Rocky Road

Hikers Yvonne and Katrin.

I went on a trip with my school group to Zakopane, Poland's most famous mountain resort, known for its excellent skiing and hiking. Our agenda was as follows: Two hour hike from Barzeziny to Murowaniec, where we would break in the lodge for lunch. Afterwards, we would walk another hour until we arrived in the town of Zakopane.

My first impression was not great. For the first two hours, the path we followed was wide, rocky and uphill. I am in reasonably good shape, but I found it difficult. The jagged edges of the large rocks would pierce my feet with every step. Due to the irregular placement of the rocks, I found it difficult to walk with a normal stride. It rained on and off during our walk, which made the path slippery. I felt like I spent most of the hike looking at the rocks on the ground instead of the beautiful scenery around me.

The first two hours rocked.

Luckily, I had Katrin with me the whole time. While everyone in our group somehow managed to scamper up the hill with perplexing ease, Katrin and I rambled along at our own pace, walking rocks and talking life. Out of all the Germans, Katrin reminds me most of my friends at home. She has the worldliness of Hila, the curiosity and adventure-seeking of Meagan, the anything goes personality of Danielle.

Katrin is a person who always needs to be doing something, and boy, has she done a lot in her 30 years of life. From traveling all over the world to learning five different languages (German, English, French, Polish and Dutch), she's been an au pair the United States and is now working on a PhD. She also enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, going to the theater and sympathy, hiking, swimming and running. She has so many interests, I can barely keep up with them all. But it makes for interesting conversation.

The lodge was a welcome respite from the uphill rock climb.I had a (Polish) ham sandwich and some hot cocoa. We left for the second half of our hike feeling cold, wet and tired, but here, the path got more bearable, the views more beautiful, the pain of the first two hours worth it. The wind started to pick up, the temperature lowered and all around us nature seemed to come alive. Against the grey sky, everything from the green shrubbery to the snowy mountaintops seemed to glow brightly with color. The fresh air was invigorating to breath in, but it also left my hands red and cold.

Snowy mountains

Vibrant colors.


Beautiful view.

The end of the hike was all rocks downhill which for me was worse than rocks uphill. My legs had to work overtime to keep my balance steady and I even slid and fell at one point. Katrin kept me busy talking the whole time so I didn't think of it too much. I was glad when it was over, but I was also glad that I did it.

The town of Zakopane was somewhat of a disappointment. I thought it would be lovely, but instead there was a lot of touristy knickknack shops next to Nike and The North Face stores. Perhaps if we had ventured off the main boulevard, we would have seen some of the architecture the village is known for, but we only had an hour, so we didn't have the time and didn't see much.

I was tired when we got back to Krakow, but then I decided to go out with the Germans for dinner in Kazimierz, which turned into drinks in Kazimierz. Other people from the program joined us throughout the evening.

Katrin noticed that my English language was started to deteriorate. I am the type of person who mimics phrases and accents. Hanging out with the Germans, I was starting to pick up their version of English, so sometimes I would say words wrong or mix up my grammar without realizing it. The others didn't notice, but Katrin, who is quite fluent, started to correct my English and then write text messages in Polish to some of her friends.

I drank way too much wine, and by the end of the night, my eyes were drooping. I didn't come home until 3:30 in the morning. When I woke up at noon, my legs were sore and so was my head.

Gerda, me and Katrin.


Kristina, Line and Phillip telling secrets