For the first time we got to climb the old City Hall Tower – as it is only open during the spring and summer. Needless to say the views are equally as spectacular as they are from the main church tower next door but then again the climb is a lot easier too for the […]
The Uphagen house is one of only a few 18th century merchant town houses in Europe that is open to visitors. The Uphagen house was purchased in 1775 by Johann Uphagen, a merchant, historian, art collector and city councillor. He remodelled it to suit the needs of a wealthy 18th century merchant. After Uphagen’s death […]
The church was built between 1905 and 1909, and designed by Jan Sas Zubrzycki in the Gothic Revival style. It is the largest church in the area. The interior is shaped in the likeness of a Gothic cathedral in the so-called Gothic Vistula style. It is filled with numerous altars, benches and other items made […]
This monument was erected in 1964 to honour those who were murdered in the adjacent concentration camp between 1943-1945 in Płaszowie. Actually the monument is in place where routine massive executions took place before most of the people were shipped to Auschwitz. There was a stone quarry near by where most of the prisoners slaved […]
Wieliczka Salt Mine has been around for about 7 centuries but it was originally explored from Neolithic times . Wieliczka salt mine, excavated in the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world’s oldest operating salt mines and now a museum and a UNESCO site. There are some 287 km […]
We can’t seem to outrun the white stuff. We went out for dinner and an hour later there it was – the white stuff.
Beautiful and a sunny day – perfect day for a walk on the beach.
Gdansk certainly deserves to be called the World Amber Capital or so the local sentiment claims. This museum is brand new, it opened last year and it houses some amazing pieces of art and history. It also houses the larges amber in the world weighing in at 68.2kg. Every colour and every shade of amber […]
This museum is located in the old late-Gothic Franciscan monastery, which has been used to house exhibits since the end of the 19th century. The museum used to hold a sizeable collection of historical works of art. In 1884. The core of the Museum’s collection constitutes the collection of Jacob Kabrun, which includes several thousand […]
The archcathedral in Oliwa is a three-nave basilica with a transept and a multisided closed presbytery, finished with an ambulatory. The façade is flanked by two slender towers, 46-metres tall each with sharply-edged helmets. It is enlivened by a Baroque portal from 1688, as well as three windows of different sizes and three cartouches. The […]
Today we are doing something more productive. Right after we finished the morning coffee and other drinks we set off to Oliwa, a small suburb of Gdansk that’s famous for its parks, gardens and the large cathedral with a huge organ. Did I mention cakes, lots of amazing cakes to eat too.
Some things just don’t get old. The weather is absolutely fantastic, the city is buzzing with activity and we are soaking it all in.
National Independence Day is a national day in Poland celebrated on 11 November to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Poland’s sovereignty as the Second Polish Republic in 1918 from the German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires. Following the partitions in the late 18th century, Poland ceased to exist for 123 years until the end […]
We are taking a train from Nuremberg to Berlin to Warsaw to Bialystok. It’s about 13 hour train journey through the German and Polish countryside. Food and wine service and internet at full speed, it’s a relaxing way to travel.
I think this is the last museum we are going to visit on this trip. There is an exposition of a famous polish artist which we were very excited to see. The museum is not huge but it has some amazing collection of silver, art and old Gdansk furniture.
The European Solidarity Centre is a museum and library in Gdańsk, Poland, devoted to the history of Solidarity, the Polish trade union and civil resistance movement, and other opposition movements of Communist Eastern Europe. It resembles a hull of the ship both inside and outside. It is done exceptionally well with lot of amazing exhibits. […]
A place that is near and dear to every Polish soul. A place where the WWII started, a place where the first resistance started and a place that gave every person a bit of hope. We got off the boat that took us there and decided to go for a nice walk through the park […]
Last night it snowed, big heavy flakes falling so slow it all seemed like it was in slow motion. The morning we woke up to a beautiful and sunny day, a bit windy but no trace of snow and blue sky. Here it is then, the best part of Gdansk seen from the islands in […]
Christmas Market goes until December 24th on Targ Węglowy. There are a lot of neat little shops and, as you guessed it, a lot more places to try more food and a lot of mulled wine and thick hot chocolate.
There is no shortage of things to do and see in this city. Even though the old town is not massively huge there seems to be a million different ways to get home and just as many restaurants and bars to try on the way there. We really are spoiled for choice.
According to the weather forecast it was supposed to be cloudy with a chance of light snow so we abandoned the idea of going to Sopot and going to the beach! Instead we decided to do some tourist things around Gdansk and a bit of shopping as well.
This really is a last minute trip – a quick getaway to relax before the holidays. November in Gdansk is cool and grey but the atmosphere is amazing, the food, so far, has been phenomenal and every time we take a turn onto a new street there is a new restaurant or a bar or […]
We stumbled upon this place literally by accident. While staying in Bruges at the B&B on one of the maps I saw a little logo of this place. It seemed very odd and rather surprising that there would be a museum dedicated specifically to both Canadian and Polish Soldiers for WWII efforts. This is a […]
If I don’t hear Embassy and Munich in the same sentence ever again it will not be a moment too soon. Today we set off to pick up kids’ passports at the Polish Embassy. Munich is about 180km away – door to door, from our house to the embassy and this we can usually manage […]
Getting out of the house for a walk is the only remedy for not just sitting and eating and eating and eating. We got out for another afternoon walk to work up an appetite and to explore more of Warsaw. On the Three Crosses Square surrounded by Hugo Boss, Burberry, Church’s, Ermenegildo Zegna, Max Mara, Coccinelle, W. Kruk, JM Weston, […]
After a very late lunch we got out of the house for a walk – destination Warsaw Old Town. It was still +10C when we parked but the sun was already setting. It appears that at least half of the city of Warsaw had the same idea, Christmas walk around the Old Town. Warsaw puts […]
Feeling Gratitude and Not expressing it is like wrapping a present and Not giving it. A very Merry Christmas to you all, from all us here in Warsaw.
