Because
Mackenzie had the week with her class in Iceland, I wanted to go somewhere that
wasn’t on the top of her “must-see” list, and decided on Poland! Having finished my first quarter of school, I
have a new class schedule (Monday/Wednesday classes) which easily allows me to
travel from Wednesday afternoon to Sunday evening. I did just that, leaving
Wednesday at 4:00 PM, and I’m currently on the train home, which will get in
Sunday at 6:00 PM.
While you may be deceived into thinking Sweden and Poland aren’t too far away (I mean, they’re both on the Baltic Sea, right?), rest assured that the train rides to and from have been… an experience. 24 hours in each direction, with the first journey requiring 6 train changes, 4 of which were throughout the night.
One of the many trains on the journey to Wroclaw
(slightly smaller than average train size)
I left
Wednesday from Lund at 4:00 PM and had an easy first couple legs of the journey
to get into Germany. The best part was travelling from Rødby, in Denmark, to Lübeck, in Germany. Unlike our normal route to
get into Germany, this time I took a train that actually went onto a ferry. The
whole train rides right up into the belly of a large ferry that then set off a
few minutes later for a 45-minute journey across a skinny portion of the Baltic
Sea. We were allowed to get out and walk around the ferry, and there were
plenty of restaurants and stores similar to what you would see in an airport,
all selling duty-free goods.
From Lübeck, the travel was a bit harder, which a
couple long middle-of-the-night stops in terminals that were small and closed
at night. It was a bit of a long night and there were some complications during
the day (I missed a train because I didn’t read a sign right), but I still managed to arrive in Wroclaw, my first Polish
city, around 2:30 PM!
My first
impression was immediately how Eastern European it felt. Prior to this, the
eastern-most city I’ve visited was Prague, which paled in comparison to Wroclaw
in terms of the lasting Soviet influence. All the cars were ancient, the city
looked like it had been painted in grey-scale, and the general feel was
overcast (the cloudy skies didn’t help). I walked to my hostel, dropped off my
things, and walked another 10 minutes into the the Old Town to begin
exploration.
One of the many dwarfs scattered throughout Wroclaw
One of the
peculiarities of Wroclaw is its many famous dwarf statues. Scattered throughout
the Old Town are about 300 small statues, each about 1 foot high, of dwarfs in
different positions. Throughout the day, as I walked through the city, I was
commonly surprised by a new dwarf peeking its head out of a storm drain or
dangling from a light post. It certainly made the walking from place to place
more fun. My first stop was Rynek Glowny, the main market square. It was a surprisingly
large square framed by buildings similar to what I was used to from Bruges –
colorful, with flat faces and steeply slanted roofs. There are a couple large
churches on the square, which I stopped into, before continuing onward.
Bruges-esque row of buildings along one side of Rynek Glowny
My next stop
was likely my favorite: a massive indoor market called Hala Targowa housing row after row of the
most colorful fruit I’ve ever seen, as well as dozens of flower booths and an
upstairs filled with miscellaneous shops ranging from custom shoemakers to
cured meat sellers. I found a small bakery that sold a variety of homemade
baklava, and decided to grab a couple: one coconut flavored, and the other
almond, mocha, and rum. Both were fantastic, and the baker was fluent in
English (something very uncommon in Wroclaw) so we had a nice conversation
about our respective travels.
Looking down on the colorful food market, Hala Targowa
From here, I
walked to Cathedral Isle, an island which, you guessed it, has a large
Cathedral in the middle (as well as a few smaller churches). After hitting all
the churches, all of which were pretty but none incredibly memorable, I continued
my walk back over the water, through a park, and towards the center of town
again. I grabbed a coffee at one of the cafes with outdoor seating on the Main
Square and people watched for a while. At one point, a friendly homeless man came
up to me, and we exchanged some coins for a few basic Polish phrases. Around 6,
I headed to Setka, a dinner recommendation courtesy of the hostel reception.
View across the Oder River to Cathedral Isle
A cozy pub with
a half circle bar that made socializing easy, I knew I come to the right place.
I had the person next to me order her favorite meal for me, as they only had a
Polish menu and no one’s English was very good.
