Get Tipsy on: Vinho Verde

If you think that Vinho Verde means green wine, like us, you probably used Google Translate. Unfortunately, that is not correct and it's time for some "edumacation".

Vinho Verde actually means "young wine" because the wine is not fully matured when it is released, which gives its unique, fresh and almost spritzer like taste. You can find many varieties of V.V: red, white and rosé. They all taste different, so make sure to try them all!

Vinho Verde is best when chilled, so it's perfect for hot summer days. V.V. is low in alcohol, about 4.5% so you can drink plenty of it! It's basically like drinking water, so don't feel bad if have 1-2 bottles all to yourself. Our medical recommendation is to drink more the hotter it is.

There are many brands of Vinho Verde, and it can be hard to pick the right one. There is nothing worse than a bad wine, but don't worry. We went through hell trying to find the tastiest and cheapest Vinho Verde for you. After many "agonizing" hours of tasting, followed by painful recovery mornings, we finally came across Casal Garcia. 

We highly recommend this wine if:

A) Your last name is Garcia or you know a Garcia. It's mandatory you drink it!

B) Anybody who doesn't like wine but there's no beer available. 

C) You want a bottle of wine to yourself on your lunch break, but still have to finish a deadline.

D) You're a light weight who wants to impress more seasoned drinkers. Just don't let them see the label!

Salud!

THE SPIRIT OF PORTUGAL

If a country's wealth were based solely on the kindness and character of its people, Portugal would be one of the richest countries in the world. Portugal is a land that thrives off delicious wine, mouthwatering cuisine, awe inspiring architecture and music that will touch even the most hardened of souls. We spent a month traveling from Porto in the north, down to Lisbon in the south.

While in Porto, we had the good fortune of witnessing and celebrating Portugal's win of the 2016 Euro Cup final. The entire city broke out into festivities and didn't stop for two days and nights. A celebration we will never forget. We drank, ate and laughed with city locals in small bars and restaurants and were always welcomed with open arms.

In Lisbon we got to watch master tile painter Cristina Pina (www.facebook.com/ceramicacristinapina) create beautiful handmade works of art. Portugal's tile work is a gift to the world and can be found all across the globe. For six hours we were serenaded by Fado music at A Tasca do Chico. Wednesday nights are open mic and the best night to go. We ate Nata and Bifana on the streets of Alfama and indulged in delicious fruits from local markets. We were mesmerized by Sintra, which has more magnificent castles and palaces than we could count.

But none of this compared to the people. It was the people that made Portugal great and it is my hope that this video shows as a love letter, how amazing we think the people of Portugal are.

VIVA PORTUGAL!!!

Filmmaker Note: The first song is NOT Portuguese. But the old lady dancing in the video was having such a good time with this song when I filmed her, it had to be used.

SONGS: Original! - Yo Tengo Un Novio Oquestrada - Oxala te Veja (toma que toma)

LOST IN BARCELONA

Tapas. Wine. Alleyways. Gaudi. Marketplaces. Bustling. Modern. AMAZING!!! Had a week in the wonderful city of Barcelona. This is a town that's at it's best when you are lost. You can wander for hours and hours and never get bored. I didn't shoot as much as I hoped, but here is my impression in under 60 seconds.

BARCELONA ON A BUDGET

Are you broke but would love to travel to Europe? If so, you are just like us and if you would like to know how we spent a week in Barcelona, in a luxurious penthouse that cost less than a Motel 6 in LA, keep on reading...

Accommodations

Guess what? If you're on a budget, you don't need to sleep in the cheapest hostel with shared bunkbeds. If you haven't heard about Airbnb yet, it's time to crawl out of your cave and come join the rest of us in the sunshine. Airbnb is a great website for travelers where you can rent houses, apartments and rooms for less than a hotel. It's easy to find a room for 2 people for an average of $20-30/per night and they usually come with all the basics like towels, toiletries (depending on the host) and other great amenities like a wash machine. If you are traveling for a long time, having a wash machine is a huge time and money saver. Why lug (and possibly pay for) a giant suitcase when you can just bring carry on and maybe do 1 or 2 loads of laundry while you are there? 

We like Airbnb because it's secure and the hosts are typically very friendly and will give you great, off the beaten path tips about the city they live in.

We rented a beautiful, historical apartment in a heart of the city with 6 other friends for 5 nights at $250/person, or $50/night. Although this was more than we are spending traveling on the rest of our trip (we are averaging $10/person), it was a very luxurious place. We also saved money on cooking meals at home instead of going out all the time.

