ZAKOPANE the MOST Beautiful Lake in Europe Road Trip POLAND Krakow to Morskie Oko

Welcome to this new episode of Wout of the World. And we are on a road trip through Europe. Just arrived in the south of Poland in Zakopane. And we have a tent to set up in the middle of all the mountains. What do you think of it Jens? Yay! Camping! Well there's also a playground so Jens has the time of his life. And this was the epic Europe road trip so far. We drove from the Netherlands through Germany's history. From half-timbered houses to insane sandstone mountains. In Poland we already saw colored lakes, the happiest zoo on earth and old cities. We were blown away by the diversity and buzzing atmosphere of Krakow. The city trip in Krakow is done and we're driving on through Poland. And in the following one you will see us relaxing in the sunshine. Camping in Zakopane. See you there. We're on the road again and definitely wanted to show you the fantastic route through the mountain land. We stay at Camp Villa Skoczek for only 20 euros. And this is the campsite with the best view on the Tatra Mountains. We used this tent at the first stop and it's a blow-up tent. So it should be fairly easy actually. But I also found out there's an even easier way without pumping. And that yeah that's actually the easiest. I recommend everyone. That is just this. Whoa! This is chill isn't it? It's a magic tent. No seriously the blow-up tent guys, ideal. I think it took 20 minutes to half an hour of pumping and it stands. Time to explore Zakopane also known as the winter capital of Poland. On some two hours drive of Krakow we find the most popular place in all of Poland. At least that's what I think by just looking around me. We're finally in Zakopane. You can do winter sport here, mountain climbing or just a nice summer holiday too. And it is as you can see pretty crowded. The center is full of wooden villas built in the unique Zakopane style. We wander around on the cobblestones of Krupówki street. In the winter swamped by skiers and snowboarders. Now by kids eating ice cream. This is the national hero Zamoyski. Who claimed this land for Poland and protected this area's nature against exploitation. He donated his estate and his fortune to found the Tatra National Park. The Folaszowy Potok is a small river straight through town. It provides the town with fresh mountain water. Hey Jens what's this yummy or is this yummy? Zakopane is also the perfect place to dine out on the terraces. And we find daily specials for only 10 euros. A very good morning. It is only 7. And I am up early for a lovely hike I'm making today. Susan Jens still sleep some more. And I'm gonna go to Morski Oko. The topside here in the mountains. And gotta love the morning. From Zakopane I drive straight into the lush nature. In only 40 minutes this road takes me to the start of the best hike in all of Poland. To a beautiful hidden mountain lake. Oh I was up so early today man. And it's actually crowded. Many people are in the line for a parking spot as you see. And I found my parking in Slovakia. Just across from this bridge here. Pretty fun to see Slovakia for a change. The Tatra Mountains are the national border between Poland and Slovakia. So there are hikes and sights in both countries. The hike to Morski Oko is practically straight on and on. And it's pretty busy as you see. There's already many on the way. It's roughly 18 kilometers there and back. And I hope it will take me 4 hours to do there and back. It's the best weather. And I have a fantastic view, check. Before I forget, you can also, if you're really a lazy bum, take the painless way to up there. Because the whole way is actually paved. And these will take you all the way. But I think I have perfectly good legs. So no problem, let's go up. As the ancient old saying goes, there are more ways to Morski Oko Lake. Because I find everywhere these shortcuts going up. It can be truly steep. But you don't need to take all the hairpin bends around. So it's a more lovely route. And at the same time, only shorter, but heavy. Seeing the images, I still remember the smell of pines, wildflowers and idyllic waterfalls hidden inside the woods. I am there guys, at the promised land. Water. Morski Oko, it took me like one and a half hours. So I walked pretty fast. But that's because I'm super fit. No, seriously guys, this hike is not heavy. And you'll be there like within two hours for sure. And it is like breathtaking gorgeous. And also because I'm pretty fast, I have some time left to make some images of it. Swimming here is off limits, but the water is clear guys. Really fantastic, beautiful. And you see the sunshine crossing the mountaintops. And this is what you're looking out over. Again, fantastic. Morski Oko means eye of the sea. Because people used to believe it was connected to the Adriatic Sea underground. There are a lot of trouts in the water, which is pretty unique at 1400 meters height. And seriously guys, this is actually the most gorgeous place in Poland, I guess. The sun is just above the mountains now. And the water is the clearest I've seen. Let's take a walk around to see more. And there I sit along the lake. Because I'm early, there's still no one here. Except for the dramatic peaks of the Tetra Mountains. This one is called Rysy. And it's the highest mountain of Poland with 2500 meters. We also see Czarni Staw. A 200 meter higher lake with a deep blue color. So this is how beautiful the lake and the hike to Morski Oko are in the summer. But I can imagine it would also look very beautiful when it's completely frozen in the winter time. Well, I can actually show you. It's a funny thing guys. I got some more images of this exact same landscape as in a Christmas setting. Because we're now here in April and there's a lot of snow around me. I visited this place twice so I wanted to show you this with snow. I see all the same places but this time in deep white snow. And a temperature difference of about 20 degrees. And still you see some of my stubborn friends are wearing shorts. At minus 2 degrees Celsius. So not only do we have the beautiful snowy setting. But also I returned to Lake Morski Oko. And now we can walk across the lake. Not just around it. But I'm actually standing right in the middle on the ice of the lake. Look at this. How awesome is that guys? This is the lake. We don't have the beautiful colors of the lake anymore. But now we only have snow and you don't even see where the land ends and the water begins. So you decide guys which is prettier of the views. The one in the summer or the one in the winter? I don't know about you guys but I'm freezing over here. Let's take the magic portal back to summer. I'm glad we're back here in summer. It is nice and warm again. So I am lucky to walk this beautiful route four times in total. And as you can see it pays off to go early. The route can get very busy later on. Look this is an even nicer route still. We make a quick stop at the supermarket. Because it's time to enjoy some camping life. Sleeping out here is a sight on its own. Let me show you the views of the area with the drone. With the clear sky we can see the entire mountain range. The best travel time here is as you can imagine all year round. Winter sport is huge here from December to March. And from June to September is the best hiking season. The mountain people here are called Gorale and they speak in a different Polish dialect. They also have their very own culture with folk music and local craft work. Let's make some typical Polish sausages and have a great meal out in the mountains. Before we say goodbye to Poland here. That's all for this episode of Wow of the World in Zakopane. In the most beautiful Poland in the Tatra Mountains. But I'll see you soon as we drive further to Czechia. Be sure to tune in again on the Europe road trip to Hidden Gems. And subscribe to see all the adventure.