I ended up with one of my favorite meals of the semester: amazing Polish
pierogis. Not only were they delicious, but the whole entrée only came out to
$2.50. I haven’t commented on the pricing here in Poland yet, but it’s
outrageous. Meals were always under $3, beers under $1. At this pub, I got an
appetizer, two entrees, and a couple beers for around $7. After the pierogis, I
knew I needed more, and this time the bartender recommended their ribs (also
great). Despite everyone around me speaking Polish, I managed to keep a
conversation with the bartenders (whose English was alright) throughout most of
the evening. I stayed for a couple hours, chatting with the bartender some, and
taking the rest of the time to relax, sip on a beer, and think about the good
day.
Another side of Rynek Glowny in Wroclaw-- equally as colorful!
After a restful
sleep, I woke up on Friday early, grabbed a hearty hostel breakfast, and headed
to the train station to board my 8:28 train over the Krakow. I arrived around
noon and quickly checked into my new hostel before heading out to explore the
new city. Before I go any further, I’ll say that I have no doubt that Krakow is
the most underrated city in Europe, and will absolutely be a tourist hotspot in
ten years time. With a rich history, incredibly nice people, wonderful food,
unbeatable prices, and beautiful architecture, there was so much to love about
this gem.
The long central marketplace in Krakow Main Square
I started at
the Old Town Square once again, which this time was a massive open square with
one long marketplace in the middle. All around the square were countless street
performers, ranging from 20-something-year-old guys breakdancing, to opera
singers, to full on 5-person bands. There were also kids riding scooters
around, men selling massive bubble makers (which attracted said kids), and rows
upon rows of horse-drawn carriages. Lining the square were cafes, old churches,
and restaurants. After quickly surveying the busy square, I walked onward
towards another popular destination: Florian’s Gate, the last remnant of the
Medieval city walls. This is where my city tour was meeting.
Taken from the middle of the Main Square. St. Mary's Basilica
in the background with flower sellers in the foreground
The tour guide
was Gosia, a seasoned guide with 10 years of experience and a lifetime of
residing in Krakow. It was both the longest (2.5 hours) and best free tour I’ve
been on, and we walked from the old city walls, across the city center, and to Wawel
Castle on the opposite side of town. Along the way we learned of Poland’s rich
history, starting back in 966, through the Medeival Ages (its Golden Period),
up to the hardships of WWII and the subsequent Soviet occupation, and all the
way to current day. Favorite stops on the tour were:
·
Wawel
Cathedral, above whose doors hang two massive bones, which, according to
legend, are dragon bones (we learned they’re actually mammoth bones, which is
still super cool).
·
Krakow
University, where both Pope John Paul II and Copernicus studied (neither
graduated).
·
St.
Mary’s Basilica, at which every hour a man with a bugle plays a melody with a
very abrupt ending. Why? Because (according to legend, of course) when the
Mongols invaded Krakow in 1241, the tower was used as a watch post, and the
watchman, seeing the Mongols, sounded the alarm with his bugle. However, during
his alarm his throat was pierced by an arrow, and the alarm ended abruptly.
Wawel Cathedral and its diverse architecture. An interesting
look into the charging architectural phases of Poland
The tour ended
at 4:30, and we got a parting gift of a fantastic city map which marked the best
restaurants in town, best cafes, hidden gems, and a multitude of other great
information. Having thoroughly explored the Old Town, I headed over to
Kazimierz, the Jewish district. Despite being filled with old Semitic men
donning yamakas with long white beards, Kazimierz is surprisingly hip. In fact,
it’s now the cool part of town, and densely packed with the best food and drink
of Krakow. Following the map, I stopped into a bar at 5:00, not for any drinks,
but instead for the “best cheesecake in town”. For $2.00 I got a cappuccino and a
generous slice of cheesecake, and it was fantastic. Of course, I sat at the
window and watched the world go by as I slowly savored every bite of the
delicious dessert.
My delicious cheesecake and cappuccino -- only $2.00!
