Мой первый журнал SUNRISE November № 1 2018 | Page 22
PHILOSOPHY
The Synonym for “Paradise”
Joanna
Czestochowa (Poland)
Poland is a country divided into three
geographical parts: lowlands, highlands and
mountains. The last one consists of the three
m o u n ta i n r a n g e s : t h e Ś w i ę to k r z y s k i e
Mountains, the Carpathians and the Sudeten.
The Tatras are the highest mountains in
Poland and are the part of the Carpathians.
The highest and, in my opinion, the most
beautiful and charming place here. “Love at
first sight?” you ask. No. At first I disliked how
sharp and threatening they looked, being used
to the gentle and green hills of the Beskids,
another part of the Carpathians. But when I
had my very first trip deep into this mysterious
and new “world” of fauna and flora I
completely lost my head for it.
The Tatra Mountains are visited by 3,5
mln of tourists per annum and it`s not
surprising as this place truly imparadises. My
love started in 2013 and it keeps growing every
year when I come back to the place where I
left my heart. People say they love the Tatras
for the way they make them feel. That's
exactly so. The magical moment comes on
your crossing the line of the Tatra National
Park. There you are taken into another world.
The world where there're no problems of
everyday life, there's no hatred between
people, no worries about the future, no limits
of yourself. There is only “here” and “now”. The
trial, the sun, the adventure. To me the Tatras
are the only place where I can truly rest. "How
come?" you ask. You have to walk a long
distance and climb the highest, absolutely
weary, sweaty and weak. “Nothing to be on
cloud nine”, you say but still there's a weird
power, satisfaction, freedom, pure bliss and
serenity. After a whole-day trip I come back
fatigued but in high spirits.
On the top you realize that you are
ultrasmall in comparison with the whole
universe. You start feeling submissiveness and
are overwhelmed by the surrounding beauty
that the cat gets your tongue. No doubt
someone can object, "I have an acrophobia, I
can't climb". Here we go. I invite you to direct
your steps to the charming and undemanding
valleys like Kościeliska Valley, Białego Valley or
Strążyska Valley. The views, the freshness of
the swift-flowing streams, the closeness of
nature and wild animals make you forget
where you come from, where you work, what
your name is...(joke) Nevertheless it`s just like a
therapy and I find a close connection with one
of the English proverbs: “an apple a day keeps
the doctor away”. The Tatras (at least once a
year) do the same thing. Mountains are the
best teacher. They teach you that impossible
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SUNRISE
can become possible. You only have to believe.
As a believer you wander from the gloomy and
cloudy valley to the warm and sunny peak,
above the clouds level. You reach the peaks
you may have never thought of. They will teach
you humility too. The fact is you can climb any
mountain but without humility you'd better
stay lowland. The mountains are beautiful and
can double what you`ve given to reach them
but they are unpredictable too. The weather
can change at any moment, from hot summer
to cold autumn and nothing can be taken for
granted. Finally, mountains teach you the
truth. They help you to get to know the real
nature of yourself as a human being better
and gain the perspective of life. That can only
be shown in the extreme conditions of the
trail, the weather, the time and the presence
of another human.
In the song “Shotgun” by George Ezra
there are the following lines: “There's a
mountain top that I'm dreaming of, if you need
me you know where I'll be”. These are the
dreams and that's where I would love to be as
often as I could. There are still a number of new
places to hike, so many trails to walk, so many
peaks to reach but even if I come back to the
same place more than once, I experience the
feeling of amazement and admiration
because there are no same views. Each
moment is different and is like a treasure to
the one who can certainly value this. Come
and see for youself!
Joanna`s email: [email protected]
November 2018 №1