Monday in the Mountains

Back in cyberspace!

As evident from the itinerary, we are now in the Bieszczady mountains. This is the bottom right hand corner of Poland - a finger of land bordered by Ukraine on one side and Slovakia on the other. There was a civil war here after WW2 - I think - fought on ethnic lines in the villages, and many were burnt out.

Anyway, it is cold and wet, although slightly better than yesterday, when we drove from Kazimierz Dolny via Zamosc, and it chucked it down all day. The group have headed off walking in the hills, but I decided against it, given my general dislike of climbing mountains in the freezing cold and lashing rain! I just didn't have the right gear for it. I'm not convinced some of the others are properly equipped either right enough. I just decided that if I want to freeze on top of a mountain, I can do that any weekend in Scotland. I might have tholed the two hours uphill today to walk along the Polonina Wetlinska ridge had it been decent weather, and I'm sure I've missed myself in some respects, but my bed was lovely and warm!

So I got up for breakfast but have spent my Monday morning in the far more congenial surroundings of my bed, with two duvets and a great book. (And The Land Lay Still by James Robertson.) I have only ventured as far as the hotel lobby to do this post. I am going to walk into the village and pick up some food for lunch, and I might do a wee walking trail which is nearby. It's just nice to be in the mountains, to see them when I open my blinds in the morning and to breathe the mountain air. 

I'm also enjoying a bit of a break from the group. With a couple of exceptions, everyone is very easy-going, pleasant and entertaining, but I do enjoy a bit of time just to do my own thing.

So, I am now about to wander off to the supermarket. I will probably have a lunch of crisps and sticky buns, as my menu Polish is terrible, and I can only order coffee, dumplings and beer - which can get boring. 

On Saturday I made a great discovery, though - possibly the loveliest cafe I have ever been in. It was in KD on our free day, and I had spotted its cool garden tables early on. It was a bit chilly for sitting out, so I went inside, and I wanted to stay all day. It had a sort of 1920s vibe about it, with mismatched furniture, silver sugar bowls and huge vases of flowers everywhere. I had a big velvet padded wing chair. It was counter service, and I only wanted coffee, but when I went round to order, the waitress (who spoke English well) said "Cake?" and turned round to reveal cake stands full of the most gorgeous selection of goodies. So, you can all guess what I did ...
(I only had cheesecake. I mean, in cake terms, that's practically salad!!)
I had a comfy chair, coffee, cake, and a great book. I don't know why I left!