We have been planning to get down to Zakopane for two years. I have heard only good things about this area from my colleagues, who have visited this area. The pictures of this area are phenomenal, and it just made it even more of a priority to visit before we move again. Therefore, my wife and I made two separate weekend trips to this area and thoroughly loved it. The first trip was using a train to Krakow and then a bus to Zakopane. Well – it is a bus! Not the best mode of transportation, but I was tired from the day’s work and travel. Therefore, driving was out of the question. Then again, a couple of weeks later, we decided to drive from Warsaw to Zakopane. We broke up the trip on the way down to Zakopane by stopping overnight in Tarnov. That did help. The road from Krakow to Zakopane is primarily a two-lane road. Hopefully, in the next year or so they will have the four-lane highways completed.
As I mentioned in previous posts, I am a Marriott snob. We did find properties located in Zakopane that were available. Both properties had their pluses and minuses. I did enjoy the one that was close to the downtown area. This gave us more access to the local restaurants and was still close enough for us to walk into Tatra National Park, which was about a 30-minute walk from the villa we had rented.
We had a very good breakfast at a place called “Bar Mleczny,” which translates into “milk bar.” I thought that was very appropriate for a breakfast place. It was conveniently located directly across the street from where we were staying. It was super convenient. Although it was a bit difficult to communicate due to the language barrier, they were super nice and helpful. They really showed their customer service abilities when our order was not correct. I ordered two ham & cheese toasties and my wife ordered one, plus scrambled eggs and bacon. I love bacon! When we got our order, we only received one toastie. However, I could tell that they really felt bad about this mistake or misunderstanding and that they wanted to just give it to me free. Well, that made me feel bad, so insisted on paying for it. We did get extra coffee and I thought that was a fair trade. The breakfast was good and filling. That made us ready for the long hike that we were about to undertake. I highly recommend this restaurant.
The mountains were an amazing view from downtown. It was so clear that you could make out the cross structure that is on top of Giewont Peak, which has been there for about 120 years. It did make me contemplate summiting that mountain, but not for long. I quickly talked myself out of that. Instead, we opted for a hike that was about 16 Km (10 miles) round trip from the villa to Siklawica Waterfall in the Strazyska Valley. The hike was easy, but there were areas that may take it to a moderate level. However, the trail (small road) was quite easy to follow. It was nice hearing the rushing water of the stream that the trail followed up to the area of the Siklawica waterfall. All along the way were blooming spring flowers. I found myself taking pictures of these flowers. I am not sure why it intrigued me, but I really could not stop myself from enjoying the flowers.
Just outside the park, there was a small shed where we were able to purchase smoked cheese. It is a customary practice for cheeses in this region to be unpasteurized, but they rely on the smoke from a small fire inside the shed. When I first saw this, I thought that someone was not paying any attention to the fire, because the fire was just smoldering, and the smoke was heaving in the shed. It was uncomfortable. However, there was a lady working there and it really did not seem to bother her. Found out later that day that they use that smoldering fire to smoke the cheeses in the rafters of the shed. We, therefore, returned on the way back to town to take a better look. Sure enough, in the rafters, there was cheese that was only visible if I looked up. My wife started to engage in conversation with the lady there using her best-broken Polish. Both had a wonderful time conversing back and forth. The lady showed us how she made the cheese in various molds that she had. We bought about five hundred grams (just over 1 lb.) of smoked cheese from her. It was good and cheap (shockingly cheap). Even later we found out that this area had to petition the European Union (EU)to allow them to sell unpasteurized cheese to people. The EU has banned the sales of unpasteurized dairy products throughout Europe, but an exception was granted for this region to continue this custom that goes back centuries.
Along the way we stopped by and checked out the ski jumps that have been one of the reasons that Zakopane has been so successful in the winter months. Both national and international competitions are common sights at these jumps. The 2023 Ski Jump World Cup was held there, along with several other major skiing competitions since the 1920s. The trail we were on went alongside the westernmost jump before it turned west towards the entrance into the Tatra National Park.