I still can't believe that we got to spend a week in Barcelona in this place! Check out the pictures.

If you want to stay here, this is the listing:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10574270

What to see in Barcelona on a budget?

Barcelona is a big city and for sure you won't get bored here. Since, Barcelona is such a popular tourist destination you will need to pay to see everything including churches, which was a bit unusual. All the activities add up fast, so you might want to think twice before forking out more cash to see your millionth cathedral or museum. This is a list of our favorite spots that we visited in Barcelona:

• Go see Gaudi. We love Gaudi. He was a very famous Spanish architect and an artist. His designs are nothing like you have ever seen before. There are a lots of buildings designed by him in Barcelona, so it can be overwhelming and costly deciding which ones to see. These were the ones we thought worth paying for:

Sagrada Familia - Make sure that you purchase the tickets before you visit this place. The tickets are limited.

Sagrada Familia

Park Güelle - This is another great creation by Gaudi. The park is huge and most of it is free! It's actually only a small section that requires a ticket but we thought it was worth it. You can wander throughout the gardens admiring exotic plants and unique architecture. There is also a great view of Barcelona city from the top of the hill in the park (a bit after you pass the main gate). Tickets here are also limited. 

Food

Spain has an amazing food culture. Spaniards like to sleep in the mornings, work for a bit, take a siesta, drink some coffee, eat some tapas, eat some dinner, eat more tapas and drink sangria. Depending on who you are, there might be more the napping, eating and drinking ratio may vary.

So here is what we loved to eat in Barcelona:

Write here...

Tapas for Dinner. Tapas are basically "small" appetizers, that you can share with others at the dinner table. It's a fun way to eat and talk with your friends. Tapas come in slowly, therefore, these dinners can last very long so set aside 2h minimum. Plus, if you are drinking incredible Spanish wine, you won't leave until walking is a serious effort. We tried tapas at "LA Esquina". L.E. is a cute restaurant with an excellent modern twist on tapas where the chef prepares the dishes in front of you. There is a small kitchen stand where where you can watch him concentrating on making the tapas. They are also very vegetarian and vegan friendly!

http://laesquinabarcelona.com/en/

Top: seafood paella, Bottom: "vegetarian"paella

• Paella

You can't leave Spain without trying the delicious rice dish called paella. There are many different varieties of paella: meat, sea food, vegetarian (sort of). Warning all vegetarians: although, many places offer paella with veggies, the rice is cooked with some type of meat stock. So, if you wan to make sure it is 100% veg. friendly and you speak decent Spanish ( we don't), ask first. Otherwise, assume it is cooked with meat broth.

We ate at "Cachitos". The restaurant had a very nice decor with a large selection of tasty sangrias! "Cachitos" http://cachitosbcn.com

• Food Markets

If you want a cheap, healthy and fast lunch, go to one of the many farmers markets while in Barcelona. Get some: olives, cheese, bread, veggies, sausages, wine or beer (of course) and head out to a park for a picnic. These markets also have fresh fish and meat that you cook at at home. We shopped for our picnic at "La Concepcio" market.  http://www.laconcepcio.cat/en/home

If you visit Barcelona, you will most likely spend some time in the Gothic Quarter. Here you can explore the historical streets, cathedrals and churches. You will find many trendy people, gift shops, restaurants, and cafes here. 

El Xampanyet , located in the Gothic Quarter is a cool busy caffe with charming decor. Try their own version of Sangria with soda (KAS). It was different but good!

Address: Carrer de MOntcada, 22, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

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Any trendy neighborhood is full of tourists. So, if you want to escape the crowds and grab a bite to eat and relax with a glass of sangria, you don't want to miss Salterio. This place can be a bit hard to find through the small and windy streets of the Gothic Quarter, but it is so worth it. This little cafe with a dark and mysterious interior, serves excellent Spanish food with an Arabic twist. You can grab some lunch (tapas etc.) and drinks. We tried Turkish Coffee infused cardamon and a fresh sangria with fruit and mint. It was excellent!

2 DAYS IN HELSINKI

Here is another short post about what we did in Helsinki, Finland.  

Finland was not in our original itinerary. However, our ticket from America to Poland was cheaper by stopping through Helsinki. Plus our good friends Noora, a native Finnish girl and Alex, an all American boy, were already in Helsinki at the same time. So a two day layover in Helsinki just made sense.

