More Poland

We really liked Krakow. While Prague is the "it" city in Eastern europe, we liked Krakow just as much and thought it had as much to offer. The main square in the old town, like Prague, was really the highlight. And again like Prague, it had a beautiful old castle overlooking the city. We really enjoyed it.

We left Krakow this morning. There was certainly more to see and do there, but we are feeling a bit citied-out. We've seen enough of the churches, temples and stunning buildings. We were ready for getting a bit back to nature.

We took a two-hour bus trip south to the Polish resort town of Zakopane. It is a major hiking and ski resort area. Kind of a Polish Beaver Creek, or Squaw Valley with a bustling main tourist town but surrounded by the mountains. There is snow in the mountains and the town itself is much cooler than any place we've been to so far. Our balcony has a thermometer on it, and this afternoon - in the sun - it was about 74 degrees! Nice! But that was in the direct sun. I'm sure it is 30 degrees colder than that right now. No skiing yet though.

This area of Poland is famous for a particular wooden style of house. We are staying in a hostel in that design. Very log cabin-like. Nice atmosphere.