zakopane

The little wooden church (Our Lady of Czestochowa)

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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.

The hills are alive with the sound of (Polish) music

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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…”

Kaplica Gasieniców

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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!

The sound of (Polish) music

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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.

Handcraft in Zakopane

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.
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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.

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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).

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