Following the
treat, I walked around Kazimierz as dusk turned into night, exploring the many
winding alleys and hidden synagogues. Along the way, I popped my head into any
potential dinner spots, and by 6:30 my stomach told me it was time to make up my
mind. First I went to Pub Wrega, a local favorite known for its pork knuckle. I
wanted to have a social dinner, as I like chatting, so the pub atmosphere was
my go-to. However, it was quiet and didn’t feel right, so I instead headed
across to a Jewish self-serve restaurant. At Pub Wrega, I had seen a couple
guys outside with bikes speaking what I recognized as some Scandinavian
language (they still all sound the same). I made a small note of it, thinking
it was interesting that they had bikes, before heading to my second choice for
dinner.
Hebrew Street Art in Kazimierz
After being
seated, it once again didn’t feel right (it was super quiet in there), and I
awkwardly got up and left, a little sad that I didn’t just stay at Pub Wrega.
However, as I left, I ran into the two guys outside again, and had to ask them
if they were Swedish. They were Danish, but we got to talking, and it turns out
they were biking all across Europe and into Asia! They had been on the road for
1.5 months, starting in Copenhagen, and would end their journey in Tehran, Iran
at the end of July. They said they were looking for Jewish food and I told them
this was the place to be. After talking for a couple minutes, I told them I was
going back to the pub because I wanted to talk to people, and realized that I
had just found who I could talk to! I asked to join their dinner, they said yes,
and we ended up spending 4 hours in there, talking from 6:45 until 10:45 when
we were kicked out. We talked about everything from our respective travels, to
what tailgating is, to the largest aquatic sporting event in Scandinavia, and
everything in between. They were an incredible couple guys on the journey of a
lifetime, and it was weird saying goodbye and wishing them luck after having
learned so much about them (and vice versa) in such a short time. Regardless,
it was a great dinner (I had a Jewish stew) and I’m glad I didn’t end up going
back to the pub.
The still-bustling Main Square at midnight
I expected to
get back to the hostel around 9:00, hang out in the hostel bar for a couple
hours, then call it a night. However, because I arrived back after 11:00, the
bar had cleared out and all the young patrons had gone clubbing (something
super popular over here that’s not really my scene). Wanting to avoid that, I
decided to walk around the city some more, and wandered the midnight streets
looking for either a quiet bar or a dessert place. I learned that all the
dessert places closed hours before, and any quiet bars were only occupied by
65-year-old Polish men. Regardless, I’m still a big fan of aimless wandering
and had a good time. I got back to the hostel around 12:30, found a quiet
corner (outside of the club area, which was in the building connected to the
hostel), and ordered a beer to people watch some more and mull over the day.
Chilling sign above the entrance to Auschwitz:
"Arbeit Macht Frei" -- "Works Sets You Free"
I awoke early
again on Saturday and rushed to the train station to catch an 8:08 train to
Oswiecim (or, as it’s more popularly known by its German name, Auschwitz). I
arrived at 10:00 and didn’t have a tour group, so split my time evenly between
walking through the grounds myself and temporarily latching onto
English-speaking tours. It’s difficult to put the experience into words, but it
was a horrifying glimpse at the atrocities that man can commit. I spent three
hours in Auschwitz Death Camp, and left hardened and depressed. Not an
enjoyable experience by any means, but an important one, and I’m happy I did
it.
Different angle on Krakow's Main Square
I took the two-hour
train back to Krakow, grabbed my things from my hostel, relaxed in the Main
Square for an hour, watching the multitude of street performers, and then
walked to the train station for my final train out of Krakow, departing at
6:15.
What an incredible country, and a great experience to go through it on my own. Going solo through Poland has taught me two critical things:
1.
Solo
travelling is a great way to sharpen self-reliance, to push
one’s comfort zone to the edge, and to improve social skills.
2.
I
still like having a travel buddy more (particularly Mackenzie).
That said, many
of my favorite memories from this trip are from being solo, and I’m very
grateful for that. I love Poland, and I say with confidence that I will return.
For now, I am
on hour 3 of my 24-hour trek back up to Copenhagen. Thankfully, the course is
much better, and I miraculously only have 2 train changes throughout (none of
which are at night). On Wednesday, Mackenzie and I are back on the rails. Our
next destination is the Netherlands, and we have our eyes on Amsterdam,
Haarlem, and Utrecht. I’m really excited to see what it has in store for us!
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