Zakopane--land of Beauty

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Yesterday I caught the bus down to Zakopane, Poland. It's kinda like Tahoe...total ski town with hiking in the summer. So beautiful. And not to mention land of cows on a leash. What the? Yeah I didn't know either. I did see a few sheep on a leash too. So after I got there, I went to the tourist information place to get info on where to hike. So with my trusty pedometer on my wrist I did a couple quick hikes. Much to my surprise, I clocked over 12 miles! And that included one mountain pass. Going on these hikes really made me realize how much I love this kind of thing. And how much I want to go to Colorado. Walking on these isolated trails, I reflected on so many things. Mostly about how much I miss my little bro and how much fun we'll have when I see him at Christmas. I also thought about how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends who are so supportive. OK so it was a little sappy of a hike for me, but whatever. The last half of the hike it actually started raining. Which made everything even more pensive for me. Especially since I was wearing the plastic garbage bag poncho that I received as a gift before I left. Quite nice.

One thing I don't understand is how hard core these Europeans are. They hike for miles and miles, in jeans, and never seem to break a sweat. ANDDDD once they get to the summit to reward their efforts, what better way than to light up a cigarette. I have a hard enough time being a non-smoker...but then again, remember I basically am a smoker these days by default.

I guess for the weaker people, they had a horse drawn carriage to tote you up to the top. But I think that is taking your life in your own hands by getting in that thing. I am not joking, but that horse was TROTTING (actually i dont' know the terminology...have to refer my horse expert brother) up that hill. The carriage was bouncing all over the place. I swear they were going 30mph. SOO Crazy. Also, people bring their strollers up these paths too. People, there are BOULDERS you must go over. How is that possibly a peaceful ride for a child? I wouldnt' be surprised if they had brain damage!

So if I thought that no one spoke english in Krakow, Zakopane is a million times worse! In fact, several times people asked if I spoke German, and since I know more German than Polish, I had to at least try! Ya that was successful. So I went to dinner by myself and I swear, as usual, the English speakers somehow find me. A nice British couple sat next to me and were super sweet. I even got them to take a picture of me having dinner in a sleigh. It is so weird for me not to hear my own voice all day. Maybe its just because I talk a lot. I dont' talk that much do i?

Well so today I woke up bright and early to get in some more hiking before going back to Krakow. Except...I woke up with fever. At first I wasn't sure, but once I started hiking, it was pretty clear. I went up to this mountain range where you can put one foot in Slovakia and one in Poland. Pretty neato. Due to my deteriorating health and the super cold wind, I cut my hiking short to 5 miles and just headed back to Krakow. Unfortunetly, my pictures don't do the place justice. It was a little cloudy up at the peak, so they didn't come out as great as I'd hoped. oh well. let me know what you think.

Tonight I go to Prague on the night, which is supposed to be one of the most dangerous ones for people getting robbed. Just great. I will have to hide my valuables extra well this time.

Sorry if this seems boring today...I think I have come down with a fever. Need rest!

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Photos

First mountain climb
This was straight up...and even though i was dying on saw this lady coming down with a kid strapped to her back!

Mountain huts
I wanted to stay here, but they were booked. Oh and they have no insulation, beds, or water. other than that....

More beauty
This was at about mile 12...still had energy to capture beauty

Up on the border
No one seemed to making a run for this border