{"id":3797,"date":"2015-09-12T14:41:46","date_gmt":"2015-09-12T19:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=3797"},"modified":"2015-09-14T12:33:59","modified_gmt":"2015-09-14T17:33:59","slug":"european-vacation-day-17-heaven-in-zakopane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=3797","title":{"rendered":"European Vacation: Day 17 Heaven in Zakopane"},"content":{"rendered":"

I opened my eyes this morning and concentrated on the ceiling.\u00a0 What room was I in?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t recognize the one above.\u00a0 I turned over and there was Rich still sleeping.\u00a0 That was better.\u00a0 At least we were in the same place.<\/p>\n

Then I remembered we were in Zakopane.\u00a0 This was the beginning of the countdown on vacation.\u00a0 I had no real plan for what we would do today.\u00a0 Rich said he would be just as happy sitting around doing nothing.\u00a0 He was tired from all of the walking and looking.<\/p>\n

After breakfast, we dressed for the cool weather and headed to the tram station to take us to the top of the mountains on the left side of the valley here.\u00a0 This side was the shorter of the two ridges.\u00a0 We could walk to the station on this side.\u00a0 The other station required a bus ride and I hadn\u2019t figured that one out yet.<\/p>\n

We purchased tickets and walked into the station just as one of the trams came in.\u00a0 This tram runs on a cable system through the ground.\u00a0 There is one tram on each end and they pass in a roundabout in the middle.\u00a0 There were only a few people waiting to get on when we arrived.\u00a0 Parents and grandparents were waiting with smaller children to get the very front or very back of the tram.<\/p>\n

We settled for the middle car, but had to stand since the one seat was taken up quickly.\u00a0 As we started off, the bell rang like a trolley car.\u00a0 A trail ran along one side of the track where you could hike up to the top.\u00a0 I think the book said it would take a couple of hours for that hike.\u00a0 The tram would work just fine for me.<\/p>\n

At the top, we stepped out and down the steps to the doorway at the bottom of the station.\u00a0 From there, we could see a platform where you could view the mountains.\u00a0 A set of stairs took you down to a sandpit with deck chairs.\u00a0 Most of these were already filled with people.\u00a0 The sun wasn\u2019t strong and it was a little chilly since it was early in the morning.\u00a0 It was probably on quarter after 10.<\/p>\n

We walked up to the road that appeared to run the length of the ridge here.\u00a0 This road was lined with little huts and trailers for food and shops.\u00a0 We walked down to the end where a communications tower was sitting.\u00a0 This tower had all sorts of antennas on it.\u00a0 Since we work in the Comm world, we kind of geek out over this type of stuff.<\/p>\n

As the road curved down the backside of the mountain, we walked by the area that is the bunny hill when this is a ski resort.\u00a0 We saw only houses this way.\u00a0 A few cars were coming up the road from this direction.\u00a0 It must be the main road leading up from town.<\/p>\n

We turned around and headed in the other direction.\u00a0 We walked past little shops selling shoes, scarves, hiking sticks, gloves, leather goods, and on and on.\u00a0 I would stop to look at something now and then.\u00a0 For the most part, we kept walking.<\/p>\n

We walked by a large grill where a man was getting food prepared for the crowd today.\u00a0 The grill was huge and down with firewood.\u00a0 There were metal trays hanging down over the grill, but not into the flames.\u00a0 I realized these were warming baskets where he would put meat that was ready for someone to buy.\u00a0 A board in front of the grill listed all kinds of meats and sausages that you could buy.<\/p>\n

We continued to walk in a southerly direction down the road.\u00a0 We agreed to stop at a large structure before turning back.\u00a0 This structure turned out to be where one of the many chairlifts ran up the side of the mountain.\u00a0 Rich went off to find the toaletty or WC.\u00a0 I watched people coming up the hill in wide, open baskets.<\/p>\n

The toaletty ended up costing you 2 zloty to use.\u00a0 In most of Europe, it costs money to use the bathrooms.\u00a0 This is one way for them to maintain the property.\u00a0 Rich said this one should definitely been free.\u00a0 We walked back down the road with an eye for someplace to eat.\u00a0 One of the open grills looked promising, but he didn\u2019t sell piwo (beer).\u00a0 We decided to go back to the largest grill thinking we could get a good assortment to choose from.<\/p>\n

