Hi all! Welcome back to Zakopane, Poland. Still the same quaint little winter town from the hike of Gubałowka, we are now on the main street of Krupówki. In some of the photos, you can see that this place is jam-packed with tourists! Mostly Europeans, or a few fellow Americans like myself, you hear many Slavic languages spoken around you.
Krupówki is known for the restaurants & shops that line the streets. But, most notably for the booths full of handmade goods as far as your eyes can see. There are babcias (picture the cutest grandmas ever) selling hand knitted wool sweaters, mittens, hats, socks, etc. And, cheese. Holy cheese. Can we just talk about the absurd amounts of cheese? (Drooling now.) It's a special cheese called Oscypek that is made from salted sheep's milk. Spongey & salty, each one is slightly different from the other. It is seriously to die for. (Still drooling.) As you walk down the street, the babcias wrapped up in their scarves hand you sample after sample of this smoked deliciousness. #yespleaseandthankyou Sometimes, it is even grilled & topped with a homemade raspberry jam. (I'm dying.)
There is grzane wino (warm spiced red wine) being sold from large barrels left & right. Every restaurant that you enter makes you feel as though you have stepped back a few hundred years to a Polish mountain town. Sheep's wool softens the hand-carved wood benches that you dine in. Pictures from the past of famous Górals (mountain people) line the walls. Every food item you order is served on a hand-carved wooden plate & the servers are dressed in traditional Góralski garb. Think women in long floral skirts & braids…men in wool felt hats & tight adorned pants…most likely sporting a very large stache. (Now you get the idea.)
I can only hope that my photos are able to transport you there…because, trust me, if I could start a mailing list to send you guys blocks of cheese, I definitely would! Happy Tuesday pals.
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