Being an Old Fool and Beggining of Our Road Trip. Bieszczady

I had no idea that I can get attached to a car. This year we’ve decided to make it easier and got a way newer and comfortable van, and I totally can’t get used to it. It goes uphill like a pro (which is well seen when you drive through the mountains), everything works, I can take a proper shower (not one out of a cup), and equipments work. But somehow it feels darker, more narrow and less attached to my heart. Another polish saying is that it’s easy to get used to a higher standard. In my case – so not true! I miss you Rimor Kontiki, my old friend. You failed me so many times, left me cold and wet in a middle of nowhere, you’ve decided not to heat when needed, got a whole wall wet, spit smoke on me at some point, but it’s all forgotten. I hope that you’ll be very happy in new hands and that your new owners will love you as much as I did.

Let’s start with Bieszczady. We went there to start out travel. We overlooked the fact that there was a long holiday weekend and the region was filled with people on a holiday break. Too many people, local restaurants crowded, no place to park our van, so we drove away to more far-away-areas, which was next to a border with Ukraine. This was where the magic happened and where we loved it most. Polish mountains are filled with tradition. I used to spend a lot of time in Zakopane, which is not in Bieszczady, but definitely in Polish mountains. I used to love the vibe in local restaurants, the music, the clothes and dialect. It all felt so special. It did not change. You can still experience the uniqueness and see the beauty.

As a child I always wanted to see polish bisons in their natural environment and I kind of did. We went to a national park, they were very far away, but I was jumping out of happiness. I saw them! I also sow a little ones and they were so cute. Mia was sleeping in a van, so I went back to tell Tomasz how beautiful they are and to go to check them out. At this moment a car stopped and one man told me to drive back 1km, because there is a big group of bisons eating grass next to a road. Guess what, I did listen to a random person I didn’t know, so we drove back and it was so beautiful! I was freaking out out of happiness and I could not stop staring. Mia slept through the whole experience, but I showed her some videos later on. She did not look more excited than when she sees a cow (she loves cows).

We also did eat a lot. Have you ever tried polish mountain cheese? If not, this should be on your “to do” list starting from now on. It’s a life changing experience for a foodie. Mostly because you’ll start to import it or going back to this place to buy it. In the mountains you can go to a hut in a forest where they produce it and this is a beautiful experience as well……