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If our last two articles have no persuaded you to come and visit Poland maybe some of these sobering facts will change your mind and send you to this magical undiscovered destination.

If our last two articles have no persuaded you to come and visit Poland maybe some of these sobering facts will change your mind and send you to this magical undiscovered destination.

Date: 2017-01-27
Nicolaus Copernicus, Marie Curie, Lech Walesa, Fryderyk Chopin are Poland's truly valued national icons. However, the one who towers above them all is none other than Karol Wojtyla (better known as Pope John Paul II).

Pope John Paul II was a true patriot and a 'highlander' or as we say in Polish, a 'Goral'. Upon his arrival at the Vatican, Wojtyla told the Italian cardinals, "In Poland, 40 percent of the cardinals ski." When it was pointed out to him that Poland had only two cardinals, Wojtyla explained, "Cardinal Wyszynski accounts for 60 per cent." He later expressed his love of skiing to a journalist by saying, "I wish I could be out there somewhere in the mountains, racing down into a valley. It's an extraordinary sensation."

You could say the town of Zakopane, is blessed. After all, it was a favourite recreation destination of the late Pope John Paul II. He spent a lot of time there as a young priest - skiing in the Tatra mountains and hiking the Podhale hills - and he returned later as he climbed the ranks in the Catholic Church to Cardinal, and finally as the Pope.

When he was a cardinal, someone mentioned it might be inappropriate for a man of his position to ski. His reply was that it was only "unbecoming for a cardinal to ski badly."

Well, no matter how well - or badly - you ski, there's a slope to suit you around Zakopane. Some of the most popular are located at Kasprowy Wierch, which can be reached by cable car or lift, and Gubalowka, which is accessible by tram and T-bars. But there are many others.

And even though there's a lot of snow in the winter, there's also artificial snow-making to supplement when necessary.

On Poland's southern border with Slovakia, nestled in the Tatra Mountains, is the snowy retreat of Bukowina. In a strange natural phenomenon, this icy lair has hot water geysers that go down as deep as 2,400m. Perhaps the best place to experience these hot springs is at Hotel Bukovina, which has both indoor and outdoor pools at its high-tech complex. Besides the hot pools, there are steam and sauna rooms and Jacuzzi bathes for that ultimate indugence.

Small street side stalls across Poland churn out smokedOscypek(mountain sheep cheese) on a hot griddle, served with cranberry sauce. Made of salted sheep milk as per a traditional recipe, the smoked cheese is exclusive to Poland's mountainous Tatra region. In 2007,Oscypekwas patented as a trade name under EU's Protected Designation of Origin geographical indication.So now the farmers cannot use the name Oscypek, and being resilient to external influences, they have reverted to calling it "Serki", or some such name derived from the word Ser, which means cheese.

Once you have tried one, you will be forever hankering after another. And in the icy cold the hot cheese is just that much more delectable.

Bukowina is lined with one ski slope after another and each slope has at least two ski rental cabins, where you can get fitted out for a set of boots and ski's and poles and off you go down the slopes. Ski lessons are very easily attainable and some of those instructors could well feature on a calendar.

Besides a plethora of ski slopes to choose from, the region of Zakopana and the surrounding area offers an adventure into a world of cultural experiences, cuisine, and lifestyle that will truly expand your horizons.