– Little Adventures for Longer Lives –

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Ela and I want to stay fit and interested in life, so we take recreation regularly. Not vacations: we enjoy those when we can, but they’re big chunks of time that require lots of money and planning. As a supplement, we take recreation every week or two; it’s more spontaneous and easier to budget than a big vacation. And it improves the quality of our lives.

By definition, recreation refreshes and restores, and it’s essential to living longer, happier lives. We always keep at least one recreational event posted on our calendar. We go through the week’s routine (yes, even retired people have routines) anticipating our little adventures, preparing for our next excursion… our days more interesting because we have something planned. Mostly little things; biking to a nearby village, hiking a new trail (as a couple or with a group), site-seeing, even rest and relaxation. Because my partner and I like lots of physical activity, almost everything we do includes walking.

Day Hikes

The mountains in Zakopane are remarkably similar to the Northern Rockies and the trails are busy with hikers. I spent eight years in America living in the Salmon National Forest, so having mountains nearby makes my new home feel familiar. Ela has been to the Tatras in eastern Poland many times and likes to take me to her favorite trailheads. We don’t climb with ropes anymore or camp out at night; we prefer hotels with generous breakfast buffets. But we exercise, refresh our bodies, and circulate fresh air through our brains.

We would spend more time in Zakopane, but it’s too far from Strzelin to visit more than a couple times each year. Closer to home are the mountains on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. Karkonosze National Park and Karpacz feed our appetites for hiking and we can make it a day trip. Hiking, eating, and talking on the trail together are activities that take only an hour or two to plan.

Doing something for recreation is essential for good physical and mental health. It can be just about anything, but must be some sort of action or activity that is distinguishable from the daily routine.

No Separation, No Recreation

When we don’t feel like hiking, we tour… which is a fancy word for visiting places we can enjoy in a day. Usually with snacks or a sit-down meal. Where we go is not as important as THAT we go. That’s why it is called ‘getting away’.

The castles in Poland are major attractions. Experiencing history that dates back a thousand years is mind-boggling for me and probably most Americans; though I can see and touch the buildings, art, and furniture, it’s hard to wrap my mind around it. I can push a weeks-worth of old thoughts out of my mind during a half-day’s walk around a castle imagining its glory days. When I was a school boy, we read about a few of the famous artists and scientists from the late Middle Ages, but book learning was no substitute for standing where those historical figures stood, feeling their surroundings, and understanding them as humans just like us in another time. Feeling amazed at their technologies; however archaic it appeared in the display case, there was time when that primitive instrument was ‘high tech’. Touring historical sites is great recreation because it stimulates the body and the mind. On our never-ending tour of Poland, we visit two or three castles each year.

Laid-Back Adventure

In the district of Poland near the Czech border, there are spa towns built around mineral water springs and into the forested surroundings. Destinations like Polanica and Duszniki are suffixed with ‘-Zdroj’, which means ‘spa’ in Polish. People travel from all over Poland and surrounding countries during vacations for – you guessed it – recreation.

Ela set up a weekend in little town near the border of the Czech Republic. Our short stay was remarkably relaxing. We were refreshed and restored by the ambience of the cobblestone streets, generous walkways, and attention paid to simple things; a cultural maturity that exuded a peaceful calm.

The hotel served nutritional breakfast and late lunch, and guests scheduled sessions through the afternoon. Massage therapy, cryo-therapy, skin therapy, aromatherapy; all provided by professional hotel staff. And in the evening, we’d go out for a walk and enjoy dinner in the town. If we weren’t in the hotel getting healthier, we were out in the town getting happy. It cost a little more than hiking, but easy weekends being romantic are recreational, too.

Anything Different Will Do

Honestly, it doesn’t matter what type of recreation we take as long as we take it regularly. As long as we spend time away from the daily grind to refresh our perspectives and restore our energies, we are building happier and healthier lives. Recreate with enthusiasm and an open mind; it will open doors to new adventures and contribute to a longer, happier life.

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