What About Poland: Conclusion - December 7 - 8, 2024

On December 7, 2024, Mr. Gym and his lovely sidekick checked out of the Stradom House hotel in Krakow and started the long journey home. They took a taxi to Krakow Central Station and all by themselves, without aid of an Anderson, successfully boarded the train for Warsaw. Another high speed train would spirit them through the Polish countryside and by the farmers fields that were amazingly, still green. Just over 2 hours out of Krakow found them at Warsaw Central Station, where they transferred to the Chopin International Airport. There they over-nighted in the Renaissance Airport Hotel so that they could simply walk across the street at 3:30 in the morning to checkin for the flight to Amsterdam. From Amsterdam, they connected with the transatlantic flight to Calgary. Both the KLM 737 leg and the KLM 777 leg were on-time and very satisfactory.

Another adventure successfully concluded!

The train to Warsaw

Yes, Gym and Mrs. Gym found the correct platform

Green farmland seen from Carriage No. 1 on
December 7, 2024

Walking across the street to the Chopin International 
Airport in Warsaw

What About Poland: Krakow Points of Interest - December 2-7, 2024

This time of year, the big draw in Krakow, is the Christmas Market in the Old Town Square. The Square is a beautiful medieval gathering place, larger than many typical squares in Europe. This time of year it is beautifully decorated for the season and there is much on offer for those eager to spend some zloties. A large number of the booths are arranged inside the 13th Century Market Arcade that sits in the centre of the square. It is a glorious building that has room for dozens of craft and artisan stalls. The market arcade is then surrounded by outdoor booths that sell clothing, xmas ornaments, food and mulled wine. 

Apart from the aforementioned market arcade there are other grand edifices flanking the square. Tops among them is St. Mary's Basilica which is a must-see. You can enter by a side door after you buy a ticket in an adjacent building for a few zloties. Once inside you are definitely going to be gobsmacked by the interior. Mr. Gym has visited dozens of outstanding churches in the world but none of them hold a candle to this one, that was home base for Pope John Paul II when he was a lowly Archbishop. Speaking of candles, Gym and his lovely sidekick lit a tall white candle for their granddaughter back home. Also standing in the square is the Wizen Ratuszowa, the City Hall Tower, a very unique structure indeed.

Another reason to visit this part of town is that all of the most highly-rated restaurants in Krakow line the exterior of the Old Town Square. Gym and his companions tried Sorrento's for Italian cuisine and dined on a delicious charcuterie board, salads and some perfectly done home-made pasta. Its high rating is well deserved. The group also had some fancy coffees at Loza Restaurant and Drink Bar and Gym thought that this establishment was underrated.  They had great service at Loza's, in a very comfortable setting and the coffees were good too. Other restaurants nearby that Gym would recommend are the highly-rated Padre Restaurant for upscale regional fare and if you crave pirogies and schnitzel, you have to try Pod Wawelem Kompania Kuflowa. For drinks Gym and Mrs. Gym highly recommend the Bar in the Stradom House hotel. This very striking watering hole is in a repurposed 13th Century chapel.

Gym and his adventurers also toured the royal suites at Wawel Castle. They climbed up the hill and spent a nice half-day checking out the posh crib of Polish royalty adorned with priceless art including frescos, tapestry, massive oil paintings, china, jewelry and historical objects. Much of this stuff was actually spirited away to Canada before the Nazis showed up in WW2. And yes, as you would expect, Canada sent it all back.

Roland and Brenda Anderson left Gym and his dear wife on December 5, 2024. There were hugs all the way around and then there were two. On December 6th, Gym and Mrs. Gym spent their last full day in Krakow touring the Wielicska Salt Mine which was excavated from the 13th Century until the 1996. Today it is a very popular tourist attraction with over 1.5 million visitors per year. The tour groups visit several chambers on the first three levels of the mine. Inside the mine there are absolutely beautiful displays carved from rock salt. Some scenes show how the mine was developed in the early days and others display important figures in the development of the mine. However the best chambers are the two chapels that were explored by the intrepid travelers. Incidentally, the tour descended about 800 stairs to the base of the third level and traveled about 5 kilometres underground. There were a few sore muscles later that evening.

Stay tuned! 

The old City Hall Tower. It was closed 
at the time of Gym's visit.

St. Mary's Basilica by day

Gobsmacking interior

Looking back

The square at night

Ukrainian nationals collecting alms for their
downtrodden brethren back home 

Wawel Castle china - not dishwasher safe

Remarkably detailed service items used by Polish Royals

Augustus II (life-size wax) at his coronation

Royal crowns and sceptres

Wawel castle courtyard

St. Mary's by night

From Left: Mrs. G, Brenda, Mr. G and Roland

The Krakow kraken below the castle wall
next to the Vistula river pathway

Mine shaft entrance of the Wielicska Salt Mine

The Seven Dwarves carved from rock salt 

St. Kinga's Chapel - chandeliers are made of
salt crystal

The Last Supper carved in rock salt in St. Kinga's

Brine Waterway down in the mine

 

  

 

What About Poland: Transition to Krakow - December 2, 2024

Robot Barrista at Warsaw Central Station

As Mr. and Mrs. Gym were now Polish rail veterans, they confidently entered the Warsaw Central Station on December 2, 2024. There they joined Brenda and Roland Anderson to begin the train trip south to Krakow. They descended down to the appropriate platform with the Canadians lagging somewhat, due to the fact that they had over-packed (it turned out that Gym had enough clothing to spend a month in Europe). After grabbing a coffee from a friendly robot on the platform, Gym and the rest of the party boarded the high speed train that was to take them on the 2-hour and 20-minute trip. Again they rode in the First Class car and the price included soft drinks and snacks. 

