Careening down a water slide is one way to pass a rainy day
We scattered for the shelter of a basement, tent or cabin, inside which 12 of us (at times) and several dogs had to spend the next several hours not killing each other. Our parents drank beer and laughed; us kids teased each other until it turned into a fight or the parents yelled; the dogs smelled.
As the rain continued to fall, we grew bored with talking and card-playing and wished for something to do, stuck in a campground or tourist trap where all the fun revolved around nice weather.
If only we had access to modern technology. Because nowadays, if you and family or friends are stuck in the Tatras or around the Mazurian lakes under a veil of rain, or maybe if you're sick of the great outdoors, each place has something you can do to kill time instead of each other. Zakopane has the Symulator. Mikolajki's Hotel Golebiewski has an indoor water park. One's lame, but better than most TV fare; the other's a gas.
Symulator
I was under the impression that this was a real live flight simulator where you could put your hands on the controls and guide jets through the fantasy world of close escapes, pinpoint landings and bull's-eye blowups. Instead it's just a giant vibrator - shaken but not stirred.
Located on Krupowki, the main drag in Zakopane, the Symulator is a space-shuttle-looking ride with 28 programs that give you an approximation of taking part in such daring adventures as a police helicopter and boat chase, a cosmic roller-coaster, a bobsled ride, downhill skiing, flying in a Hurricane jet (though that one was out of order).
WBJ photographer Jim Lowney and I tried the police action program. Once the door closes, the inside of the simulator is dark until a fuzzy picture shows up on the screen. We were in a helicopter pursuing criminals in a speedboat. The helicopter dove and turned, so the simulator shook us and flopped about accordingly. Suddenly we were in a speed boat, too, and it had the best brakes I've ever felt. What did feel slightly real was when our boat skipped over the wake of the boat we were pursuing. The criminals eventually disappeared behind an island and blew up for no good reason other than that they were criminals.
Afterward, Jim collected his camera gear, which had been shaken all over the inside of the simulator. We rated the merits of the simulator. "It's a TV that shakes," Jim said.
I pointed out that if you're of a sedentary nature, this is a good, quick activity you can do. "You can actually say you did something and be back in the bar in two minutes." And zl. 10 lighter.
We decided that maybe we weren't in the right frame of mind. So we headed to the nearest beer simulator and downed a couple of Zywiec and a shot of Zubrowka before heading back.
This time we asked for a recommendation and were told to try No. 2. In the simulator? Gross.
No, no, no, we were told, No. 2 is the Cosmic Super Express - a rapid ride on rails hanging in space. This one was a little better. By concentrating on the screen, I got the feeling of speed on a roller coaster reasonably well. The feeling of slowing and speeding up was accomplished by kicking up the rear and rearing up the front. And then gliding through the air was accomplished by just being still. After all that shaking, once we left the rails it felt like we were in mid-air.
I was a little more impressed by the space-age roller coaster, though more beer would be needed if I was going to feel the true excitement (in other words, vomiting) that a real ride or simulator provides.
Indoor water park
The Hotel Golebiewski's Tropikana near the Mazurian lakes is a kid's dream come true. Ninety minutes of water slides, pools, sauna, solarium, for only zl. 20. (Hotel guests can go for free.)
When you enter, you receive a big, fluffy, blue towel and a card with a magnetic strip. Duck into a changing stall and then stow your stuff in a locker. Insert the magnetic strip into the back of the locker's locking device, close the locker, turn the key and go. The key is attached to a leather band you can attach to your wrist.
After the obligatory shower, head for the pool(s). The Tropikana has a regular pool where guests can swim laps. Yawn. The fun stuff is inside. The first two slides require you to use your butt. Blue stairs lead up and split near the top - one leading to a higher start. At the top, you sit inside the chute, push yourself off and careen toward the pool. Tip: Keep your feet up and slide on the back of your butt or lower back. You come flying out of the chute and shoot into the pool. Yes!
For those into a boring race on inner tubes, there's a Formula 1-looking course in which the water propels you around. The water's only 0.9 meter deep, so it would take more of an effort to drown than stay alive.
In the middle of the inner-tube slide is a big, ugly cloud. The idea is that you scream around in a pitch-black chute only to emerge into an empty cloud with a hole in the bottom. You then zip around the inside of the cloud and drop into the water, like a fat raindrop.
The problem with this is that halfway down I just stopped. They need to oil (or whatever) the chute. I had to push my way to the end and into the cloud, where I just shot straight down to the opening and into a 2.2 meter-deep pool. The idea is excellent; the execution inadequate.
Never mind that. The best ride is the big slide with four lanes. You ride down on inner tubes, building up speed on the way down until inner tube meets the water - the tube stops and you fly into the water. Great fun.
I climbed the steps with my inner tube and rode down until I was tired and hungry and my inner tube started looking like a frosted donut ... and the lifeguard personnel started warily eyeing the fat old loner.
The facility also has whirlpools, sauna, solarium, massage tables and a bar for the accompanying responsible adult. If you're in the area, take your kids. They'll love you for it. Hell, I'd love you for it if you took me.
