Jo’s Monday walk : the Dunajec Gorge

Shall we start at the chair lift?

Shall we start at the chair lift?

To be fair, I have so many photos it’s hard to know where to start!  After the wedding, my Polish family were wonderfully indulgent of my wandering ways.  I had booked into an old wooden villa for a couple of nights, in the upper part of the thermal spa town of Szczawnica, right down on the border with Slovakia.

Why there?  Well, I already knew that the scenery in nearby Zakopane was beautiful.  Part of the Tatra Mountain range, it is renowned for Summer hiking and for Winter sports.  But, as always, I wanted to see somewhere new, yet still within reasonable distance of Kraków.  The Pieniny Mountains are not so high, nor so busy, and they have a beauty all their own.

Szczawnica (rough pronounced ‘Sh-chav-nitsa’) sits in the river valley of the Grajcarek, a tributary of the Dunajec River which forms the border with Slovakia.

Come with me on my walk, and see what you think.

Ok- so from the chair lift we're going to walk alongside the river

From the chair lift we’re going to walk alongside the river

Using this lovely boulevard

Using this lovely boulevard

And crossing some of the many bridges

And crossing some of the many bridges

And sometimes looking back to check the view behind

Not forgetting to look back to check the view behind- peaceful, isn’t it?

This was one of my favourite houses- just look at that roof!

This was one of my favourite houses- just look at that roof!

And always, the river, rushing along beside

And always, the river, rushing along beside

After many twists and turns the Grajcarek flows into the Dunajec, and the beckoning scenery becomes much more dramatic.

One of my reasons for choosing Szczawnica is that it sits at the end of a stretch of the Dunajec famed for river rafting.  Not the white knuckle ride that phrase might conjure up for you, but nevertheless, a strong test of the skills of the boatmen.  The Dunajec Gorge drew me to the area.

Szczawnica przystan, or marina

Szczawnica przystan, or marina

The view from the landing stage

The view from the landing stage

A peaceful island lures you for a closer look

A frail bridge lures you for a closer look

A rather strange bird, guarding his territory

At this strange bird, guarding his territory

And the empty benches

No wonder the benches are empty!

And you never know what might lurk in the caves

I wonder what might lurk in these caves?

But the flora are delicate and pretty

But the flora are delicate and pretty

The water and trees are so many different shades

The trees and water are a myriad of colour

But what's this, patiently waiting?

And what do we find, patiently waiting on the river bank?

Wooden canoe trips have been organised through the Gorge since the early 19th Century, when customers came primarily from nearby castles at Niedzica and Czorstyn (more of these in a later post).  The Gorge loops through the valley, the limestone rock reaching 300 metres in height almost all the way.  It makes for some very beautiful walking and cycling, not to mention the opportunity to river raft.

Gentle aquamarine

Hues of gentle aquamarine

Still and smooth

Still, smooth water

And interesting patterns in the cliff face

And interesting patterns in the cliff face

Light and shade

Wandering through light and shade

The shadows adding a layer of mystery

The deeper shadow adding an air of mystery

Families, walkers and cyclists all have access to this dramatic beauty, though Spring and Autumn are probably the times to see it at its peaceful best.  In Summer and on public holidays there are mountain huts where you can find food and information.

An interesting sign appears

I found this sign quite interesting

And then a further clue

And then a further clue- welcome to Lesnica, written in Slovak

Without realising it I had crossed over the border into Slovakia, part of which is formed by the River Dunajec.  It felt quite strange, and looking at the remaining distance to Cerwony Klastor (approximately 2 hours, according to the sign)  it seemed a good time to retrace my steps.  But not without first paying homage to one of the nation’s favourite sons, who loved to hike and ski in the mountains.

Just one more sign- a view dedicated to Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II)

The view is dedicated to Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II)

In no time at all I was back at the marina with a hard-earned beer

In no time at all I was back at the marina, with a hard-earned beer

Fast approaching, round a bend in the river, some boatmen!

Where I saw, fast approaching round a bend in the river, the boatmen!

But that needs to be the subject for another post.  For now, I’m hoping that you’ve enjoyed our Monday walk.  I certainly did!

If you’d like to join in, you’re more than welcome to add a link to a walk you’ve enjoyed in the comments, or to link back to me from your post.  Either way, I really don’t mind.  I try to keep it free and easy so you can join in any day of the week.  The more beautiful walks, the better- right?

Whilst I was in Poland, kind people continued to contribute walks to cheer me up on my return. I’m delighted to be able to share them with you.  Enjoy your walking.  See you next time.

 

Way out in Western Australia we have Pauline, walking on the foreshore :

Geraldton Foreshore Walk

Sylvia is busy packing up her home in South Africa, but still found the time to cherish a few memories in her walk :

Sand Between the Toes for Jo’s Monday Walk Challenge.