As usual, on our first day we walked around the city. This is the best ways to get the "vibe". You can go to museums, admire the new and old architecture and be a tourist.  You will see what people look like, what they eat and what they wear. Every city has a unique sound and smell. So if Helsinki had a smell, it would be fresh lake water in a birch forest, and the sound would be the Finnish language, which sounds like a mythical melody. Helsinki is the biggest city in Finland yet it feels rural and small compared to other capitals. People in general were also very calm and polite.

Summers are short and moderate in temperatures in Finland, so whenever the sun is out, people are out too. It is kind of funny seeing people spreading out on city benches, grass at the parks and rocks. Yes, Finnish people are obsessed with sitting on large rocks in parks, at the beach, wherever they can find them, they sit on them. 

After a few hours of walking around the town, we stopped at "Sandro" for lunch. Sandro is really great Moroccan fusion cuisine with many healthy options. They have an all you can eat buffet for about 12 euros (with meat) or 10 euros (vegan) including coffee and refreshing mint tea. We highly recommend this place. We left "Sandro" happy and stuffed. 

Here is link to Sandro's restaurant:

http://www.sandro.fi/

Another recommendation for vegans/vegetarians when visiting Finland is "Soi, Soi". This place has a amazing food. When you are craving something substantial, this place is the bomb. Plus we got to hang out with the one of the owners of this place and he is very lovely.

http://soisoi.fi/

Vegan burger fro Soi Soi restaurant in Finland !! (pic. soi soi)

Picnic at Suomenlinna Island

The highlight of our trip was a visit to Suomenlinna ( Sveaborg) island. This island used to be a sea fortress build to protect from Russian expansion. Nowadays, people live and work there year around. There is a school, post office and grocery store on the island. A lot of people go there to sunbathe and swim so definitely bring your swim suit. 

It's a short, 15 minute ferry ride, from the city center (Market Square).The tickets are 5 Euros for adults (round trip) and it is definitely worth the money. Many people like to take a picnic there. Either bring some food with you or just get it a the local store. They have cold beer!!

You can spend the whole day on the island, especially in the summer because it doesn't get dark till 1-ish am. The last ferry from Suomenlinna back to the city leaves at 2am. 

Ferry info:

 ww.helsinkicard.com/attraction/ferry-suomenlinna/

The Finnish Sauna

We couldn't leave Finland without the sauna experience. It would be like going to Octoberfest and all you get is a Coca Cola. After all, Finnish people invented sauna.

The sauna to Finnish people is more that just sweating in a hot room. It's a cultural and bonding experience. Most of the Finnish houses have saunas and if you go to Finland it is most likely that your Finnish friends will invite you to join them. Finnish people believe that the sauna is good for almost everything and everybody. If you have a cold, arthritis, breathing problems or you need to relax etc, the sauna will make it better. 

After a long day of drinking beers, bbq'ing and loving life, the sauna sounded amazing. 

Here is what you need to prepare yourself:

Before you enter the sauna you first take a cold shower. Then butt naked, you go to the sauna and join the rest of your friends who are also butt naked. It's a faux pas to wear a bikini or a towel in the sauna. Everybody is naked! If you feel uncomfortable in the beginning, we guarantee that after your second and third beer you will be cool with the whole thing. If you still feel uncomfortable, just keep drinking. 

Thank you to all our friends (new and old) who made this trip so fun for us. Noora and Alex thank you for showing us the local's perspective on Finland. 

Also specials thanks to Ana Šuligoj' and Monday Mou who let us crash in their cool, artsy apartment. Teemu, you are such a kind and beautiful person. Thank you for driving us to the airport at 6 am! 

The tipsy gypsies saying goodbye to their Swedish Friends at 5am. Thank you Alex, Nora and Teemu!

We make new friends everywhere we go!

Helsinki recommendations:

Food: 

Sandros: 

http://www.sandro.fi/

Soi Soi:

http://soisoi.fi/

What to do: picnic at Suomenlinna Island

Day trip: Take a ferry from Helsinki to Tallin in Estonia. It's a one day minimum trip. 

SWEDISH WEDDING AT A VINEYARD

"Love and Rosé"

If there is anything the Tipsy Gypsies like more than traveling, it's traveling to a wedding of their best friends. This summer we were invited to attend the wedding of our close friends from San Francisco, Liz and Felix in a beautiful vineyard in Arild, Sweden. Here is the story.

