Stary Smokovec
- Comments: No Comments Yet
Well, anyone who may have thought we were experienced travelers who knew what we were doing would have laughed their heads off at us today. After waiting three hours in Zakopane for the bus to Stary Smokovic (Scary Son of a Bitch), we got on the wrong bus, then got off at the Polish / Slovak border, only to watch the bus take off on us as we stood and wondered what we were going to do about it. So, we walked through the border, after being checked out of Poland and into Slovakia. There we were in the woods in the middle of the Tatras mountains on a border crossing, when we were approached by a mini bus driver who demanded 15 Euro to take us the rest of the way to our destination – what choice did we have?
Last Night In Zakopane (Poland)
- Comments: No Comments Yet
We’re off to the Slovak Republic tomorrow. We’re booked into a hotel in a small mountain town called Staery Smokovic (sp ?). It seems like there’s all kinds of fun things to do there – castles to visit, caves with stalactites to explore, and lots of trails to hike.
We went for a hike today – we never got above the level of the sheep (that’s a mark of pride when you’re hiking in Innsbruck – if you climb higher than the local livestock you can consider yourself a mountaineer). We took the funicular (Cog Railway Car) up to the top of the ski hill. It was raining, so it was best to stay on stable ground – you can’t get lost if you can see the town because you’re below the clouds.
Arrived In Zakopane
- Comments: No Comments Yet
We’re in Zakopane, and it seems to be the equivalent of Banff in Canada – the mountain tourist mekka. It’s beautiful, but full of local tourists. There seems to be a few odd local food specialties – smoked sheep cheese (in a variety of decorative shapes and sizes – ie: smoked Pope), Belgian waffles with fruit, glazed dough nuts (I’m afraid of what they’re stuffed with), and they have a fantastic goulash. They also have a town mascot – a special breed of dog that looks like a Great Pyranese – it’s on all the post cards.
Last Day In Krakow
- Comments: No Comments Yet
We’ve had a busy two days touring Krakow & environs. We spent yesterday touring Wawel Castle (there’s a dragon in the caves underneath the castle – what could be better than that?, the cathedral where all the Polish Royalty, great military generals and poets are buried (it’s like the Westminster Abbey of Poland), and checking out the art deco stained glass windows in the Franciscan church. There’s one titled “God the Father” that makes God look like some vengeful comic book wizard – it’s unique. Oh Yeah – the Shroud of Turin is in the same church (I guess it pays to have a Polish Pope).
