From Poland , Slovakia and the Tatra mountains coming soon .
Ken.
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 01 Jul 2010 03:58 pmAnd we start again in the beautiful old city of Krakow :-
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Wiccan woman » 02 Jul 2010 08:23 amWhat a lovley photo with the sunlight shining on those buildings, wonderful 
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 03 Jul 2010 07:05 pmYes. Every time we go we find it just as enchanting.
Not quite so beautiful is the famous Krakow dragon down by the Wavel castle :-
If you stand a while , you suddenly get a shock as it belches fire out. Its legend is too lengthy for me to type here but it can be found at :-
http://www.anglik.net/polish_legends_dragon.htm
Ken.
Not quite so beautiful is the famous Krakow dragon down by the Wavel castle :-
If you stand a while , you suddenly get a shock as it belches fire out. Its legend is too lengthy for me to type here but it can be found at :-
http://www.anglik.net/polish_legends_dragon.htm
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 04 Jul 2010 04:01 pmFor more pics & info on Krakow see "Photographs" -- "Poland" -- but now we head east by train towards Ukraine. This is the pretty little town of Tarnow :-
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Wiccan woman » 05 Jul 2010 08:22 amIt looks a really pretty place. I like the dragon pic as I love dragons and gargoyles....I know I am strange 
I wrote a poem about a gargoyle I always feel sorry for them hahaha x
I wrote a poem about a gargoyle I always feel sorry for them hahaha x
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 05 Jul 2010 09:32 amYes. This poor dragon was fed with a sheep stuffed with sulphur which made it so thirsty it drank until its stomach expolded ! 
And now we turn south east towards Slovakia and embark on one of the most exciting legs of our travels --- a long raft journey along the Dunajec river :-
We were fortunate in that the river has only just become navigable again after weeks of flooding throughout Poland.
Even so , it was fast flowing with plenty of white water & thrills in parts.This journey through the magnificent Dunajec Gorges usually takes about 3 hours---we did it in just under two (but got a bit wet in the process!).
Ken.
And now we turn south east towards Slovakia and embark on one of the most exciting legs of our travels --- a long raft journey along the Dunajec river :-
We were fortunate in that the river has only just become navigable again after weeks of flooding throughout Poland.
Even so , it was fast flowing with plenty of white water & thrills in parts.This journey through the magnificent Dunajec Gorges usually takes about 3 hours---we did it in just under two (but got a bit wet in the process!).
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Kristof » 05 Jul 2010 01:10 pmGood pictures and stories Ken, keep them coming.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 06 Jul 2010 11:17 amCheers Kristof. The scenery along the Dunajec Gorge was stunning. Here are the three peaks of Trzy Korony :-
Then we`d come across a pretty little scene like this :-
At this stage , Poland is on one side of the river and Slovakia on the other.
Ken.
Then we`d come across a pretty little scene like this :-
At this stage , Poland is on one side of the river and Slovakia on the other.
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 06 Jul 2010 05:35 pmAfter nearly 2 hours dodging rapids we now take to the road & head for the Tatra mountains and the quaint little town of Zakopane :-
Zakopane is a popular ski resort in the winter but a base for walkers and mountaineers in the summer. It has a fascinating market where you can but almost anything, but the specialities are slippers and cheeses. You can but a pair of slippers (leather or fabric ) for anything between 10 and 12 Zlotys (£2 - £2.40 !!).
Here is a seemingly never ending cheese stall, selling a huge range of types and shapes :-
The smoked ones are superb.
Ken.
Zakopane is a popular ski resort in the winter but a base for walkers and mountaineers in the summer. It has a fascinating market where you can but almost anything, but the specialities are slippers and cheeses. You can but a pair of slippers (leather or fabric ) for anything between 10 and 12 Zlotys (£2 - £2.40 !!).
Here is a seemingly never ending cheese stall, selling a huge range of types and shapes :-
The smoked ones are superb.