We arrived to Arild Winery on a rainy Friday afternoon. The place was quiet and enchanting. The countryside and the rustic buildings covered with thatched roofs and white stucco walls made us feel like we had just stepped into a medieval village. We were the first wedding guests to check in at the small reception. Not wanting to waste any time, we ordered some Rosé wine to warm up our cold bones.

As the first sip of sweet wine hit our lips, we leaned back, closed our eyes, and inhaled a deep breath of that authentic, wine country air. And we don't mean any of that pretentious, snobby, The Real Housewives of Sonoma air; we mean REAL wine country air. A delicate and sophisticated mix of rich fertile soil... and manure. We loved it because it was earthly and you could literally feel the elements coming together to produce this wonderful wine.

The Town

Arild is a small costal town and it's a favorite spot for Swedes to vacation. One sunny afternoon, we took a walk through the small windy roads of Arild. We could tell that the locals are very proud of their town. Although every cottage is probably a century old, it has been restored and is freshly painted. Each house is unique and they all have the most amazing, green and lavish gardens. 

Very quickly we realized why people love to come here for vacation or choose to live here. The cool breezy air, delicious food, the hospitality and the views are just a few reasons why we fell in love with this place. Check out the views of the town below.

There are lots of fun activities in Arild besides walking and wine tasting. Arild is a small town but it has a lot to offer for the tourists who want to stay active. You can do horseback riding, rent bikes and hike. Down at the harbor they offer scuba diving classes, you can rent kayaks and even do some fishing.

THE WINERY -"Arild Vingård" and the property

You might actually be surprised to hear that there is a vineyard in Sweden because wine is not something that Swedish people are typically known for, but as it turns out, it is actually quite delicious. In fact, the Arild Vingård produces somewhere around 60%-80% of the wine for the whole country. They make a dry white and Rosé wine, schnapps and a dessert wine, which we all tried at the wedding. You can also purchase some imported red wine from Italy. Having said that, Sweden has very strict drinking laws. Alcohol must typically be purchased from authorized government stores. That means that if you buy a bottle at the winery, you have to drink it while you are there. If you want to take it with you, the bottle better be empty.

We slept on the second floor of this building.

In our opinion, the restaurant at Arild Vingård has the best food in town. The meals are reasonably priced and they can accommodate all dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten free, you name it!). And don't skip on the dessert: chocolate cake with Italian style gelato or a scoop of sorbet ( for the vegans). Lastly, their delicious espresso is a perfect pairing with the dessert.... or maybe another glass of wine.

We checked out some other restaurants in town, but they were all a bit out of our price range and they seemed a bit too fancy for us. Plus, for the vegan "gypsy queen" the options were none. However, if money is not an issue for you, the town has two gorgeous restaurants and I am sure the food is amazing. 

Dinner-the Vegan version was delicious. Roasted vegetables and faux meat called "upf"

breakfast 

The Wedding

We have been to many weddings in our life, but we have never experienced a wedding so laid back and fun like the one of our friends Liz and Felix. First of all, the wedding venue did't feel commercial at all. In fact, you could hear the cows mooing in the nearby pastures. There were no bullshit mandatory schedules or fake introductions and the food was spectacular. If you like the concept of "farm to table", this place has it down!

This was a really special event to us because you don't hear that often about two awkwardly awesome kids who fall in love in high school and stick together. We met this goofy couple years ago in an art school in San Francisco. They were much younger than us, but for some reason they didn't mind hanging out with these two older gypsies.

We like Liz because she hosts the most awesome house parties and you can always count on Felix to drink one more beer with you. They are both very social people and their friends are like a family to them. 

This was the most international wedding that we had ever attended.  There were guests from Sweden, Germany, Norway, Australia, Italy, America, Canada, Mexico, England and Poland. It says a lot about the bride and groom that so many people were willing to travel so far to celebrate with them. 

The most memorable and moving part was listening to the many, many speeches durning the wedding. Apparently, Swedish weddings are known for an abundance of speeches. One thing that we learned about the Swedes and this family in particular, is that they are extremely sarcastic and funny. And so were their speeches. 

A lot of us stayed at the vineyard and after the wedding, a smaller group of us continued the celebration in Barcelona ( we will write about that soon). 

