Blogs from Zakopane, Lesser Poland, Poland, Europe - page 6

Sometimes I feel really lucky, not because of where I am or what I’m doing, but because everything just seems to fall into place. It makes me nervous, like that sudden rising feeling in an plane as it hits turbulence.. every time it rises up a little higher I get a bit more nervous anticipating the imminent drop that puts your stomach in your throat. Zakopane is the Queenstown of Poland. I didn’t decide to go until an hour or so before the bus left. It’s reputed to be quite expensive and touristy, and this year there’s no snow - There’s no snow in any of Poland, or much of Europe for that matter. Perhaps some northern hemisphere governments will take more notice of global warming when Santa’s sleigh is stuck in the mud. Sometimes I ... read more

Hello everyone. We are still in Poland and progress with cycling has been a bit slow this last week. First we stopped in Krakow for a few days, then we came 90 miles here, to Zakopane, and have been here four whole days so far. It is a fairly touristy resort in the Tatra mountains which border Poland and Slovakia. In summer it is inundated with hikers and in winter packed with skiers. So we were hoping we would catch it at a quiet time but that has not been the case... The day before we left Krakow we visited the famous salt mines near the city. It's quite an interesting place. We were led around the greyish tunnels, hewn from salt (Simon tasted a wall to check). I learnt some unusual things. For example, have ... read more

Krakow - Zakopane (Bus) 12 August Oscypki - golden, round and of a home made appearance; stacked in piles atop traditional, wooden farmer’s carts to entice the passer by to buy this region’s specialty. They are mysterious to an outsider, looking like a light, puffed, sweet pastry - possibly filled with some kind of custard. We are both hungry and our intrigue had almost turned to obsession. part of our travelling is to experience the local delicacies. Having not yet had lunch, it seemed a good idea to order the largest size Oscypki on offer. Holding the Oscypki, it was heavier than custard filled pastry we imagined. Pehaps more like a Polish highland mince or vegetable filled treat. Satisfied that this better justified the relatively expensive 7 zloty price, and that it would serve as better ... read more

Well, that's what we were here for after all. (Photos coming soon)... read more