Rural Poland

         

A few days after the wedding, a large group of us travelled by car about two hours outside of Warsaw to a small town called Kazimierz Dolny. The road took us through countless villages and farmland and the conditions reminded me of the highways in northern Ontario when I was growing up. During the drive Ola, Rysio and their cousin taught me songs in Polish (which I sadly can't remember). 

My travelling companions explained that the town is historically known as an attraction for artists who come to stay in the riverside village to paint and sell their work. Once I arrived it was easy to see why, the town is picturesque, retaining many features of its life during the renaissance period. 

The parish church of St. Bartholomew and John the Baptist. 

The ruins of a castle built in the fourteenth century. 

          

After eating lunch in the market square with Rysio's family we wandered around the town. Many of us decided it would be a good idea to climb the trail up the large hill that sits beside the town. The climb was fairly easy and provided us with an excellent view of the parish church, the Vistula river and the farmland beyond. The Vistula is the longest river in Poland and it travels through most of the famous Polish cities, including Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk. 

          

          

We stopped in a beautiful field on the way home to take pictures. It took a long time to get to the town and back to Warsaw but it was entirely worth it. One day I will go back and go into some of the shops and maybe the parish church, as I'm sure it is even more beautiful inside.