The evening was filled with great food, drinks and dancing. We can't remember exactly when we left the venue but we are guessing it was around 1am. But that wasn't it. The party continued in the guest rooms and didn't finish until we heard the farmers feeding the cows their breakfast in the morning.  You know that you partied hard when the owner of the winery tells you that she'd never had a wedding where the guest drank so much and were still standing. We actually weren't that surprised...

If  you go to Sweden make sure you stop at Arild. You can stay at the  Arild Vingård bed and breakfast. You are guaranteed to have great time staying at this magical place. The surroundings are breath taking and place is very peaceful. 

Contact to the vinery:

http://arildsvingard.se

SWEDISH WEDDING

Our good friends Liz and Felix got married in Sweden this July. The Tipsy Gypsies were honored to be invited. Here is a short film Nate made for the bride and groom.

3 HOURS IN COPENHAGEN

Bicycles. Boats. Coffee. Pastries. Weed. Architecture. History.

After hitching a ride from Sweden, we had 3 hours in Copenhagen before our flight to Barcelona. Here's a little portrait of what we saw.

A DAY IN LUND, SWEDEN

Lund is a picturesque college town is southern Sweden. We stopped there for a short visit to see our friends that we met over a decade ago. During our one day there, our friends took us for a charming walk around the city center. The highlight was most definitely the Lund Cathedral. Sweden is not a religious country and it was interesting to see how nowadays people go to the religious institution more for cultural reasons rather than prayers. When we went there, there was a high school theater rehearsal and one of the aisles had a circular bench with a teddy bear sitting on it. Perhaps the toys in the church are placed because the kids tend to get bored durning the mass. Below are some pictures of the cathedral. 

Ancient astronomical clock & religious calendar

Lund cathedral has several spectacular must sees. One is a massive astronomical clock and calendar. The other is it's catacombs. It was amazing visiting these ancient tombs and experiencing them almost entirely to yourself. Where other sites like this are typically bombarded with tourists, on the day we visited it was completely empty. It was also special because on the day we visited, it was the anniversary of one of the tombs burial, 893 years ago! 

Sweden has really good coffee and we learned on our trip that there is a big coffee culture here. They even have a word for it which is FIKA, a "coffee break". This isn't just a regular coffee break or a visit to Starbucks. Swedish people take their time drinking coffee and eating some baked sweets. The Fika's (coffee shops) are social hangouts and many people go there to relax and talk with friends. The coffee shop that we went to, Espresso House, was filled with people young and old, and there was not one person working on their laptop. We had the "Salted Carmel latte" with soy, of course, at the Espresso House. It was probably the best latte ever! Yum!

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chocolate sardines anybody?

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The Swedish countryside is unbelievably beautiful. If you love nature and the country side with wild flowers, dramatic clouds and moderate temperatures definitely come to see Lund.

Special thanks to our hosts Charlotte and Adam for letting us stay with them. They are both amazing friends that cooked for us, took us on a tour of Lund and welcomed us into their home and family. This was a great experience. Thank you!!

THE THREE PILLARS OF POLAND

Poland is a land dear to my heart. It is a beautiful country with a history as complex as it's people.

While spending a month there, I shot this footage. The narrative wasn't clear to me at first but as I filmed and visited everywhere from the capital in Warsaw, to their most sacred churches, and deep into the beautiful natural wilderness, an idea came to me.

I call it The Three Pillars of Poland. It's what I consider to be the three most powerful forces in this beautiful land: Religion, Nature and Politics.

Religion is a dominating force in Poland. Over 92% of the population is Catholic. It undoubtably plays a major role not only in the personal lives of most Poles, but the politics as well. Jasna Gora is one of their most famous churches. It houses the famous Black Madonna painting and was the breaking point of the Swedish invasion in 1655. Every year millions of people make a pilgrimage to the church walking hundreds of miles from all Poland.

The natural beauty of Poland in my opinion surpasses that of any other European country I've visited. From the mountains of Zakopane to the thousands of lakes in Mazury, all the way to the Polish sea, Poland has some of the largest and most pristine national parks in all of Europe.

Although beautiful in so many ways, Poland does have it's issues. Sadly, the country struggles with it's move into the 21st century regarding human rights. Poland could be compared to Russia, Iran and other extremely oppressive states when it comes to LGBT and racial rights. Fortunately it isn't illegal to be gay or of another race but there are politicians in power that would like to see it that way.

