Tydzień w Polsce [A Week in Poland]
Monday, 8th July 2025 - Monday, 15th July 2025
Summary:
What a Bardzo dobry week we had here. It was Leb's first time in Poland, my fourth and Krakow was the perfect place to spend a few days, interspersed with a couple of nights in the Tatra mountains, in Zakopane. The weather was gorgeous and so was the comfiort food. Pierogi galore along with potatoe pancakes and bigos were staple foods during our stay.
We ticked off some historical sites, including the Wawel Castle, St Peter and Paul's Church,
the Barbican, St Florian's Gate, Jagiellon University with it's monument to Copernicus and, of course, the magnificent Rynek Główny (main square). Even our busy schedule could only scratch the surface, of what we could have seen though. And although we did visit the Jewish Quarter and the Schindler factory, we gave Auschwitz and Treblinka a miss.
Arriving fresh from Lithuania, we were impressed with several monuments celebrating that great 226 year-long era when Poland and Lithuania were united in a Commonwealth. Jogaila is often portrayed as some kind of traitor by Lithuanian Nationalists (my dad included), but these were surely golden years for the region - and for the Jewish diaspora that lived there. This was a time when Muscovy was tiny and weak and Ruthenia (eventually to become Ukraine, before their name was stolen) strong.
Also during this Polska week, the Euros came to its pointy end and I watched England beat Holland in the semi-finals before being denied by the excellent team from Spain.
We even managed to fit in some of our favourite hobbies: Leb really enjoyed the stained glass museum and I was transported back to my childhood by two patches of paradise, each swarming with all my favourite butterfies that I grew to love as a six year old. That magical scene in the Tatra mountains will always remain one of my favourite spots on this trip and forever.
Witaj, Krakowie! (Monday, 8th July.)
The landing at Krakow airport was smooth and the train service to the city center was convenient and fast.
Upon arrival in Krakow we settled into our ground floor room in the 52nd accomodation stay and then toddled off to the old town for some yummie periogi and balandiai (just two massive ones).
We attended a small Ukrainian demo after terrorist state Moscovia attacked a children's hospital in Kyiv today.
After a lovely troll around Krakow we headed back to our room and obtained our Turkish Visas for our next (non-Schengen) leg of the journey. We had a glass or two of wysznowka and vana Tallinn to help the planning process.
First Full Day in Krakow (Tuesday, 9th July.)
Day 123 ~ This wa sour first full day in Poland and we decided to do a long walk through Krakow's central old town down south across the Vistula into the old Jewish Quarter.
We started with a good breakfast. I had an English-like one (the fried egg on potatoe pancake was a positive.)
I couldn't resist poping into a shop that was selling Ukrainian paraphenalia.
We then headed south and had a good walk past St Peters and Paul's Church towards the Wawel Royal Castle.
We stoped for a coffe in Kazimierz, a trendy suburb with some good pubs.
Then we crossed the bridge over the magnificent Vistula - Most Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego.
Once on the south side of the Vistula we descended down into the old Jewish quarter. This had definitely become a theme for us after Lithuania.
The Jewish Ghetto memorial was strange... a set of chairs placed in a grid across a square.
From there, it was a short walk to the last remaining fragment of the old ghetto wall.
Next on our agenda was to visit the nearby Schinlder Factory, made famous by the film Schindler's List.
Then we looped back over the Vistula, crossing a different bridge... the Most Podgórzaneka which was a footbbridge next to the metro line.
It had been a long walk and it was pretty hot so we headed for the square next to the Old Jewish Synagogue, Remu, where there were a few cafes close by in Kazimierz.
After that we headed back towards the old town along Planty, the lovely green belt garden that encircles the old town, for more delicious pierogi and bulviu blynai.
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| A very convenient "alkohole" just next door to our accomodation! |
Later I left Leb to relax and I went out to a great sportsbar called 442 (thanks for the recommendation
Jake Holloway.) It had a pretty cool theater down below called the "arena" where the seating was terraced like a mini-stadium with a big screen to watch the match on. It was a great atmosphere in there. I watched a very classy Spanish side make light work of a very strong French team.
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| 4-4-2 - My new favourite Krakow Sports Bar |
England Reach the Final of the Euros! (Wednesday, 10th July.)
Day 124 ~ This was the day England made it to the final of the Euros! The whole day led up to that eveing back at the 4-4-2 sportbar.
It was another special day in the summer sunshine. Most of spent walking around the pleasant leafy circular park around the old town. That's the route we took from our accomodation, heading for the castle, via a splendid monument to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and then, by the university, to the Copernicus monument.
The lovely swelteringly hot day before this climax was spent bimbling around Krakow. Through the lovely green belt around the old town to the castle.
After the castle we went to the stained glass museum. I was feeling a bit guilty at the football-centric nature of the past two weeks and it was time to indulge Leb in her interests. All of this was interspersed with yummy Polish food.
