So, we talked about my first impressions of this beautiful country, and my struggle of finding halal meat.
Let’s write a more positive blogpost this time.
Poland is a big and diverse country. About ten times bigger than Belgium, where I come from. So, logically, I would have to travel around to see what it has to offer me. Of course, this was made a bit more difficult because of You-Know-Who It-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. (Covid-19)
The cities we have visited are Poznań and Zakopane.
Poznań
Poznań is the fifth biggest and one of the oldest cities of Poland. Once the capital of the country, you can clearly see it’s an important and well maintained city. It is located in the western part of the country, so getting there was hell. Once again, people, I am from Belgium. When I go to a city on the other side of the country, it’s a one hour train ride. It took us six hours or so to get there, I was DYING. Nevertheless, it was completely worth it.
The city is mesmerising with its beautiful old architecture. One building that stands out is the enormous medieval-like castle, which in fact is the youngest castle in Europe, built in the early 20th century for the German emperor Wilhelm II.
Other than that, the beautiful city centre which with its colourful buildings and beautiful town hall really gives you a cozy and warm welcome to the city.
You can immediately notice a lot of greenery with there being numerous parks in the city. Also joining the greenery is the greenhouse we went to. An amazing sight to behold. Trees, vines, bushes and flowers from all over the world condensed into this pocket size garden which you can walk in and around. Showing you what this beautiful world has to offer, besides, it was warm inside which is nice because Poland is one cold a.. country. I truly recommend going to this city if you ever have the chance to visit Poland.
Zakopane
Adding to the never ending long train rides, we went to Zakopane. It took us seven hours to get there, once again, I was DYING.
This beautiful town is located in the extreme south of Poland, at the foot of the Tatra mountains.
I used the word ‘mesmerising’ before in this blog post, and I don’t know if there is a word that has a stronger meaning in that context, because I would use it to describe this town. It was insane, man. The scenery, the old buildings all constructed in this wooden style you usually only see in movies or some shit. Really, I literally can not describe how amazing this town and the surrounding sights are.
Firstly, let us talk about the beautiful buildings all around the town. As stated previously, they are constructed with wood to keep the mountainy, cozy town vibe going, which definitely worked.
Also you had these stalls in which you could buy all kinds of different types of cheeses which is also a very typical thing about Zakopane. Honestly, I did not like the cheese that much, but then again, I have the taste palate of a child. So, what I have to say about food, take that with a grain of salt. (pun intended)
Secondly, let’s talk about the Tatra mountains. Imagine the Alps but smaller, but still large. Peaking 2,500 meters above sea level. They’re easily accessible and a tourist hotspot in Poland. And a must see, for real, it’s breathtaking. (pun intended)
We went there with a cable car, though you can hike to the top if you’re delusional or into pain. But who am I to judge, to each their own.
It’s all white, cold, snowy and cozy on top of the mountains. On a clear day you can see all around, but unfortunately this wasn’t one of those days and it was cloudy. Still, a sight to behold.
Lastly, let’s talk about Morskie Oko. Or in English, “the Eye of the Sea”. It’s the largest and fourth deepest lake of the Tatra Mountains.
Picture first, explanation later.
Dear readers of this blog, I was lied to. See, I am not the most sportive guy out there, and sometimes I tend to Uber short distances or whatever. And you might think that’s weird and I am wrong for that, for which, I guess you’re right. However, this time I would be right in my “looking for an easy way to get somewhere” attitude.
My dear friends and girlfriend whom you can see in the picture up above told me the hike to the lake was one hour to and one hour back. LIES!!
It was three COLD and SLIPPERY hours to get there and three COLD and SLIPPERY hours to get back.
I don’t know if you have ever had All Stars, but they’re not the best shoes when it comes to grip. They suck even more when you decide to go hiking with them to a snowy, slippery, cold lake. Not my fault, I didn’t think using them for a one hour hike would suck that much. However, for a three hour hike? They suck. Me dying after a seven hour train ride, imagine how I felt after this hike.
Refreshed and excited, actually. The fresh air, cold, and the struggle getting to the lake felt so amazing. I felt energised and better than I had felt in a while.
Now, I will share some pictures of the trip in case you’re interested in a random guy travelling somewhere, lol. But you’re reading this blog, so I guess you are.
Honestly, I would say I am a well travelled man. I have seen a lot of places, went to a lot of countries. I am yet to experience anything as beautiful as this town.
A definite recommendation if you ever come to Poland. Just make sure to bring hiking shoes with you, really, really… essential.
C u next month xoxo Gossip Girl