Homemade Sausage Making

Hi ya'll

A second cousin of mine is marrying a Polish girl and the wedding is to be held in her hometown of Sanok, at the end of June. I've never been to Poland and would welcome any tips for places to see, and especially things to eat, in that part of the country, which is quite near the border with Ukraine and Czech Rep. I'll probably fly to Krakow and then head to Sanok, which is said to be three hours or so to the south.

Thanks in advance,
Colin

To begin with, don't cheap out on the gift. Guests at Polish weddings are usually quite generous with gifts of cash, as much as 2 thousand zloty. So don't arrive with a toaster as a wedding present.

I have never been to Sanok itself but have been in the area. It is located in the Carpathian foothills and the country side is scenic and great for hiking (tramping). A lot of mountain culture and famous for the sheepsmilk cheeses and mutton sausages. Like most towns that size, Sanok probably has a very attractive medieval town square and old churches and convents to visit. Probably a few castles in the area as well. I always like to visit smaller villages if in an area like that.

Spend a couple of days in Krakow if you can. It's become a bit of a tourist trap, but still is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe.

BTW, Sanok is near the Slovakian border, not the Czech Rep.

Be prepared to drink and eat a lot at the wedding. Some of them last three days!

Thanks for the info, very helpful. I love to walk, so I'll see whether I can find a map with hiking trails and/or some kind of guidebook in English for the area. If I can find neither, I am sure I will manage nonetheless

Somehow I can't see giving cash as a present. My cousin works in finance (City of London) and probably earns 20x what I do. But I'll try to think of something appropriate.

BTW, his Polish bride immigrated to the US when she was a child and she grew up there, so she is very much Polish-American. So it will be something of a homecoming for her I expect. I don't know how often she gets back.

I've heard such good things about Polish cooking (especially of course the meats), and I am really looking forward to this trip.

cbrace,
I have just joined this forum so was not able to put earlier some advices from my point of view. But I believe that is not to late you may benefit this hints.
Regarding your stay in Kraków - it`s a wide known city so many English travel guides exists. You will be able to buy such guide anywhere in Kraków (airport, hotel, newsstands). Must have to see is of course Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) and Wawel Castle.
Other pleases that are worth to see in my opinion are:

Salt mine in Wieliczka, a small city about 10 km from Kraków. You can get knowledge about this mine from the following website: http://www.kopalnia.pl/ . I highly recommend to visit this mine, it is on the UNESCO`s World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.

Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowaska: http://www.kalwaria.eu/. This city is about 30 km from Kraków. It's also on UNESCO list. I also highly recommend to visit this sanctuary and go through the whole calvary that was build in 17th century with inspiration coming from the calvary in Jerusalem.

Zakopane - this city lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. Ca 100 km from Kraków. Very intresting city with a rich regionale folklore. Beeing in Zakopane I would recommend an excursion to Morskie Oko lake. Chochołowska and Kościeliska valleys are also very popular destination for a hike.

Auschwitz concentration camp in Oświęcim (ca 50 km from Kraków). http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/. Our memento from 2nd world word. This excursion is not for fun or relax. You have to decide whether you want to visit this camp.

Being in Sanok, I would recommend to visit Rymanów Zdrój. A small village and very popular health resort with spa.

Regarding a wedding gift, simply I recommend to ask them about their preferences. Cash or souvenir ? What type of souvenir ? It`s widely used in Poland and quite natural.

Please take into account that a small airport is also in Rzeszów. This city is much closer to Sank than Kraków.

Enjoy your stay in Poland !