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Blogs from Lesser Poland, Poland, Europe
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Left or right?! Life or death?!
Published: March 31st 2013Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Auschwitz
March 31st 2013
A single movement of a thumb. Either to the left or to the right. Decided the fate of more than a million people during WWII. I visited the Auschwitz concentration camps as part of a spring (Freezing cold, heavy winds, no spring at all.. ) seminar at AGH university, Krakow. We were taken to visit Auschwitz during one of the days, and it will remain etched in my memory forever. Jews, Soviets, Poles, Hispanics, Homosexuals; more than a million of them passed through the gates of Auschwitz Birkenau, the second of the Auschwitz and the one of the largest concentration camps operated during the WWII. The train stops in the middle of the camp and people are herded off towards the central ramp dividing the two rail lines. They stand in a queue, shivering in the ... read more
Salt and Sausage Dogs in Krakόw - Poland
Published: December 5th 2012Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Kraków
September 4th 2012
We left Levoča on an overcast day and headed to the pretty town of Kežmarok, a medieval walled town. Just as it started to rain, we left and headed towards the Tatra Mountains. We had a good view of them from Slovakia but they were shrouded in mist by the time we reached Poland. We stopped at the touristy town of Zakopane. It reminded me of Queenstown but without the view!! It probably had wonderful mountain views but we were not able to see them because of the cloud. After a good look around, Eileen purchased her sister a present then we were soon on our way. I felt relieved when we departed the crowded and touristy town and glad that we had decided not to stay there. We arrived at Apart Hostel in Krakόw at ... read more
Poland a Country Rising from the Ashes: Auschwitz, Krakow and Warsaw
Published: September 2nd 2012Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Kraków
August 24th 2012
Our first destination in Poland was Warsaw, from what we had been told our expectations were not high but we were still interested to come and check it out. The reason Warsaw is often the forgotten destination in Poland is that it was destroyed almost completely in WW2 so many of the old buildings are no longer there. After finding our hostel from the train station (this time going the correct way first time!!) we found some food. We then did the free walking tour which gave us a good look at the city. We were pleasantly surprised with the Old City which has been rebuilt quite grandly and is nice to look at. Our guide was quite the talker, informing us on the interesting historical events of the city along with some long winded unimportant ... read more
Running away from rain at the Valley of Five Lakes
Published: September 17th 2012Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Zakopane
July 25th 2012
Waking up to a grey sky wasn’t really a surprise, but watching how heavy it was raining while we were having breakfast was quite disappointing to say the least… It didn’t look too promising but the forecast for the next days was even worse, and we didn’t tick Morskie Oko (the most famous of the Polish lakes in Tatras called The Eye of The Sea) off our list yet (this time), so we decided to give it a try anyway. Full of hopes and armed with raincoats we drove to Łysa Polana. Not really trusting my jacket I bought a rain-poncho just in case also... Better to have too many layers on you than too few, right? Even though Łysa Polana is a bit away from Zakopane (on the border with Slovakia), it’s quite easy to ... read more
A pleasant stroll through Chochołowska Valley
Published: September 3rd 2012Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Zakopane
July 24th 2012
After the strenuous walk the day before, we decided to take it easy and chose a light trail through Dolina Chochołowska (Chochołowska Valley) for that day. Before we started our walk, first we drove to Chochołów itself. The village has a population of a bit over than 1000 people and for such a small village it certainly is very unique in its kind. It comprises mostly of the traditional highlanders’ wooden houses, dating back to the XIX century, lined up closely one to another along the main street. These kind of houses inspired Stanislaw Witkiewicz to create the Zakopane style of architecture. One thing that seems to be a bit out of place here is the stone gothic church set in the middle of the village, but besides that all the other buildings are aligned in ... read more
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An encounter with the Sleeping Knight...
Published: August 22nd 2012Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Zakopane
July 23rd 2012
For some strange reason I woke up pretty thirsty that morning… Obviously it didn’t have anything to do with the previous evening… ;) Still after some good portion of scrambled eggs and a strong, BIG coffee for breakfast, I was ready for another day of hiking… We were aiming to reach Giewont (1894m high) that day. It’s probably the most famous mountain of the Polish Tatras – it comprises of three peaks Great Giewont, Long Giewont and Small Giewont. Its silhouette resembles that of a Sleeping Knight – the Long Giewont forming the knight’s torso and Great Giewont his face (the chin, the nose and the eyebrow). Almost from any point in Zakopane you can see a beautiful view of Giewont and easily make out the profile of the sleeping knight. According to a popular legend ... read more
July 22nd 2012
Head 'em up and move 'em out! By 7am, everyone already had breakfast and checked out of our hostel/hotel to load up the bus for our journey from Krakow to Gliwice. It was a nice surprise for several on our team to see Michal and Miroslaw again. The streets of Krakow were quiet as we motored our way out of the city and into the countryside, and we saw people walking alongside the road on their way to church. About an hour later, we arrived at our first stop of the day in Oswiecim. More later in a separate blog. Question of the Day: One Thing I Learned Yesterday Was... The pulpits in all the cathedrals are raised and have little "roofs" over them. The reason for this is acoustics! The elevation and the top cover ... read more
First blisters from walking and a surprising visit to the past in the evening...
Published: August 14th 2012Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Zakopane
July 22nd 2012
When we arrived at our guesthouse on Saturday evening, there was only 12C outside! What happened to the Polish summer??? I have to say I might have overestimated the weather a bit and quickly scanning through my bag in my head I realised that I might need to buy an extra long sleeve around here somewhere… But then we checked the forecast and it was meant to get better the next day so postponed shopping for now… that’s right, it was MEANT to get better! Ah well… I guess there’s no guarantee with the weather anywhere nowadays… After unpacking (meaning me dumping my bag next to the bed and my parents folding their clothes in the closet), we headed to the centre of Zakopane, Krupówki Street. You can find all sorts of shops here, quite a ... read more
July 21st 2012
The great news is that Chris and Colin finally made it to Krakow, but Terri wasn't convinced until she personally saw both of them. Prior to the team heading out for an orientation tour by electric tram, we'd learned that C & C's flight had landed at the Krakow Balice Airport...and the plan was to have Chuck & Terri meet them at 24 Guesthouse around 12:30. Through a comedy of errors, there were several disconnects. This will give you an idea of the language barrier -- the message relayed as "Chris & Colin have arrived" was translated as "Chris & Colin are here but they must go back to the United States tonight." :) All is well, though, as neither had to return so soon, and they are here. Luggage arrival - date yet to be ... read more
A quick visit to the Old Town of Krakow...
Published: August 8th 2012Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Kraków
July 21st 2012
I was really looking forward to spending a week in beautiful Tatras and couldn’t wait to see the familiar peaks overlooking Zakopane, but then I just couldn’t imagine landing in Kraków and not visiting the Old Town even for a while… So with just a few hours to spare, we headed to the centre of Kraków. Wawel Castle beautifully set on the hill along Wisła (Vistula River) is definitely a place worth a visit. Once a royal residence, its chambers are full of treasures – paintings, furniture and all sorts of memorabilia from Renaissance times. But then with little time on our hands, we had to skip a visit to the castle this time and just strolled along the Wisła, and then walking through Planty (best known park in Kraków) we reached Rynek Główny (the Main ... read more
