Back to Poland again this year. I have rather fallen for the country, and really wanted to visit it's mountains: The Tatra Mountains are the main ones, and I had arranged to go there also, but a bout of 'flu shortly beforehand made this seem a bad idea. However, the second part, the Tatra Mountains, was too good to miss, so I headed for this remote south-east corner of Poland only a few kilometres from the Ukrainian border, knowing a little about the area from the guide-books and history books, but unprepared for the green tranquillity of the area.

That is not to say that this was an easy vacation, as I had wanted to do plenty of hiking, and that is exactly what I got: Five to eight hours of activity most days was somewhat tiring, but in the company of a friend, plus professional photographer (and first-time tour-guide) Włodzimierz Biliński, the time passed very pleasantly. We were all rather exhausted after a week of this, with some early starts for wildlife-watching, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

If you want to see how Włodzimierz imagines this part of Poland, then have a look here also: http://www.photovoyage.pl/

Additional thanks to Urszula and Krzysiek, our hosts, for the amazing food and going above and beyond with a surprise delivery of cake by quad-bike one evening whilst we were watching the sunset! If you want comfort and quiet, you could do no better than to stay with them: http://www.niedzwiedziagorka.bieszczady24.pl/

And as for Cracow, a beautiful city, but I probably owe them an apology! It is never my intention to try to make a place look ugly, but I do find myself drawn towards industrial aspects of a place at times. But the more traditional architecture is also stunningly beautiful.

More about the trip here: http://photosmatter.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/bieszczady-mountains-cracow-poland-photo-set/