After the stained glass museum we headed back to the old town and had a quick look around the Krakow Barbican, a defence gateway of the town dated from 1490, and the nearby St Florian's Gate. Of course, after another long day's walking we ended up having yet more yummy pierogi.
After a good feed, we went back to our room to rest our feet before I left Leb to head back to 4-4-2 for the Euro semi-final: England v Netherlands.
Netherlands took the lead.
But England equalised 11 minutes later with a Harry Kane penalty.
The game stayed at 1-1, with England the better side, in my opinion. Then, with about ten minutes left on the clock, Gareth Southgate made an important substitution: Ollie Watkins on for captain Kane - and it paid off. Watkins scored in the final minutes to win England a place in the final.
I was still buzzing for days after that. Netherlands were, let's face it, were second best and England deserved to reach the final.
Another fantastic day!
Bus Ride to Zakopane! (Thursday, 11th July.)
Day 125 ~ We left Krakow for a couple of days in the south of Poland near the Slovakian border in the Tatra mountains. We were advised to catch the bus, and not the train which I thought would be the way to go. On the way to the bus station we saw yet another monument to the golden age of the Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth... one to the battle of Žalgiris (grunwald). Lithuania and Poland (and Ukraine and Belarus) really should unite against the kleptofascist Moscovian Horde.
The bus journey was smooth enough with us in pole position at the front but there was heavy rain and as we approached our destination, even heavier traffic.
Upon arrival in Zakopane we found our lovely accomodation for two nights surrounded by spectacular mountains. Then we set off to explore and walked into town past a deer to a lovely old restaurant Gazdowo Kuźnia Karczma, which had delicious Polish food and fantastic live traditional music.
A Day In the Tatra Mountains! (Friday, 12th July.)
Day 126 ~ This was a wonderful day in Zakopane. First, after breakfast we decided to go bathing in one of the lovely local warm thermal water baths, called Termy Zakopanskie. It's wonderful to bayje in the hot bubbly water out in the open with fantastic mountains as a backdrop. It was fabulous for me but in addition a much welcomed relief for Leb's continuing back pain. I couldn't resist a slide down the big green scariest slide after queuing behind little kids for ten minutes.
For obvious reasons, you aren't allowed to take photos around the pools but I lifted some images from their web site to remind us what it was like.
Outside the thermal pools I got a pleasant surprise, a reminder of my first obsession as a five year old - butterflies. A patch of wilderness had attracted a wonderfully rich display of some of my favourite butterflies of the Nymphalidae family. White Admirals (which I'd never seen before) Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and Brimstones (from the Pieridae family.) I only managed to get half decent photos of three of the species though and I was disappointed that I didn't spot my all-time favourite, the Red Admiral.
After our aquatic reinvigoration we walked back past our B&B on to Kolej linowo-terenowa Gubałówka to catch a funicular up the hill overlooking the town. The plan was to walk along the Ridge to a chairlift station and then ride back down. Sounds adventurous, doesn't it? We took a flask of cold water anticipating a walk in the wilderness along a scary ridge with fabulous views of the Tatra mountains on the other side. It felt a little dangerous.
Did I say "dangerous"? How wrong can you be!? Waiting for us at the top was touristville++. A hundred stalls selling the usual shite to thousands of tourists who packed the trail for as far as the eye could see. On occasion, if you were lucky and there was a gap between the stalls, you might get a glimpse of the valley below. Imagine the Lake District with the worst bits of Skeggy and Blackpool stitched on top of the dales... such a shame.
Anyway, it did get better. As we approached the chairlift station to go back down... at last, a path through the forest that had been kept pristine. I found, for me, what was a little piece of paradise: a beautiful bank of wild flowers overlooking the mountains swarming with beautiful butterflies of the Nymphalidae family and a couple of Brimstones and Browns. This made up for my slight disappointment in the moraning as there were even a couple of my favourites... the Red Admiral and one I don't think I've seen before, some kind of Fritillery maybe.
It was quite a wrench pulling myself away from those beautiful butterflies, but eventually, we left them to their peaceful existance and managed to leap onto the chairlift for a long, quiet and wonderful ride back down to town as a thunder storm threatened.
Then on for a couple of beers and a fine bowl of bigos at Restauracja U Wnuka before traipsing through throngs in town back to our pad for a kip.
Bus Ride Back to Krakow (Saturday, 13th July.)
Day 127 ~ Return to Krakow. After a stormy night in the mountains, we had brekkie in Zakopane before catching the bus back to Krakow. The plan, just a few days ago, was to spend one night in the Old Town and then fly to Antalya on the Sunday. I had obly booked these flights a few weeks ago, due to Schengan schenanigens and at the time I wondered why the tickets were so cheap - the flight was at exactly the same time as Sunday's European Championship final. If England had lost to Netherlands I would have been ok to miss the final but of course, Murphy's Law struck, and England won, putting me in a conundrum. Sod it! We'd get another flight the next day and watch the game here in Krakow. Leb kindly agreed so that was the new plan.