A couple weeks back my wife and I decided to take a trip into the mountains of southern Poland. Along the way was the city of Tarnow. I was pleasantly surprised about this area. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Along the way, we stopped at Zalipie – “the most beautiful village in Poland.” My wife found this location while searching for things to see around Tarnow. Zalipie is a very small village, with no accommodation and support. The folks that live there have carved out a niche for their area. They have an annual competition to paint their wooden cottages and other structures, including beehives, with decorative arrangements of floral motives. This tradition dates back over a century ago when all the females in this village. Now it is an annual competition. The community is very welcoming. The community center was a great place for us to start our tour. There was a lady who worked at the community center who was able to explain the local topography of the village. She provided us with a map of the village and a cup of coffee, which was nice after a three-hour drive. Not all the homes were participating in the painting competition, there were enough. We decided to take a long route around the village which was about 4 km (2.5 miles). Several of the cottages were open to visitors. All of which had some arts and crafts for sale. It was interesting to see these crafts and visit with the people. Most spoke decent English. One house really struck me as we watched a lady paint a monotone floral motive on the wall around the property. I was thoroughly impressed with her skills. She was a great artist. I think we stopped by about 12-15 cottages/properties to observe the motives that were painted on the cottage, the fences, or other structures on their property. We even saw one homeowner who painted six beehives. It was pretty cool.
We then drove onto Tarnow. It was a bit difficult to drive around the city due to all the construction. Google Maps didn’t adjust for the construction in the area, so we had to really concentrate on driving and getting to the hotel that we were going to use for the night. I’m generally a Marriott snob. However, there are no Marriott properties in Tarnow, so we stayed at a “3-star” hotel, but I was impressed with the accommodations. Hotel Tarnovia was a very comfortable place even with the small rooms. The staff was very professional and courteous. I was able to get a good night’s sleep before the journey that was planned for the next day. The city was very quiet during the night, and after being in Warsaw the silence was welcome.
During our walks around the city, we came across the “Cat Castle,” which was currently undergoing renovations. It was an interesting building with a lot of architectural details that are very uncommon for this area. It really stood out. It seemed gothic in nature, but then it didn’t. It seemed like someone had a dream to live in a castle and had enough money to at least start the construction. Hopefully, they will finish the renovations sometime soon, I would really like to see it sometime.
We took a coffee break at the Tramwaj Café. This was an authentic tram car that was used within the city many years ago. You can see the remnants of the tracks in some of the streets. This was a nice setting near the main city square and was a great place to take a break. The interior still has the old seats that were converted to be used with a tabletop, so that we could enjoy a nice morning coffee. It was a stop that was well worth the time.
Like many larger cities in Poland, there was a Jewish population within the city, which was literally decimated during the Nazi occupation. Tarnow hosted a couple of monuments to remember all those who lived in this area and were victims of the horrific occupation. There was a synagogue near the center of the city that was destroyed by an explosion. However, a portion of the temple remained, but it was severely damaged. It now stands under another structure that protects it from the elements. About two blocks from this site there is another memorial that commemorates the forced removal of all the Jewish people and probably other undesirables. This sculpture showed a line of people with a couple of guards. It is on the site where all these people were loaded into train cars and forcibly moved to other locations for forced labor or termination.
Later in the day, we started our drive to Zakopane, Poland, but on the way, we stopped at the “Castle of Wisnicz.” This castle is located between Krakow and Tarnow. The construction of it started in the 15th century and underwent several modifications and improvements. Primarily the walls around the main structure were constructed and upgraded several times. They had an interesting tour where you could use an audio guide to make your way around the building. The infrastructure for the audio guide was great. It would not play unless you were in the immediate vicinity of the area or subject that was being discussed in the audio guide. There was a lot of history that took place in this area. They really tried to replicate such of the interior items as they could, but many of these items were plundered during several wars or insurrections.
“Czerwony Wieprz” (The Red Hog) is an excellent Polish restaurant that is very hard to leave hungry! I thought the staff did a pretty good job. Could be better, but overall, not bad. The food was pretty good. I had the BBQ ribs which took me a while to finish. It was a full rack of ribs! It was a good thing that I didn’t order a side to go with it. I probably would not have been able to finish it. The price was very reasonable considering the quantity of food that was provided. This restaurant also has pretty good outside seating which seems to be a permanent fixture of the restaurant. At the entrance there is a wall of celebrity pictures. Bruce Willis and John Malkovich had visited the Red Hog in the past. They seem to be proud of the past visitors. There were a lot of pictures!
