Poland Adventures

I’ve been travelling again, this time to Poland. Technically I’ve also been travelling to Leicester and Norwich, however I’ve decided to blog about my Polish odyssey instead.

When I told people I was visiting Poland, I got a lot of blank looks and questions of “why do you want to go there?” (to be honest, I get asked that question with a lot of places I go to). But why not Poland?

First of all. Warsaw should be on anyone’s must visit list, as it is historically and visually compelling. Packed to the brim with culture and energy, I could’ve happily spent weeks in Warsaw but had to make do with a few days.

Across the road from our hotel was the Palace of Culture and Science, which dominates the skyline and was a gift from the Soviet Union. It made a good starting point from which to see the city. During my time in Warsaw, I visited the Royal Lazienki Park, one of Warsaw’s prettiest attractions and made sure to see the statue of Chopin. I would love to go back as I feel I didn’t see nearly enough of this city.

I didn’t intend to be impressed by Gdansk and my first impressions were of a dull, grey city. However, after exploring more of the old town and seeing the river, I can admit I was wrong. Gdansk can boast of a thousand year history and has a charming Baltic feel. We spent the afternoon climbing the tower at St. Mary’s Church which offers views of the city. Gdansk is also the home of the Solidarity movement, led by Lech Walesa. I personally found that Gdansk was the perfect place to enjoy a hot chocolate and watch the world go by.

Krakow has a rather lovely atmosphere as befits Poland’s second largest city. The birthplace of John Paul II, we expected it to be a highlight of our trip to Poland and it didn’t disappoint. Wawel Castle is worth a peek, as is St Mary’s Church, which plays a full trumpet signal every hour. We chose to visit the Wieslicka Salt Mines, which contains many statues and even a cathedral, all of which had been carved out of the rock salt by the miners. This was totally worth leaving the city, as I found it mesmerising and would recommend it.

Which brings us to Auschwitz. Much has been said of the concentration camp and I’m not going to try to add to it, except to say that I feel it is one of those places everyone should visit at least once in their lifetimes. It is truly eerie and unsettling to visit- somewhere I will never forget.

There’s so much more I could say about Poland, I could wax lyrical about the portrait of the Black Madonna (incredible), the city of Poznan and the politeness of the people. But I’d rather not sound like a city guide. I do recommend a trip to Poland, as it really is a lovely place and I will definitely be going back.