After visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine, Ela and I took Route 7 south to Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains. Zakopane is the premier Polish vacation destination for both the winter and summer. It is home to the Goral (mountain) culture. The buildings have a unique architectural style that is not found else where in Poland. It was my first time visiting Zakopane. Supposedly the number of visitors has exploded in recent years and those that remember reminisce about the way it used to be. I found it to be crowded, but not obtrusive. It should be noted that we went after school had started in Poland so it was out of season.
We stayed at the Willa Orla that was recommended to us by Jas Iwaniszewski, Ela’s brother-in-law. The room was dated, but the bathroom was recently renovated. It was clean and had its own unique charm so we were happy. The continental breakfast was good. The hotel is located on Koscieliska Street where many of the original Zakopane style houses are located. The downtown area was only about a 15-20 minute walk from the hotel. While in Zakopane we left the car at the hotel until we headed back to Lubianka.
We arrived late on Thursday so basically checked into the hotel and went straight to bed. The distance from the Krakow to Zakopane is not far as the crow flies, but majority of the road is two lanes (one in either direction) and winds up the mountains to the city. A couple of times we got stuck behind trucks for a good stretch until we could pass.
On Friday morning, Ela and I walked down Koscieliska Street to the downtown area. Along the way we visited the Koliba Villa. It the first building erected to Stanislaw Witkiewicz’s design in the Zakopane style.
Next, we went to St. Clement’s Church and its accompanying chapel and cemetery. St. Clement’s is built out of wood and is the oldest church in Zakopane. The cemetery holds many Polish notables as Zakopane has been a destination and attraction for over 100 years.
Our next stop was the Zakopane outdoor market (rynek). Ela and I both bought pullovers as the weather was drizzly and cool.
We wandered to Krupowki Street, the main walkway in Zakopane. We wandered up the street looking at the stores and had a coffee in one of the many cafes.
At the top of Krupowki Street, we took a taxi over to an entrance to the Tatra National Park. We hiked up to the Siklawica waterfall. Along the way we stopped at a bar inside an old shepherd hut and shared an ice tea. The bar served snacks and stronger beverages such as hot wine if desired. Poles know how to enjoy the finer things in life.
From the park, we walked back down to the outdoor market. On the opposite end of the market from the downtown was a train to Gubalowka Hill. Unfortunately, when we got to the top of the hill it started to rain. We sat out the rain in a little restaurant where Ela and I had soup. I had a delicious rib soup that had a piece of Goral cheese in it. Ela had zruik. When we finished our snack, it had stopped raining. We walked along the top of the hill that looked like in-season would be an active place with many kiosks and carnival type activities.
Ela twisted her knee while we were on Gubakowka Hill so we weren’t able to walk down the trail back into town. We ended up taking the train back down and paid a premium for buying two one way tickets instead of a round trip.
When we got back to town it started to rain again so we decided to have dinner. We went to Gazdowo Kuznia which was located on the corner of Koscieliska and Krupowki Streets. The interior was in Goral style. There was a fire in the fireplace making it very cozy compared to the rain and cold outside. I had the grilled solefish in leak sauce and Ela had fried trout. Both meals were exquisite. As a digestif, I tried the local Litworowka Polowaca which was amazing. It had a slightly woody taste, but was very delicate.
After dinner we took a taxi back to the hotel as it was pouring. Otherwise, it would have been a nice brisk walk back.
On Saturday morning after breakfast, we left to head back to Lubianka, Ela’s parents house. Along the way, we stopped at Ela’s Aunts house in Klimontow. Her aunt is bed ridden and suffers from Alzheimer’s so it was worth the additional driving to go see her. Since Klimontow is to the east of Krakow it made more sense to drive back through Warsaw to Torun.
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