A couple of months ago we went to a pricy restaurant called STIXX Bar and Grill. It was a rather large establishment, with tons of seating. The service was excellent, well it is an expensive restaurant. This would be my number two choice for my top steak restaurants. Only the Butchery and Wine had a better steak. The steak menus are a little bit different here. They usually post the price based on a set weight, so the final bill is never what the menu shows. However, the math is correct. I had the Rib-Eye steak the last time we were there. I was very well prepared, and it was cooked to a medium rare. I did enjoy the atmosphere and I would like to return sometime in the future. I do remember that the waiter seemed to really know the wines that were available. I was impressed with his knowledge and his ability to pair wines with the food that we were wanting to order. My wife loves wine, so he had to impress her, and I think he did a pretty good job. It was a great experience and I’m sure we will be back at some point.
]]>Krakow has turned out to be my second home here in Poland. I’ve visited this area very frequently and have probably been there over a dozen times since my arrival nearly two years ago. My work really keeps me busy in this area. Two of the buildings that I take care of are very old. Parts of the building were originally built in the 15th century. Modern times have brought modern requirements. However, the need to maintain the original infrastructure is sometimes a daunting task and an enormous amount of bureaucratic red tape.
I generally travel between Krakow and Warsaw on the ICC train system. This is actually a very comfortable way to travel. Although the trains are often behind schedule. Sometimes it is easy to understand why and other times it’s a complete mystery. It is not uncommon for the trains to be behind schedule by 10-20 minutes. These trains can originate from the northern coast of Poland and will operate between these cities all day long. However, “all-in-all” is an easy and affordable way to travel around the county. I have used these trains to get to about ten other destinations around the country. This is much easier and cheaper than driving. The long-distance trains have some amenities, such as food and drinks on board.
Krakow has a mythological dragon that seems to be the mascot of the city. There is a statue of the “Wawel (pronounced “vavel”) Dragon” is situated on the bank of the “Wistuala” river adjacent to the castle. Legend states that this Dragon terrified the local population by destroying their homes and devouring the daughters of the local families. The King offered a reward that included the hand of his daughter to whoever could slay this dragon. A local farmer took up the challenge and stuffed a lamb full of sulfur and left it outside the entrance to its lair. The Dragon devoured the lamb. The sulfur caused the dragon to have an insatiable thirst for water. It then drank so much water from the river that it exploded. King Krakus then wed his daughter Wanda to the farmer, Skuba. This is one of the many tales of the Dragon of Krakow. Occasionally you can see fire spewing from its mouth. This is an attraction of the area. Although I didn’t know this until recently, the fire is set on a timer of about a 5-minute interval. There is also an SMS method that can be used to activate the fire breath up to every 15 seconds. Evidently, the city gets at least 2,500 SMS messages daily. I’m going to try this SMS next time I’m there.
Krakow also has a very dark past that most people are aware of. This is the location of some of the most notorious war crimes committed in modern times. Auschwitz and Birkenau are probably the two most infamous death camps in the area. These are tours that are well worth your time. Auschwitz is very sobering. Many of the buildings are still standing and have become part of the museum tour. The part that really tugged at my heart was the stockpiles of human hair, eyeglasses, shoes, and other articles that were there on display. This really gave me the reality of human loss in these areas, more than anywhere else that I have visited. I didn’t have the same feeling at Birkenau. However, the main entrance was well documented in several movies and documentaries. This part of the death camp system was very large and covered a lot of areas. There are only a few buildings that have either survived or been restored. Most were the barracks that the inhabitants were forced to live in if they weren’t selected upon arrival to be gassed in the gas chambers only a short distance from the train stop. The remnants of these gas chambers are still visible. A walking tour guide can point these out. There is also an abundance of signs in the area to give everyone information about the history of this area. One of the more disturbing areas is the mass grave or the disposal site of the ashes.
There are daily tours to these locations from probably every tourist information location in Krakow. It is very easy to get there. Do plan for a trip that will take 6-8 hours. I brought food and water with me and was glad that I did that.
