Rynias: up past the meadows and down through the forest 

Just around the bend now...

the final approach: their barn, their kitchen hut, the dog house 

Pani Anna tells me how the year has been 

she keeps chasing them out, they keep returning 

proud of her special holiday skirt

Pan Stas looks on as I eat their "second breakfast" of bread, eggs and Pani Anna's cookies 

with their 18 sheep

it's a steep hike through the forest 

a hut marks the top of the mountain separating Rynias from the rest of the world

the perfect spot to sit and write 

In the village across the mountain, a detail of a typical door 

Pesty Madison neighbors who have been bugging me to use a hand-powered mower, I have an even better idea: how about trading in your mowers for this? 

(From Zakopane): notes and comments

(on Thursday)

Zakopane. It’s like Aspen, Colorado. These days, no true mountain nut would choose it as a place to go to in order to get a whiff of mountain air. But for us older types who were raised to love its magic way back in the fifties and sixties (to say nothing of those who knew it even earlier), this place resonates with a nostalgic beauty. It is a mountain resort perfectly positioned at the foot of the High Tatras – the Alps of Eastern Europe.

I came on a slow moving train. It took four hours to make the 120 kilometer run from Krakow. I needed those four hours. Some people process days and events quickly, off-handedly. I need deliberate processing time. I got it on this local little chugging train. [That night, for the first time in months, I slept without guilt.]

Remember: the sky is brilliant, the air is warm. That backdrop adds to the surreal quality of these days.

I had time for a hike into the mountains before supper. Up high, there is a tea hut in a valley just at the base of one of the peaks and even though it was late (I was to meet my dad for supper that evening) I took a cup of tea, a smoked chunk of sheep cheese and a wedge of home made honey cake to a spot in the rapidly receding sun and had perhaps the most peaceful, nourishing snack ever.

The hike back to Zakopane was remarkable. No, really, I amazed myself. [A hefty amount of bragging is about to ensue.] In stretches where this was at all possible, I ran down the rocky path, jumping over protruding stones much like I imagine a mountain goat would do were she escaping some demons. I thought for the rest of the evening: hey, I am as strong as I have ever been in my life.

Mountains allow you to think in grandiose ways.

a walk in Zakopane 

magnificent, especially in the late afternoon light 

smoked cheese, honey cake 

my next of kin 

(From Zakopane): I am stumped!

No phone = no Internet. It's as simple as that (I am using someone else's computer to write this).

I feel sorry for Ocean readers. Tomorrow the posts are going to be awfully long, what with the backlog...

Oh, cyberspace, how dare you bypass the mountains of Poland! All I have is the pine forests and the jagged peaks. WiFi, bulldoze your way over here -- I miss you!

(From Krakow): so what’s Krakow all about?

I hold that it’s not the buildings at all. It’s not the monuments, palaces, churches. It really is all in the people.

True, on the main square, it is nearly impossible to distinguish the Polish tourists from the locals. Yesterday, as I strolled past dozens and dozens of packed coffee shops, I could tell that there were plenty of locals spinning tales over a coffee or ice cream. Out on the streets, it can be harder to tell one from the other.

But here, take a look at the photos below – all locals for sure. They are what makes this into a city with vitality as opposed to a small town with an interesting past.

I’m leaving this morning and already I know I will miss this energy (Warsaw has it as well). People move differently here and I move like them. Their rhythm is my rhythm. Their talk is my talk.

p.s. Dinner last night was a blow out meal of Polish food. I am still recovering. For the reader who asked for photos of traditional dishes – I’m happy to oblige. Oscar, B and I rampaged the menu – so much so that the waitress told us meekly that she thought we were ordering too much. We smiled, shrugged and kept on eating.

Two friends, stopping for an ice cream on the way home. 

a common sight 

their numbers swelled because of the holiday this week-end

Two professors, arguing about a battle that took place on Polish soil some 500 years ago. 

finding a quiet spot on the Square at dusk can be hard 

We had some combination of these with every meal: carrots, white cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, a pickle. Note the gingerbread cookie at the side. 

trout with garlic butter; they did not skimp on the garlic butter. 

forest mushrooms with cream and onions