I had the honor of participating in the Warsaw Pride Parade and it was overwhelming to see so many people out in support of equality. Despite a record turn out, Poland has a long way to go before it's LGBT community will be given the respect it deserves. And tragically like the rest of Europe, there seems to be a growing movement towards radical conservatism not just from older generations, but young Polish as well.

Despite these issues, Poland remains one of my favorite countries and I have high hopes for it's future. I think through continued education and peaceful protest by it's progressive citizens, they will reach a place of equality and prosperity for all.

MUSIC CREDITS:
Gouttes - Hicham Chahidi
An Inch Away From The Window - Celadon City
Yann Tiersen - La Boulange

INTO THE CATACOMBS

We visited the Lund Cathedral and had an amazing experience. Visited on the exact day that one of these guys was buried 893 years ago. Amazing being in a place like that almost by yourself. Unfortunately my shots weren't to steady even with some post stabilization. But good news, my gimbal finally arrived and this will be the last time I have to do this by hand :)

HELSINKI

On our way to Poland we took a one day layover in Helsinki, Finland to visit some friends. Here is a short film about this city during those 24 hours.

3 DAY HIKE IN BESKID ŻYWIECKI

Beskid Zywiecki is only 2 hours away from my parents home in Czestochowa, Poland. Although, I used to live close to the mountains I only did day hikes in the past. The idea of trekking with a heavy backpack and sleeping in a mountain lodge sounded miserable to me. However, I like challenges and I always want to try something new so when my friend asked if we could maybe do some hiking I said ”this sounds crazy and fun. Lets do this!”

We got to Zburzyca Gorna town on Thursday night. The 4 of us got one room at Pensjonat “ Za Borem” (http://www.zaborem.pl). We each paid 50zl, good deal ($13 USD per night). After few shots of vodka and hours of giggling like kids we finally fell asleep.

Day 01

Friday morning, we started the day with a hardy breakfast at the same place where we spent the night. Our host, Pani Janina,  prepared breakfast for us: scrambled eggs, cheese, deli meats, veggies, tea and coffee for only 20zl (about $5USD/per person). The day started sunny but a bit windy, which can mean bad weather in the mountains and dangerous hiking conditions.  Regardless we drove to Krowiarki, the start of the trail.

The agenda was to hike 10.9 km to our first destination the mountain lodge at Hala Krupowa ( Schronisko PTTK na Hali Krupowej). I admit that the first 30 min of the hike were hard. My Backpack ( Osprey Farpoint 55L ) was filled with food, water, some clothes, electronics and it was quite heavy. The scenery was beautiful and the laughs made me forget about the pain.

The weather continued to be perfect and by 4 pm we reached our destination, the mountain lodge "Schronisko na hali Krupowej". The lodge was an old, charming wooden house surrounded by forest and green meadows covered with wild flowers. It was quiet and peaceful. After eating a meal, prepared by the local mountain ladies "goralki", we took a nap outside on the wooden benches. 

We spent the rest of the evening sitting in the meadows and enjoyed the beautiful view. We also met some other hikers at the lodge and we shared some stories and vodka.

Day 02

Waking up in the mountains is the best. You naturally wake up early and refreshed. There is this amazing connection to nature and even though your feet might still feel tired from the day before your mind tells you to get up to conquer another summit.

The second day we planned to hike to our next lodge "Schronisko Markowe Szczawiny". We changed our original trail a bit and we ended up hiking to "Masorny Gron" ( about 6.5 km ) and then we hiked down the ski slope to a near by town. We had to find a way to get to "Krowiarki" trail again and unfortunately there were no buses running that day. We were already a bit tired and didn't want to add any more kilometers so we decided to hitchhike. Luckily for us the first car that we tried to stop picked us up. We hiked another 6 km on an easy blue trail to the next lodge. 

Day 03

This was our last hiking day. We left our backpacks at the lodge and we headed up a yellow trail (second hardest) to Babia Gora. The hike was definitely the hardest that we did during our trip. We had to claim up some chains and the trail was really steep, especially towards the summit. However, there were many kids and people of all ages at the summit and as long as you are careful and bring enough water, anybody can do this hike. The views at Babia Gora are spectacular and the hike was totally worth it! One more thing. Don't ever ignore the weather in the mountains, especially when going to Babia Gora. The weather changes really fast and this mountain is known for strong winds and scary thunderstorms. There is nowhere to hide at the top of the mountain and many people have been  struck by lightning and died. So be careful out there!