Most people have heard about the Jewish Ghetto in Krakow. There are several walking tours that take about 2 hours to complete. I took one of these and was impressed with the tour guide. Her English was pretty good, and she seemed to be knowledgeable about the areas around the Jewish Quarter. She showed us some very good restaurants, interesting sites, historical buildings, and interesting architecture. There was one location not too far from the infamous “Schindler’s Factory” where a monument that has about 40 empty brass chairs in an open park near a bus terminal. It is referred to as the “empty chairs of Krakow.” Evidently, the Jewish families were allowed to bring one thing of comfort with them as they were being moved around and they often choose a chair. However, when the Jewish Ghetto was being “liquidated” the families brought these chairs with them but couldn’t bring them any farther. When the incident was over the only reminder was many abandoned chairs were left on the site where the families were loaded into the vehicles to be transported to any one of the numerous death camps in the vicinity.
The drive from Warsaw to Stare Sady, near Mikolajki, Poland was about 3.5 hours north of Warsaw. Google Maps made the journey possible without getting lost. Stopping at two locations along the way to get something to eat or drink and to take a break. We arrived at our destination of Stare Sady near Pod Jabloniami Port. It was a nice small hotel. This establishment also catered to up to twenty-five sailing boats in the area. After an extremely hot week in Warsaw, the cool area of Stare Sady was a very welcome feeling.
We were in luck and found a brewery just across the street called Browar Mikolajki. I love beer! I often jokingly say that my favorite beer is an “open one.” Well, we had a sample of their lager, and it was impressive. we had dinner – Cheeseburger and a Lager. Both were good.
After returning to the hotel, we enjoyed the remainder of the evening around the dock area where there was a campfire going next to the lake. It was nice to sit around and enjoy the ambiance. It did not get dark until 2300, due to the high northern latitude that we were at. However, once it got dark there was extraordinarily little light pollution, which made the stars in the sky impressive. Sunrise is early – 0400. That did make it difficult to sleep, but my wife did get impressive pictures of the sunrise.
The next day looked for attractions in our area to visit. I was surprised to see that “Wolf’s Lair” was so close. I thought it was farther east if not in Ukraine. It was about an hour’s drive north (fifty-two KM or thirty-two miles) from our location. Two-lane roads all the way and there was even a portion that was unpaved for about 10 KM (6 miles). We drove through wooded areas, farmlands, and small villages. It was really a pretty drive. Entry fees were very reasonable for the two of us. There was an audio guide that I was happy that we got these. There were only about 5 or 6 languages and English was one of them. These audio guides had GPS adaptations so that they would play the audio for the location we were viewing. We slowly walked around the area and the audio guide did the rest. I was amazed at the size of the bunkers which are now in ruins after the German forces attempted to destroy these as they were fleeing from the oncoming Russian forces in late 1944 and early 1945. The history of this area was extremely interesting. The box office hit “Valkyrie,” starring Tom Cruise was a recreation of the actual assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler in 1944. We were able to walk through the events of that day thanks to the setup of the park and the use of the audio guide. It was a site well worth the time and effort.
I am not a bird watcher by any means, but I was genuinely surprised to see the enormous number of nests that the storks had built in this area. Every town had a plan to support this population of birds. There were easily 70+ nests along the main road. Many of the nests were being actively used. Oftentimes we could see 3-5 heads sticking out from the nest. The only other place that I have seen this many storks was in the Algarve area of Portugal. They liked walking behind a tractor cultivating the ground or cutting the grass. Evidently, this disturbed the area enough that food was plentiful for the storks. Otherwise, they did not interact with people.
]]>Over the last couple of weeks, I had three opportunities to speak at two different Polish high schools. The first school was a technical high school in Poznan, Poland. This group I have spoken with on seven occasions since my arrival in Poland. However, this last week was only the second time that I was able to meet them in person. It is so much easier to communicate in person. Unfortunately, Poznan is just a little bit too far away to make routine trips there. Usually, I put together a PowerPoint presentation that covered five different subjects. I did have to be careful because I do know the saying “death by PowerPoint.” It does have a certain amount of truth to it, but there are challenges to making a presentation of a subject in a foreign language (English) over TEAMS. This time the presentation I put together a very simple presentation on US Geography, so I could easily talk in very general terms in person about the U.S. from the original 13 colonies, the major river systems, Lewis and Clarks travels, the entire U.S., to the Interstate systems that are a marvel of transportation, and probably the most well know highway, “route 66.” I ended up talking to these students for about three hours. I must have killed them! 
