As Above, So Below (Teambuilding 2025)

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Beyond the usual rush of meetings, projects, and deadlines, there’s a time each year when we swap office chairs for hiking boots and spreadsheets for shared experiences. To strengthen team spirit and allow colleagues to connect outside the work environment, we organize a … well, you’ll just have to read on to find out. 

The New Lies in the Differences   

After all these years, there’s no need for creative introductions anymore because the essence stays the same. So, we’ll talk about what was different and what is unknown. Our floor – more precisely, the Marketing, Sales, and ERP department representatives – went on our traditional joint teambuilding. It was on May 29 and 30. Traditionally two days. Traditionally composed of hiking and fun. Untraditionally, the hiking was moved to the second day due to weather troubles. Yes, we went by car. Yes, we stopped in Levoča.

Day One – It Rained  

It rained – and didn’t stop. The destination – Tatranská Kotlina. Then a few breathless minutes of climbing to the entrance of the Belianska Cave. Because if you can’t see the sky, it can’t rain on you, right? Waiting time – just over an hour. Tour time – approximately 70 minutes. But I’ll shorten that to about three sentences. We were at the front of our group to get the best photos without people. The cave was beautiful, cool, acoustically impressive, and despite many stairs, easily manageable. The photography fee was (according to marketing) unnecessary – we were wrong, we got caught. As a fourth sentence: the tour guide surprised us with a shortcut – hats off for that. 

We came out and it was still raining. Lunch in the closest koliba (traditional Slovak restaurant) across the road was much appreciated. Wind joined the rain, while food and calories joined our empty stomachs. Then we added only gas to get to our lodging – Penzión Strachan in Ždiar. Our sleepover station. 

Let me speed things up a bit here, as the program that followed was what you might call “free time.” And although someone might think I’m oversharing, I want you to know everything and use your imagination for these bullet-point-style facts:
We checked in, celebrated our arrival with drinks, hit the wellness, then had a hearty dinner followed by more celebration. We played Activity gamea like we did in 2024, we were visited by a dog, and… celebrated a bit more before going to bed. So now you know it all. 

Day Two – It Didn’t Rain  

It didn’t rain – and didn’t plan to start. A good breakfast restored our energy and sleep deficit, and our bodies were ready for what was to come. Well, except mine – mine was ready two days later on Sunday. 

Step by step. Like that sitcom – I also thought this was a situational comedy. It wasn’t. The rain from the previous day made half the trail more of a stream than a path. Not all shoes are waterproof. Day Two’s goal – Zelené pleso (Green Lake). Forget the cliché “the journey is the destination,” because trust me, this time the destination was the destination. And I mean all the way to the trip back to the cars. 

Don’t take my grumbling too seriously, though. Zelené pleso offers a breathtaking atmosphere – a place where the road ends and the mountains begin. I think even someone not like me – an honest gamer non-hiker glued to screens – would be at a loss for words there. What can I say – stunning, with great graphics. 

We posed for photos, ate, and drank. Tip number two – sometimes don’t go with your first instinct and take 5 seconds to think about your lunch order Now I speak for myself – the way back was faster, more pleasant, and my plastic-bagged feet more water-resistant. Pleasant… until an ankle injury struck a colleague, forcing him to limp the last stretch. But like my memory, that injury was swept away by time. 

And just like we gathered in groups at the parking lot, we part ways in this article. Because the only thing left was the drive back to Telegrafia. We brought ourselves home, took memories with us, and we look forward to the next adventures Telegrafia brings.
Complicated? No… just another teambuilding. 

The article was written by

Róbert Jakab

Robert is like a moving photograph – because he is like a video. He can capture 60 frames per second. Whenever something happens, he records it. Currently, he’s working on smaller videos and hoping to make a feature film one day and then its sequel. Telegrafia 2: Monkey Power

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