15.12.2015
This year is the 60th anniversary of the Sudetes Mountaineering Club in Jelenia Góra. Impressive number, eh?! We had to celebrate, so there was a cake and a few bottles of wine, but the main attraction of the evening was a photography exhibition titled “Mountains - our vertical dreams”. The club members had a chance to present their mountain passions and struggles to a larger audience. The exhibition was a big success, even the local TV station guys showed up and did some interviews, which was very cool!
Andrzej
11.12.2015
Last Saturday the mountaineering club hosted the annual Christmas party for its members and friends, at the Izerska Hut in Szklarska Poręba. There was a lot of delicious food and quite a spectacular variety of good alcohol, hahaha. After supper, a few speeches and an awards ceremony*, we had a chance to see some interesting slide-shows from the Tatra Mountains, Karakoram, Zimbabwe and Australia.
*Each year the club presents a few of its more active members with a nice chunk of granite (hahaha) and gifts from sponsors. This year I was one of them. Yay, me!
Andrzej
10.11.2015
I was really surprised how many mountain festivals there are in Poland, even in nearby Karpacz. Organized by the Polish Alpine Club, the Karpacz event offers a chance to see the latest mountaineering movies, slide-shows and to take part in seminars. It’s also a good place to meet friends for a beer, like I did with guys I went to Caucasus with a year ago. Party on!
Andrzej
23.10.2015
I was invited to The Sport and Tourism Museum in Karpacz, to present our slide-show about the Canadian Rockies. The event was a success. The small but knowledgeable audience was very interested in Canadian mountains and asked millions of questions, hahaha.
Andrzej
18.10.2015
I just survived (it wasn’t easy, hahaha) the annual Prepare-The-Club’s-Mountain-Hut-For-The-Winter long weekend. We did some cleaning, necessary repairs, and collected lots of firewood. The weekend ended with a big party, of course, hahaha.
Andrzej
12.09.2015
I took part in the XIII Lawina (Avalanche) Run, a 6k mountain run from the summit of Mount Śnieżka (1603 m) to the Samotnia Hut (1195 m). The route was difficult (I witnessed some spectacular falls) but very interesting, with amazing views. Unexpectedly, I was second in my age category. Yay!
Andrzej
04.09.2015
Well, what to say?! I'm still in a bit of shock, to be honest. Every year a local photography club holds a contest where people can submit photos of Jelenia Gora and its inhabitants. And I won 2nd prize! I feel quite honoured because there was some very stiff competition. There was an awards ceremony, with local politicians ...the whole 9 yards ...so, I even dressed up and got my hair done, lol.
Shona
25.08.2015
I'm sure I've said this before, but I do love taking day trips to Czechia. This time we went to the beautiful town of Jicín, about 85 km from Prague, where the old town centre is very well preserved and colourful. While the town itself was founded in the 13th century, its history dates back even further. The town also had a very famous, albeit fictional, inhabitant - the Gallant Robber Rumcajs! He and his wife Manka, and their son, little robber Cipisek, were the characters in a popular animated tv series. There's a statue of him in the main square, as well as some others scattered around the town. You can read about Rumcajs on Wikipedia if you're interested in the story.
Shona
05.08.2015
The Dolomites are well known for being a paradise for climbers and mountain enthusiasts. In my best years, I always dreamed about going there and trying my skills but, unfortunately, it never happened. So, as you can imagine I was very excited when a group of friends (Marta, Przem, Jurek, and Rysiu) invited me to take part in a 10-day hiking and climbing trip (via-ferratas).
We chose the village of Sottoguda, located halfway between Marmolada and Monte Civetta, as our “basecamp” and from there spent several days exploring the Dolomites around us. We managed to summit Marmolada (the highest peak of the range), climbed five via-ferratas (Eterna D, the longest and most difficult one) and did some serious hiking. Not bad for a bunch of old farts!
Andrzej
17.07.2015
Trutnov is a town in the Hradec Kralove Region of the Czech Republic, about 10 km from the Polish border. The well-preserved town centre is definitely worth seeing. The most interesting sights are: the neo-Gothic Old Town Hall, a statue of Joseph II, a stone fountain with a statue of Krakonos, the baroque Holy Trinity Column from 1704, and the Nativity of Mary church.
Andrzej
01.07.2015
You can take the girl out of Canada, but you can't take Canada out of the girl! Another Canada Day celebrated in Poland, this time we invited some friends and family and celebrated in the outdoor garden of our favourite pub. Fun was had by all and the get-together helped us feel a connection with those celebrating back home. Cheers!
Shona
27.06.2015
On a recent sightseeing adventure, we joined a group from Jelena Góra for a day-trip to Germany, where we visited Stolpen Castle and the Bastei. Stolpen Castle is a 13th-century fortress with a fascinating history, and the Bastei is a group of rock formations rising above the Elbe river. The Bastei is very well laid out for tourists with a bridge that connects some of the bigger rocks. It's been a popular destination for over 200 years, though (thankfully) the original wooden bridge was replaced with the current sandstone version. It was a great day and we only got hit with rain towards the end of the day.
The highlight of the day, for me, had to be when, just after setting out on the bus, someone pulled out a bottle of vodka and started doing shots ...at 8am in the morning! Hahaha ...those Poles!
