I grew up in a very popular, very busy mountain spa town called Krynica. Its name quite literally means spring of water. Southern Poland is renowned for its medical spas, healing waters and treatments which can be accessed on national health service as long as one’s GP prescribes them. I left that region when I was around 13 and moved to Krakow to live with my grandmother. Consequently, I rarely, if ever, went back. Krakow was so much more exciting for a teenager than some isolated mountain towns filled with sanitarium patients 😉 Now that I am a bit (haha!) older and wiser, I am very keen to re-visit these places and see how they have changed over the last 30 years. While Krynica is widely considered a queen of spas, there are many other towns just as charming, each with its own special qualities. One of such towns, Szczawnica (try pronouncing it, I dare you!), also boasts mineral waters, and is situated very close to the Slovakian border, in a picturesque valley between Beskidy and Pieniny mountains. It is also very popular for one particular reason: rafting, canoeing and sort of punting on Dunajec river. It’s one of those once in a lifetime experiences and since I had not done it before, I chose Szczawnica to be my next destination. I prayed that it wouldn’t rain all week long which is rather typical of a mountain weather 🙂

It took around two hours from the starting point (we went there by coach) and the final stop in Szczawnica. Dunajec river is a natural border between Poland and Slovakia and we had a chance to take a look at how the other half live 😉 If it hadn’t been for our guide’s chatter and banter it would have been a truly meditative experience. Wonderful limestone summits, gorges, caves, dense forest and the river itself, mostly calm, on occasion wilder, deeper and more treacherous. It takes years of practice to become a flisak, that is a man who can skilfully and safely navigate the river in this wooden, simple, flat boat. In the old days this was the means of transporting goods by river all the way to the Baltic sea.

Szczawnica, from what I gathered during my week’s stay, was doing very well as a tourist destination – and I went there in low season. Some run down buildings got rebuilt or restored to their former glory, for example the Medicinal Waters Pump Room. There were more cafes and restaurants that I could count, plus a well stocked supermarket. The chairlift was operational at weekend, but closed on some very cold and quiet days, understandably. All the local guesthouses seemed open for business. I enjoyed some nice sunshine only for the temperatures to fall to near zero a day or two later. That’s mountains for you! But it did not rain, not once 🙂

I was very, very tempted to hike the Trzy Korony summit. Its name means Three Crowns, once you see how it’s shaped you’ll know why. I had only recently undergone a laser eye surgery and I was banned from such efforts…Regular walks were fine, so I went for a walk…to Slovakia! I liked it so much that I did another walk again, again crossing the border on foot. The walking/cycling path along Dunajec was closed for maintenance, meaning I had to go through Lesnica village first, then through the forest, uphill, to finally end up at Červený Kláštor, Red Monastery, right by Dunajec river and with splendid views of Trzy Korony that I never got to climb.

It took me 3.5 hours each way, with barely any rest – I was worried it would rain. I met but a handful of people. No need for a map & compass (still, good to have them but I didn’t!), marks on trees meant it was impossible to get lost.

I wanted to check out one of the local mountain hostels and try their food, namely kwasnica, a sauerkraut soup with spare ribs. Just what I needed after a long walk. This kind of place offers 2,3 or 4 bed rooms with external bathrooms at typical local prices.

I also walked to Jaworki, a nearby village known for a pretty Homole gorge. I could have taken a bus but I was interested in seeing some authenticity, since Szczawnica is so tourist orientated. I followed a cycle route through a peaceful Szlachtowa village – think dogs and chickens wandering around freely 🙂 Then, some 1.5 h later, on arrival in Jaworki, who did I meet ? Janosik himself, an infamous highway man who robs the rich and helps the poor! Or a man dressed as him, posing for photos for a few pennies. The gorge did not disappoint, but the stones were so slippery and it was so muddy I almost turned back. I’m glad I didn’t, because the next thing I saw was a wonderful, Alpine vista, with the sound of cow bells and all 🙂

Muzyczna Owczarnia – Musical Sheepfold in Jaworki village, is an independent venue that has been welcoming local and foreign musicians and artists for the last 20 years. I tried to get a ticket for a gig here but it was sold out. However, that dressed up bloke told me he had been to that very gig! He must be a local celebrity or something and they just let him in for free 😉 An interesting bit of info for fans of British violinist Nigel Kennedy: not only is he an honorary chairman of Muzyczna Owczarnia, he also performed there 50 times or so, making Owczarnia his favourite venue indeed. I am going to see a concert there one day, that’s for sure 🙂

So, how to get to this lovely corner of the world ? It’s really easy: a flight to Krakow first, then a transfer to the main coach station and a 2h 40 min journey south. Hiring a car and driving directly from the airport would take at least 2 hours. Three nights accommodation at sensible, local prices would equal one night in Keswick, give or take. Local tourist office sells lots of organized trips to both Polish and Slovakian destinations so a car, while desirable, is not necessary and connections to Krakow are reliable and frequent. I loved Szczawnica, its elegant wooden architecture, well maintained parks, and, of course, majestic mountains. I guess being born in mountainous area means I’ll always be drawn to hills, big or small 🙂 My stay in Szczawnica was the most relaxing time I had during my trip to Poland; only Stegna on the Baltic coast came close…but more on that later.