Bieszczady… didn’t it ever occur to you that it’s a thoroughly magical and mystical place? A romantic refuge from the world, a place that reminds me of new life and finding your place on earth? You must have heard stories about people who left their everyday lives and went to Bieszczady… or people who wanted to do so! Hide, live in harmony with nature, admire the beauty of the mountains. I remember that my dad had such plan in the 90s. I don’t know how he got this idea? Was it based in his experiences or just on legends about the place? I don’t know whether he actually planned to go or was it just him talking about it, being tired with work and living in the city. Did he actually speak about it or did I make my own legend about it with time?
Last Thursday evening, I found myself in Bieszczady for the first time. The trip was long and tiring. Or rather: too long and too tiring. I know that if we ever come back there (and we will!), we will never leave Warsaw at 12 am! Early morning or late evening. On our way I complained about the traffic, Maks was tired of seating in his car seat while Łukasz was mad about sitting behind the wheel. But when we arrived in tiny Cisna (approx. 400 inhabitants!) we already knew that it was worth the trouble. Beautiful greenness of the surrounding mountains, tiny villages, wooden huts, that I love and finally our hotel Carpatia – Bieszczadzki Gościniec. Beautifully situated with mountain, forest, green meadows… and maybe two wooden houses view. A perfect place for everybody who dreams about having a break from traffic, blitz, and noisy streets of Warsaw, Łódź, Gdańsk, Cracow or Poznań. A perfect place to take a break from everything! Rainy clouds and low temperature (10 degrees at night!) didn’t make it any different.
first look at the neighbourhood
After a surprisingly tasty dinner (I will write about the hotel later, but keep it in mind that potato pancakes with smoked trout and red onion jam absolutely rule!) we were welcomed by a comfy bed in a stylish (wooden!) room and in the morning by blue sky and sun… even though they said it was going to rain in Bieszczady! Fortunately Bieszczady welcomed us with open arms!
potato pancakes with smoked trout and red onion jam in Hotel Carpatia – Bieszczadzki Gościniec
a masculine meal after a long trip: pork knuckle
good morning!
I began Friday not from coffee and checking e-mails (ok, I checked the inbox;)), but from a visit to Wetlina, the most touristic place in Bieszczady, where you can see lots of travellers in muddy shoes, sticks in their hands, looking for a tasty lunch which is easily found in Wetlina. However, we had one other reason to go to Wetlina – meeting with Ewa Żechowska the owner of Chaty Wędrowca, that everyone who visited Bieszczady knows! I already know that the specialty of Chata, the giant pancake is something to die for! It’s huge (I still don’t know if I got the whole “giant pancake” or “just” a half of it?), fluffy like a fritter, covered with a pile of blueberries (quite a change after restaurants serving pancakes with 2 or 4 strawberries!!) served with cream and a bit of honey. Heavenly taste! In her magical house, where Maks played with a black cat and a white dog, Ewa told us a fantastically romantic story about her and her husband that could easily make for a movie or TV series scenario! If all “men of Bieszczady” are so tough, then there is a lot to tell! I also can’t wait to tell you the story :)… soon!
Chata Wędrowca accomodation and Ewa’s and Robert’s Żechowski house at the same time
magical stories in a magical house
Maks’ new friend?
playing in the backyard
These are the kind of stories we will tell you in the coming days. It’s the lives of the local citizens that are going to be the most important thing during this trip. We didn’t go to Bieszczady only to admire the views, charge the batteries, walk around the mountains and eat local specialties but also to show you how unique the region is, the beauty of the nature and to tell you the stories of the people. All thanks to #Magical Bieszczady project. Because it is in Bieszczady, where the new HBO series called “Wataha” takes place (it premieres on 12th October). You can read more at hbo.pl/magicznebieszczady
Looking for interesting stories, today we’re going to a no ordinary place Ursa Maior, a beer production plant from Bieszczady! Beers called Happy or Heat over Wetlina must taste great! 🙂 Like the TV hosts say: “To be continued! Stay tuned!” 🙂
* the entry was written in cooperation with
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