Poland 2016

We decided to take a short trip before the summer came to an end exploring some of the historical ‘highlights’ of Poland. A week in this lovely country merely gave us a taster of what it had to offer and we had only enough time to visit Warsaw, Wroclaw and Krakow, but we would like to visit again sometime and would heartily recommend anyone thinking of doing so to do it.

What was different about this trip was that we travelled between the cities by train but otherwise it was a similar small group responsible travel/adventure tour as is the norm. Unusually also all the participants (there were 17 of us) were from the UK; a very good group who all got on really well.

The trip started in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Dinner on the first night was at the ‘Red Hog Inn’ which was named after the type of people who used to frequent the inn (‘Red’ Communist Leaders). It has also hosted some well-known people including Bruce Willis. It has traditional Polish cuisine with a backdrop painting of the ‘Communist Last Supper’.

Day 2 started with a tour of the Old Town (which had to be largely rebuilt after WII) with an extremely informative and passionate local guide. Morning coffee was in the market square, rebuilt in traditional style, with a statue of the Mermaid of Warsaw in the centre. The tour of the Old Town was followed by a visit to Lazienka Park and Palace (the latter also known as the Palace on the Water; the building began as a bathhouse, was converted it into private quarters and then during World War II, the Germans drilled holes into the walls for explosives but never got around to blowing up the palace so afterwards it served as a barracks). In the park there was a free concert with a pianist playing a Chopin recital. It was nice to sit for a while and enjoy both the weather and atmosphere. Finally we were left to explore on our own. We discovered the large and beautiful roof garden of the University of Warsaw Library; an upper garden (2,000 m2) interconnected with paths, bridges, and pergolas and connected to the lower garden (15,000 m2) by a stream and a water-cascade. This offered a nice way to see the sunset with views over Warsaw. Dinner provided the opportunity to sample Bigos (a Polish hunter’s stew so called because hunters used to come back from a hunt and would put the meat they brought back in the stew) served in a bread bowl.

Day 3 was an Intercity Express Premium Service train ride to Wroclaw with an afternoon walking tour of the Old Town (which again had to have large parts rebuilt following the war). The capital of Lower Silesia (Dolny Slask) has a huge Old Town built on several islands connected by over 100 bridges. Dumplings were on the menu for dinner that evening; made of unleavened dough and shaped into a semi-circle with or without a filling which was potato and cheese with bacon bits in mine.

Day 4 was a free day to explore the city on our own. This included a visit to the Raclawice Panorama (a 360’ panoramic painting depicting the Battle of Raclawice, seen by the Polish as their last successful battle for independence), a traditional bar mleczny (milk bar, in the communist era, the government subsidized the food at milk bars. Today this is still a cheap local cafeteria), sampling a Lody (ice cream), Cathedral Island and St. John's Cathedral, The Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia, constructed when the city was part of the German Empire), Japanese Garden and the Pergola with its Multimedia Fountain.

The following day we travelled to Krakow on a ‘regular’ train which took around 3 hours but was a pleasant journey. The afternoon we had an interesting tour of the Old Town learning about the history; most of the town survived WWII intact as it was used as a German headquarters and this included its medieval market square.

The morning of Day 6 started with a visit to the Cathedral and Royal Castle on Wawel Hill; this is a fortified architectural complex erected over many centuries atop a limestone outcrop and as both the residence of the kings of Poland for many centuries (the cathedral is where they were both crowned and buried) it is considered to be the most historically and culturally important site in Poland. The afternoon was a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mines; it is preserved in pristine condition and is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. A section of the mine, some 22 chambers connected by galleries, from 64m to 135m below ground, is open to the public by guided tour, although the mine itself. There are salt-hewn formations that include the Chapel of St Kinga measuring 54m by 18m, and 12m high. Everything in it from reliefs in the rock walls to chandeliers to altarpieces is carved from salt. Back in Krakow we visited the Underground Museum that came into being following an archaeological study on the Main Market Square 2005 to 2010. The exhibition shows Krakow’s history and the connections between the city and mediaeval Europe’s chief centres of trade and culture. It is possible to see old cobbled streets, remnants of market stalls and their cellars, some skeletons and other objects from daily life in Krakow a few centuries ago. The latter (seeing the excavated remains) was the more interesting part of the museum.

On our last full day, we visited the emotive and haunting Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum where chilling and horrendous atrocities were committed by the Nazis while it was a Concentration and Extermination Camp during World War II. KL Auschwitz was the largest of a network of German Nazi concentration and extermination camps that were built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany. Over 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives here. Birkenau was the largest of over 40 camps and sub-camps that made up the Auschwitz complex and plans were discovered that would have made it several times larger. I would recommend a visit to anyone as it is a real eye opener to the events that took place; expect to learn something but don’t expect to enjoy it. We finished our trip with a Jewish-style meal in the old Jewish Quarter of Krakow.