With the tourist season coming up in Poland, and only a few friends and family having booked tickets to visit me (yay for you!), I thought it was a good time to convince everyone else to come visit me before it's too late. A lot of people have told me that they didn't know about the culture or history of Poland and in fact have no idea what it even looks like here. Or even where it is on a map. Well, I will not tell you that, look it up.
But in order to bring some further awareness of Poland to you, I present part 1 in the 2-part series "10 Reasons to Visit Me in Poland". This is not a top-10 list, just 10 things to point out.
It will be followed by the 2-part series "10 Side Trips to Take with Tristan When You Visit Because He Really Wants to Go to There".
10. History
Poland has had a very intense and exciting history, partly because it has the misfortune to be located between Germany and Russia, two of the most powerful (and somewhat unfriendly) forces in recent history. Because of this, everyone was fighting over control of the country. And the history I am talking about is only in the last 70 years. I'm not even talking about what has happened here for the 1,000 years before that.
One of the most interesting museums I have ever been to (along with the FBI museum in DC, which is awesome), is the Warsaw Rising (or Uprising) Museum. It portrays through images, videos, audio clips, and artifacts, what happened in Warsaw and Poland during WWII. It focuses primarily on the year 1944, which was the year the people of the city built up the courage and strength to fight back in attempt to kick the Nazis out. I won't spoil the ending, but you can probably guess what happened. As a result, the entire city was methodically destroyed, and its identity and soul were lost. The pictures of this destruction are incredible and you cannot imagine what it would have been like to be living here.
Subsequently, Warsaw's Old Town needed to be completely re-built, and was done so in the same detail as the pre-war buildings. In essence, it is a replica of itself, done to restore and preserve some of the history and character of the city. It's a pretty remarkable feat, and after going to this museum, I think you will really appreciate the events of 1944 and what this city has been through. It's even crazier to think that there are still people alive today who lived through this.
It is also extremely interesting to talk to people about their experiences growing up with Communism. Memories are usually not wonderful, but they usually aren't too terrible either. Anyone in their late 20s or older will have vivid memories about what it was like standing in line for days for food or shoes, not being able to leave the country to go on vacation (WHAAAAT?), and the anti-Western, pro-Communist propoganda that filled the airwaves. Some older folks even "miss" it because they had fewer worries and everything was simple. That's right, some people liked it. We hear a certain amount of anti-Communist propoganda in the US, and hearing the other side is pretty interesting. I will probably have to dedicate a full post to this topic because people have told me about some fascinating experiences.
9. Food and drink
There's probably not a need for me to go into too much detail here. You know I love food, and there is a lot of it here. Plus, you've probably seen pictures of every meal I've ever had. And the best part is that it is all very affordable. Most "nice" restaurants have complete meals for around $10-15 (no additional tax and very little tip). I will just leave you with some pictures...
Pierogi - Dumplings filled with different kinds of meat, cheese, veggies, or a magical combination of any of the above
Interesting fact: the word "pierogi" is already plural, so don't say "pierogis" or you will be ridiculed and stoned.
Golonka - Pork knuckle, usually served with cabbage and horseradish, and it is obligatory to accompany this with a very large Polish beer
Interesting fact: a restaurant by my apartment serves a 1 kilo golonka. Good luck with that.
Vodka - Vodka is very popular and cheap in Poland. Everyone from baby-faced 18 year olds to wrinkled old grandmas are known to enjoy an uncountable number shots in any given night. Shots are usually in the $2-3 range in bars, while you can get bottles for $10 in the corner store.
Interesting fact: It's not possible to pronounce the name of this vodka.
Other popular traditional dishes are żurek (sour soup with egg and kielbasa), gołąbki (meat-stuffed cabbage rolls), and bigos (the national dish made feom sauteed cabbage, veggies, sausages, and/or meat). Yum to all. And yes, there is a lot of very good, cheap Polish beer.
8. Zakopane/Mazury
For any outdoor enthusiasts, Zakopane and Mazury can offer anything you might want to do, any time of year.
Zakopane is located in southern Poland, at the foot of the Tatra mountains. Hiking, skiings, and any outdoor activity can be done here year-round. It was actually a candidate city for the 2006 Winter Olympics, so you know it's good!
Located in northeastern Poland, Mazury is a region known for its 2,000+ lakes. There are castles to explore, boats to ride, and scenery to relax with and enjoy. I hope to go camping out here this summer.
7. Chopin
You may not realize it, but Frederic Chopin is from Poland. His father is French, but Chopin spent half of his life in Warsaw before moving to France. There are several tributes to Chopin in the city, such as free concerts in the park, an interactive museum about him, and heck, the airport is even named after him. So, yes, he is Polish. And yes, Poland likes Chopin.
Here's an article about the museum - http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110203-chopins-warsaw
6. Krakow
Krakow is probably my favorite city in Poland (and one of my favorites in Europe in general). It's a must when you visit. It was the capital of Poland for about 500 years until Warsaw took that role in the 16th century (anyone remember that?). It's big, but small, has a lot to do, and has a lot of fun people and an energy about it. Plus it's only a 3 hour train ride away from Warsaw, so it's easy to make a weekend trip out of it. Wawel Castle, the Wisla River, the Jewish District, and the Market Square (one of the oldest in all of Europe) are all wonderful places to visit. You can get lost for days (in a good way) in the Old Town. Restaurants, bars, clubs, shops, beautiful buildings...it has it all, all within the protective city walls. And Auschwitz and the Salt Mines are not far away, which are also must-sees I will tell you about later.
I hope you enjoyed this small taste of things to see and do here. Part 2 will be coming soon!
And in the mean-time, please check out this link with some pictures from BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20110203-poland-in-pictures
No comments:
Post a Comment