National Parks – Off the beaten path with Doug https://dougsglobaltravels.com Traveling the world with Type 2 Diabetes Wed, 05 Jul 2023 20:36:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 Zakopane Poland – My favorite destination in Poland (part 1)! https://dougsglobaltravels.com/zakopane-poland-my-favorite-destination-in-poland-part-1/ https://dougsglobaltravels.com/zakopane-poland-my-favorite-destination-in-poland-part-1/#respond Wed, 05 Jul 2023 19:48:12 +0000 https://dougsglobaltravels.com/?p=1444 Zakopane Poland – My favorite destination in Poland (part 1)! Read More »

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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.

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Warsaw, Poland https://dougsglobaltravels.com/warsaw-poland/ https://dougsglobaltravels.com/warsaw-poland/#comments Sun, 16 Apr 2023 20:51:05 +0000 https://dougsglobaltravels.com/?p=1391 Warsaw, Poland Read More »

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                During the summer of 2021, I moved from Kabul, Afghanistan to Warsaw, Poland. My family and I had already visited Poland one time prior in 2008 when we were taking a road trip from The Netherlands (Holland). We drove through Germany, Poland, and then into the Czech Republic. While in Poland we visited the Krakow area. The drive was quite memorable. I distinctly remember the condition of the highway. It was concrete and in horrible condition. I will write more about Krakow later.


                Warsaw is a genuinely wonderful place to visit and live. The people are extremely friendly. It has an older Eastern European charm. You can see the old Soviet architecture in the area. Because of the devastation that Warsaw sustained during the Second World War, I would estimate that at least 95% of the buildings here are new. Unlike other popular destinations throughout Poland.


                I really enjoy the river walk along the “Wistula” River (BTW – the “W” in Polish has a sound of a “V” in English). If you Google Wistula, “Vistula” will show up. Anyway, Spring is here, and I think everyone in the city was out walking along the river. I was surprised to see so many people out welcoming spring, but it was still enjoyable. Sunshine and a slight breeze – the weather was awesome! This area also has great bike paths, but I just enjoy walking. Got to get 10,000 steps daily. It is my exercise regimen. The first picture on the link is about 15 minutes from my house and has changed recently. There is a significant construction project taking place. The city is building a walking bridge across the Wistula to connect the area of Praga to connect the eastern and western sides of the river. I think they will finish this bridge in the next few months. The eastern shore has beaches and primitive trails in contrast to the western side which is concrete and developed.


                A couple of weeks ago I visited “Kampinos” National Park which is situated on the western outskirts of Warsaw. The trail system in the park is well-maintained and accessible to all ages. The trails are very wide and flat. I have not encountered any difficult areas, yet. It was more like a walk than a hike. However, it was quiet. Birds are starting to make their presence known and this was nice to hear after a long winter. This park does host a variety of wildlife. However, thus far I have only seen squirrels, birds, and a snake. Still a bit early. I did notice areas that had been disturbed by something. Feral pigs that area in the area. The park is a truly short drive from downtown, 15-20 minutes. Well worth the trip.


                Since growing up through the ’70s and ’80s visiting an arcade was a highlight. Well, I found a place in Warsaw to bring these memories back to life.  The interactive museum of pinball or “pinball station” was the place to go. It has pinball machines that date back to the 50’s along with a lot of other arcade games. Many of which were the very ones that I spent my allowance on. These machines are all in working order. They even sold beer on-site. That was new, but I did enjoy playing these relics. It really brought me back to my childhood. It was even cheaper than I remember. It cost about $11-12 (49 PLN) and I was able to play for hours. They had one rule – “If you start a game, you must finish it.” My wife and I had a great time. 

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Olympic National Park, Washington State, USA https://dougsglobaltravels.com/olympic-national-park-washington-state-usa/ https://dougsglobaltravels.com/olympic-national-park-washington-state-usa/#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2022 20:38:11 +0000 https://dougsglobaltravels.com/?p=1383 Olympic National Park, Washington State, USA Read More »

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Recently we returned to the US to visit our kids and to tour the Olympic National Park, which is on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. We had great timing as far as the weather was concerned. It was quite warm, and we had only one day with a drizzle out of the six days we spent in the area. Even thought it was late September, it was still summer, and we loved it.


Our first stop on the tour was an old town of Port Gamble, Washington, which was founded in 1849 in an area where there was an abundant logging potential. One of the sites at Port Gamble is the “Puget Mill Company,” which provided much needed lumber throughout the world and even as far away as South Africa. However, it is now a quaint village directly on the west side of the Puget Sound. After looking at the web site I can see these legacy buildings depicted on the website are still standing as they are quite easy to identify in the picture. There were four or five restaurants and gift shops on the main street.


We then stopped at Sequim, Washington to get a bite to eat and a cold brew. We found a pub not far off the 101 Highway called the “Peninsula Taproom.” The beer was impressive! The folks behind the bar were great. It was a great atmosphere. I am going to return someday. They only had snacks on their menu, but the ones we had were good. The chips and salsa were impressive. They had quite a selection of beer on tap, which were mostly from the microbreweries within Washington state. This place is highly recommended.


We stayed at “Log Cabin Resort,” which is owned and operated by the National Parks Service on Crescent Lake. This location not only gave us great access to all the hiking areas on the north side of Olympic National Park, but we were able to enjoy the spectacular views of Crescent Lake and the surround mountains. The Log Cabin Resort was off Highway 101 about three miles (5 Km), which was near the end of that road on the northern part of the lake. This offered an incredibly quiet area with wildlife and incredible views of the night sky which was absent of any light pollution. We stayed in a two-bedroom cabin. It did not have a kitchen, so we had to cook hot dogs on the fire, which was fun. Although there was a ban on open fires throughout the state due to the extreme dry conditions, each of the cabins has a small pit where a fire just outside the cabin which we were able to utilize despite the burn ban. The main building did have a restaurant, but the quality of the food was something to be desired. This was the only downfall of the area. The clarity of the lake was incredible. It was exceedingly difficult to determine the depth because the water was so clear. However, I was not going to find out – it was cold!


There were three nice hikes in the immediate vicinity. One was called the “Devil’s Punchbowl,” via the “Spruce Railroad Trail.” The Devil’s Punchbowl was a couple of rock formations that extended deep into the lake. The two rock outcrops were close enough to build a small pedestrian bridge which offered an incredible view of the lake. Close by was an old tunnel made for the trains that used to transit area. The old train line and associated tunnel are now a walking / bike path across a portion of the northern shoreline of Lake Crescent. The eastern trailhead had parking with amenities.


The Sol Duc Hot Springs offer a great area to relax. It is a 12-mile (19 Km) drive from highway 101 into the Olympic National Park. Because we entered the National Park, we had to get a pass. Military and veterans can get a free pass. One of the Park Rangers told me that we will be able to get a “lifetime” pass starting in 2023. That will be great. The hot springs are naturally occurring volcanic hot springs. The Sulphur odor was very prominent, but it was relaxing. I had forgotten that we had visited this very site once before when our kids were in elementary school, which was 25 years ago. It was great to share the experience with our son. Close by was an easy hike to the Sol Duc Falls. It is a popular destination, so parking was difficult and there were people of all ages and experience levels on the trails. Well worth the trip. I would like to give a shout out to a great website that we used on a very regular basis to plan our hiking trips in and around the Pacific Northwest. The Washington Trails Association has valuable information for hundreds of hikes in Washington State alone.


To be continued!

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