Jaśliska, or in the Middle of Nowhere [Poland]

Sometimes it’s enough just to watch a movie to feel that the place which you saw there is the one where you simply have to go. That’s what can happen to you after seeing ‘Strawberry Wine’ which shows a magic life of a small village in Southeastern Poland.

The most amazing thing about Jaśliska, the village where the movie was shot, is that it’s so remote from everything and seems that the life here stopped long time ago.

The first thing which you see in the village after you have got out of the bus is a pub and local boozers drinking a beer in front of it—in the same way as they have been doing it for a long time. Look around and you will see a church and old wooden houses—some of them were built even more than a hundred years ago. There are also a few small grocery stores here, relatively modern ones in comparison with the whole village, which makes this place even more unusual.

Another thing which makes Jaśliska so impressive is a breathtaking nature around. The village is crossed by the Biełcza river with the bottom full of stones put in such way as if someone tried to stop the flowing water here. There are trees and thick bushes growing near the river which makes this place simply idyllic.

Once you see the riverside, you’ll not be able to take your eyes of it easily. You could stay here forever, but the village is surrounded by endless fields, wild forests and huge hills full of some really impressive and even magic places silently calling you to discover them. Follow the main village road and you will reach another river—Jasiołka—with a stony riverside and wooden bridge.

Go further and you will see probably the most amazing lace here—a small chapel lost in the endless fields.

Stop for a while to feel how delicate is the border between the nature and culture here. Look around to see fields and forests surrounding you and follow local roads to reach them as well as some other places, so unusual in the modern world.