Shona
16.06.2015
To celebrate our wedding anniversary this year, we decided to take a short trip to Malta. A new country for both of us, for a change! We absolutely loved it. We spent a couple of days wandering around the beautiful capital city, Valletta, spent a day exploring the island of Gozo, and the rest of time relaxing by the pool. The people were incredibly friendly, probably one of the friendliest places I've even been. It was a fabulous, relaxing, and even romantic trip!
Shona
07.06.2015
Another half-marathon behind me, this one I ran in Jawor, a small town about 50km north-east from Jelenia Gora. The route was partially challenging, the weather pleasant. My time: 01h 55m 33s.
Andrzej
29.05.2015
Kłodzko is a historic town in the southern part of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse river. For its historical monuments it is sometimes referred to as "Little Prague". Initially established as a settlement in the 10th century, it is one of the oldest towns in Poland, having been granted city rights in 1233.
Major tourist attractions: The fortress - a unique stronghold on a high rock overlooking the city, first erected on this spot in the 9th century; Gothic bridge - often called a "Charles Bridge in miniature" due to its resemblance to one of the most notable historical monuments in Prague; City tunnels - parts of the tunnels were constructed under the city in the 13th century; The Church of Assumption - one of the most notable examples of Gothic architecture in Poland (from Wiki).
Andrzej
03.05.2015
The third edition of the Jelenia Góra Half-marathon. The organizers decided to drastically change the location of the event. It’s not a city run anymore but basically a mountain one, with long and serious uphill sections exposed to the elements. I don’t know what to think about it but my time explains a lot, 01h 58m 31s compared to last year 01h 45m 16s, on the old route.
Andrzej
29.04.2015
A few days ago a massive earthquake hit the Kathmandu Valley. Thousands of people died, hundreds of thousands were made homeless, many of the priceless architectural and religious sites lost forever. It was a terrible tragedy.
Trying to help the Nepalese people a little bit, the local newspaper organized an informational event about the country and the latest situation there, combined with an auction and fund drive. Our mountaineering club members managed to collect a few thousand zlotys by auctioning their travel memorabilia. Even my colourful Nepali hat (topi) went for 200 zl.
Andrzej
18.04.2015
Walbrzych is the second biggest city in Lower Silesia. It used to be a very important coal mining center in Poland, but the resources ran out and the decline started. The city is trying to rebuild itself as a tourist and outdoor enthusiast destination. It’s surrounded by the Walbrzych Mountains (highest peak: Mount Borowa, 853 m), and the area is covered by a network of hiking, mountain biking and cross-country skiing trails. The proximity of spectacular tourist attractions like Ksiaz Castle, Grodno Castle, or the town of Sokolowsko also adds value to the area. Who knows, maybe there’s a second chance for a city that was, not long ago, almost bankrupt.
Andrzej
31.03.2015
I have to admit that the one of the few things I miss about living in Calgary is downhill skiing. From the beginning of November to the end of May, skiing, skiing, skiing... to the point that sometimes you were just sick of it, hahaha. In Poland the winters are rather short and sometimes snowless, so skiing is not as popular. This season is not too bad, though, and I even managed to spend a few days enjoying the slopes.
Andrzej
28.03.2015
A local Photography Club was recently celebrating their second anniversary, with cake and bottle(s) of wine. They invited us to join them in the festivities and to show them our pictures from Canadian Rockies. Thank you Dariusz for the invite, you guys are a lot of fun.
Andrzej
18.03.2015
One of the best things about living in Jelenia Góra, during the winter, is access to a world-class cross-country facility. Jakuszyce is about 45 min from the city, so quite close but it's like a different world. It's almost a fairytale forest with towering trees heavily laden with snow. There is an extensive network of skiing trails, good for all levels. You can rent all the equipment you need and it's not too busy if you go during the week. It doesn't usually get that cold so the conditions can be perfect. I'm pretty inexperienced but it's a lot of fun, and amazing exercise!
Shona
10.03.2015
We are having some periods of really harsh weather this winter. Low temperatures combined with strong winds make hiking in the Karkonosze Mountains almost as extreme activity as winter hiking in the Canadian Rockies, which I enjoyed so much.
Andrzej
22.02.2015
The Iceman Run in Przesieka. An interesting idea, a 10k mountain race in the middle of the winter wearing nothing but running shoes and shorts (hats and gloves are allowed and sport bras or t-shirts for women). How could I pass up that kind of fun, hahaha. It was not as bad as I thought it would be, except for the fact that the trail was covered with a mix of ice, snow, and mud, which made it extremely slippery and dangerous. I survived without any frostbite or twisted ankles. Yay!
Andrzej
20.02.2015
The Terra Incognita initiative is a series of monthly shows for locals and tourists in Szklarska Poręba, where guest speakers talk about their travels to exotic places around the world. In February, Shona and I were invited to show our pictures and chat about our travels, hikes, and climbs in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The venue was packed and the public was very interested in our presentation. It was a lot of fun.
Andrzej
10.01.2015
This year has started off with a bittersweet bang. For the first time in several years, we spent Christmas and my birthday in Canada. It was so amazing to spend the holiday season visiting with family and friends. Surprisingly, there wasn't very much snow, but daaaaamn it was cold, lol! We had a couple of crazy drives on the highway, in nasty storms, but we haven't totally lost the skill for driving during the winter. The bittersweet part was, of course, saying goodbye. It's always the hardest part, but we did have a great visit, and we're happy to be back home and reunited with Felix.
Shona