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 10 Jul 2010 10:59 amThroughout my times in Austria & Switzerland I`ve admired the lovely alpine cottages but they aren`t a patch on those in southern Poland. The beauty and sheer variety are incrdeible.
From the bizarre :-
to the simply basic :-
Ken.
From the bizarre :-
to the simply basic :-
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 11 Jul 2010 06:16 pmThe next part of our journey takes us over the Tatra mountains -- the Giewont Massif to be precise :-
Its one and a half times as high as Ben Nevis & very difficult to get a good pic from a distance. We climbed up and over the Kondracka Pass , which is just to the right of the cross you can see.
Its one and a half times as high as Ben Nevis & very difficult to get a good pic from a distance. We climbed up and over the Kondracka Pass , which is just to the right of the cross you can see.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 11 Jul 2010 07:23 pmTwo lumberjacks and several horses had recently been killed by brown bears and this was the warning at the start of the climb :-
Here is a pic taken by another walker (mountaineer ?), Jobo :-
He might look cuddly but these are big ( 6 - 9 ft tall) & dangerous animals.
Our guide warned us to stay together & not attempt to eat any food out in the open. He also warned us that there was a danger from wolves.
Ken.
Here is a pic taken by another walker (mountaineer ?), Jobo :-
He might look cuddly but these are big ( 6 - 9 ft tall) & dangerous animals.
Our guide warned us to stay together & not attempt to eat any food out in the open. He also warned us that there was a danger from wolves.
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 12 Jul 2010 11:53 amI took this one at a height of 4,000 feet.:-
Down below you can see the Malej Laki glacial valley which we passed through on the way up. It was already a stiff climb just to reach that valley , which itself is 2,000 feet up.
There are lots of bue gentians at this height :-
But this was my last pic of the day as it got pretty hairy from here to the top of the mountain. The weather closed in and conditions under foot became treacherous. There were times when it was hands and knees and you needed both hands to hang on to anything you could grip.I didn`t dare to attempt getting my camera out.( In fact there were times when I didn`t even dare look down!).
Ken.
Down below you can see the Malej Laki glacial valley which we passed through on the way up. It was already a stiff climb just to reach that valley , which itself is 2,000 feet up.
There are lots of bue gentians at this height :-
But this was my last pic of the day as it got pretty hairy from here to the top of the mountain. The weather closed in and conditions under foot became treacherous. There were times when it was hands and knees and you needed both hands to hang on to anything you could grip.I didn`t dare to attempt getting my camera out.( In fact there were times when I didn`t even dare look down!).
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 13 Jul 2010 11:59 amAnd today we head for Slovakia-- to Stary Smokovic and then a long cable ride up Slavkovsky stit :-
to the tiny mountain town of Hrebienok at an altitude of 4,000 feet :-
Ken.
to the tiny mountain town of Hrebienok at an altitude of 4,000 feet :-
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Wiccan woman » 14 Jul 2010 08:30 amGreat views Ken, looks a beautiful place, those houses are gorgeous especially the one that looks like its all wobbly I love that one !!
You stay safe and keep your feet on the ground no slipping over the edge !!
You stay safe and keep your feet on the ground no slipping over the edge !!
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 16 Jul 2010 09:29 amCheers Wiccanwoman. No more mountaineering for me after that I`m afraid !
There`s a nice walk from Hrebienok to the Studeny Potok waterfalls :-
These falls are remarkable in that they stretch for about 2 miles.
Ken
There`s a nice walk from Hrebienok to the Studeny Potok waterfalls :-
These falls are remarkable in that they stretch for about 2 miles.
Ken
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 18 Jul 2010 08:09 pmAnd now its back to the lovely Krakow :-
Just in time to hear the trumpeter of St.Mary`s church :-
For hundreds years a look-out stood guard near the top with a trumpet at the ready.
Sadly in 1241 when he spotted invading troops he was shot in the chest as he blew the warning tune.
