Heaven in Zakopane

by Sakina Quaid Johar (Pakistan)

A leap into the unknown Poland

My classmate and I won a trip to Zakopane in Science competition. On reaching there we have been staring at our Google map for the 10th time by getting off the car on Jaszczurówka Road. Fortunately, I saw a helpful sign, "This is the way to Goodbye Lenin." We walked along a winding road, went hill-up to find our cottage at the top, guarded by the Tatra peaks. The crowing of a goat was heard, for whom the hotel worker told us to stay away because it could get violent. Our hotel stay was very fun, except for the violent goat. The resort town of Zakopane offers many beautiful, top-class hotels and soothing spas with spacious facilities. We befriended one girl who had told us about living on a farm in southerly Poland. We shared a room with her, she took us a wonderful walk. We cooked and spoke in the sharing, which had a very nice atmosphere with sofas, cheerful decoration, and huge libraries. Though a few power failures occurred and a mouse climbed onto my bed and scared me to die halfway, our hotel was pleasant. The beautiful view, the nearness to hiking trails, the friendly atmosphere certainly worth the mouse accident. We decided to forget climbing up a greasy mountain, rather go to one of the most beautiful spots of Zakopane, as our first day was cold and rainy. Morskie Oko is a deep lake in the Mięguszowiecki summit in the Tatra National Park. We strolled a four hours journey, but we rest our legs and had dinner in the inn beside the lake after we reached there. The entire lake has been surrounded by many cascades and from every angle, we enjoy the view. Our legs were fatigued, but all of that felt a worth when I saw my health app covering kilometers. Their horse carriages took people back and forth to Morskie Oko. Speaking of weather, the next day was good, so we decided to walk up to Kopieniec. The trek was impossible for an inexperienced hiker like me, but I certainly felt it like an achievement. It's no easy task to climb up the mountains, but I almost immediately forgot how stressful it was when I reached the top, breathing loudly. The sight of the neighboring Zakopane mountains and city was spectacular. My classmate pointed out the Giewont mountain, which has a 15 meters steel cross, placed on one of its heights. The peaks of the Wielki Kopieniec and Trekking Giewont, have a decent and beautiful view, that is quite popular. But it's also notorious that in rainy weather it's hazardous. Kasprowy Wierch is an incredible peak. It rained once more on our last day in Zakopane, so we purchased cable car tickets up the top. However, we did not buy tickets beforehand. We made the mistake. I've been waiting in a queue for about two hours. We did not have time to go for a complete walk before we first arrived in Zakopane, so we decided to explore Krupówki, the city center. Several clothing stores were open, which was great for me as a shopaholic. We have noticed souvenir shops, street artists, and cheese stands. We visited the Museum of Tatra in Krupówki that documents Zakopane's historical record. There is a church in Zakopane which has a unique design. On our way down from Wielki Kopieniec another path led us past a man who sold his home fresh goat cheese. It was music for my classmate’s ears as a cheese-loving person. The most popular cheese of the Tatra zone is known as oscypek, a smoked sheep's milk cheese. We choose from three kinds: slightly salty, a bit saltier and the saltiest. She bought all three. As she and I were hungry after a tight day of trekking so we went back to our restaurant and ordered our heaviest Polish cuisine. We also tried a regional cuisine which included potato pancakes and it was great. During the walk around the city center, there were probably hundreds of eateries with this kind of food. At the end of the trip, I had good-food, been well trained and ready to return to my home city.