The first field in Ratułów

I'd like to say that every year I try to make it to Zakopane to see the croci in bloom, but it wouldn't be true. I've been here seven springs now, and only a couple of times (and I believe that's a literal "couple" — I can't recall off the top of my head) I've made it to Zakopane in order to see the carpets of purple that appear every year.

This year being our last, Kinga and I were determined to make a Sunday trip to the Zakopane region to see the croci in bloom. We planned on going Sunday 10 April, but it began snowing and we canceled the trip. The next week proved to be better — partly cloudy, breezy, but now precipitation.

The plan was to go to visit Kinga's mother's family in Ząb ("Tooth"), the highest village in Poland, stopping on the way to look at the fields of crocus.

First stop: Ratułów (pronounced "ra-too-woof"). There was a sparsely covered field that caught our attention, so we parked and strolled through the meadow for a few moments.

Close-up in Ratułów	Dung and beauty in Ratułów
Croci in Ząb	A blanket of flowers in Ząb

But it was nothing compared to what awaited us in Ząb. Behind Kinga's uncle's house was a field so covered with flowers that there was literally no where to walk.

Croci are the first blooming flowers in the spring, and in Poland, they can even be in full bloom before there are buds on the trees, as is the case this year.

Some varieties of croci are the source of the very expensive spice saffron.