Bart Nabrdalik advises travelers to delve into the depths of Eastern Poland in his article Bieszczady Mountains: Poland’s Hidden Corner for Escape from America Magazine. This area has natural beauty, historical sites, and best of all, few tourists.

“Sanok offers quite a lot to see for such a small town. On the medieval Rynek, or Market Square, stands the Franciscan Church and monastery, built in the seventeenth century. The prominent church tower dominates the town both spiritually and architecturally. In the Hotel Jagielonski, lying on the street bearing the same name is a very good restaurant where I tasted regional specialties such as pierogi ruskie, or dumplings stuffed with minced potato, onion and wild mushroom filling, or some of the mouth watering mountain trout, accompanied by the usual vegetable and potato additions. The hotel also offers the most comfortable night rest in the town, for a very reasonable price, so it is a good idea to book ahead – call (013) 463-1208.

The best view of the castle can be had from the riverside meadows. The castle is only partially preserved, the remaining buildings house Poland’s biggest collection of icons, somewhat irrelevantly mixed with the paintings of Zdzislaw Beksinski, a prominent local avant-garde painter. Nearby stands the orthodox cathedral of the Holy Trinity, built in 1784 originally for the Greek Catholic community. Inside are many monumental icons, mainly from the nineteenth century. Entering the church is like entering another century, the ambiance being so quiet and meditative.”