Day 18, 19 and 20 transbeskidzki szlak konny Ropki - Wysowa Zdrój
Day 18:
Thursday:
September 16:
Slept badly, got a huge breakfast, saddled horses and left. On foot. All of Ropki is full of stones. Gravel roads. So difficult. Calisto in the grass edges as much as possible. On the way I had reach on my phone. While walking, I continued to search for a place to stay.
We went to Wysowa Zdrój anyway because there is a post machine there. I had found a holiday park that also included horse riding. Ideal. Message sent. Pretty quick answer: sorry we don't have room for you, go to Regietow (that place where there is a stable, hotel and karczma in one where there was no room either). sigh.
Okay, we'll see... Not much later we passed a house with beautifully pastures.
Hmm this would be it. Hey, here's a horse riding placard and a phone number. First knocked on the door, no one at home. A large poster with PTTK on it. Which means that he is also affiliated with the association that does horse tourism and therefore also the horse route.
I called. Hello sir, we are here at your house with 2 horses, we are looking for a place to spend the night, the horses are used to standing outside. Oh we can put them here on the pasture? Perfect! And our tent is allowed in the parking lot? Ideal!! Thank you! See you later. It was quite an adventure to get the pasture open because that is done the Polish way. Just tie wires together and it's done.
Tent was quickly set, it is a great tent! All the stuff in it and then his wife just came home.
A cute friendly woman who received us very hospitably. I immediately explained that we had a problem. Shoe pecked by dog, ordered a new one (because we had already done that in the meantime) and we have to wait. Can we stay here? Yes No problem. Ok great, thank you!!
We went to the town where there is not really a center but a beautiful park with terraces and restaurants, fountains, benches, ... Very well done. We ate a nice ice cream and had a drink, stoped by the store for some beer, cookies and chips. On the way back to the horses we saw many rooms for rent and cottages and it seemed a better idea to sleep somewhere inside than outside in the rain in our tent. With our too thin sleeping bag.
So we went to ask Dorota if it was okay that the horses would stay there and we would take a room a little further.
Oh but I have another spare room. Magnificent! Tent immediately packed again before the rain came and nicely settled inside. By the time we had finished the man, Jan, was there with his guests with whom he was on a ride. Handsome horses! Had a drink together. Delicious homemade nalewka.
Oh, we still have to eat. It was suddenly 7.30 pm and since the tourist season is almost over, everything closes quite early. Luckily there was still something open and we got another pizza. Yummy!!
Walked home again in the rain (no problem, we had our rain suit on) and had a drink inside with Jan and Dorota. Nice hot shower and everyone to bed.
Friday:
September 17:
I slept well that night, Geert didn't, he had been sitting in the toilet all night. It had been raining all night and it kept going that day. We could ride with Dorota to the store, bought breakfast and beer and back home.
After breakfast Geert was not feeling well. Nausea, stomachache,... He slept all day. In the meantime I still had not received confirmation that the shoe had been shipped. Sigh... This won't work by Monday. So we're stuck here. It kept spinning in my head, we are stuck, have to wait for that shoe, no idea when it will arrive, we have time until next Saturday to reach our goal so that won't work anyway, Geert is not feeling well, we are allowed to sleep here but still it was a bit difficult, what should we do now...
Message to mom, can you come pick us up tomorrow? Would that work? They could arrange it. With some reluctance from Geert, however, decided to stop there.
After 302 beautiful kilometers. This seemed like the best idea to me. They only gave bad and cold weather and I would just walk around frustrated.
The news was told to Dorota and Jan, they also thought it was a good idea and when we want to finish the trip we are certainly welcome again. Going out for dinner again, but on time, Geert didn't eat anything. When we came home he immediately went back to bed.
I sat outside with the group of girls who normally went on a day ride with Jan, but who hadn't gone because of the rain.
By 9:30 pm I was cold and went to bed. Not much later everyone went home.
Saturday:
September 18:
In the morning I had my dip. Shit it's really done. Mom and Dad were already on their way, I had already emailed to send the shoe to our home address.
No turning back.
Fortunately Geert felt a bit better. Packed your things, ate and waited outside.
The girls were already drinking coffee and then left on horseback. Two had come on foot and on the way in a deserted area they heard a little kitten crying. They went to see if something was wrong and there was a beautiful healthy little kitten on the side of the road.
It went along with them, of course, but that didn't go well because Jan's dog doesn't want cats in his yard. Result: Cat meets dog, cat has to run for his life and can happily crawl into a tree.
Then he sat there crying. My heart broke. After crawling out of the tree 2 more times and being chased back in by the dog, it ran to me.
My reaction: hold the little beautiful kitty in my arms and protect it from the angry dog.
Said goodbye to Jan and the group, the dog went with them.
Mom and Dad would be there in fifteen minutes!
Okay I'm going to see if no one in the neighborhood is missing a kitten. But there they were already with the trailer.
Said hello and showed the little kitten.
Mum was immediately sold. Daddy too but he won't admit it.
Okay I'm going to hear if anyone misses him.
No, nobody knows him, nobody wants him.
Dorota also said that no one in the area has cats and that he has probably been dropped off. So crazy. Such a beautiful animal. When I put him down, he walked behind me.
Can you leave that?
Mom brought a picnic basket. Dorota? Do you have a box? Picnic in the box, old towel in the basket and cat in the basket.
He's coming! Said goodbye to Dorota.
Horses went very fast on the trailer. It was a brisk ride home. With a lot of curves and small streets but the boys stood out in an exemplary way!
Also a big thank you to dad for driving so well and mom for the nice picnic.
And We're home!
Jan and Gerrit (we bought the farm from them) who are visiting us, were just going to put the chickens in and then have a nice meal. It was nice to see them again. Horses reunited with the rest, was so beautiful.
Unfortunately hard to see in my video because it was raining heavily.
Kitten, Louis, fed, the big boy is already eating big chunks and going on the litter box!!
Had a nice dinner in Gospoda, our favorite.
Afterwards we had a nice chat with Jan and Gerrit and then went to our own bed.
After 3 weeks sleeping in other places it is really nice to come home.
I missed my lovely animals. I am now looking back on 3 incredible weeks!
I still don't quite understand what we've all done.
302 kilometers in the Polish mountains. Lots of ups and downs. Lots of stones! Lots of stones! Lots of perseverance and confidence.
Tears here and there, but also lots of laughter.
Our original goal was not achieved (we will certainly do it next spring) but a new beginning of a little sweet Louis in the family.
Only aunt Mientje still has to adjust a bit. She's not so happy now.
A big thank you to Geert who lasted with me for 3 weeks.
A big thank you to mom and dad who brought us and came to get us and who kept the farm running.
Thank you so much to everyone who supported us in our crazy adventure.
A big thank you to the lovely people we could go to with our handsome white guys.
And a big thank you to those handsome guys themselves because we dragged them along in this adventure and it was sometimes really hard but they all did it anyway and that without walking away from us the day after. It's great guys.
And now they also have nice muscular buttocks hahaha!
Transbeskidzki szlak konny PTTK Brenna - Wysowa Zdrój
September 2021
302 km
20 days
13 riding days
Dior Du Coeur
Calisto de Mejanes
Geert Dries
Iris Reszczynski