Cześć from Białowieża, Poland!
We've been here for the last two weeks and surprisingly enough, for something that's so remote, it's gone by really fast. Why are we here in the most random place ever (I believe some people refer to it as the end of the Earth)? Well, Scott had to do some work at the Institute here and we just decided that since August is the month to get the hell outta dodge (Radolfzell and Konstanz crowds are annoying! pssshhh tourists) we turned it into a family trip…
and getting to Białowieża was NOT the road trip from hell. Believe it our not, the two days that it took to drive up here was not torture. The stubborn almost-two-year-old was actually suspiciously OK. Which kind of makes me dread the going back trip because we all know how that goes… Anyway, only the littlest of peeps from the dude and that was after 10 hours of driving. So at that point, it was fine to be cranky because his parents were.
ANYWAY.
Hiking in the Białowieża Forest.
Being one of the last and largest old growth forests in Europe, you're only allowed inside (and only allowed in a very small part of the forest) with someone who carries a special permit. Otherwise, the rest of the protected forest is strictly off limits and even scientists (like the nice gentleman who gave us the tour) need special permission to go in to do work.
Anyway, we went one evening and got to spend a few magical hours with just us and nature. The last tour had left while we were walking over, so we walked and walked without running into any other people. Or any animals. Maybe a bird or two (or one), but if there was anything else they ran and ran fast because we weren't exactly quiet. We were on the Max Express which goes fast and loud. He's got one volume at the moment and it's an "outdoor voice." Which I guess is fine because we were technically outdoors, but when you reeaaaallly want to see a wolf or a bison, an indoor voice or no voice at all is best.
I took about a gazillion photos of the three hour tour and narrowed it down to a mere 50. It was hard to choose from because the lighting was almost perfect and the forest is just so photogenic. That being said, I still don't think that any of the photos I took that day begins to even share the magic of this place. So if anyone is touring Europe and are looking for places to visit AND have a rental car (I definitely wouldn't try using public transit to get here) I'd recommend this place. Because who know how long forests like these will be around.
We've been here for the last two weeks and surprisingly enough, for something that's so remote, it's gone by really fast. Why are we here in the most random place ever (I believe some people refer to it as the end of the Earth)? Well, Scott had to do some work at the Institute here and we just decided that since August is the month to get the hell outta dodge (Radolfzell and Konstanz crowds are annoying! pssshhh tourists) we turned it into a family trip…
and getting to Białowieża was NOT the road trip from hell. Believe it our not, the two days that it took to drive up here was not torture. The stubborn almost-two-year-old was actually suspiciously OK. Which kind of makes me dread the going back trip because we all know how that goes… Anyway, only the littlest of peeps from the dude and that was after 10 hours of driving. So at that point, it was fine to be cranky because his parents were.
ANYWAY.
Hiking in the Białowieża Forest.
Being one of the last and largest old growth forests in Europe, you're only allowed inside (and only allowed in a very small part of the forest) with someone who carries a special permit. Otherwise, the rest of the protected forest is strictly off limits and even scientists (like the nice gentleman who gave us the tour) need special permission to go in to do work.
Anyway, we went one evening and got to spend a few magical hours with just us and nature. The last tour had left while we were walking over, so we walked and walked without running into any other people. Or any animals. Maybe a bird or two (or one), but if there was anything else they ran and ran fast because we weren't exactly quiet. We were on the Max Express which goes fast and loud. He's got one volume at the moment and it's an "outdoor voice." Which I guess is fine because we were technically outdoors, but when you reeaaaallly want to see a wolf or a bison, an indoor voice or no voice at all is best.
I took about a gazillion photos of the three hour tour and narrowed it down to a mere 50. It was hard to choose from because the lighting was almost perfect and the forest is just so photogenic. That being said, I still don't think that any of the photos I took that day begins to even share the magic of this place. So if anyone is touring Europe and are looking for places to visit AND have a rental car (I definitely wouldn't try using public transit to get here) I'd recommend this place. Because who know how long forests like these will be around.
▲you can enjoy the sights, sounds and scents and listen to the heartbeat of the primeval forest.▲
▲left photo: wild boar digging for mushrooms// right photo: horse tracks▲
▲mushrooms! so many different kinds of mushrooms!▼
▲there's a bird in the photo, i swear▲
▲a bridge over a sea of green▲
▲a giant tree uprooted▲
▲there are over 300 species of fungi in this forest. some remain dormant for 40 years, prompting some biologists to assume they had gone extinct.▲
▲i know these guys like to dine on poo, but they still look pretty. they are also a nightmare for biologists doing scat surveys.▲
▲this forest comes with a LOT of history and a lot of graves▲
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