What used to be the second largest city in central Poland after Plock, is now a small medieval village of about 600 people just outside of Warsaw. The Gothic castle had great military importance, and was built like a fortress. The ruins of this castle, which was originally built in the early 11th century, are all […]
The Warsaw Uprising Museum is located in the Wola district of Warsaw dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The museum opened on July 31, 2004, marking the 60th anniversary of the Uprising. The museum exhibits are very modern but the layout of the museum is reminiscent of an old city streets which were boomed and destroyed during the war. This is […]
We are out doing a bit of shopping in Warsaw. Nothing recharges the energy like a large sugary dessert for lunch!
Despite our prefuse protests, we are 7 months in and in Poland for the 3rd time. However, having said that, this is the first time we are here for holidays. No passports, no paper work, no government offices to visit. We did an afternoon run leaving Nuremberg at 1:30pm and arrived in Warsaw at 8:40pm […]
Our first road trip this holiday season will be to see our family in Warsaw and to spent a few days with them and celebrate Christmas. We are hoping to get there later on tonight and start the holiday relaxation first thing Thursday morning.
This is a list of the places we have visited so far. We certainly hope to add to this in the not so distant future. Google Maps
A lazy Sunday. With Kozluk family here for a visit, we set out to show off bits and pieces of this great city starting with the old town and a couple of its main churches. Both of these churches were greatly damaged in the war and rebuilt but what they have in common is a […]
Today I finally got an update on the status of my Polish citizenship confirmation. It appears that the Polish bureaucracy is finally starting to crack and give in. Officially then, Poland has confirmed that I am and always have been a Polish citizen. Next step is to wait for the documents to arrive and head […]
We have assembled the house and actually moved some furniture around today to get that new minimalistic look we are hoping to achieve here. Basically no one is carrying any more boxes upstairs and no one is interested in assembling anything anymore. We are in a travel mood. After 10 days of hard graft, it […]
We are setting off to go back to Nuremberg. We are saying good bye to our great hosts the Karnath family in Pruszcz Gdanski. Not only were they gracious enough to offer us a roof over our heads and feed us 10 meals a day but Kasia’s mom also helped me get the paper work […]
We headed out to do some shopping for the apartment today and then went to the beach. Once again the sea was angry today, but the water was so nice and warm. Great way to waste an afternoon.
Storks are quite ubiquitous in Poland, they are revered and loved in Poland – unlike the post Soviet area bureaucracy which still lingers around like a nasty smell. Today I had to take another stab at it and try and file some papers, to get the papers I actually need. To do this however, I […]
As if Malbork wasn’t impressive enough on its own – there was one more surprise in store for us. Malbork Castle and its grounds are serving as a stage for a sculpture exhibit by a number of famous Polish artists. Feast your eyes.
There are a lot of impressive sights in the world and a great number of wonderful buildings. To me there are very few as impressive and as memorable as the Malbork Castle. The sheer size of it, the scale of buildings and the magnificent decor and layout are simply stunning. Malbork is 3 castles in […]
Today, Kasia is turning 29 again. There was a small gathering of family and friends to celebrate this momentous occasion. We were quite exhausted after a full day of walking around so it was nice to just sit down and relax for a bit, listen to some crazy travel stories, eat a great dinner and […]
A short drive from Gdansk, is the seaside city of Sopot with its grand pier that stretches into the Baltic Sea. At 511.5m, the pier is the longest wooden pier in Europe. A lot has changed here, there are a lot more stores and restaurants, but don’t come here looking for traditional polish food. We […]
Tourist trap heaven, but if you know where to look – you can find a nice slingshot which is naturally what Evelina bought!
When one has the will and energy to climb the 410 stairs of Kościół Mariacki tower, one gets rewarded with spectacular views of the city.
A stroll down ul. Dluga. It still is as beautiful as I remember it – less the 50,000 Zywiec umbrellas littering the street on both sides. We could not ask for better weather, with sun and a bit of breeze this was a beautiful day to explore the old town of Gdansk.
So after almost 30 years I am back in the city I grew up in. While a lot has changed it here, not much really did. In the end it is really all a matter of perspective. What seemed bright, huge and wonderful as I remembered it, is now aged, dull and all plastered in […]
TIR stands for Transports Internationaux Routiers” or “International Road Transports. TIR-owka then is a lady that works in a service industry, that stands in a forrest, on the side of the highway, usually dressed in a very revealing and easy to spot from the distance neon clothing ready to help the big truck drivers relax for […]
We went to explore the house where Copernicus was born, where he lived, studied and in the end turned the world of astronomy on its head. His house was comprised of two buildings. Even by modern standards this was a huge house. It is also worth noting that Copernicus was a distinguished guest at the […]
Since we are not in a great rush today to get to our destination, we are taking a few stops on the way to explore some things worth seeing. First on the list today is Torun, a city where Copernicus was born. A leisurely stroll through the old town, and around the old Teutonic ruins, […]
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