11.12.2012
One of my pictures (see below) got an honourable mention at a photo contest organised by Direct Alpine. All winning pictures were presented to the public at the Kraków Mountain Festival. Cool!
Andrzej
20.10.2012
Over two years in the corn and potato fields of Wielkopolska. Anybody would have had enough, we certainly have. So, we are moving to Lower Silesia at the very south-west corner of Poland, to the city of Jelenia Góra (Deer Mountain - no, it's not in Idaho). Finally, some hills outside the window!
Andrzej
20.10.2012
Graz is admittedly not Vienna or Salzburg, but worth a stop while in Austria. Nice, neat and vibrant city. Classic European architecture with strong modern accents. A walk through the old town (with stops in numerous, cool cafes) is very pleasant.
Andrzej
15.10.2012
Trieste is a port city, in northeast Italy, lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia. We stopped for an afternoon on our way to Ljubljana, just to wander around and take a few photos. It has a rich maritime history, as well as being famous for literature and music. Because of its location, it is home to a diverse range of ethnic groups and religions. There is plenty of beautiful architecture to appreciate, even some ancient Roman ruins. We didn't have very nice weather but it was still worth the visit.
Shona
08.10.2012
Continuing along the Adriatic coast we made a stop in Slovenia. After a few days in the deserted coastal town of Izola (end of season) we went to Ljubljana. Ljubljana impressed, as always. Falling leaves and beautiful architecture. Quiet, calm, lazy big city, with a nice small-town feel.
Andrzej
01.10.2012
In pursuit of summer weather we went as far south as the Split area, in Croatia. After a week or so in Trogir we started to move slowly north-west along the Adriatic coast. There was a bit of sight-seeing but mostly total laziness with a can of "Ożujskie" beer (me) or a glass of local red wine (Shona) in hand. Teetotaller Felix (black sheep in the family!) had to be satisfied with local doggie treats.
Andrzej
20.09.2012
Luxembourg is not all banks and suits (yes, there are a shitload of banks), but also a spectacular location and interesting architecture in the capital city. There’s also picturesque hills, forests, villages and the occasional impressive castle. However, the biggest hit of this country is ... cheap gasoline! Half of Belgium, France and Germany come here to buy it. We recommend a visit. The country is rather small, so a few days is enough.
After a visit to Luxembourg, we went to Belgium. Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels - all beautiful cities with spectacular architecture, delicious chocolate, and great beer. Life is good!
Andrzej
10.09.2012
Last year, one of the local newspapers published a short interview with me, about my solo ascent of Mont Blanc as well as some of my writings about my travels. Apparently I have become a local expert on the topic (hahaha), so I was invited for another interview, this time a longer one, with the editor. The piece was published in the latest issue of the magazine Życie Pleszewa.
Andrzej
30.08.2012
On the 21st and 22nd of August, I completed the second half of the "Crown of the Sudetes". There were no major incidents, though some trails are marked incredibly poorly. Two long, intense days and 11 summits to hike. The last one, Ślęża, I reached after dark and had a chance to admire a beautiful night-time panorama of Wrocław.
Andrzej
14.08.2012
I made a short trip to the Tatras, for a meeting of the FEMH Club (Former Employees of Murowaniec Hut). The weather was not very cooperative so beer-drinking was the most popular activity. In a desperate attempt to not waste the whole trip on alcohol, we (Przem, George, Rysiu and I) managed to climb the right ridge of Skrajny Granat. It was a lot of fun.
Andrzej
05.08.2012
If you love Prague, you will love Kraków! This was not my first time in the city, but I never get tired of visiting. There's something interesting or historic around every corner. Something to catch your eye, whether you look up or look down, and it doesn't matter what the season, it's beautiful. Can't wait to visit again!
Shona
20.07.2012
The Sudetes mountain range is divided into 22 sub-ranges, in Poland, Germany, and Czech Republic. The highest mountains of each range make a list called the "Crown of the Sudetes". I split the list in half and, on the 11th and 12th of July, hiked the first 11 summits. Despite a few small glitches (road detours, getting lost in the thick forests of Skalnik, getting stuck behind a group of nuns and special needs children in the narrow cracks of Szczeliniec Wielki) it took me day and a half to finish the task. Not too bad for an old guy! Hahaha.
