Other pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/findthebinghams/2930thOct2ndNovZakopanePhotos
Sam and Sue spent an intimate 4 days with us in the van and we really enjoyed their company (thanks so much f
or joining us!). We managed really well with cooking, wine, laughter and non-stop talking! And the campsite builders’ imaginations will have been exercised by the sight of three women and one man exiting our van (but then nobody saw us all first thing in the morning....).
Zakopane is a well-established ski area and felt relaxed and pleasant with a unique 
architecture. We had some great meals out and were pleased to see a new improved Rick after a visit to the Polish hairdresser and dentist.
We first took the funicular up to the Gubatowka ski runs, although we were rather bemused by the working farms right in the middle of it all…. It is only a small skiing area, but there are plenty of other attractions to keep you up the mountain – food huts, child and 
adult adventure playgrounds, quads, and a 900m mountainroller coaster…. well, we had to have a go…….
Sue got her wish for us to walk up in the mountains in the sun and snow – it really was beautiful. The Tatra’s pointy bits look like
proper picturesque mountains. We hit snow around 1400m as we went up some 
quite steep paths, surrounded by trees. In the sun, it was glorious. With delicious pierogi and bigos on the menu don’t bother to take sandwiches! .
One highlight was a
slightly bumpy 6 km carriage trip with a very cheerful chap (Kazimir) and his horse (Bazil) through steep gorges, by the river in the Tatry National Park. We then walked 4 km gently uphill to a mountain hutte for hot chocolate. En 
route, we took a steep detour to investigate some caves, via chains and ladders, up some highly polished rocky paths and narrow ravines. Sam’s and 
my knees didn’t quite make it all the way, so Sue and Rick did the full investigation.
The museums were interesting to visit on a wet Wednesday - we almost learnt about the differences between moths and butterflies, and studied lichen - but think much understanding got lost in Polish translation….. The Zakopane Style museum explained the design of local buildings, an attractive fusion of Slav folk designs and
Swiss Chalet style architecture (developed around 1890s).
All
Saints’ Day was a new experience – we visited the beautiful wooden Church of St Clements and its cemetery, and wandered through vast arrays of flowers and candles commemorating the dead. I found it quite moving.
After we said goodbye to Sue and Sam at Krakow airport, the van fel
t very quiet and empty – it took some getting used to again on our way to the Slovakian border. Still, we’ve booked our flights back for Christmas, from Athens on Dec 15th – Jan 9th. We’re really looking forward to catching up with everyone again!
Sam and Sue spent an intimate 4 days with us in the van and we really enjoyed their company (thanks so much f
or joining us!). We managed really well with cooking, wine, laughter and non-stop talking! And the campsite builders’ imaginations will have been exercised by the sight of three women and one man exiting our van (but then nobody saw us all first thing in the morning....).
Zakopane is a well-established ski area and felt relaxed and pleasant with a unique 
architecture. We had some great meals out and were pleased to see a new improved Rick after a visit to the Polish hairdresser and dentist.
We first took the funicular up to the Gubatowka ski runs, although we were rather bemused by the working farms right in the middle of it all…. It is only a small skiing area, but there are plenty of other attractions to keep you up the mountain – food huts, child and 
adult adventure playgrounds, quads, and a 900m mountainroller coaster…. well, we had to have a go…….
Sue got her wish for us to walk up in the mountains in the sun and snow – it really was beautiful. The Tatra’s pointy bits look like
proper picturesque mountains. We hit snow around 1400m as we went up some 
quite steep paths, surrounded by trees. In the sun, it was glorious. With delicious pierogi and bigos on the menu don’t bother to take sandwiches! .One highlight was a
slightly bumpy 6 km carriage trip with a very cheerful chap (Kazimir) and his horse (Bazil) through steep gorges, by the river in the Tatry National Park. We then walked 4 km gently uphill to a mountain hutte for hot chocolate. En 
route, we took a steep detour to investigate some caves, via chains and ladders, up some highly polished rocky paths and narrow ravines. Sam’s and 
my knees didn’t quite make it all the way, so Sue and Rick did the full investigation.The museums were interesting to visit on a wet Wednesday - we almost learnt about the differences between moths and butterflies, and studied lichen - but think much understanding got lost in Polish translation….. The Zakopane Style museum explained the design of local buildings, an attractive fusion of Slav folk designs and
Swiss Chalet style architecture (developed around 1890s).
All
Saints’ Day was a new experience – we visited the beautiful wooden Church of St Clements and its cemetery, and wandered through vast arrays of flowers and candles commemorating the dead. I found it quite moving.After we said goodbye to Sue and Sam at Krakow airport, the van fel
t very quiet and empty – it took some getting used to again on our way to the Slovakian border. Still, we’ve booked our flights back for Christmas, from Athens on Dec 15th – Jan 9th. We’re really looking forward to catching up with everyone again!
2 comments:
After Sheffielder reurned, hubby crossed Poland off his list - shame as Tatra's been on my list since Em went from school.
I'd say go for it! Tatras, Matras and Fatra montains are absolutely glorious (Poland and Slovakia). We're going for the Carpathians and Translyvanian Alps next.
R
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