BOU AVENUE
Kudowa-Zdrój
After visiting Szczeliniec Wielki on the morning of 15 August 2023, Zosia Zgolak and I returned to our accommodations in Kudowa-Zdrój and relaxed for a few hours before venturing out again to tour the city.  Besides being close to Szczeliniec Wielki in Table Mountains National Park, Kudowa-Zdrój is renowned as a spa destination due to its healing mineral waters.  Other attractions include Kaplica Czaszek (Chapel of Skulls), several municipal parks, and a bustling town centre.
Scared yet? Located in the Czermna district of Kudowa-Zdrój is Kaplica Czaszek (Chapel of Skulls).

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Look, there are some black people in Poland!

Some debate exists regarding the origins of the Chapel of Skulls, but the prevailing narrative is that it was built in 1776 by a local priest named Václav Tomášek after he and others had collected the bones from people who had perished in wars during the 17th and 18th Centuries as well as those who had succumbed to disease and hunger.
The leg bone's connected to the...hip bone... Public photography inside the Chapel of Skulls is prohibited, but this photo from Wikipedia shows what the interior looks like (minus all the tourists crammed into the room).  The skull of Václav Tomášek is apparently among those on the altar.  At the end of a sermon-like speech by the tour guide, a trap door in the floor is opened to reveal a pit filled with countless more bones.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Kilroy was here!

Leśny Lud (Forest People) is a sculpture found at the bottom of Góra Parkowa (Mountain Park).

 

We skipped it, but if you go a little further east, the forest opens up with views to the north.

Sonny and Zosia take a selfie near the high point of Góra Parkowa.  The high point is devoid of views and is also crowded by a telecommunications installation.
And also a little creepy... Deep in the woods at the west end of Góra Parkowa is this old abandoned chapel which is sealed and sadly neglected.
Which one's the beer tap?

A mineral water pump room is located in the heart of Kudowa-Zdrój.  For a small fee, tourists can sample naturally carbonated mineral water at different temperatures from four separate taps.
Yummy, except for the warm Fanta! Zosia is about to eat a late lunch at the local Bar Mleczny (Milk Bar) which is essentially a homestyle cafeteria.  Zosia is eating bigos (hunter's stew) which is usually made from assorted meats stewed with sauerkraut and cabbage.  The other dish is simply a breaded pork cutlet with mushrooms and bulgur.
The ice cream was nothing special.

Zosia and Sonny enjoy some lody jagodowe (blueberry ice cream).
Chopin, eat your heart out! In the Ogród Muzyczny w Parku Zdrojowym (Music Garden in the Spa Park), Sonny tinkles the ivories on a faux piano.
Beautiful and talented.

Zosia can play the harp with an ice cream cone in hand.
Better than watching TV! Tężnia Solankowa is a public installation where saline constantly drips down a black curtain.  People sit nearby to supposedly absorb all the created healing anions.  If nothing else, it is a great spot to cool off on a hot summer evening.
Aloha!

With the heat and palm trees, this feels more like Hawaii than Kudowa-Zdrój.
Na zdrowie! Zosia and Sonny wrap up a long day with some beer and snacks at their bed & breakfast, Willa Dunajec.