Muszyna (pronounced “Moosh- ina), is a small rural spa town in southern Poland of about 5,000. Great air, great natural mineral waters found here. They are rich in bicarbonates and oxalates of calcium, magnesium, sodium and iron. They also have traces of lithium and selenium.   My great grandmother lived here and Mum used to visit her in holidays. Great gran was part of a network of ‘alternate therapy’ practitioners (in her day, aka…herbalists).

The town lies in the valley of the River Poprad and at an altitude of about 450m above sea level in the Sadecki Beskid mountain range and only about 5km from the Slovak border.   Muszyna specialises in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, diseases of respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, neurological conditions, metabolic diseases, gynaecological and psychosomatic disorders. I’m not sure why they left cardio vascular out…they seem to have taken onboard everything else! 🙂

Krynica (pronounced “Cri – nee – tsa), a few kilometres down the road, is the biggest spa town in Poland; often called “the Pearl of Polish Spas”.
And its a popular tourist and winter sport destination situated in the heart of the Beskids mountain range. Took a gondola up to see the sights and beautiful autumnal hues are starting to appear. When I got down from the mountain, noticed this woman walking with a mushroom she’d just picked and told me she was making soup for lunch. Its mushroom picking season apparently. A very pretty town with lots of cafes, restaurants, gardens and water features.