Retired in Rome Journal: Views from atop Eastern Europe hard to beat in Slovakia
The Himalayas, the Andes, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Alps, the Rockies. Where they rank in terms of sheer raw physical beauty has bounced around in my mind for years. The Himalayas are the most awesome, an entire stretch of 20,000–29,000-foot mountains across the horizon. Kilimanjaro, mountaineers say, has the best view. The Matterhorn in Switzerland could be the prettiest single mountain, the Andes are pockmarked with volcanoes and the snow on the Rockies make them look like a series of giant ice cream sundaes. But now I have to add one to the mix. Like a Big Sky Conference football team that upsets Oregon, the High Tatras today earned a place in my lifetime mountain rankings. I can’t remember a view that stopped me in my tracks since I saw the sunrise over Africa from atop Kilimanjaro in 1992.
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