Polska

My latest posts have been organized by geographical region and this seems to be the easiest way right now to give our impressions and experiences a place on this blog. So here is for you: Poland, a country very dear to our heart!

From Lithuania, the only way to drive into Poland is through the Suwałki corridor, a sparsely populated area immediately southwest of the border between Lithuania and Poland, between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast.

Once in Poland, we found the most peaceful campsite near Ełk. At night, the camp host lit a lantern at every occupied camping spot!

In the morning, a curious toad emerged from under Myron's little tent, who we hoped had spent a warm night there ;)

We drove further to Gdańsk, where we hoped to spend the day in the city. It turned out to be a long weekend, where they celebrated the Polish Armed Forces Day on Monday. There were festivals, fancy fairs and other activities... and no available parking spot in the 'whole' city...

In the end, we found a really amazing spot at the river mouth of the Martwa Wisła. It was not the city centre but there was no dull moment!

We visited family in Miastko, who we had not seen for four years. As always, we had a good time together, with a bit of a communication challenge as they speak Polish and know a little German and we speak German and know a little Polish. Through sharing meals together, looking at family pictures, and recalling memories, we made it a precious time together.

Our next visit was to Kraków, our favorite place in Poland's south. We visited the Wawel Royal Castle on the Wawel Hill, which was a peaceful place with impressive historic buildings.

In the Kraków Old Town, we visited the Saint Mary's Basilica and the Sukkiennice, a historic cloth hall, which is the central feature of the market square.

It was a hot day and we welcomed the mist machines they placed in the city.

We finished walking around the city by learning about the Barbican, a 15th century building that was part of the city's medieval defenses.

We also learned about the Polish legend of the famous dragon Smok Wawelski, who plagued the capital city of Kraków established by legendary King Krak. The statue of Smok can be found at the foot of the Wawel Hill.

We concluded our time in Poland by visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine. John and I visited this very place about 22 years ago and lots had changed in those years. It now was a very touristy place, in which, in our opinion, the magic of this unique mine had been lost.

We went in and descended to 135 meters underground, by going down 800 steps. We walked through 3 kilometers of winding galleries, displaying beautiful chambers carved in salt, with unique salt sculptures and underground lakes.

Twenty-two years ago, John and I fantasized about getting married in the St Kinga's Chapel... Well, that did not happen, we happily married in The Netherland 17 years ago, but it was still a really beautiful chapel!