To slide:
Hotel Golebiewski is at ul. Mragowska 34 in Mikolajki. Call 087-21-65-17.
As the rain continued to fall, we grew bored with talking and card-playing and wished for something to do, stuck in a campground or tourist trap where all the fun revolved around nice weather.
If only we had access to modern technology. Because nowadays, if you and family or friends are stuck in the Tatras or around the Mazurian lakes under a veil of rain, or maybe if you're sick of the great outdoors, each place has something you can do to kill time instead of each other. Zakopane has the Symulator. Mikolajki's Hotel Golebiewski has an indoor water park. One's lame, but better than most TV fare; the other's a gas.
Symulator
I was under the impression that this was a real live flight simulator where you could put your hands on the controls and guide jets through the fantasy world of close escapes, pinpoint landings and bull's-eye blowups. Instead it's just a giant vibrator - shaken but not stirred.
Located on Krupowki, the main drag in Zakopane, the Symulator is a space-shuttle-looking ride with 28 programs that give you an approximation of taking part in such daring adventures as a police helicopter and boat chase, a cosmic roller-coaster, a bobsled ride, downhill skiing, flying in a Hurricane jet (though that one was out of order).
WBJ photographer Jim Lowney and I tried the police action program. Once the door closes, the inside of the simulator is dark until a fuzzy picture shows up on the screen. We were in a helicopter pursuing criminals in a speedboat. The helicopter dove and turned, so the simulator shook us and flopped about accordingly. Suddenly we were in a speed boat, too, and it had the best brakes I've ever felt. What did feel slightly real was when our boat skipped over the wake of the boat we were pursuing. The criminals eventually disappeared behind an island and blew up for no good reason other than that they were criminals.
Afterward, Jim collected his camera gear, which had been shaken all over the inside of the simulator. We rated the merits of the simulator. "It's a TV that shakes," Jim said.
I pointed out that if you're of a sedentary nature, this is a good, quick activity you can do. "You can actually say you did something and be back in the bar in two minutes." And zl. 10 lighter.
We decided that maybe we weren't in the right frame of mind. So we headed to the nearest beer simulator and downed a couple of Zywiec and a shot of Zubrowka before heading back.
This time we asked for a recommendation and were told to try No. 2. In the simulator? Gross.
No, no, no, we were told, No. 2 is the Cosmic Super Express - a rapid ride on rails hanging in space. This one was a little better. By concentrating on the screen, I got the feeling of speed on a roller coaster reasonably well. The feeling of slowing and speeding up was accomplished by kicking up the rear and rearing up the front. And then gliding through the air was accomplished by just being still. After all that shaking, once we left the rails it felt like we were in mid-air.
I was a little more impressed by the space-age roller coaster, though more beer would be needed if I was going to feel the true excitement (in other words, vomiting) that a real ride or simulator provides.
Indoor water park
The Hotel Golebiewski's Tropikana near the Mazurian lakes is a kid's dream come true. Ninety minutes of water slides, pools, sauna, solarium, for only zl. 20. (Hotel guests can go for free.)
When you enter, you receive a big, fluffy, blue towel and a card with a magnetic strip. Duck into a changing stall and then stow your stuff in a locker. Insert the magnetic strip into the back of the locker's locking device, close the locker, turn the key and go. The key is attached to a leather band you can attach to your wrist.
After the obligatory shower, head for the pool(s). The Tropikana has a regular pool where guests can swim laps. Yawn. The fun stuff is inside. The first two slides require you to use your butt. Blue stairs lead up and split near the top - one leading to a higher start. At the top, you sit inside the chute, push yourself off and careen toward the pool. Tip: Keep your feet up and slide on the back of your butt or lower back. You come flying out of the chute and shoot into the pool. Yes!
For those into a boring race on inner tubes, there's a Formula 1-looking course in which the water propels you around. The water's only 0.9 meter deep, so it would take more of an effort to drown than stay alive.
In the middle of the inner-tube slide is a big, ugly cloud. The idea is that you scream around in a pitch-black chute only to emerge into an empty cloud with a hole in the bottom. You then zip around the inside of the cloud and drop into the water, like a fat raindrop.
The problem with this is that halfway down I just stopped. They need to oil (or whatever) the chute. I had to push my way to the end and into the cloud, where I just shot straight down to the opening and into a 2.2 meter-deep pool. The idea is excellent; the execution inadequate.
Never mind that. The best ride is the big slide with four lanes. You ride down on inner tubes, building up speed on the way down until inner tube meets the water - the tube stops and you fly into the water. Great fun.
I climbed the steps with my inner tube and rode down until I was tired and hungry and my inner tube started looking like a frosted donut ... and the lifeguard personnel started warily eyeing the fat old loner.
The facility also has whirlpools, sauna, solarium, massage tables and a bar for the accompanying responsible adult. If you're in the area, take your kids. They'll love you for it. Hell, I'd love you for it if you took me.
To slide:
Hotel Golebiewski is at ul. Mragowska 34 in Mikolajki. Call 087-21-65-17.
