Biking Poland
17 June 2023, Kogutowo, 29.2km
Pole Namiotowe 96.15zł [R441]
Though not to everyone's taste, folk art has a certain charm, particularly in context. In this case in the village of Zalipie which we visited today. We travelled there and back by bike, using the pont to cross the Dunajec, twice.
KeyToPoland.com: This small village in the southeast of Poland, is vibrantly adorned with traditional folk art. This design took off in the 1800s when homes in the area did not have chimneys to release the smoke from the cottage. This resulted in a blackened interior along the walls and the ceiling. In order to brighten up the insides of the home, women started to paint white designs over the soot-darkened areas. Their paintbrushes were made from birch sticks that were split into many little pieces at the end. Over the years, women learned to create better brushes and started to use colors in their paintings. What was once little doodles, grew into intricate floral designs inspired by the flowers growing in the village. This painting technique and pattern was passed down through each generation of women and by the 20th century, had evolved into a tradition filled with colorful paintings. Today the village no longer only decorates the inside of their homes, but furniture, doors, and ceramics as well as the exteriors of their homes. Each year there is a design competition to encourage painters to cultivate the tradition.
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Notice boards and information notices mean nothing to us - one would attach meaning based on context and common sense. Who would guess that point 7 on this board says:
Drivers of horse-drawn carriages, after securing the car on the ferry, are obliged to unhitch the horses and hold them by the bridles for the duration of the ferry's passage. Livestock during the crossing should be kept on tethers.
During the crossing, it is forbidden to stay in vehicles or on vehicles, with the exception of bedridden patients, medical service of an ambulance if the patient's condition requires constant control and operation of Police vehicles transporting escorted persons.
Larger groups of livestock as well as timid animals or otherwise dangerous to the environment, should be transported separately. (Google Translate)