We went into the building, which was full of people.\u00a0 Service was very slow.\u00a0 We tried to ask for food, but the girl behind the counter was so busy that she didn\u2019t have time to help.\u00a0 Rich took his beer out to the patio where we discussed what to do next.\u00a0 We watched the food being prepared and tried to figure out how to buy some.<\/p>\n

In the end, we gave up on the idea of eating here.\u00a0 As Rich was finishing his beer, four guys came in and started setting up to play music.\u00a0 There were two violins, a bass violin, and an accordion player.\u00a0 They were playing mountain music, which would be like bluegrass and country music here.\u00a0 We listened for a bit before hunger drove off to look for real food.<\/p>\n

We walked a few steps down the road when I saw a large deck with a beautiful view.\u00a0 There was a small grill and Rich noticed they sold beer.\u00a0 We got in line for the grill and gave the man our order.\u00a0 He told is it would be about 5 more minutes and to come back.\u00a0 Rich went to get beer and I went off to claim a table with a view.<\/p>\n

We had gotten settled when I heard someone yell.\u00a0 The grill man was telling us things were ready.\u00a0 Rich went up to pick up the food.\u00a0 We got kielbasa and kishka with grilled cheese.\u00a0 The plates came with bread and mustard.\u00a0 The cheese isn\u2019t like you think.\u00a0 The cheese here is a hunky of cow or sheep cheese that has been smoked.\u00a0 The grill only warms it up.\u00a0 We settled in to eat and found the tastes almost heavenly.\u00a0 We shared the food between us with chunks of the cheese.<\/p>\n

No one chases you away from the tables here.\u00a0 We had lunch and just sat to watch the clouds gather around the mountaintops across the way.\u00a0 Then the clouds would push on leaving the tops exposed.\u00a0 We sat there for a couple of hours watching the people and talking.\u00a0 The temperatures had warmed up when we first arrived.\u00a0 About 1:30, we could tell they were dropping a little bit with the clouds coming in.<\/p>\n

Rich had gotten a second beer and brought me a beer with raspberry syrup added.\u00a0 We had seen several people with this and I decided to try it.\u00a0 It was a strong raspberry flavor.\u00a0 You almost forgot it was in beer.\u00a0 I really liked the flavor a lot.\u00a0 I need to figure out how to duplicate it at home.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t know if I could get raspberry syrup this strong in the States.<\/p>\n

However, the clouds receded and the sun was getting through again.\u00a0 We could feel the temps getting back up to good warmth.\u00a0 We noticed that some of our neighbors were starting to move on.\u00a0 We had not been the only ones to hang out on the deck for a while.\u00a0 We finished up our drinks and decided to head back down the mountain.<\/p>\n

We started up the road before we realized we went the wrong way for the tram station.\u00a0 We backtracked a bit before we realized we had been sitting right next to the station all along.\u00a0 A tram was already there and unloading when we arrived.\u00a0 This time, we were able to get a seat.\u00a0 With the drinking, this was probably a good thing.<\/p>\n

At the bottom of the mountain, we got out and started to wonder through the market.\u00a0 I had deiced I wanted a pair of house slippers, but not the goat\u2019s wool ones.\u00a0 They would be too warm.\u00a0 I found a pair with the traditional materials and a lesser pile inside.\u00a0 They were only 20 zloty (about $5).\u00a0 They young man helped me get a size for my feet.<\/p>\n

We wondered back under the street and up the other side.\u00a0 I wanted to go to the drug store to find a couple of items.\u00a0 Rich used the opportunity to get kawa and watch the crowds.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t find one of my items though.\u00a0 I collected Rich from the coffee shop and stopped by the Apteka to ask for tape.\u00a0 One of my fingers was giving me a lot of trouble from ligament problems.\u00a0 I wanted to strap it so that it wouldn\u2019t bend.\u00a0 The young lady behind the counter was able to help me.<\/p>\n

