Morskie Oko is one of the many lakes (rather, ponds) in the Polish Tatra Mountains. It's the most popular tourist destination in the Tatras, which means semi-easy travel there and huge crowds.

We visited another special place called the Eye of the Sea. It's a huge lake up in the Tatra Mountains — bordering Slovakia. We rode in wagons pulled by horses about 8 of the 9 to 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and walked the last 1.8 kilometers —a little over a mile each way there and back or about 2 1/4 miles. The beauty of the mountains can only be described by pictures.

What was so astounding to me were the number of people who hiked the whole 10 kilometers — uphill — they came in droves!! You would have thought they were going to Disney World.

Lunch at Szymkówka restaurant (at right)

It truly was a restaurant with a view, which was done mostly in probably fir — the wood looked like white pine but without an overabundance of knots. Typically, every thing you could see the edge of was very thick and decorative.