This allowed the students to ask and talk about a large variety of subjects. They were amazed by the culture and reliance on automobiles that the Americans had. They asked about driver’s licenses because these 18- to 19-year-old students were starting to get their own licenses. They were surprised by the similarities between the licensing requirements for both the U.S. and Poland, with the major exception of the age requirements. They were intrigued that we (Americans) could obtain a legal license to start driving at the age of fifteen ½ years old.
Shortly thereafter the visit to Poznan, I visited a high school in Lodz. This city is exceedingly difficult to pronounce as it sounds nothing like it looks in English. Lodz was about halfway between Warsaw and Poznan, which made it an easy place to drive. This U.S. studies class was a bit surprising. My first impression was with the three flags related to the U.S. on the wall of the classroom: the Texas state flag, the Confederate flag (stars and bars), and the “Don’t tread on me” flag. They all knew about the flags. I do not think they knew about the sensitivity that the Confederate flag has caused recently, and I really did not want to get into that discussion during my first visit to that school. I have to say that four or five of these students spoke English quite well.
Talking about the geography of the United States is easy. It was also a straightforward way to get the students to talk about areas of interest. They wanted to see or visit or have curiosities due to the publicity gained by various areas within the United States for a variety of reasons. New York was one of the more interesting areas to them. Probably because it has such a long and rich history and is an icon in America. It is also easy to pronounce correctly. It was also an area that was well-known to a lot of people throughout the world. Therefore, it piqued the interest of these students. Unfortunately, I really could not speak to any authority in the area, because I had never been there. However, that did not stop the questions and discussions.
National Parks are a subject that I enjoy talking about. I have visited about twelve of the parks throughout the pacific northwest area of the United States. I was able to share firsthand experiences at the parks that I visited. Using the National Parks website (www.nps.gov) I showed them how to explore the national parks within the U.S. using this site. It was handy! In the process of talking about the national parks I have also learned new facts and they gave me suggestions for future visits to the national parks in Poland.
It was difficult to find a good list of National Parks in Poland, but I did find a decent listing on Wikipedia (go figure) titled “National Parks of Poland.” I have already visited two of the parks – “Kampinos” and “Beibrza.” This summer we have plans to visit three or four of the National Parks here in Poland this summer and I am really looking forward to the trips. I will be writing more about these trips later after I can get pictures.
Right around the corner is our favorite restaurant in Warsaw. It is a very authentic Polish cuisine and I really like everything on the menu. “Stara Szafa” is a down-to-earth restaurant, with excellent service, and a wonderful atmosphere. Using Google translate “Stara Szafa” means old wardrobe. This is the decor of the restaurant. I felt like I was at my grandparents’ place. When my wife and I first went to the restaurant we were a little bit confused because we were not sure if this place was someone’s home or a restaurant. Fortunately, it was the latter and the server showed us to our seats. Because I have been there so many times, I have tried everything except the pork knuckle and the desserts. Those desserts really looked good, but I will just have to pass and get a scotch or a vodka instead – damn diabetes! I usually sneak a taste if my wife orders a dessert. Shame on me!
I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting because it does offer authentic Polish cuisine. The price is very reasonable. My wife and I usually have dinner and drinks for about 100-150 PLN ($25-40 USD) for both of us. I have taken about ten guests there over the last year and they have also enjoyed it there.
However, my favorite restaurant thus far has been “Butchery and Wine.” It received the “Michelin Star Award” I believe in 2020. Reservations are necessary at this restaurant, and I usually do that on the same day or the day prior. I have tried to walk-in, but have never been able to get a seat by just walking in.
