Blog du Wren

A Few Days In Poland

Ever since last year's visit to Spain, I've found myself with Europe on the mind. Something about the old buildings, pedestrian-forward cities, reasonable prices (at least in Spain), newness but with some familiarity—whatever it was sat and stewed in my mind all year. So when it came time to plan this year's travels, I cast my gaze eastward.

First stop on the tourist part of the trip (as opposed to the semi-productive volunteer portion of the trip as seen below), was Poland. While I did get a chance to peek around the small city of Jaroslaw in the southeast, Krakow was the majority of my Polish experience. And, I have to say, it was exactly the blast of Europe that I was hoping for! There were castles, narrow streets, bustling squares, , ease (and !) of transit, and so much more.

In Krakow, I did most of what I was "supposed" to: I saw the fabled salt mines (super interesting in concept and history, slightly less so in practice (esp. when the requisite tour guide had a thick enough access that I only caught every other word)), I toured Wawel castle (I was hoping for more castle-y stuff and less in the way of a medieval art museum, but not bad), I spent a ton of time in the main square complete with its huge market. After much consideration and talking to many people that did it, I skipped the Auschwitz tour.

But mostly I did what I do: wander. I logged many miles walking through the snow, slush, and ice just taking it all in. I usually try to set a mission for the day to guide me (find , for example), but mostly I just tried to keep myself occupied. After all, staying occupied is half the reason I'm traveling in the first place. And I'm pleased to say, so far, I've been mostly successful. Thanks Poland for keeping me occupied!

Friday December 23 2022

File under: travel, Poland

Toggle Comments (2)

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on Sun 25th Dec, 2022 02:09 pm CST Horge said:
I'd be curious about your take on Krakow. I've yet to visit it, but I knew someone who lived in Budapest and said that she preferred Krakow to it and Prague. Of the three, you hear a lot less about Krakow. So which is your favorite? Of the other two, I find Prague prettier (but too touristy) and Budapest I find more authentic (but gloomier).
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on Tue 27th Dec, 2022 09:59 am CST Wren said:
Horge, I'll have a better opinion in 2 weeks after I've visited Prague. But I might already weigh in for Budapest. I recently told someone I think the Buda Castle is possibly the best place in the world. (Budapest's frisbee golf course sucks, though.)
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