My best friend back home, Sarah, has been a bit down lately for a few reasons. There wasn't much I could do from the other side of the world, so what I did do was suggest that we plan a holiday together. We have previously visited Romania together, and this time we picked Poland. Sarah organised the flights as they were much cheaper from the UK, and we thought of a few things to do.
When we finally got together, we googled a few more things to do so that we could have a bit of a hit list - our idea was to have a list of things to do, but no firm itinerary so that we could be could flexible and spontaneous if the mood took us. Surfing the links, Sarah stumbled across some pictures of really pretty wooden cottages with intricately-carved decorations. They were gorgeous, and she was keen to add this place to the list. A quick check, and we saw that the village was Zakopane, in the Tatra Mountains, and we would easily be able to get there from Krakow which was the first destination on our hit list.
This was to be a cultural trip on a shoestring budget, and we did well packing our city clothes, warm coats and everything else we needed into our cabin baggage so that we wouldn't have to pay the extortionate checked baggage fees (£120 in total for both of us to check a bag - almost as much as the flights themselves!!). Packing small had the added advantage that it would be so much easier to move from place to place during our week in Poland. But it had the disadvantage that when we got to Zakopane, and totally fell in love with the place, we had only city clothes in which to explore the walking trails through the mountains. Still, what the hell - we had comfy boots for walking around sightseeing all day so we would probably be ok, and it was far too beautiful to miss out just because of wardrobe issues.
Not all of the trails were open yet as although the spring thaw had begun there was still plenty of snow, and the avalanche risk was high. Staying in the Goodbye Lenin Hostel, we were lucky to have a great cosy and homely atmosphere, plus some good tips for things to do from the friendly Workaway staff there.
One gateway into the National Park is really near to hostel - down the long driveway and then across the road, really simple!
 |
| Entering the National Park. |
We had a simple trail map supplied by the hostel, along with plenty of tips for which walks were nice (basically all of them!) and we chose a shorter walk of a couple of hours, heading up one of the smaller mountains to take in the views and leaving us some free time in the afternoon.
This particular park had some small pools near the start of the trail that formed an amphibian reserve. The pools were still partially frozen, but were absolutely full of frogs mating and spawning. We had never seen anything like it, it was fascinating.
We carried on up the well-marked trail, which was still big enough for vehicles at this point.
The morning light filtering through the pine trees was very atmospheric,
but sadly huge scars from deforestation were obvious everywhere.
Carrying on, we soon came to the level where the snow was still sitting on the ground. The snow melt made a lot of the clear ground very wet too - I wished I had proper walking boots for grip and waterproof-ness, but my Fly London leather boots were at least really comfortable to walk in.
Despite the snow on the ground, the sun was warm and we didn't feel cold at all.
It was so peaceful and beautiful, and the trail retained its more natural feel while at the same time being really easy to follow, thanks to the coloured markings painted onto trees along the route.
Some bits of the trail were snowy and slippery, some were soggy and muddy, but some bits were completely dry, and very easy going after the snow and mud!
We eventually arrive at the rocky outcrop we had been aiming for, and the views are stunning. I can't capture the beauty with my camera, but it really is stunning. We sit for a while admiring the spread of snowy mountains before us, and I daydream endlessly about having time and money to return and explore properly, spending days exploring the mountains.
On the way back down we take a bit of a short cut off the track to avoid the worst of the mud and snow. This also allows us to see the lovely spring crocuses sprinkled over the hillsides. So pretty.
Back at the road, we decide to walk into Zakopane town in order to explore, see the wooden houses, buy some souvenirs and get some food, before returning to the hostel to plan tomorrow's adventure...
This particular park had some small pools near the start of the trail that formed an amphibian reserve. The pools were still partially frozen, but were absolutely full of frogs mating and spawning. We had never seen anything like it, it was fascinating.
We carried on up the well-marked trail, which was still big enough for vehicles at this point.
The morning light filtering through the pine trees was very atmospheric,
but sadly huge scars from deforestation were obvious everywhere.
Carrying on, we soon came to the level where the snow was still sitting on the ground. The snow melt made a lot of the clear ground very wet too - I wished I had proper walking boots for grip and waterproof-ness, but my Fly London leather boots were at least really comfortable to walk in.
Despite the snow on the ground, the sun was warm and we didn't feel cold at all.
It was so peaceful and beautiful, and the trail retained its more natural feel while at the same time being really easy to follow, thanks to the coloured markings painted onto trees along the route.
Some bits of the trail were snowy and slippery, some were soggy and muddy, but some bits were completely dry, and very easy going after the snow and mud!
We eventually arrive at the rocky outcrop we had been aiming for, and the views are stunning. I can't capture the beauty with my camera, but it really is stunning. We sit for a while admiring the spread of snowy mountains before us, and I daydream endlessly about having time and money to return and explore properly, spending days exploring the mountains.
On the way back down we take a bit of a short cut off the track to avoid the worst of the mud and snow. This also allows us to see the lovely spring crocuses sprinkled over the hillsides. So pretty.
Back at the road, we decide to walk into Zakopane town in order to explore, see the wooden houses, buy some souvenirs and get some food, before returning to the hostel to plan tomorrow's adventure...
No comments:
Post a Comment