Story of mountains in Poland, my first mountain passes

My sister has arrived safely, and we headed straight to Krakow. Krakow was the opposite to Warzav. Warsaw is the business capital of Poland and Krakow is the cultural capital. In Krakow, the architechture and different areas of the city makes it good place for exploring, and for a city break. Of course my own physical tiredness effected to my the general feeling about Warsaw, but still I believe, Krakow was more my kind of a place. From Krakow we also bought some watermelon and other fruits, which are normally hard to carry while bicycling around. Yammy!




In Krakow  we decided to pass the Tatra mountains from east side, since there was some interesting national parks, which we wanted to see. We also heard, the views are better and less tourists are around. So on the road, after 5km from Kraków, it started to be more hilly and the smaller cute polish villages started to pass by. We did not expect to see so many cute houses and well kept gardens. They were absolutely adorable! It also came as a surprise, how many new houses were under construction along the way.  Five years ago, the area would have been so much less build. Anyhow, the views were stunning and we were happy about our choice of the road.




 The weather was giving us extra kick with temperature being +33 and the road temperature +45. Well, it's often said that while bicycling, it's the most important to keep the muscles warm, and I promise you, now they were warm enough.. Even if the 3km uphills were hard for sure, there was bigger climbings waiting for us.


What can I say, the southern Poland region is the first mountain pass that we have ever done with the bikes. The first 3km of 15 % uphill was shock for the legs and lungs. Half way me and Lauriina had to make a breathing brake. Honestly, our lungs did not make the squeaky sound but more like angry dog noises. Luckily this was the first shock and the uphills from that on started to feel easier the more we cycled them.



We are pretty good cyclist partners with my sister, since we know how to push each other's just little bit more. Often we are telling to each other's that two more turns on this serpentine road and we will have a break. After we have reached this two more, the other one of us says: let's do two more. As long as we remember to keep our speed slow and steady, we for sure manage to pass all the mountains.


The mountain region of Poland has been just stunning place to cycle. The roads are ok, villages are pretty close to one another, so it's easy to find a place to fill up the water bottles (which get empty pretty fast, as you can imagine). For sure this part has been physically hard, but so beautiful that we don't mind to have several brakes in the villages and on the mountain sides during the climbings. How refreshing it is to wake up in the morning on the mountain side, and see the clouds underneath spreading away, while the sun is rising. Ah, and the sunsets!


I cycled five weeks mostly alone, and to get used to my sisters company has gone smoothly. Well, it's easy to share the road with someone who knows you better than anyone else, and who likes similar experiences. It has been also mind opening to realize, how I have created my own way of organizing the day and doing basically everything. So, to realize my own routines it's good, and it's time to change them and create new once, which suites better for both us. For example slower mornings and instead of dinners drinking too many beers, which we both regret in the mornings.



Lession learned on the way: don't laugh too long and too hard while biking these long uphills, otherwise the legs get tired faster than hoped. This has been major challenge for us, since when looking one another we just see too pink pigs trying to reach the top of the mountain.


Now it is time to say good bye Poland, for the country that has surprised me big time. I am still questioning, why in the beginning I was so concern to cycle in Poland? Absolutely, Poland is not anymore only a huge country on the map, but now it brings me a big smile on my face when I think back the adventures and the people I have met along the way. Thank you everybody for making my trip through Poland so epic.