The Butchery and Wine aged the beef on site. Although there is not a large variety of beef cuts (about 10) they do offer both domestic and foreign choices of an excellent selection of beef. I am good with the metric system, so I can talk with the waiter about the size of the cuts. They usually bring out a cut that is 300-400 grams (10-14 oz.). It is hard to turn down the larger cuts. The waiters are well-versed in the menu and the wine selections. My wife really enjoys the wines. I love beer! The chefs are impressive. I have ordered “medium rare” each time I have been there, and they did it right. It is warm and pink in the center, very juicy, and sealed with a well-browned outside. It is spot on every time. It is a bit pricy and very comparable to the costs of a US restaurant. The service has always been incredibly good. Well worth a trip there every couple of months.
]]>A short distance from my house is the location and museum of the Ghetto Uprising. There are several monuments to commemorate this event in human history. Although I have not yet visited the Ghetto Uprising Museum, I have visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum which occurred about 18 months later. We are planning to participate in a walking tour this weekend, so hopefully I will have more to discuss on this subject.
There are numerous monuments and tributes to all those who died during the Nazi occupation from 1939 until 1944 in Warsaw. This city was destroyed. There is a large hill south of town that has a peculiar flag raised above it. It really seemed out of place, so I asked one of my colleagues. She told me that this hill was where all the debris from the city was dumped. Over time it was overgrown. It really put the amount of destruction into context. Hitler had achieved his goal of complete destruction of Warsaw. However, he did not extinguish the spirit of the people who lived here. Their legacy lives on and the people of today are not going to let them be forgotten.
I was surprised to hear that the president of Germany was here to speak in the area where the uprising took place. He asked for forgiveness. That doesn’t change history, but it is a step in the right direction for the healing process. I’m sure there were some survivors in the crowd, and I really wonder what they thought. Regardless, I’m glad that he came to Warsaw to speak and apologize for the atrocities committed by Germany so long ago.
Now we have Ukraine suffering very similarly to the Polish people of 80 years ago. Although this is not a repeat of history, it really does rhyme. Dan Carlin made this comment about other relationships between historical events, “that history doesn’t truly repeat, but it sure rhymes.” He went on to explain that the circumstances were extremely difficult to create identical events from identical situations. However, he was surprised at how often things were very similar.
]]>During the summer of 2021, I moved from Kabul, Afghanistan to Warsaw, Poland. My family and I had already visited Poland one time prior in 2008 when we were taking a road trip from The Netherlands (Holland). We drove through Germany, Poland, and then into the Czech Republic. While in Poland we visited the Krakow area. The drive was quite memorable. I distinctly remember the condition of the highway. It was concrete and in horrible condition. I will write more about Krakow later.
Warsaw is a genuinely wonderful place to visit and live. The people are extremely friendly. It has an older Eastern European charm. You can see the old Soviet architecture in the area. Because of the devastation that Warsaw sustained during the Second World War, I would estimate that at least 95% of the buildings here are new. Unlike other popular destinations throughout Poland.
I really enjoy the river walk along the “Wistula” River (BTW – the “W” in Polish has a sound of a “V” in English). If you Google Wistula, “Vistula” will show up. Anyway, Spring is here, and I think everyone in the city was out walking along the river. I was surprised to see so many people out welcoming spring, but it was still enjoyable. Sunshine and a slight breeze – the weather was awesome! This area also has great bike paths, but I just enjoy walking. Got to get 10,000 steps daily. It is my exercise regimen. The first picture on the link is about 15 minutes from my house and has changed recently. There is a significant construction project taking place. The city is building a walking bridge across the Wistula to connect the area of Praga to connect the eastern and western sides of the river. I think they will finish this bridge in the next few months. The eastern shore has beaches and primitive trails in contrast to the western side which is concrete and developed.
A couple of weeks ago I visited “Kampinos” National Park which is situated on the western outskirts of Warsaw. The trail system in the park is well-maintained and accessible to all ages. The trails are very wide and flat. I have not encountered any difficult areas, yet. It was more like a walk than a hike. However, it was quiet. Birds are starting to make their presence known and this was nice to hear after a long winter. This park does host a variety of wildlife. However, thus far I have only seen squirrels, birds, and a snake. Still a bit early. I did notice areas that had been disturbed by something. Feral pigs that area in the area. The park is a truly short drive from downtown, 15-20 minutes. Well worth the trip.
