Coffee On Javorový
Javorový vrch is one of the peaks in the Beskydy range of mountains located in the Moravian-Silesian region of Central Europe. I've been on this mountain several times in the past decade and it's always a joy to be back up there. One thing they have up there, apart from good Czech food, is great coffee.
Most people come up here via the cable cars. It's a skiing mountain so it gets very popular during the winter months. When I was up there, there was still snow on the slopes - a mixture of natural snowfall and artificial snow.
Some people, however, walk all the way up the mountain. I have done it before a couple of times and it's not easy :). I definitely prefer to take the cable cars up, and then walk leisurely down the slopes, through the forest. This is what I did on the day.
On the summit of Javorový is a kind of inn with accommodation, a restaurant and bar. I've never stayed at the accommodation, but I may one day do so. There are incredible views to be had and I can only imagine what a sunrise would look like from up there.
 |  |
|---|
The interior of the inn is in the classic central European fashion - very wooden. This gives it a very cosy feel. I can imagine most people order beers, since Czechia boasts of some of the best beers in the world, but I have only had two drinks there; coffee and Kofola, a kind of Czech version of Coke.
The coffee style most common in Czechia, in my experience, is the "Turka" or "Turkish coffee", which is just perfect for my taste buds. It's a strong, rich roast of very dark brew. They also make it like I do - without a press, so you get the granules sitting at the bottom of the drink afterwards. Also, the more you drink, the stronger the drink becomes.
 |  |
|---|
 |  |
|---|
Ok. So drinking coffee after a dehydrating trek up a mountain isn't the best thing for you. I would often have water with my coffee - I'd be carrying a bottle with me, or I'd order some up the mountain. This time, I decided to go for the signature fizzy drink of the area - Kofola, haha. I know, it's full of sugar and some not so good stuff, like most fizzy drinks are, but hey, "you only live once". Besides, my blood work came back from the lab and I have "perfect levels of everything", so why not live a little? It's not that I drink this stuff everyday. Anyhow, it tastes a lot better than Coke!
Talking of living a little, I also partook in a little local delicacy - dumplings. It was filled to the brim with berries and sprinkled with some sweet tasting powder. I have no idea what the sweet powder was, but it tasted like glucose. The whole thing was sitting in a pool of melted butter. Absolutely delicious it was.
Turned out I'd need all the calories getting down the mountain. It had snowed some more while we were indoors and the path down had become very slippery. This called for extra leg strength to keep from sliding down and injuring myself like the newbie skiers you see in plaster casts in winter :)
In future I'll post about my experience walking down the mountain, including some beautiful photos I took of this very picturesque gift of nature. ☕️🌲
Peace & Love,
Adé
