Thursday: Krakau city tour 10km + Chocholow-Nowy Targ 25km
We arrived with the overnight train to Krakau early in the morning. Maciej from Bird Service was there to meet us because he was the one who organized this bicycle tour. We went to a cafe on the main square, followed by a ride to pick up our bikes. He showed us his office building and the bicycle storage. The new trekking bikes are excellent. The town was bustling early in the morning with people going to work. We made a quick tour to a Flea market in the old Jewish part of town called Kazimierz. I got to eat a delicious local sandwich dish called Zapiekanki and on we went past the castle and along the Vitsula river.
The shuttle was waiting for us and Maciej took us to a small town called Chochołow. It has traditional wooden houses that make it a unique place to see. Then it was time for a stop. We took a break at a traditional log cabin restaurant. You can order a traditional baked cheese. I ordered a whole Goulash meal and felt like it was food for my soul. It was time to start the biking part but after the meal I had forgotten and was buckling for another ride in the shuttle. Lucky for me Maciej remind me. The path started through Chochołow and onto an excellent paved flat bike path that used to be a railroad track. The fields were small and many with sheep and cows grazing the pastures. The Tatra mountains were the kulise along our way. As we got close to the town of Nowy Targ, part of the path was newly built and is still gravel. We arrived at our hotel B&B Kat. A, rested first, and then had a small snack. The overall impression of Nowy Targ is that although it is a small town, there are many people young and old, many shops, that make it a dynamic city that looks to be economically thriving (I’m not an expert in this).
Friday: Nowy Targ-Szczawnica 72km
Hotel: B&B Kat.A
The breakfast was on the 8th floor. While we enjoyed our delicious breakfast, we had a view of Nowy Targ and of the fall-colored scenery. After we finished our breakfast, we explored the underground mall and then checked out of the hotel.
Once we left the city of Nowy Targ we followed the Dunajec river on a paved bike path to Debro. The bike paths in Poland were in excellent condition. Although we did not have much sunshine the weather was nice. The houses were mostly new and build of wood. There was even a wooden church that we passed. Along the way horses, goats, sheep, and turkeys greeted us. We were greeted by locals who passed us with "Dzien Dobry" and I learned to say it as well.
After the flat bike path, we made a stop on lake Czorsztyn (Stausee). Then came the toughest climb of the day. On the top were some happy geese and many cows. It was then going down that the best scenery of the day came in front of my eyes. The orange and yellow mountain range with the lake greeted us. We made another stop but this time for lunch since it started to rain. After a pirogi lunch it was off to the border to cross into Slovakia. One side of the river is Poland and the other side Slovakia. It was so peaceful to go through the canyons of the Pieninski national park. We saw many people who were hiking or biking. We got to Szczawnica at dusk. The town is full of life and is bigger than I expected. I counted over 5 bridges and took a wrong turn a few times, thinking that we were there already but we had some more bridges to go. Our hotel Nawigator Kat. B is on a hill, and it is also nice. After resting a bit, we went into the town to find some sweets and locally made cheese and returned to our hotel.
Saturday: Szczawnica-transport-Lacko 18km
Rytro-Lacko 20km
After a great breakfast, Maciej came to pick us up and show us the other 2 hotels. It was raining that morning when we checked out from hotel Nawigator. We were really impressed by the luxurious lobby and pool of the Szcawniza Park hotel (5-star hotel). From there we started our ride 9km ride along the Dunajec towards Lacko. The bike path was very nice and new. It ran over a couple of new bridges. We got into the transfer for a few kilometers. It was still raining and through the car window I saw the bike path ran next to the road (still on a separate bike path). On the second ride to Lacko we were again impressed by the good infrastructure of the paved bike paths. Arriving in Lacko I saw lots of people, bakeries, and venders. The third biking part of the day was from the small town Rytro to Nowy Sacz. First, it was time for lunch with Maciej at one of nicest restaurants in Poland "Willa Podrad". He treated us to some traditional Polish food. Sunshine followed us afterwards on our ride. This part was flat and open, and we passed many farms along the way. In Nowy Sacz a transfer waited for us to take us to Krakau. Maciej had invited us to a classical dinner in the restaurant "Ariel" and Ashkenazi music in the Jewish district Kazimierz, which we really enjoyed. Afterwards, Maciej took us to a Burlesque show, dressed in his top hat and mantel. It was a lovely and lively evening as guests at a Cabaret show. Maciej took me dancing on the stage (when the show was over) and then sang to us a show tune. We were impressed by his singing and acting skills. That was an unforgettable and unique part of our experience on this trip.
The hotel that we are staying in is the Puro Hotel Kat.A. I was impressed by their breakfast (5 star desserts) and their spa. The location and atmosphere were top.
The next day we returned back home to Vienna with an afternoon train. We want to thank the organizer of our bike tour Maciej and his staff for inviting us to bike the Dunajec bike path in Poland.
