Monday, August 17, 2015

HOT! HOT! HOT!

I headed to Warsaw after several great days in Krakow.

Warsaw was a lovely city and probably is an awesome place to live.

I just didn't love it as a tourist.

I took the free walking tour (it's a great way to get a feeling for an unfamiliar city) and saw some of the historic sites.

I wandered about, spent some time enjoying the old town, took in an evening light show, and walked a zillion miles down to a beautiful park.

But it was just too damn hot to be sightseeing.

I never really thought of Poland as a place that would be super hot.

Misconception fixed.

I was dying.



Warsaw's Old Town

Marie Curie lived here.

















light show that had accompanying music



A very beautiful park, that was having live music performances,
that was also much further than I expected.
My feet were so unhappy.

This pretty peacock was wandering around. 

And, a few food highlights...

omg. Definitely go here.
DONUTS!

I think this one was "toffee."
Nothing was in English.
Nonetheless, it was AMAZING!

Inside the deliciousness.

A popular Polish food that starts with a 'z' I think.
Don't remember what it was called,
but I do remember being fairly unsure of exactly what I was eating.

pierogies, but probably the least exciting ones I had all week. : (

Warsaw tips:
I stayed here...the hotel was awesome, but maybe the location was a little far from the areas that I wanted to spend time in.
This Indian restaurant had decent food and amazing NAAN.
The best donuts.
I bought some traditional Polish pottery at this shop. Good prices and selection.
I found Polish Christmas ornaments here.


Food Tour in Krakow

Food was one of my main priorities when planning my trip to Poland. 

Having experienced bits and pieces of Polish cuisine through friends I knew that there were several things that I would love! 

I took a free (FREE!) food tour that lasted several hours one afternoon.

We started with this traditional Polish circular bread called bublik in English and obwarzanek in Polish. (I think!) This bread is known as the predecessor to the bagel. 

Yum! Look at all that deliciousness! 


Our 2nd stop was into this Polish Tapas bar. Here our guide ordered vodka, herring and bread with a lard-based spread. I went for the vodka, passed on the herring, and took a very small bite of the bread. 










I was a bit squeamish when thinking about eating this lard-based spread. 



We stopped at a local outdoor market for sauerkraut and pickles...in a bag! 





We sampled some cheese from this lady. 



We made what was my favorite stop at a super small pierogi shop. 

We tried both the traditional ruskie flavor (potato and cheese) and a dessert pierogi filled with seasonal fruits and covered in cream. 

They were so good I went back on the following days for my own plate of each one! 

"ruskie" pierogies

blueberries. omg.
Here it is kids. You should definitely go here.



What would a Polish food tour be without sausage? 









A sip of soup was included too...






Lastly, we stopped at one final place for a bigos, a stew type dish. 



Are you an adventurous eater? Would you have tried the herring? 


Food tour tips:
This tour was free but you paid 1 or 2 zloty at each stop for your tasting. If you don't want to eat it, you don't pay. No reservations required. Just show up on the appropriate day and time as listed on the website linked above.

A Few Days in Krakow

Hopefully you've already read about Krakow's crazy amazing street art scene in my previous post.

I really enjoyed spending three days touring Krakow's very tourist friendly city and would absolutely recommend this city to other European travelers.

I stayed outside of the Old Town in this cute little studio apartment. It was really affordable, right at a tram stop into town and had the friendliest owner. Highly recommended.

My first priority in Poland was pierogies. I wanted to eat them at every possible chance.

That is my friend Laurie's fault. While we were in college she introduced pierogies to me and I even had the chance to make them with her grandma.

I. Just. Love. Pierogies.

I found my first round of pierogies at a little pop up festival that was happening for a handful of days.

the first of many pierogies!

The first full day in Krakow started with a free walking tour of the city. Krakow is such a cute European city, and it was so easy to navigate and get around.

Krakow's main church

sculpture in the large, central piazza

part of the castle, showing clearly its variety of architectural styles

Krakow's main square



I also took a most delicious food tour! Lots to come on that in a separate post!

During my time in Krakow I arranged a small group tour to Auschwitz, Birkenau, and the Salt Mines. It was a great and easy way to cover all of that in one day, with little hassle!