Since growing up through the ’70s and ’80s visiting an arcade was a highlight. Well, I found a place in Warsaw to bring these memories back to life. The interactive museum of pinball or “pinball station” was the place to go. It has pinball machines that date back to the 50’s along with a lot of other arcade games. Many of which were the very ones that I spent my allowance on. These machines are all in working order. They even sold beer on-site. That was new, but I did enjoy playing these relics. It really brought me back to my childhood. It was even cheaper than I remember. It cost about $11-12 (49 PLN) and I was able to play for hours. They had one rule – “If you start a game, you must finish it.” My wife and I had a great time.
Through a recommendation from a colleague, my wife and I visited the medieval town of Torun. Torun is about a 3-hour drive from Warsaw. The roads are in exceptionally good condition outside of Warsaw, so it was quite easy to travel. However, the driving culture of Polish drivers can be a bit stressful. They can be overly aggressive. Although I was driving at 115-125 KPH (70-75 MPH) other drivers wanted to pass me and they would really get close to my back bumper, despite the speed. Sometimes I felt like they were in my back seat. A good consequence to this aggressive driving was that there was not anyone just “Sunday Driving” in the left lane. You would only use the left lane to pass other vehicles. This driving culture is quite common in Poland. It is a bit unnerving, and I must really concentrate while these yahoos are in my rear-view mirror!
Anyway – Torun. Torun has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. It is a medieval settlement established in or around the eighth century.
We visited the home of the most famous local figure – Nicolaus Copernicus. His notoriety was that he established the model that put the sun in the middle of our solar system, not the Earth. Prior to that, the Earth was the middle solar system. His home is now a museum that has displays that are in English, Polish, and German. Each display had an interactive activity to read or watch so that I could understand the area even better. I have found monuments for Nicolaus Copernicus in several cities throughout Poland.
Gingerbread: Well, I must admit I was never a fan of Gingerbread. However, we came across a store in Torun that had Gingerbread that was awesome. It was impressive. I loved them and could not stop eating them. Fortunately, it did not have any impact on my blood sugar. The sweet flavor is derived from honey rather than corn syrup, sugar, or fructose. The ones that I really liked the most had black pepper (“Pepper Bread”) added to the batch. These originated during the Middle Ages as “Knights” brought pepper from the middle east to Europe. They also sold Gingerbread cookies that were about 15 cm (6”) in diameter that had pictures of bees and other animals in the frosting. The images were amazing. Great gifts for family and friends. The store we stopped at was “Iga Sarzynska.” I will be ordering more Gingerbread from them. It was well worth the stop.
The old town has two half-circle walls with ramparts outside of these walls. There was like an alleyway where the two walls were closest. I’m pretty it was controlled access to and from the river. Most had had the major restoration completed during the last century. Some interesting buildings were the; Leaning Tower of Torun, which was really leaning, and the ruins of the Teutonic Knights Castle or Torun Castle. The ruins of the bridge crossing the “Wistula” (pronounced “Vistula”) river which runs completely across the country of Poland from the Baltic Sea to the mountains near the Czech Republic. These ruins represented one of the two bridges that crossed the 1,000+ KM (650+ mile) river. The other was in Krakow. Therefore, trade from the western part of Poland and Germany had to go through this bridge. This brought trade to the area between western and eastern areas around what is now Eastern Europe. The gate in the city wall for the bridge was built in 1432. There was a sign at the site that said that the bridge was destroyed by floods and/or ice on a fairly routine basis and had to be reconstructed each time.
We stayed in a charming hotel with one strange feature. The bathroom did not have a door. During all my travels in the world, the only place that I have ever encountered a bathroom without a door was during boot camp in Great Lakes, IL. Those of you who have served understand this dilemma. My wife has never encountered that. We made do with that shortfall by using the restrooms in the lobby. Oh well, it was a last-minute reservation, and it was the only room left. I will call in camping!
Restaurants in the city were plentiful. We stopped at “Sznyt na Winklu.” I have no idea how to pronounce this name. This restaurant is a traditional Polish restaurant with a genuinely delightful atmosphere. We really enjoyed the experience. Small dinner and drinks for almost 170 Zloty ($40). It was not only a great deal it was also incredibly good. Not to mention – good for my Glucose levels.