Ever since a trumpeter plays that tune , on the hour --every hour , through all the tower windows. The melody stops short just at the point at which the original look-out was shot.
Ken.
Just in time to hear the trumpeter of St.Mary`s church :-
For hundreds years a look-out stood guard near the top with a trumpet at the ready.
Sadly in 1241 when he spotted invading troops he was shot in the chest as he blew the warning tune.
Ever since a trumpeter plays that tune , on the hour --every hour , through all the tower windows. The melody stops short just at the point at which the original look-out was shot.
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 21 Jul 2010 10:05 amKrakow & the surrounding area are a cyclist`s dream. You can hire a bike for a fiver a day & the choice of routes is endless.One of our favourites is along the banks of the Vistula. You`re not far into the countryside when you come across the baroque church of St.Augustine. Its an old convent built in 1162 :-
The farms in Poland are nothing like ours. The "fields" are no more than narrow strips of land -- often planted with several different crops at the same time. Most fields are tended by a single person with little or no machinery. We saw old ladies tilling the land on their own using the type of simple hoe we use in our back gardens. This guy had the luxury of a horse and hay-turner :-
Ken.
The farms in Poland are nothing like ours. The "fields" are no more than narrow strips of land -- often planted with several different crops at the same time. Most fields are tended by a single person with little or no machinery. We saw old ladies tilling the land on their own using the type of simple hoe we use in our back gardens. This guy had the luxury of a horse and hay-turner :-
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 21 Jul 2010 06:51 pmThe hay stacks are quite different as well :-
-------- or could it be Dad`s Army out on manouvres in camouflage ??
Ken.
-------- or could it be Dad`s Army out on manouvres in camouflage ??
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 24 Jul 2010 09:57 amAfter a couple of hours cycling through some lovely countryside/riverside , through the trees on a hill you see a quaint old monastery :-
This benedictine monastery was built in 1044 but there`s been human construction on that hill for abour 5,000 years.
This is the ancient well from which the monks draw the water for their excellent brews :-
And now a wobbly ride back to Krackow !
Ken.
This benedictine monastery was built in 1044 but there`s been human construction on that hill for abour 5,000 years.
This is the ancient well from which the monks draw the water for their excellent brews :-
And now a wobbly ride back to Krackow !
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 27 Jul 2010 11:30 amAnd this evening we`ll go on a last tour of the city in one of the many beautiful carriages :-
Ken.
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Re: Ken`s JUNE postcard.
by Ken » 28 Jul 2010 03:42 pmAnd once again its goodnight and goodbye for now to the lovely Krakow :-
Ken.
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Re: POLAND -- Krakow,Slovakia & Tatra mountains.
by WillyLad » 04 Aug 2010 02:55 pmCheers Ken. Another grand selection of pics. What happened to your Vesuvius ones ? I cant find them any more.
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Re: POLAND -- Krakow,Slovakia & Tatra mountains.
by Phil C » 08 Aug 2010 08:04 pmGood stuff as usual Ken.
Did you get to Ojcow? if so what did you think?
Did you get to Ojcow? if so what did you think?
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Re: POLAND -- Krakow,Slovakia & Tatra mountains.
by Ken » 11 Aug 2010 10:30 amYes, Phil , I did. Not as spectacular as the rafting or the Tatra mountain walks but nevertheless a very pleasant & interesting day. Makes a good starter walk to get you going. Unfortunately we didn`t see any of the bats that Ojkow is famous for but we did get to explore one of the caves.
Ken.
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Re: POLAND -- Krakow,Slovakia & Tatra mountains.
by Ken » 22 Aug 2010 04:48 pmWillyLad wrote:Cheers Ken. Another grand selection of pics. What happened to your Vesuvius ones ? I cant find them any more.
I think they got lost when transferring from "Odds & Sods" to "Photographs". I still have the pics so will try to piece the topic together again
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