Zakopane - Poland's oldest  resort in the Tatra Mountains

Zakopane is home to a rich folk culture, and the centre of a proud Polish highlander tradition. This is most clearly noticed in the colourful and highly decorative folk costumes, the ever-present goralska muzyka (Highland music) and the distinctive Zakopane mountain architectural style, pioneered by Stanislaw Witkiewicz, and often referred to as the "Zakopane" style. Zakopane has also become a favourite with painters and sculptors, many of whom are graduates of the Zakopane Academy of Fine Art.

We met with this wonderful woman in a Zakopane market who was the creator of beautiful hand-knitted white wool hats and sweaters. Although she could speak only Polish, we shared a good conversation that was beyond language.  Upon placing the hand-made sweater on my shoulders she simply said "baaa" (we saw it was the purest sheep wool) and pointed to her smiling face.  It was obvious that she was the designer and maker of this local piece of fashion and wanted us to share in its rare beauty.  We laughed together each time we picked up an item and said "baa" back to her.