Congratulation Mr. and Mrs. Hancka to a beautiful wedding and thank you for having us. We are all wishing you the best in the future!
Now I REALLY know what polish weddings are like: very happy (vodka) and intense (vodka).
See photos…
Zakopane is a gorgeous mountain town in the South of Poland. It attracts many tourists and their money and the area is in great shape. I suspect it’s mainly a skiing resort but well worth visiting in absence of snow due to activities like hiking and mountain biking (and weddings).
There are also plenty of opportunities for shoppa-holics to pick up hand crafted items from amber, wood and fur.
The ceremony was held in a wooden church and the polish prayers sounded charming. Some Polish traditions included picking up pennies from the ground for good luck.
Main event for all the guests was not the kissing at the altar but the party that followed, of course. It was a 10 hour marathon of drinking, eating, dancing and drinking some more.
One such game was a crazy spinning dance. Two persons locked their arms at their elbows and started spinning around. Hectic music was played and bystanders were clapping cheerfully. This dance ended in on of two scenarios. Either one of the person lost hold of the other and projectiled into the bystanders or a wall; or the couple lost control and, while still spinning, crashed into bystanders. In either case great fun.
The mix of people was very lovely, mainly from Poland and Sweden. Everybody was able to communicate in one way or another, be it gestures or some common language (Russian or German). The Vodka was literarily flowing. As soon as a bottle was finished it was swiftly replaced with a full one by the staff.
The dinner was stretched out over a long period with many courses and games and dancing in between. The humble menu consisted of:
- strong mulled wine as starter
- melted local smoked cheese with lingon berry sauce
- chicken noodle soup
- chicken fillets and pork roulade with plums rolled in bacon
- ice-cream and marzipan desert
- massive buffet with local cheese, sausages, bread, salad you name it.
- whole roasted wild boar and pig with rice
- wedding cake
- night snack: borsch, bacon and cabbage soup, pirogues
On the way back we had a stop over in the nearby town Krakow. Due to some after-wedding-party related complications we did not arrive much before dusk. We rushed through the Old Town equipped with our camera but there was in no way time enough to see all this town has to offer. A promise was made, to return at a later date and do Krakow properly.