Andrzej
06.07.2013
So ...our news ...yeah, okay, so we ...uh ...got married! Hahaha, it's true! After 14 years of being together we tied the knot. So-so weather at Two Jack Lake, in Banff National Park, but it was a beautiful day, nonetheless. Plenty of wine drunk, and a bottle of vodka in salute to Polish family and friends who couldn't be there, great fun was had by the few gathered to help us celebrate. Hopefully we didn't jinx anything by getting that fancy piece of paper! Lol.
Shona
05.07.2012
I'm always happy to visit with friends and family in Alberta, especially with all the travelling we've been doing, and this year we had a very good reason to go. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge ...news to follow. Anyway, It was great to see everyone and we managed to spend some time in the mountains, walk around Calgary, and to see various bits of Southern Alberta. A great trip with many more wonderful memories to add to my collection.
Shona
10.06.2012
Returning to the north we made a short stop in the city of Timisoara, in the eastern part of Romania. One of the major industrial centres of the country, the city surprises visitors with an interesting and partially restored old town. Personally, I found Timisoara much nicer than Bucharest.
Passing (once again) through Hungary, we visited the XIII century Hollókő village, which is the only village on the UNECSO World Heritage List, though it has been rebuilt many times. We also stopped at the city of Kecskemet, famous for its beautifully preserved and impressive architecture.
In Slovakia we visited the lovely, interesting, world-class architectural gems in the Spis region.
Andrzej
05.06.2012
Regardless of the season, Bulgaria's Rila Mountains are a popular tourist destination. In the winter skiing is not too bad, and in the summer there are a lot of hiking and biking trails, in addition to the many cultural sites. During a brief visit to the area, we visited the famous Rila Monastery, and I also took advantage of a short weather window, managing to make it through the deep snow to reach the summit of Musala (2925 m), the highest mountain in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula.
Andrzej
31.05.2012
Europe's youngest state - Kosovo. If you find yourself in the area, stop for a visit. Be warned though, if you're driving you will need to shell out 30 euros for car insurance. Pristina is not very appealing, a huge construction site, seemingly without a plan or supervision. The rest of the country ... well, there are a few things to see. Two or three days is more than enough.
Andrzej
26.05.2012
Green hills and vineyards, forests and lakes and, above all, very good local wines - Macedonia. Skopje is not a very attractive city so stick to the countryside, especially the lake district in the south-west corner of the country. The gem is the town of Ohrid on the lake of the same name. Spectacular location and architecture. The only drawback is the fact that during holidays and weekends the whole of Macedonia is there.
Andrzej
22.05.2012
According to German travel guidebooks, Albania is the last "third-world" part of Europe. Well ...it's certainly a place full of contrasts; carts pulled by donkeys and the latest "Made in Germany" luxury vehicles on the roads. The tourist infrastructure is almost non-existent, but the dollar (euro rather) has a value like nowhere else in the Balkans. People are curious about the world and friendly, beer is drinkable. What else do you need? Lol.
Andrzej
16.05.2012
This was actually our second drive through Serbia, so this time we decided to try to see something other than the campground by Belgrade. We had terrible weather so we didn't bother going in to the city, but we did visit the beautiful 12th-century Studenica Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We also stopped at a few colourful churches that we spotted along the road. One day we will go back and spend some time in Belgrade!
Shona
29.04.2012
Excited by the improved times in my half-marathon races, I decided to raise the bar. As an initiation to the world of marathons I chose the XI Cracovia Maraton, on the 22nd of April. Holy shit, 42 kilometres 197 meters on the streets of Kraków. Well... I finished it!!! But I have to admit that the race was a big reality check for me. My result: 04h 54m 26s. Oh well... at least I checked off another thing on my bucket list, lol.
Andrzej
02.04.2012
I shaved off another couple of minutes from my best half-marathon time, during the 5th Half-Marathon in Poznań. My result: 01h 54m 27s. The day was very cold and windy.
Andrzej
12.03.2012
I took part in the 7th-annual Spring Half-Marathon in Ostrów Wielkopolski. Despite very strong winds, I managed to finish the race in under 2 hours. My result: 01h 57m 46s. Yay!
Andrzej
