The Polish Alps; Zacopane (N E Eur No 10)

Dear Friends and Family,

We boarded an early Norwegian airlines 2 hour flight from Helsinki to Kraków, in south central Poland. The Tatra mountains, or “Polish Alps,” are just a 2 hour bus ride south of Kraków. The bus stopped in Zacopane, a touristy, colorful mountain town. From there, we took a 15 minute minibus ride to Koscielisko, a mountain village just outside of Zacopane. Our bus stopped near Jedlicka Willa, our one week home in the beautiful hills of the western Tatra mountains.

We never did explore the high Tatras, but we had a glorious time hiking the valleys near where we were located. We went on 4 hikes in the clean mountain air, ate great buffet breakfasts, and gazed in awe at the most beautiful log cabin type villas we’ve ever seen. Our villa was one such massive log home. The owner and builder lived in another one just behind ours. For our first hike, we explored the hills just behind Jedlicka Willa. There were so many of these ski chalets, one more beautiful than the next. We can only imagine how these places fill up in the winter when the snow begins to fall. We actually got a taste of that weather our last three days, when the weather turned nasty. Temperatures suddenly dropped from 75 to 28 degrees. Amazingly, we experienced sun, then heavy rain, and, on the day we left Koscielisko, a blustery snowstorm.

Hiking through Tatra National Park is quite different from most mountain trail hiking. The highest point in Poland is only 8200’. We hiked at probably a 4-5000’ elevation. Minibuses dropped us off at tourist trailheads where there is a small entrance fee. There are souvenirs, food, and drinks for sale. The main trails are mostly flat and wide, often paved, or laden with crushed or road rock. We saw sheep, Polish Tatra sheep dogs, and shepherds, dressed in traditional clothing, along the trail. There were small chapels, graves, cabins, and smoke-houses where cheese was made. We hiked 5 to 15 miles along small rivers, in green valleys surrounded by mountains, along with teens, young couples holding hands, folks pushing baby strollers, and older people supported by good hiking boots and hiking poles. We took a short steep side trail through woods that ended at a small, serene lake. Oddly, hikers aren’t allowed down by the water’s edge. There is a large deck there with benches where you can enjoy lunch, and the view.

We also shared the road with joggers, mountain bikers, and horse-drawn carriages. The horses had pieces of wood attached to their shoes. These raised the front and back hooves to protect them from the rocks. At the end of each trail, there were big log restaurants where people gathered for food, drinks, including beer, and souvenirs, before starting back down to the car park and minibuses. Although there are some difficult uphill areas, the trails are really gentle compared to the Himalayas. We know folks that parked their baby strollers and put the kids in back and front carriers at this point. Everyone has a great time hiking along. Lots of older Polish couples come to enjoy the activity and take photos of themselves, fully decked out in hiking gear. We enjoyed ourselves in these picturesque mountains, but this was definitely not a “one with nature” experience.

Towards the end of the week, when the weather turned rainy, we took the minibus into Zacopane to enjoy this tourist town’s ambiance. We sampled yummy pancakes, (placki ziemniaczane), lathered with sour cream, (smaki), watched a traditional wedding party go by in a horse and buggy procession, and visited the Atma house museum. It is the former home of Karol Szymanowski, a revered Polish composer. There was a Schimmel grand piano there that Bruce couldn’t resist playing. He was applauded by a small crowd for his half hour performance. One music student even asked for his autograph. 😍 She played and sang us a lovely jazz rendition of “Autumn Leaves” before we went our separate ways.

Early the next day, we left by bus for Kraków, and, two hours later, took a train to Wroclaw, Poland.

Author: bnlmos

We are a retired couple, together nearly 35 years, who love International travel. Having a "blog" is brand new to us, so have patience as we do our best to keep in touch with our friends and family. Please feel free to comment on this blog or contact us via personal email. brucemos@hotmail.com View all posts by bnlmos