Tish Farrell brought me back to her home in Much Wenlock, a beautiful part of Shropshire :

http://tishfarrell.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/much-lettered-at-much-wenlocks-poetry-festival/

A lovely surprise from a lady I’d not met, Gunilla, but will certainly spend some time with :

http://gbkoru.blogspot.fi/2014/05/bloggers-sunday-walk-spring.html

And last, but never least, my sunny friend from Virginia, USA- Cathy, with an arboretum walk :

the state arboretum of virginia

 

Here are some of this week’s walkers,

Paula has been to the zoo :

http://bopaula.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/a-visit-to-the-zoo-part-ii/

And Elaine introduced me to Finsbury Park in London :

a walk in Finsbury Park

And who can resist Amy’s Iphoneography? (is that spelt right?)  What that girl can do with a flower!

http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/phoneography-for-jos-monday-walk/

We’re going to be busy reading this week, aren’t we?

 

128 comments

  1. You really get to do the best walks. I shall think of you as ‘The Happy Wanderer’ (Val-deri,Val-dera). 🙂
    I wouldn’t have ventured, into those caves either, but aboat ride down the river would have been tempting.

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  3. Fabulous walk Jo. I think those caves look very spooky! The roof on the house is something else. Looks like your trip had many lovely surprises. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. A good cycle route too, Sue 🙂 I thought of you when I was pulling the last bits together this morning. Were you cycling in Slovenia- Lake Bled or somewhere? You won’t have been a huge distance away from this if so.

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  7. I always enjoy your walks, Jo, but I must say this has been my absolute favorite! These photos are stunning! What an enchanting place and that house with the roof…beautiful!
    Thanks for bringing beauty into my Monday!

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    1. Hi Jude 🙂 There’s a follow up post to this one which won’t be a walk. Does that answer your question?
      Many thanks for joining in with such enthusiasm, and also for nudging Gunilla in my direction. I didn’t realise until I visited her site today that you were responsible.

      A question for you. There are so many walks to link (especially this week because of my absence). I’m wondering if I should put the links on the bottom of my next week’s post, because some people, who read earlier than others, are going to miss them. Especially as my Comments now read most recent first. Not sure that I’m happy with this arrangement but it saves people endlessly scrolling down. Thanks for your input, o wise one 🙂 🙂

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      1. 1. You could allow pingbacks on your walk posts then links would automatically appear from other blogs linking to you. You can set this per post if you don’t want it as a default setting.
        2. You can change the discussion to oldest first (many readers prefer this way as they like to read the comments before making their own comment – I changed mine after several comments to this efect on one of my blogs which was set to newest first) Go to settings, discussion and other comment settings to change the order.
        3. I think I would always put the links on the following post so that anyone who hasn’t picked them up from the comments on the original walk, can see them.

        Nice how popular this is becoming Jo – I love reading the walks in other places. Wise one? 😳
        xx

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      2. Armchair education, Jude 🙂 I’ve done my knee in so I’m all for it.
        I changed the Comments to the other way so as not to irritate impatient types (like me).
        Think you’ve lost me on the pings. I approve them when they arrive in my Inbox. Didn’t know there was an alternative. Signed- ignorant one 🙂

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      1. Once upon a time (in my life-time) there were almost no restrictions/requirements on New Zealanders travelling to Australia. Didn’t last long but it was amazing and very liberating whilst it lasted.

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    1. Sounds wonderful, Pauline 🙂 If it’s ok with you I’ll add your post to the bottom of next week’s walk? I’ll still tweet/FB when I read it, later this evening. Many thanks for your support.

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  12. Pingback: A Walk in a Heritage Garden | gypsy life
  16. Pingback: A visit to the Zoo: Part II | Lost in Translation

    1. A litttle bit of a one, Rich- not the full on Algarve type 🙂 It was really beautiful and hot those last couple of days but we were on the move a lot. Enormous thunderstorm one day in Krakow when we had to stand under an awning for half hour as it pounded down. All good fun!

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  18. Gorgeous 🙂 I am going to High Tatras in Slovakia this summer. I can see you had a wonderful time 🙂 I am not sure if you would like to join me for a visit to a zoo, but I will link just in case 😀

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    1. We could see them in the background for much of the time, Paula- quite fabulous as a backdrop but I’m not up to that kind of scrambling so much these days. (especially today as I’ve done something daft to my knee, probably at zumba- silly old fool 🙂 )
      Funny you should mention zoos (Regent’s Park, I presume? Years since I was there). Our last day in Krakow we ended up at the zoo, totally unintentionally, strange as that sounds. Please do! 🙂

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      2. I’m there now! It couldn’t possibly disappoint if you had posted it, Paula. Many thanks. I’m enjoying a little catch up time this morning and have sent the other half out walking on my behalf. 🙂

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  19. What can I say? This is a post full of wonderful images and that capacity you have to capture large landscapes from just the right angle. I tend to retreat into the minuscule, although you do that wonderfully too. I’ll be putting Szczawnica to my list of jaunts from Warsaw. Water, mountains, delicious architecture – and then Polish beer. Just as well I’m on my way to Poland on Thursday, or I’d be off booking a trip tomorrow. I’m eager for more Polish posts.

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    1. Hi Meg 🙂 I bet you’re packed and ready to go- pacing up and down. I would be! Hug those lovely grandbabies for all you’re worth. I’ll bet they’ve grown. First the adventure! I love the sound of that. Take good care, and have a fabulous trip. I’ll be watching 🙂

      P.S I never did get to grips with the language properly. It’s always just on the tip of my tongue.

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