#BestofTravelTuesday

It's time to say goodbye. No, not to blogging. I'm not done with that yet, sorry ;)

It's time to say goodbye to #TravelTuesday link-up.

The first link-up I joined (and the only one, at least up to now). Even though I did not join the link-up every single week, I really enjoyed being a part of this community. Reading fellow bloggers' stories. That's how I started reading many blogs. More or less regularly, but I am. And I love that. I will definitely not stop.

But everything must come to an end at some point. And even though I get that, I have to admit it that I'm a bit sad, too.

Some of my own personal favourite posts shared via Travel Tuesday link-up would definitely include:

The hidden gem of the Blue Pool in Krabi Province, Thailand.

A walk around the Koh Lipe island, Thailand.

A fight with a monkey in Tiger Cave Temple, Thailand.

 Yes, Thailand was full of adventures for us.

but also a post on an Incan legend in Polish mountains.

and a few others...

Through the link-up, I got to know many fascinating people sharing a similar passion. I got to read about many interesting places. Got inspired to visit many of them. And some of them got to my (actually non-existent) bucket list.

Thank you for the link-up to all the co-hosts.

I can't wait now to join a different one. Maybe more than just one ;)

#bestoftraveltuesday

An InLinkz Link-up

2015 - plans vs. reality

Year 2015 was full of exciting adventures. It was also a year when we changed our travel plans more than we usually do. We visited new countries, new places, learnt a lot and had a lot of fun doing what we did.

At the beginning of this year, I wrote a post about our travel plans for 2015. How did we do with it? Which of the places did we actually manage to visit? Here's a quick summary:

1. Spain. We wanted to spend a week in Fuerteventura. We were almost packed ok, just kidding, but we already had a detailed plan of what, when and in which order we wanted to see there, when we found out that our flight back got cancelled. So, sadly, we said bye bye to Fuerteventura and decided to go to... Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. We no longer had any sightseeing in mind, though we still managed to see bits and pieces of the town itself.

2. Germany. We wanted to spend a long weekend in our neghbouring country. First, a night or two in the Tropical Islands and then a few more days in Berlin itself. Yes, we managed to do that. One night in Tropical Islands and two more nights in Berlin meant a lot of fun and a lot of sightseeing. And, on the way back home, we managed to see the Crooked Trees Forest as well!

3. Poland. Our main summer holidays. A hundred per cent successful. We did more than we wanted to do. We visited every single place we planned to visit: Czestochowa, Ojcowski National Park, Terma Bialka, Sokolica, the Three Crowns, Czorsztyn, the castles in Niedzica and Czorsztyn, Homole Gorge, rafting down Dunajec River, and also, on top of that, we managed to see the turn of Bialka (and get in its freakishly cold waters), climb to the top of Wdzar and get back down through the rock gorge, and hop over the border to see Slovakian Red Monastery. On the way back home we discovered the new land of Solilandia, hidden deep below the earth level, in the magnificent Wieliczka Salt Mine. I hope I haven't forgotten about anything.

4. Egypt. We wanted to cruise down the Nile River, see Cairo and spend two-three days at the coast. No, we didn't do that. We got informed a month before our trip that there's no chance for the cruise. That was our second attempt to cruise the Nile. We rebooked our flights and ended up exploring wonderful Thailand. Which was truly amazing. Despite the occassional rain. And despite the smog shadowing the beautiful sun (due to the controlled forest fires in Indonesia! I can't believe people do that :/).

So, all in all, two out of four turned out the way we planned them. The other two were more spontaneous. And it absolutely doesn't mean they were worse! Both Fuerteventura and cruise on the Nile are not cancelled, though. They are postponed.

On top of that, we managed to visit a few more local places, as well. Traditionally, we went to Bliziny to get lost in a corn maze. 

And we finally managed to go to a Railway Museum in Koscierzyna, which we've been meaning to visit for over three years now.

These are some of our adventures of 2015. And how was your 2015?

May 2016 be full of many more travels and adventures. 

Have an amazing year!

A perfect way to say goodbye

Last afternoon in Czorsztyn. We accomplished all our goals and even more. We did everything we planned to do in the area and even managed to add a few more. But it was time to say goodbye.

We packed all we already could pack and still have a few hours to spare before the end of the day. We went to get some delicious ice cream. And then, just like when we first visited Czorsztyn, we went to Majerz. To see the shepherd's hut and buy oscypek to take home with us, to run around freely, to see the wonderful sunset over the lake. Just to see, to be, to feel, to enjoy. The place and, most importantly, ourselves.

A perfect way to say goodbye.

The most delicious oscypki in the area can be bought in this shepherd's hut (bacówka) in Czorsztyn!

 The only sheep we saw in Pieniny were these ones. Saying hello to us every morning and goodnight every evening.

The famous pine tree

The next day, after we got to the Three Crowns, we decided to hit the other famous summit of Pieniny, meaning Sokolica. It's a bit lower, but not really easier to conquer.

We decided to get up early in the morning and hurry up as much as we could. It was still unbearably hot and sunny, so we wanted to hit the trail before the hottest part of the day.

Even though most of the trail is hidden in the forest (which means a lot of shade!), it's still a huge challenge when you're sweating like hell. And this trail is steep. The trek takes only about 45 minutes, but it is difficult 45 minutes.

What you can find on top of the mountain, is a rocky summit, also steep, might be slippery when it's raining. And a wonderful view. Dunajec River right below you, lots of forests and little villages around. Rings a bell? Yeah, it seems a bit like the view from the Three Crowns, but it is a bit different, trust me. Besided, on top of Sokolica, you'll also find the famous pine trees that are over 550 years old. And one of them, as though hanging over the rocky summit, is a kind of a symbol of Pieniny Mountains.

The trek down, together with getting to the other side of Dunajec, took us just about 20-25 minutes. So much less. And no, we were not running down. And yes, we didn't have to wait for the transport across the river. And it might take a while at times.

But once you get to the other side, you might think of stepping into the Nature Park building. Inside, you'll find a tree-trunk, born in 1848. On it's tree rings you'll find numbers, in roughly three columns. Each column marks different things in history, since the birth of the tree. One is devoted to the history of Poland. The second one is devoted to the history of the protection of Pieniny Mountains. The third one is devoted to the history of environment protection in Poland. That's all only in Polish, which is a shame, but the way it was presented was interesting.

The famous pine trees from both sides:

Delicious blueberry cakes

The tree-trunk

Where raftings on Dunajec end in Szczawnica