While Auschwitz and Birkenau are not easy places to visit I chose to go because I believe education is the best way to prevent history from repeating itself and I want to know as much as I can.

Auschwitz now serves as a museum. Several of the buildings house some of the possessions collected from the prisoners and others serve as exhibits established by different countries. The perspective from which each presents their viewpoint on the war is quite interesting. I felt like the photos without color were more reflective of the appropriate sentiment for this stop on my trip.

"Work makes you free."



one building had walls covered with images of some of the prisoners



from the Dutch exhibition

Birkenau has been kept as it was during the Holocaust. While the site remains as it was, it has been decided not to make attempts to repair or preserve the buildings there.

For me, the saddest and most difficult part was standing near the rubble of the gas chamber, where there is a stone marker recognizing the lives lost, looking out over the uneven ground and knowing what's under the space in which you're standing. Very, very sad.




the entrance to Birkenau from inside the camp

buildings where some of the prisoners were held

inside one of the buildings
We headed out to the Wieliczka Salt Mines after our stop at the concentration camp. I had read and heard some mixed reviews but still wanted to go.

I wish I had heeded their advice. The salt mines were one of my least favorite places I've ever toured.

It was over commercialized and way too long. The tour guide from the mine had no personality and you can only take guided tours there. The audioguide ran out of battery. You couldn't exit when you wanted; you had to wait until another guide would "let" you out via a small, cramped elevator.

Anyways, I'd say 'save your money' and spend it on eating more pierogies!

carved in salt

I spent the rest of my time enjoying the sites, people watching and indulging in delicious food! If Poland wasn't on your travel list before, it most definitely should be!


Tips for visiting the concentration camps:

Go with a small, private, group tour. It was reasonably priced and included our tickets for the camp and the salt mine. We were able to wander on our own at Auschwitz and not at the pace of a guide with a large group trailing us.

The link to the company I used is mentioned above. We skipped all the lines and walked right in at all three places. Ticket sales are up more than 60% this year due to the anniversary of the war's end and many people are being turned away at the gate. Also, all bags into Auschwitz must be smaller than a sheet of paper. They actually have a sheet of paper to hold against your bag.

Monday, August 17, 2015

HOT! HOT! HOT!

I headed to Warsaw after several great days in Krakow.

Warsaw was a lovely city and probably is an awesome place to live.

I just didn't love it as a tourist.

I took the free walking tour (it's a great way to get a feeling for an unfamiliar city) and saw some of the historic sites.

I wandered about, spent some time enjoying the old town, took in an evening light show, and walked a zillion miles down to a beautiful park.

But it was just too damn hot to be sightseeing.

I never really thought of Poland as a place that would be super hot.

Misconception fixed.

I was dying.



Warsaw's Old Town

Marie Curie lived here.

















light show that had accompanying music



A very beautiful park, that was having live music performances,
that was also much further than I expected.
My feet were so unhappy.

This pretty peacock was wandering around. 

And, a few food highlights...

omg. Definitely go here.
DONUTS!

I think this one was "toffee."
Nothing was in English.
Nonetheless, it was AMAZING!

Inside the deliciousness.

A popular Polish food that starts with a 'z' I think.
Don't remember what it was called,
but I do remember being fairly unsure of exactly what I was eating.

pierogies, but probably the least exciting ones I had all week. : (

Warsaw tips:
I stayed here...the hotel was awesome, but maybe the location was a little far from the areas that I wanted to spend time in.
This Indian restaurant had decent food and amazing NAAN.
The best donuts.
I bought some traditional Polish pottery at this shop. Good prices and selection.
I found Polish Christmas ornaments here.


Food Tour in Krakow

Food was one of my main priorities when planning my trip to Poland. 

Having experienced bits and pieces of Polish cuisine through friends I knew that there were several things that I would love! 

I took a free (FREE!) food tour that lasted several hours one afternoon.

We started with this traditional Polish circular bread called bublik in English and obwarzanek in Polish. (I think!) This bread is known as the predecessor to the bagel. 

Yum! Look at all that deliciousness! 


Our 2nd stop was into this Polish Tapas bar. Here our guide ordered vodka, herring and bread with a lard-based spread. I went for the vodka, passed on the herring, and took a very small bite of the bread. 










