Lavender Hills

A few years ago, I received a series of books called "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson as a gift. It's a quick read that really got me hooked, and one particular photo of a lavender field was especially burned into my memory. It was taken in France, a country famous for its lavender. Ah, those purple rows of flowers stretching to the horizon... A dream, right? But Poland isn't France or Bulgaria. Oh, btw, did you know Bulgaria is the world's largest producer of lavender? In Poland, unfortunately, lavender fields don't stretch to the horizon. Our climate is, well, less Mediterranean. However, that doesn't mean we're completely out of luck. You just have to look hard enough, and it turns out you can find places that smell and look like Provence right here at home.

One of those places is Lawendowe Wzgorza (Lavender Hills) in Szczawnica. The name might be a bit of an exaggeration, as it's really just one hill, but it's impressive nonetheless. You can walk along a winding path that goes uphill, admiring nearly 8,000 lavender plants! Three varieties—Grosso, Hidcote, and Edelweiss—create picturesque rows, and the scent... Well, you have to go there to experience it. You certainly won't find a moth or a mosquito anywhere near! Interestingly, a photographer is behind this whole lavender craze. She was the one who initiated the creation of this place. Maybe she read Peterson too? Getting back to the lavender itself, it doesn't just smell good; it also buzzes intensely. That buzzing is from the busy bees, of which there were a whole lot buzzing around the flowers. Right at the edge of the field, there are quite a few beehives, so the bees have everything they need right under their noses. The result of their work is lavender honey.

This place is a perfect example that you don't have to go to the ends of the earth to find something unique to photograph. Lawendowe Wzgorza has one more non-lavender attraction: a view of the Trzy Korony (Three Crowns) mountain massif!