This little church was built entirely of wood in 1847. Not much information is available about this church (well not that I can find), but it is dedicated to Saint Klemens, and is often known as the “old church”. It is a lovely place to spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation, and to get away from the business of the shops and markets in Zakopane.
When we are exploring the hills around Zakopane in Poland we found this lovely meadow overlooking the Tatra mountains. Many years ago I was in Salzburg in Austria (Where the Sound of Music was filmed), and this hill looks exactly like the one used in the Sound of Music. I was almost expecting Maria von Trapp to be walking towards me singing “the hills are alive…”
This little stone chapel is in the middle of Zakopane. IT’s called Kaplica Gasieniców. It was the first sacred building in Zakopane; it was build around 1800.
Legend has it that the funds raised to build the church come from the booty of robbers atoning for their sins!
I took this picture at Zakopane in Poland, at the top of the funicular. But it so reminds me of Salzburg in Austria. It looks exactly like a set from the Sound of Music. I almost expect to see Maria von Trapp running up the hill singing…”the hills are alive, with the sound of music.
Zakopane has the most amazing handcrafted wooden good for sale, and the prices are amazing. From kitchenware (breadboards, spoons, salad servers etc) to the most intricately carved wooden toys you can imagine. The toys look like the old wooden toys you would expect your grandfather to have played with.
We bought ourself a chopping board (my sister got one as well for her birthday), and lots of spoons; yeah I know, spoons, but they are great spoons.
Much as I was temped to, we didn’t buy any of the wooden toys. Partly because we don’t have any children (ok I admit that was hardly an issue), but because they were far too big to bring all the way back to Cape Town. The toys that is – I wasn’t going to bring back any children.
The big toys for does bring up another aspect of Zakopane. There are many tourists and holiday-makers that visit the town, but they are mostly Polish visitors. There are very few tourists from other countries. A refreshing change (and yeah I am completely aware that by visiting Zakopane I am changing that).
This is the high street in Zakopane – Krupówki Street – this is where all the restaurants, cafes, bars, shops and most important…cheese shops are in Zakopane. These covered wagons are where you buy the famous (and delicious) smoked cheese from Zakopane. And you if you walk in any direction for just 20m, you will find another cheese stall. I have no idea how much cheese I ate while we where there, but it is amazing, and nothing quite like any other cheese you will ever eat.
We also brought some of the cheese home with us, but when we opened our bags everything smelt like smoked cheese – a lovely smell on cheese…but not that great on your clothes!
This ski lift operates throughout the year, so even when it is not snowing you can use it to ride to the top or the bottom of one of the many ski slopes in Zakopane, Poland. Of course if you are feeling active you are welcome to walk up or down on the grass, but it is a very long way down, and since I had already down a crazy run in the mountains, I decided that the ski lift would be a far more civilized route to take.
Zakopane there are small cheese market stalls, selling an amazing smoked cheese from the region. The salty cheese is called Oscypek, and it is mostly made from sheep milk, but also from cow and sometimes goat.
On every street corner in
It is great on its own, but even better when they heat it on the coals and serve it with a little cranberry sauce. You can buy just one or two pieces of the cheeses, or buy a big block to take home. We did both, but when we arrived back in Cape Town all our clothes smelled of smoked cheese…
Warning: it is very addictive.
I left you on the Tatra mountains, roughly halfway between Zakopane and the Slovakia border. I was soaking wet, and running on some very water-logged trails, and having loads of fun. The flat, wide and dry touristy trails turned into waterlogged impromptu rivers, and these finally turned into firm earthy single-track trails.
While I ran through the forest, I could smell a wonderful wet and earthy decay. That wonderful smell of nature composting dead branches and leaves back into earth from which new trees will grow. It was misty weather, so everything had a slightly mystical nature. I felt like I was running in one of the many fantasy novels that I have read.
The view from the top was spectacular. I had finally run above the forest, so I could look down at the trees. I couldn’t see much besides the tops of the trees just in front of me, but it felt liberating to stand there, having run all the way to the top.
When I say “to the top”, I was only about 1/2 way to Slovakia; I had already climbed over 500m in about 7km, and that was the easy part of the trail. I very much doubt you would be able to run the second half to Slovakia. It would be a very tough hike.
Here is the route I took if you want to see it. https://www.strava.com/activities/702351830
Some quick notes on safety.
In my previous post I was telling you how good the trails in Zakopane were to start with. Well as soon as I got off the flat touristy trails it got wet…very wet…By now I was very much alone, and very much wet!
There was so much water running off the mountain that the trails turned into rivers. This is part of the trail that I ran up. Yes, this is a trail – not a river.
Two rivers joining an even bigger river.
And more of the trail. At first I tried to stick to the edges and keep my feet dry, but soon I revised that it was hopeless, so I embraced the water and ran straight through the water. My feet got soaking wet. But I was having so much fun. I hadn’t felt so alive in ages!
To be continued…
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