We have been planning to get down to Zakopane for two years. I have heard only good things about this area from my colleagues, who have visited this area. The pictures of this area are phenomenal, and it just made it even more of a priority to visit before we move again. Therefore, my wife and I made two separate weekend trips to this area and thoroughly loved it. The first trip was using a train to Krakow and then a bus to Zakopane. Well – it is a bus! Not the best mode of transportation, but I was tired from the day’s work and travel. Therefore, driving was out of the question. Then again, a couple of weeks later, we decided to drive from Warsaw to Zakopane. We broke up the trip on the way down to Zakopane by stopping overnight in Tarnov. That did help. The road from Krakow to Zakopane is primarily a two-lane road. Hopefully, in the next year or so they will have the four-lane highways completed.
As I mentioned in previous posts, I am a Marriott snob. We did find properties located in Zakopane that were available. Both properties had their pluses and minuses. I did enjoy the one that was close to the downtown area. This gave us more access to the local restaurants and was still close enough for us to walk into Tatra National Park, which was about a 30-minute walk from the villa we had rented.
We had a very good breakfast at a place called “Bar Mleczny,” which translates into “milk bar.” I thought that was very appropriate for a breakfast place. It was conveniently located directly across the street from where we were staying. It was super convenient. Although it was a bit difficult to communicate due to the language barrier, they were super nice and helpful. They really showed their customer service abilities when our order was not correct. I ordered two ham & cheese toasties and my wife ordered one, plus scrambled eggs and bacon. I love bacon! When we got our order, we only received one toastie. However, I could tell that they really felt bad about this mistake or misunderstanding and that they wanted to just give it to me free. Well, that made me feel bad, so insisted on paying for it. We did get extra coffee and I thought that was a fair trade. The breakfast was good and filling. That made us ready for the long hike that we were about to undertake. I highly recommend this restaurant.
The mountains were an amazing view from downtown. It was so clear that you could make out the cross structure that is on top of Giewont Peak, which has been there for about 120 years. It did make me contemplate summiting that mountain, but not for long. I quickly talked myself out of that. Instead, we opted for a hike that was about 16 Km (10 miles) round trip from the villa to Siklawica Waterfall in the Strazyska Valley. The hike was easy, but there were areas that may take it to a moderate level. However, the trail (small road) was quite easy to follow. It was nice hearing the rushing water of the stream that the trail followed up to the area of the Siklawica waterfall. All along the way were blooming spring flowers. I found myself taking pictures of these flowers. I am not sure why it intrigued me, but I really could not stop myself from enjoying the flowers.
Just outside the park, there was a small shed where we were able to purchase smoked cheese. It is a customary practice for cheeses in this region to be unpasteurized, but they rely on the smoke from a small fire inside the shed. When I first saw this, I thought that someone was not paying any attention to the fire, because the fire was just smoldering, and the smoke was heaving in the shed. It was uncomfortable. However, there was a lady working there and it really did not seem to bother her. Found out later that day that they use that smoldering fire to smoke the cheeses in the rafters of the shed. We, therefore, returned on the way back to town to take a better look. Sure enough, in the rafters, there was cheese that was only visible if I looked up. My wife started to engage in conversation with the lady there using her best-broken Polish. Both had a wonderful time conversing back and forth. The lady showed us how she made the cheese in various molds that she had. We bought about five hundred grams (just over 1 lb.) of smoked cheese from her. It was good and cheap (shockingly cheap). Even later we found out that this area had to petition the European Union (EU)to allow them to sell unpasteurized cheese to people. The EU has banned the sales of unpasteurized dairy products throughout Europe, but an exception was granted for this region to continue this custom that goes back centuries.
Along the way we stopped by and checked out the ski jumps that have been one of the reasons that Zakopane has been so successful in the winter months. Both national and international competitions are common sights at these jumps. The 2023 Ski Jump World Cup was held there, along with several other major skiing competitions since the 1920s. The trail we were on went alongside the westernmost jump before it turned west towards the entrance into the Tatra National Park.
May be
Your comment is awaiting moderation.