Zakopane (Tatras/ Carpathian Mountains) - Day 12

Quick breakfast, taxi to the bus station, then catch a bus for Zakopane (a 2 hr drive south to the Tatras range of the Carpathian Mountains. 

   Where are we?

Zakopane in the early 1800's, was a village known for rebellious shepherds, perpetrating  the occasional robbery. In the mid 1800's it became a health spa for TB patients and tourists soon followed, as did a local school of architecture (the Zakopane Style) which had its roots in the local Polish traditions vs Swiss or Tyrolean styles which had "ruined" other Polish mountain regions. 

Beautiful examples of the Zakopane Style architecture....

Zakopane Style Museum 

    Ceramic Heating Stove

    Wooden Church

Oh look, it's lunch time!  A typical Polish Sunday family dinner: a breaded, fried pork cutlet, with real Polish potato pancakes, porcini mushroom gravy, local beer, bread and a pickle!  (Our hotel desk clerk positively drooled over this description). Ray opted for Kielbasa, lamb and blood sausage with blood pudding on the side (Ray was underwhelmed) and with a Polish porter beer 9% alcohol) to drink. (This, Ray liked). 

Back home and time for dinner at "Klezmer-Hois" a Jewish restaurant in Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. This restaurant comes highly recornded for its food, but mostly for the traditional Jewish "Klezmer" music which had its roots in Romanian, Gypsy and Middle Eastern music. The restaurant is housed in an old Jewish ritual bathouse which is decorated like having dinner at your rich Jewish aunt's house. 

Our Table: surrounded by Krakow Jewish Quarter pictures and memorabilia. 

Traditional Polish-Jewish food:

Cold Beet-Root Soup (oh yum, yum). Absolute best item we tried. 

Baked Chicken with Fruit Sauce (pretty good). 

Rays "Czulent": beef, lentils, beans, brown gravy. Comfort food, but no rush to order again soon. 

I forgot to take a pic of my dish: goose neck stuffed with ground goose liver and meat.  Hmmmmm. Tasty, but not to be ordered again real soon, either. 

Our klezmer orchestra. Only lacking a clarinet to be truly authentic. The music was really great and entertaining. They played a dozen or so traditional tunes and were fabulous!!

An adjoining (and similarly decorated) dining room. 

Try this restaurant for the experience of dining on traditional Jewish cuisine, the ambiance and importantly, the Klezmer a Music. 

A cabbie who live for 6 years in Holland.  He speaks no English, I speak no Polish.  We converse in pidgin Dutch (what are the chances of that.........?)

A balmy, summer's eve in Krakow. We sit our on the square in front of out hotel and enjoy people watching.