Zakopane (Poland)

View from around Zakopane

We had a wonderful (albeit rainy) time in the little Polish town of Zakopane. Set among the foothills of the Tatra mountains, Zakopane is a quaint town with beautiful views. It was also the beginning of my love for Polish food and vodka. While Zakopane might be famous for its cheeses, wooden churches and limited skiing, we enjoyed the hiking, soup and the Tour de Pologne.

Tour de Pologne racers through Zakopane streets

On my European adventure, I've accidentally stumbled upon two different bicycle road races, the Tour de France and now the Tour de Pologne. The Tour de Pologne appears to be sponsored by Mini (Coopers) and Nutella. The streets in Zakopane were not fenced. Instead, we waited along the sidewalk while team cars passed by with waving passengers. Finally, with police sirens leading the way, the Tour de Pologne cyclists speed by on the road slick with rain.

Crossing a stream while hiking around Zakopane

During the day, we hiked the hills surrounding Zakopane. There is supposedly a well marked walking trail from the Butorwoy Wierch chair lift back down to Zakopane. (Take the gondola up from Zakopane market, then, walk along the vendor lined path to Butorwoy Wierch chair lift.) However, we had to ask a couple people where exactly the trail was. Thankfully, one of our party speaks Polish! One man led us off into the woods behind the chair lift and pointed out painted markings on trees. We hiked along following the arrows and markings. Eventually, we came to a stream that needed crossing. Could this really be the right trail? But, we crossed gingerly on rocks (with one of our party going barefoot). Up the hill from the stream, we asked a couple of farmers if this was the hiking trail. We had been following the mountain biking trail! With new directions, we hiked up a paved hill in order to turn onto a paved walking path. As we hiked on to the main road to turn back, the rain started up. Soon, our feet headed back to our dry hotel as the rain pelted us. It was a great outdoor adventure!

Zurek soup and Polish beer

After all that fresh air, we were hungry. We headed off to a restaurant recommended by our tour guide, Karcma U Wnuka. Although there was only one server, he did a great job of taking care of us. We warmed up with some Polish beer. Our starters arrived of pickled herring, grilled cheese and cheesy spinach dumplings. Delicious! Then, our soups arrived. My new favorite soup is zurek, a white, slightly creamy soup with a bit of potatoes and sausage. I also tried beet borscht. It was a flavorful combination of beet broth and soup meat bullion. My new favorite salad is cucumber salad, which is usually sliced cucumbers in a creamy dill sauce. We ate and ate and even had a shot of Polish vodka.  What a great way to spend a day in Zakopane!