Tarnow, Poland to Tatranska Javorina, Slovakia
Today was another long, long driving day. I hate long driving days.
We were in search of wooden churches and mountains. We found a few
wooden churches here and there, but only one that seemed original. We
saw a few more storks in their nests, and a couple of storks just
standing around on the ground. The GPS lady went crazy today, and sent
us down a few dead end roads, cow-paths, and who knows where else. The
police stopped us in one town - did not speak English - but asked the
other officer in his car what the word was that he wanted to tell us.
Then he said "Lights" - so Lonnie turned the lights on and the policeman
was happy and went on his way. We saw lots and lots of trees, one-lane
roads, and 4-wheel drive trails (we did not rent a 4-wheel drive). We
stopped by a creek and had a picnic lunch when we determined that we
were not going to be anywhere near someplace to eat! We drove through
lots of little villages, and found the areas where Poland was flooded
last month. Roads have caved in, houses were ruined, part of a hill
came down that a house was sitting beside. Some of the towns still have
their sandbags in place in case it rains again. It was misting this
morning, but the sun came out pretty quickly. I was so thankful to God
for the respite from the heat!
It was somewhat surprising to me that the farther East in Poland that we
went, the better things seemed. More new construction, beautiful homes,
large farms - everything seemed to get better and better except the
roads. There are new malls that have sprung up, lots of grocery stores
(some like Aldi's and some like the super Wal-Marts) and everything
looks bright and fresh! I really expected it to be the other way around
as we got closer to Ukraine. Poland has some beautiful countryside, and
seems to be doing well.
Things did look different when we crossed into Slovakia, though. I was
really surprised at that, since Slovakia is already on the Euro. The
areas we have been through so far seemed dirty and unkempt, and very
poor. I know this may sound strange to some of you, but when we passed
through one village, it felt like pure evil. I was so thankful to get
away from there. If I was in Star Wars, I would have said "The evil is
strong in this one".
I was starting to get a little concerned about where we would stay for
the night. Things weren't looking too promising. I know that the Lord
has taken care of us every step of the way, and I knew that he would
provide for us tonight, also. We are once again in mountains, this time
the Tatras in Slovakia. So far they are more like the Smokies than the
Alps, but Lonnie keeps promising me that they will be taller tomorrow.
(another long driving day). When we got to the border between Poland and
Slovakia again, we saw a sign for a wellness hotel at the top of the
mountain (always a good sign). The hotel is magnificent in an
absolutely gorgeous setting!! It would be the perfect place for a
Women's Retreat (anyone game??). When you walk into the lobby, they
have a two or three story glassed in opening that gives a spectacular
view of the mountains. The rooms have large balconies and a wall of
glass so that you can look out at the mountains, as well. They have a
pool, fitness room, oxygen room, floating tubs, saunas, squash, bowling,
and several other things. The restaurant is on our floor. The Lord
provided a gorgeous hotel in a wonderful setting. I am so thankful!!
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