We decided to have an easier day. We deserved it after all last night’s cleaning. At least, that was the plan!
Lovely quiet car park with no one around to take the fee.
Exercise started with J running whilst I Pilates’d. We set off to see the ruined castle above us. But I spotted an information board down a lane, so we set off to investigate. Some nice rocks and a way marked path … better follow it then.
A bit steep in placesSome scouts were camping here just before WW2 when they were called up. They carved a symbol into the rock and erected a cross.On the return, we spotted this sign. Shouldn’t have been here. We might have been felled.
Cauliflower and almond soup, a new recipe to us. And then we had a wander around the castle. Under £3pp entry but there really wasn’t much there … unless you like torture chambers, which we don’t.
Kamieniec Castle
A short drive for another ‘let’s keep this one short’ walk to see more lime stone rocks in Przadki Reserve.
I do like something to see / do en route to the next destination. This was a miss! Billed as the largest wooden Gothic church in Europe.
It looked like a barn and we couldn’t get in either.
But there was a shop for our daily ice cream!
We drove to Sanok Open Air Museum and spent the night in the carpark. A bit noisy as the metal bridge clattered every time a car crossed.
Great quiet night, and we were the first museum guests at 8.30. Corrie allowed in, and a fuss of her duly made. The museum claims to be the oldest continuous oil drilling site in the world. Suspect our evening nodding donkey drilling last night in the woods justifies the ‘continuous’ part of that claim. Interesting museum with an audio guide explaining how initially the shafts were hand drilled, then various impact drills using a drop from a height method, then steam and electricity. The best was the world’s oldest surviving hand dug shaft named Franek from 1860. The pit was a shallow square … and it still has oil filling it. Bubbling or burping from the gas. Bloody amazing.
Looking inside Franek. Still filling with oil since 1860. Gloop gloop as gas is released.A hand winch to collect the oil in bucketsLargest oil production here was 1902-04. Still drilling for oil in the CarpathianMountains. At it’s height … thousands of workers. The owners instigated and insurance policy in the late 1800s, for injured workers or desceased’s families. Kerstin has recently been on a 2 day course working in a forge to make a kitchen knife. She recognised most of the tools. Interestingly, her knife is forged from a lawn mower blade, as the steel is super strong. We saw various methods of impact drill. The more recent descending 3.5 km.
We shifted to Krosno. Unfortunately, Kerstin has had to cut her time with us short. She’s been receiving at least one call daily from a tenant about another annoying idiot tenant. The idiot has been switching off the WiFi router, putting his mattress in the lounge, breaking into another tenant’s room looking for money… police have been called. He’s a known drug addict. And needs evicting from Kerstin’s apartment.
We parked near the train station and bought a load of cheap water from Lidl … cheaper than going on a campsite! Then had a wander into the town. Another large square and some impressive buildings. Kerstin treated us to lunch. Beef cheeks was my delicious choice.
Kerstin and I went into the Franciscan Church. A display about a local family put to death for harbouring Jews. Even the small children. Apparently, only 21 Jews in the area survived detection and extermination. Kerstin on her train at 4.00. Helped by a local to buy her ticket. It took 3.5 hours as it stopped everywhere. The lovely lad in the TIC had tried to persuade her to go by bus, but we’d seen the traffic around Krakow, so knew that 4.5 hours could be much longer. Whilst J nanny napped with Corrie. I went around the Krosno glass museum. Krosno was the Polish centre for glass. Main production is outside the town, but there were several live demonstrations and I got to press a piece of molten glass. Impressive 3d floor I prefer Dartington glass, where you actually walk above the real production areaSeveral displays of glass … this artist fusing opacity with glassThe second part of the tour was in cellars under the square. More artists’ work and a display about how glass is used in science.
James and I drove about 30 mins north to a free carpark just under a ruined castle. We went into busy mode. Cleaned the rugs. Cleaned the van. Stripped Kerstin’s bed and found the extra money she’d left for us. It’s always a game, finding where she’s stashed extra money … usually in a guidebook. We will just have to go via her house to Albania in October to return it and her walking poles, which I found in her garage! Oh, and we both had a flannel wash …as good as a shower! Honest!!!
OK, so my research can, just occasionally, be flawed. We stopped at one of the small oil museums on the way to the big one. So small, it had only roadside parking and no attendant.
It really wasn’t worth ringing the telephone number on the gate to call someone to open up. We could see the small drills from the fence.
Biecz, pronounced Beee-ech, was our next stop en route to the big and proper oil museum. Another large Rynek / square. The largest in Europe, in relation to the town size. Biecz had been a major trading route, a lot of wine, apparently! Consequently there were many impressive buildings.
Kerstin bought postcards on day 1, stamps on day 3 and only just found a post boxFirst stop in the square … an ice cream!Kerstin and I climbed the tower. The young guide was happy to point out the sights from the top. One of the first Polish hospitals. A monastery with 4 monks. The river that was rerouted by the Austrians.Church. Tower and Gate housesPart of the old town wallWe walked around the back of the church.
Whilst up the tower, we also were chatted to by a 9 year old boy, wanting to practice his English … so some random phrases … like my best friend is called … He is in a class of 9 pupils … Kerstin and both commented on UK and German class sizes of 30+ I read that Poland has the 5th best education in the world.
