everything we’ve thought about absinthe so far is completely different. The real absinthe, the one Hemingway and the Parisian bohemians drank, doesn’t have 70% alcohol content or a bright green color. It is not consumed with a flaming sugar cube but rather diluted with water. Our feelings could be compared to finding out that Santa Claus or Grandfather Frost didn’t bring you Christmas gifts. Enlightened, we thank Kyle for debunking this myth and for surprisingly low prices; we buy some of his alchemical treasures as souvenirs, which connoisseurs from around the world have sent for.

We are moving to the Vidly hotel, where we rent electric bicycles. Instead of liqueurs, this time we breathe in sharp fresh air. Ten kilometers pass by us through the autumn nature as if nothing, probably also thanks to the additional electric motor. It is getting dark, we put away the bicycles, and a great broccoli cream and venison in cream is waiting for us for dinner at the Vidly hotel. We return to our hotel and after a bottle of good red wine, we fall asleep in comfortable beds.

Day 2 – Toothed Frogs, Go-Karts, Waterfalls, and Cow Eveline

After a deep sleep, we don’t feel like getting up much, but the idea of ​​a good breakfast convinced us. We get in the car and head to the nearby town of Bruntál. At the entrance to the town, we cannot help but notice the humorous slogan of Bruntál – a tough region, tough people, and toothed frog mascots everywhere. We arrive at Bruntál Castle from 1223. In the entrance hall, we receive shoe covers due to the original floor. With our guide, we continue the tour of the castle and we really have a lot to see. Every room is furnished with period furniture, original rare paintings, we even find one from Goya. The ancient library with historical books, of which there are up to 18,000, has a special atmosphere. The spaces are truly magical, so it is no wonder that fairy tales such as The Emperor and the Drummer and Goldsmith Ondra were filmed here. We walk out to the castle park with a small lake. The weather still favors us, so we enjoy a walk in the sunny autumn weather while listening to our guide’s explanations.

We leave the castle and enter a completely different environment. Just a five-minute drive away, we find ourselves at the go-kart and paintball hall. Everything is perfectly coordinated in yellow and red Ferrari colors. After a coffee break and a short briefing, we choose our helmets and hop into brand new go-karts. The track includes a sloping platform and is quite challenging, so we know we are going to have a lot of fun. Laughing from adrenaline, we head to the nearby village of Rešov.

We enter the Guesthouse above the Waterfalls. The lady owner serves us lunch and talks about this lovely guesthouse with a pool, tennis court, and a garden with animals. Rabbit stew and rabbit in cream from their own breeding is truly a luxurious meal. Just like everywhere we went in the Jeseníky Mountains, the staff promptly offers us a tasty vegetarian alternative upon request. Moreover, the folk prices for such quality surprise us when looking at the menu. As the name of the guesthouse already suggests, there is a waterfall in the valley below it. We go to see the animals in the yard and head to the waterfall. After about 20 minutes downhill, we enter the forest and after a while, a beautifully picturesque waterfall surrounded by red leaves and rocks appears before us. There are wooden walkways, terraces, and stairs built here, so it’s possible to access even the more inaccessible spots beyond the waterfall. A pleasant surprise is the self-service bar in the stream, where various non-alcoholic drinks are being cooled in a crate and various sweets and snacks are found in a bucket. The non-alcoholic drinks come in handy for us, so we contribute to the piggy bank and head back. A cup of coffee and an incredible homemade walnut-honey cake await us at the guesthouse, a treat that our taste buds will remember for a long time. We would love to stay longer, but another interesting stop awaits us.

We drive to the village of Stránské, which has only 64 inhabitants, 31 of whom are part of the local theater group. We stop at theorganic farm of the Křenek couple. In a moment, we are surrounded by a cheerful company. The friendly owners greet us along with two big enthusiastic Briards. They lead us to the enclosures with Valachian sheep, of which there are only a thousand in the world. We find out that they eagerly let themselves be petted for a piece of dry bread. Although there are about 40 of them, each has its own name, which is invented by young visitors. When children run out of fantasy, fathers reportedly also help. That’s why there are also sheep with names like Thyme or Garlic. We continue to the enclosure with the equally friendly black fluffy cow Evelína and her little calf Valentína. Valentína is unique thanks to her white fur in the shape of a heart on her side. We enter the house and sit around a large table in a room pleasantly warmed by a brick stove. Dried herbs hang above the stove, a spinning wheel and a weaving loom stand in the corner. The couple treats us to amazing cheese from cow Evelína, spreads, and homemade bread. We listen to an inspiring story about building the farm from ruins. The couple runs a Sunday school on the farm, and visitors can learn crafts such as basket weaving, herbalism, wire craft, spinning on a spinning wheel, and bread baking. We also receive some wool from the Valachian sheep and a special felting needle. After the instructions, we start working on our felting creations. After a while, we realize that complete silence has fallen in the room. Everyone is immersed in creative work and completely forgot about the surrounding world. Great relaxation. When our pieces are finished, we cannot help but notice the contented smiles and proper pride in our creations. Lifted in spirit, we thank the couple for a pleasant evening.

We move to the local brewery in the village of Rýmařov. After a good beer and dinner, we fall asleep pleasantly tired from an unforgettable day.

Day 3 – witches, regulars, and return

After a delicious breakfast, we pack up and leave our hotel. We are heading to the town of Zlaté Hory, located near the Polish border. Since it’s drizzling a bit, we exchange gold panning for a visit to the museum in Zlaté Hory. This is no ordinary museum. It is housed in a Dutch Baroque building from 1698, which once served as a post office and inn for travelers, including Emperor Joseph II and many generals. We stroll through the floors filled with original items from the old post office, mining, and numerous historical exhibits from the time when the town was still called Zuckmantel. Descending into the basement, we are in awe. There is an exhibit from the time of inquisitorial trials that took place in Zlaté Hory in the 17th century. In a nearby village, films like “The Witchhammer” and “Joan of Arc” with Mila Jovovich were also filmed. We resisted the offer to try out replicas of torture devices and instead went for lunch at the local Praděd Hotel.

Thanks to the excellent lunch and pleasant service at the hotel, the drizzly weather doesn’t bother us at all. We learn about the rich history of the hotel, which used to accommodate guests from the nearby Edel spa. Among them were Kafka, Menšík, and even Hitler. The hotel manager invites us to go bowling in the basement, but before we leave, there is one more item on the agenda.

We move to a mountain village and nature reserve Rejvíz, located only 10 minutes away. We stop at the wooden Rejvíz Inn from 1795, also known as Noskova Lodge. The surrounding area is covered with dense forests and mossy ponds, and the inn itself hides undiscovered treasures. We enter a room with intricately carved wooden walls and furniture. Around a large table, we see chairs with caricatures of the faces of local regulars from the beginning of the last century. We move into the adjacent room, where there is a cozy pub and a restaurant with chairs featuring caricatures of current regulars. In the corner, two lively regulars sit and call out to us. With great joy and pride, they show us a helmet from World War II they recently found in the local forest and hung it in a place of honor in the pub. After a quick refreshment, we thank our organizer and head towards Bratislava.