Apr 19, 2010 - Day 9 - Bear sticks and squirrel chasing

This probably goes down as one of the best walks we’ve ever done… we read in the guide book about this Lake Morskie Oko just out of Zakopane so we decided to get the bus to the Tatras to check it out. Fearing that the Polish bus system would resemble the dodginess of Slovakia we (Amanda) came prepared to have to put up another what seemed to be daily arguments with bus drivers over rip off fares, but we were surprised to find a well oil operation where buses ran on time and they actually charged the right amount (without argument)! That out...

Apr 18, 2010 - Day 8 - crossing borders

We awoke to another beautiful morning in Slovakia, but it was time to head off to the next stop on our trip – Zakopane, Poland. So after another hearty breakfast our next task was to take a succession of local buses to cross over the Polish border. This also meant having yet another semi-argument with another Slovak bus driver who seemed determined to rip us off. But after managing to hold my tongue and settle with a death stare and under the breath mumbling we were off for the 2 hour trip through the Tatra mountains. We arrived in Zakopane...

Jul 29, 2008 - Zakopane, Poland

**** We are having problems uploading photos, so they are to come ***** Well, we caught a bus south to Zakopane which is a very busy summer and winter holiday spot for all Polish and tourists. We stood in line for 6hrs to catch a cable car to the top of the Tatra Mountains. These mountains lie on the border of Poland and Slovakia. After waiting and waiting and telling some pushy locals, to move back in line and wait their turn like everyone else, we finally got to the top of the mountain after 10min by cable. What a view! We then decided to...

Jul 28, 2008 - Zakopane and the Poland Tatras Mountains

Ravi -- I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (a few are above, see the next posting for links to the rest on Facebook). Zakopane sits at the foot of the Tatras Mountains, Poland and Slovakia's highest. We arrived Sunday afternoon, and after lunch in Zakopane's main pedestrian walkway, spent the rest of the evening in our hotel to save our energy for the next day. We left Monday morning (July 28th) for the long day ahead. We hiked nearly 3 hours to the top of Mount Kasprowy Wierch, nearly 2000 meters above sea level, affording us a...