I was a bit squeamish when thinking about eating this lard-based spread. 



We stopped at a local outdoor market for sauerkraut and pickles...in a bag! 





We sampled some cheese from this lady. 



We made what was my favorite stop at a super small pierogi shop. 

We tried both the traditional ruskie flavor (potato and cheese) and a dessert pierogi filled with seasonal fruits and covered in cream. 

They were so good I went back on the following days for my own plate of each one! 

"ruskie" pierogies

blueberries. omg.
Here it is kids. You should definitely go here.



What would a Polish food tour be without sausage? 









A sip of soup was included too...






Lastly, we stopped at one final place for a bigos, a stew type dish. 



Are you an adventurous eater? Would you have tried the herring? 


Food tour tips:
This tour was free but you paid 1 or 2 zloty at each stop for your tasting. If you don't want to eat it, you don't pay. No reservations required. Just show up on the appropriate day and time as listed on the website linked above.

A Few Days in Krakow

Hopefully you've already read about Krakow's crazy amazing street art scene in my previous post.

I really enjoyed spending three days touring Krakow's very tourist friendly city and would absolutely recommend this city to other European travelers.

I stayed outside of the Old Town in this cute little studio apartment. It was really affordable, right at a tram stop into town and had the friendliest owner. Highly recommended.

My first priority in Poland was pierogies. I wanted to eat them at every possible chance.

That is my friend Laurie's fault. While we were in college she introduced pierogies to me and I even had the chance to make them with her grandma.

I. Just. Love. Pierogies.

I found my first round of pierogies at a little pop up festival that was happening for a handful of days.

the first of many pierogies!

The first full day in Krakow started with a free walking tour of the city. Krakow is such a cute European city, and it was so easy to navigate and get around.

Krakow's main church

sculpture in the large, central piazza

part of the castle, showing clearly its variety of architectural styles

Krakow's main square



I also took a most delicious food tour! Lots to come on that in a separate post!

During my time in Krakow I arranged a small group tour to Auschwitz, Birkenau, and the Salt Mines. It was a great and easy way to cover all of that in one day, with little hassle!

While Auschwitz and Birkenau are not easy places to visit I chose to go because I believe education is the best way to prevent history from repeating itself and I want to know as much as I can.

Auschwitz now serves as a museum. Several of the buildings house some of the possessions collected from the prisoners and others serve as exhibits established by different countries. The perspective from which each presents their viewpoint on the war is quite interesting. I felt like the photos without color were more reflective of the appropriate sentiment for this stop on my trip.

"Work makes you free."



one building had walls covered with images of some of the prisoners



from the Dutch exhibition

Birkenau has been kept as it was during the Holocaust. While the site remains as it was, it has been decided not to make attempts to repair or preserve the buildings there.

For me, the saddest and most difficult part was standing near the rubble of the gas chamber, where there is a stone marker recognizing the lives lost, looking out over the uneven ground and knowing what's under the space in which you're standing. Very, very sad.




the entrance to Birkenau from inside the camp

buildings where some of the prisoners were held

inside one of the buildings
We headed out to the Wieliczka Salt Mines after our stop at the concentration camp. I had read and heard some mixed reviews but still wanted to go.

I wish I had heeded their advice. The salt mines were one of my least favorite places I've ever toured.

It was over commercialized and way too long. The tour guide from the mine had no personality and you can only take guided tours there. The audioguide ran out of battery. You couldn't exit when you wanted; you had to wait until another guide would "let" you out via a small, cramped elevator.

Anyways, I'd say 'save your money' and spend it on eating more pierogies!

carved in salt

I spent the rest of my time enjoying the sites, people watching and indulging in delicious food! If Poland wasn't on your travel list before, it most definitely should be!


Tips for visiting the concentration camps:

Go with a small, private, group tour. It was reasonably priced and included our tickets for the camp and the salt mine. We were able to wander on our own at Auschwitz and not at the pace of a guide with a large group trailing us.

The link to the company I used is mentioned above. We skipped all the lines and walked right in at all three places. Ticket sales are up more than 60% this year due to the anniversary of the war's end and many people are being turned away at the gate. Also, all bags into Auschwitz must be smaller than a sheet of paper. They actually have a sheet of paper to hold against your bag.