We expected to arrive at the property oil museum before 3.00, giving us time to see it before it closed at 5 00. However, there was a mahoosive diversion. We didn’t understand the signs, so had to do a 5 point turn 5km later when the road stopped. Then a loop around. I was feeling tired, so we parked up in a lay by near the museum until 5.30. J nanny napped, and I dozed off for 10 mins in the chair. No idea what Kerstin did. But I do know I later beat her at crib. One for his knob!
The car park was empty so we got yhe tables and chairs out for dinner. Then we heard a strange noise. We went to investigate in the dark. The nodding donkey we had spotted earlier in the woods was working. Actually drilling for oil. We could certainly smell it!
The alarm went off at 7.00 … up and at ’em. We left just after 7.30. Our car park now had 3 attendants to entice early walkers into their parking. And whilst it was slow leaving Zakopane, the road north was busy but moving. The road south, even at this hour, was pretty slow. Is the North of Poland empty???
A Lidl shop. A real pain as I dislike shopping, but without a working fridge, I have to shop every 2 days. Then onward to Dunajec Castle. A large paid for parking just below the castle, with a couple of coaches already, and it was only 9.45. Stalls selling tat, more stuffed white geese (they’re everywhere – why?) and smoked cheese all the way up to the castle.
Dunajec CastleThis part of Poland had been ruled by Austria so wasn’t as damaged by the war. However, when the Russians arrived they plundered windows and contents. Fortunately the roof and walls survived. Lookingdown to the dam. An unusual carriage. Kerstin and I guessed a hearse, for porting hay? No. The lovely young girl practised her English to explain it was used by young gentry rebelling against their wealth, and of course their parents! They’d sit on hay bales. The carriage would be drawn by 4 horsesrigged in an unconventional line. Oh, and to complete the picture, each horse was a different colour. View of the castle from the dam
Going around the castle with our English paper guide, we’d been flattened by constant tour groups. On our return to the car park, we discovered where all these people had come from. It was full of coaches. A nice castle, but it really didn’t warrant this number of visitors.
We lunched in the van and only managed to exit the car park once we realised we had to hand over our £4 to the attendant at the opposite car park, who then zapped the barrier open.
Next stop was a campsite, so we could take turns on the raft ride. Fortunately, we drove into the town first to investigate the rafting. Kerstin went and asked at one raft operator. We could take Corrie for free, so we could all go and they had their own parking (free)! Result … no need for a campsite and we could go together.
The rafts used to be hollowed out logs, lashed together. The spruce branches prevent most splashes. Two boatmen, one aft, one stern, steer over the rapids using long poles like a gondalierThis was about as exciting as the rapids got, but the raft did move fast over them. This is how goods used to be transported. The Dunajec River here was busy with rafts, dingeys and kayaks. Another top Polish destination. But being on the water was restful.
After the obligatory ice cream at the destination we caught the mini bus (full) back to Jez. Then drove on towards Krosno … Kerstin was checking P4N overnight stops as we drove … found a lake side small parking. As well as anglers, there was a young Polish couple who are digital nomads. They’d just been kayaking and happy to chat. As I feared, most National Park’s are dog unfriendly. So no point heading down to Bieszczady National Park to see the bison then. Shame. And yes, finding free water is hard. They book onto a campsite every week to empty, fill and do laundry. But not many campsites as we move east.
We cooked on the Cadac and then ate by the lake. Impossible to capture, but we watched lighting contained inside a cloud. Most bizarre. It was like a brain zapping.
We spent last night in a car park near Auschwitz. The tour Kerstin and I took, didn’t finish till gone 7.30. We showered and had supper in the Auschwitz car park as they had water and EHU as part of the car park ticket.
It was a very slow drive down to Zakopane. Single track and just very busy. Another new road is being built alongside, but not ready for us to use. So we didn’t arrive till late lunch time. Car parking everywhere, even people letting out spaces in their front gardens. A larger one (looked like they had turned the whole garden into a hard standing) just about had room for us. And suggested we moved to the back and upper level overnight. All for about £18!
Our overnight parking. Lovely and peaceful next to a babbling stream.
I’d identified 2 walks we could do, so the intention was to stay a second night. We set off for the longer of the walks, money ready to pay the £2 National Park entrance fee. But no. No dogs. What a pain! Not allowed even on a lead. The helpful girl gave us a map and indicated the dogs allowed black route, which skirted the edge of the park. Only 2.5km each way, but beggars can’t be choosers.
On the black route.Love a harvest and rolling hillsA small wooden hut was a smokery. Bought one … similar flavourto haloomi but not squeeky or needing to be cooked.
On our return we found an ice cream served with avocaat and cream. Nice. J returned to Jez for a nanny nap with Corrie, so Kerstin and I went into the National Park.
The waterfall was the main destination for most walkers … 2.5 km up. The rocks were slippery, having been polished by the sheer number of boots.
Kerstin and I really fancied going on to do a loop, but we wouldn’t have returned to James until 8.00. Had to have supper … and we wanted to get up and go to beat the traffic in the morning. It might be dubbed Poland’s winter capital and be pretty, but with no dogs rule, it wasn’t going to keep us beyond the one night.
Clune Gap Years 