Grand Hotel Stamary Zakopane

... over 2,500 metres above sea level), Skalnate Pleso, Hrebienok or Solisko.

A significant number of cosy mountain hostels offer accommodation and food if you're surprised by the weather conditions, which change really quickly and unpredictably. They are located in almost every valley and on the shore of almost every lake. You can eat there both international food, like hranolky (French fries/chips ...

... br>The town is quite small - with distinct houses, designed in what is called the ''Zakopane style'' and everything is uphill - leading to the mountains. There are four ski jumps behind the main town, each base covered in grass, so was slightly mesmorised watching the skiers jumpers and landing on the grass.

One thing I wasn't prepared for was the amount of people here, literally ...

The reason of my trip to the region of Orava, a northern part of Slovakia, is very simple: it has been raining in the Tatras and I hope the weather is different on the other side of the mountains. The best cities to stay in if you wish to see the most beautiful castles are Liptovsky Mikulas and Dolny Kubin in Slovakia, or Zakopane in Poland.

I believe one of the most intriguing castle to see in this part ...

... with jacuzzi but, nonetheless, it still has the atmosphere of a small hamlet nestled at the foot of the mountains.

So as not to come out too biased, let me describe briefly the biggest drawback of Bukowina Tatrzańska, which is its location. It is situated on the hills, and thus no street is horizontal. If you want to go anywhere, you should take into account that at least one way you'll be climbing up. It's a problem if ...

... and Steve's trip to the mountains wouldn't have been complete without one. We rose early the next morning to a somewhat overcast day, but we weren't going to let that stop us as we stocked up on some food before boarding a minibus for the short trip to Lysa Polana, some 20km east of Zakopane. I'd already been out this way some ten months earlier, when I visited Morskie Oko, but there was one corner of the Polish High Tatras I still hadn't seen, which required setting off from ...

... get in the door, and only one of of the rooms occupants had checked out. In fact, this person, a 50 or 60 year old English women, had awaken me gathering her stuff around 5 AM. Awaken, I had got up and used the bathroom where I noticed that she had piled her stuff outside the door. I also noticed that she was not a backpacker, her stuff looked more like belongings of a hobo or tramp. Sure wish that I would have checked the chair ...

... recommend the dumplings at the Miod Malina restaurant. Yum. We then went south to the Tatra Mountains. About a quarter of these are in Poland and we stayed first at Zakopane. This was a bit of a revelation - it was heaving. All the way down through the main street were market stalls and thousands of people. We caught the funicular up the mountain and there was more at the top, as well as lots of activities. We strolled round then walked back down to the town, stopping ...

... set off for a short hike in the Tatra National Park. We had quite a pleasant hike along a clear, cool river, then started heading uphill, huffing and puffing our way along in the heat (around 32 Celsius). After a while, Marnie looked up at one of the forbidding rocky peaks and said "I think we are headed up there!". "No way," replied Andrew, "that's miles up. There is no way we are going that high." But, as we climbed and climbed, it became ...

... Once back on terra firma at the base of the mountains we took a relaxing horse driven carriage ride back into the town. I sampled Polskie Ogorkie (Polish pickles) on our way back to the house - they were quite yummy and tasted just like my grandfathers. This evening I was treated to my first home-cooked traditional Polish meal followed by a trip to the movie theater to see War of the Worlds.

... in the fall. The leaves are turning, and the chestnuts are falling from the trees. It's gotten quite cold quite quickly, but I'm enjoying the brisk morning walks to work, and the appearance of pumpkins in the markets. The theatre and opera season have started again, and I can go to concerts and shows for less the $5. There are definitely benefits to living in this big city -- and I'm extra lucky to be able to spend some time in the village as well.