Once we arrived back in Krakow we found our cheap digs by the rail station - perfect for the early flight we'd need to get up for on the Monday morning - and then headed out back out for more pierogi and beer. After that it was time for bed and an attempt to sleep through another stormy night, this time in Krakow.
England v Spain [European Championship Final in Krakow] (Sunday, 14th July.)
Day 128 (Accomodation venue 57) ~ More Euro heartbreak.
We had an extra day in Krakow only so I could watch England v Spain in the European Championship final. This was after my stupid goof up booking our next flight exactly when the match was due to take place. Ironically the flight was delayed by two hours in the end but we still wouldn't have been able catch it and watch the match.
The day started having to change lodgings again as we'd anticipated being in Türkiyë.. our 57th now, I reckon. We had a nice Polish traditional dinner before bimbling around the Old Town again and watching a sadly small but dedicated demo for Ukraine before walking down to Kazimierz to a couple of pubs before heading back for a snooze.
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| Leb's back was still giving her grief |
Then it was time for the big match. The 4-4-2 sportsbar was again my chosen venue and Leb decided to come with me this time. We timed the walk to the station on the way - even closer to our digs than we had the night before. We got to the bar three hours early to get a good spot. We watched a very entertaining volleyball match between Poland and Slovenia as the bar filled up. Then, we were joined by a lovely young couple from Liverpool, two glamorous looking sisters from Coventry and a family from Odesa.
Spain, of course, were very good and, despite a brilliant equaliser from Cole Palmer, they certaily deserved their win. Spain were the best team of the whole tournament. England really only started playing with conviction in the semis. So, heartbreak for England yet again but at least this time there was no sense of injustice or bad luck. Spain were simply better.
To put this seemingly never ending run of 58 years of hurt into its proper context, here's something to ponder: At one point in the evening I turned to the man sat next to me from Odesa and tried a bit of Ukrainian...
"Як справи?" (How's it going?)
He looked at me with something like exasperation.
"Як справи?" He repeated as he reached for his phone and found a recent exchange of messages, no doubt from friends/family back home. He proceeded to show me image after image of residential flats and other buildings that had been hit by missiles from Moscovia.
"My street" he said, in a broken voice.
All I could think to say was that I was so sorry.
Do widzene Polska! (Monday, 15th July.)
Day 129 (Accomodation 58).
Do widzenia, Polska; Merhaba Türkiye.
Woke up at 3:50 am in order to check out of the station hotel, walk 5 mins to platform 3 to catch the 4:35 train to the airport.
The airline SunExpress had a very annoying glitch in their web site making on-line check-in impossible. (Error - Try again later was as close as I got.) So we had to do what you used to do in the old days (five years ago?) and physically go to the check in desk. That went well but then the flight was delayed two hours.
Eventually we boarded and were off to the hot and steamy Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya which is swarming with stray cats!
We bought tram tickets for 56 Turkish lire each. The first one I paid with two 50 lire notes and the machine gave me 44 one lire coins as change. It was like winning on a slot machine.
The tram itself was really good. Air conditioned and timely. We arrived at our 58th place to say on this trip. We're hoping for a very relaxing six days so that Leb can finally get some relief from her sciatica.
Podsumowanie finansowe (Financial Summary)
Poland was definitely one of the cheapest countries visited so far. The flight from Vilnius was quite cheap, the accomodation was good value and as we ate pretty basic food the daily costs were modest too. Only France (thanks to Lucy!) and parts of our trip to the UK cost less per day.
Podsumowanie nastroju (Mood Summary)
A delightful time was had in Poland with hardly any bad moods - and on the rare ocassion the black dog did appear it was for comparatively trivial and short lasting reasons such as the WiFi not working or hassle getting on a plane. Probably the most long lasting was getting rather low when Joe Biden referred to President Zelensiy as "Putin" and the biggest disappointment, I supose, was realising that the cheesey row of tourist activities in the otherwise beautiful hills above Zakopane were more like Skeggy than the Lake District.
Having said that, the average daily mood score of 10.25 - 0.65 was not one of the best. I think Leb's continuing back pain was taking the shine off some of our general joyfulness. The next stay in Antalya, with an emphasis on relation, would hopefully improve that area.
Podsumowanie alkoholu (Booze Summary)
Unsurprisingly, in the land of wyzsznowka, I did plenty boozing with three skinfulls, the two biggest coinciding with watching England in the Euro semi final and final. Still, this week in Poland didn't ranke very highly in the alcohol ladder.
Aktualizacja świąteczna (Holiday Update)
So, with 13 countries ticked off, we were still not half way through our trip. Next, it would be time to pause the ticking Schengen clock and spend some time on the south coast of Turkiye, my first ever trip to Antalya.
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