We headed back toward the hotel.\u00a0 We were walking behind several groups where the women had purchased scarves.\u00a0 They were all the same color.\u00a0 It looked like a band of gypsies moving down the street.\u00a0 Rich made the comment that it was a good way to tell your group by the scarf they all wore.<\/p>\n

I had almost forgotten about needing batteries for my camera when we got back to the hotel.\u00a0 We crossed the street to see if the market had any.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t see any there.\u00a0 There was a small shop next door that said paper products.\u00a0 I tried to ask the lady there for batteries, but she didn\u2019t understand me.\u00a0 Luckily, Rich saw them on the wall and I pointed them out to her. She said, \u201coh, batteries.\u201d\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that what I said?\u00a0 We found that the accent on a word sometimes makes what you say mean nothing.\u00a0 I guess we have the same problem at home.<\/p>\n

We got into our room and collapsed.\u00a0 We were hot and tired.\u00a0 First things first, I got started with pictures and posting to Facebook.\u00a0 It was after 9:00 AM at home and we were well into the afternoon here.\u00a0 We got our cheeses and tasted what we had purchased.\u00a0 They were awesome.\u00a0 Being tired, Rich went off to nap while I started this blog.\u00a0 The air grew chilly, so I closed up windows.<\/p>\n

Now it is dinner time.\u00a0 I work up Rich to start the process of choosing a place.\u00a0 I think we are going with Marcin\u2019s suggestion tonight for a traditional place.\u00a0 It is called Gazdowo Kuznia.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you know how it turned out.<\/p>\n

Back after dinner.\u00a0 The place was packed, which is always a good sign.\u00a0 Rich got the potato pancake with goulash.\u00a0 I opted for spinach and goat cheese raviolis.\u00a0 First, we had their version of Zurek soup.\u00a0 It was very tasty.\u00a0 We don\u2019t think you can get bad Zurek soup.\u00a0 After dinner, Rich had to try the baked apple with blueberries.\u00a0 I was too full to try any of it, but it did look good.<\/p>\n

There was a band playing when we came in.\u00a0 It sounded pretty traditional.\u00a0 The four guys came out and sat near us to get their dinner.\u00a0 They were dressed in traditional outfits.\u00a0 Pretty soon, they were heading back inside to take up instruments and play music again.<\/p>\n

During dinner, we watched people come and go.\u00a0 All of the tables would be full and they would slowly empty out.\u00a0 The next run would start for diners looking for tables.\u00a0 I assume this is a popular place with the tourists and maybe with the locals as well.<\/p>\n

We walked back to the hotel.\u00a0 It had gotten chilly when the sun went down.\u00a0 I thought I had read that it was 40s in the evenings.\u00a0 It is in the mountains as well so the temp should be a little cooler.\u00a0 We saw some stars as we walked back.\u00a0 If it weren\u2019t for the light pollution, it would be a gorgeous night.<\/p>\n

ADDENDUM: \u00a0Rich wants everyone to know the true price of drinking beer in Zakopane. \u00a0It is 8 zloty for the piwo and 2 zloty for thr the toalety which equals 10 zloty per piwo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>
View from the deck chairs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Comm<\/a>
Comm tower on the mountain, which we realized we see from our hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Comm<\/a>
Comm tower on the mountain, which we realized we see from our hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"People<\/a>
People hanging out to enjoy the Tatra Mountains.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Little<\/a>
Little hut says Bacowka, which is the restaurant in Schaumburg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Large<\/a>
Large outdoor grill where we tried to eat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dining<\/a>
Dining area for one of the little food shacks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Clouds<\/a>
Clouds hanging over the mountain tops.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Grill<\/a>
Grill on the deck where we ate and where we could get beers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich enjoying his beer and his view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Our<\/a>
Our lunch from the grill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Joy<\/a>
Joy with her raspberry beer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"View<\/a>
View from our table on th deck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Clouds<\/a>
Clouds hanging over the mountain tops.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I opened my eyes this morning and concentrated on the ceiling.\u00a0 What room was I in?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t recognize the one above.\u00a0 I turned over and there was Rich still sleeping.\u00a0 That was better.\u00a0 At least we were in the same place. Then I remembered we were in Zakopane.\u00a0 This was the beginning of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3797"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3827,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797\/revisions\/3827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}