The countryside south of the capital differs from that in the Gdansk direction. Towards Krakow there are miles of vineyards instead of vegetable crop land along the railroad. The soils are obviously different and the micro-climate is dryer. After leaving the outskirts of Warsaw, the train sped along and they arrived in the Krakow Central Station on-time. 

Krakow is about 290 kilometres from Warsaw. Warsaw is in the centre of Poland and Krakow is situated in the southernmost part of the country. From Krakow, it is a 3-hour drive east, to reach the Ukrainian border and a 90-minute drive south, to get to Slovakia.

Unlike Warsaw and Gdansk, Krakow was spared major destruction in WW2 and the buildings in its Old Town are centuries old. For much of Poland's history Krakow was the capital and home to Polish royalty who resided in Wawel Castle. This impressive fortification is located high up on Wawel Hill overlooking the Vistula river and the Old Town. 

Gym and his lovely sidekick grabbed a taxi for the short ride to the Stradom House Hotel. This place is really cool. The 125-room hotel was built into the historic streetscape without altering the front facade. Inside there are two good restaurants and a very chic drinking establishment located inside a former chapel. There is also a large, fully-equipped fitness area, spa and a stylish indoor pool with change rooms. Gym and Mrs. Gym's room was beyond the pool and spa, down a long pink tunnel in the stable block. This would be HQ for 5 nights, while they explored Krakow.

Rynek Square, 13th Century Square in Krakow

Pirogies at Christmas Market

Polish Meats at a market stall

Prize winning Schnitzel that Gym could 
not finish

Wawel Castle

Vineyards outside of Warsaw

More vineyards

Gym's new friend

What About Poland: Daytrip to Gdansk - November 30, 2024

A little day trip was scheduled for November 30, 2024. Although Mr. Gym and his merry band of adventurers would remain based in Warsaw, they would visit the Christmas Markets in Gdansk that day and return to their hotels in the capital the same night. This would be done via high speed rail, in the comfort of the 1st class cabin, for about $40 Canadian. It was 2-3 hours each way and although driving might take the same time, there were no worries about traffic jams, road conditions or parking. Furthermore, the central station in Warsaw was walking distance from the hotel and the central station in Gdansk was walking distance from The Christmas Markets. It was a grand adventure for Gym and Mrs. Gym who are train neophytes.

Poland's Baltic Sea coastline stretches some 440 kilometres between the German and the Russian (Kaliningrad enclave) borders. Gdansk is the largest port city in Poland. It has a population of about 500,000 people.  Like Warsaw, Gdansk was almost completely destroyed during WW2 but the Old Town has been re-built to its former glory, similar in style to its prewar form.

The whole day was a blast for the group, albeit a little chilly. Gym and his dear wife were supposed to stop here in 2021 but that did not come to pass. They were on a Baltic Sea cruise and Gdansk was removed from the itinerary so more time could be spent in Finland. It was nice then that they could finally visit the northernmost of Poland's largest cities. The train rides were a fun way to do it, they were on time and the scenery from the train, was of an idyllic rural setting. Many of the fields were still green and some vegetable storage crops had yet to be harvested. The entourage ate a late lunch at a very nice brewpub next to the train station. Mr. Gym recommends the Brower, the service was good and food and drink were top notch.

To Gym, the Gdansk locals seemed like a tougher crowd. There was a lot a tall, slim people with angular and weathered faces. Gym also noticed more than one anchor tattoo (on the men). This probably belied the fact that most men derived livelihoods from maritime careers. They were all very friendly though and English was widely spoken, making it a comfortable setting for the day-tourists. Gym hopes to someday have time to explore more of this fine city on a subsequent trip. 

We traveled on these high speed trains made in
France 

Train Station in Gdansk - very roomy and modern inside

Mrs G had a little bit of Schnitzel for lunch

Roland found a cool Brazilian Coffee
House near here to warm up and
have a 'fortified' coffee.

Renovations happening at the iconic
Golden Gate.

As it was a weekend Gdansk,  the "Long Market"
 was crowded with many tourists and locals alike.

All the booths in the market are decorated
for the season 

Mrs. Gym near the entrance to the
Gdansk Christmas Markets

Strolling around the Gdansk Christmas Market,
 it was a little chilly. The temperature was 4C but 
the humidity was very high. Mulled wine seemed 
a common solution for many locals.

 

Stay tuned!

What About Poland: Hoofing Around Warsaw _ November 29-December 2, 2024

In the Bristol Hotel lobby

Peaceful gathering in Old Town Square

Yummy

Mulled wine stand in Old Town

Old Town Walls

A phono actually owned by Chopin

Venue for concert in Chopin Mussum

Duck Confit with dumplings and braised cabbage

 Mr. Gym was astonished to learn that Poland and Canada have an almost identical size, in terms of population. In 2023 each had just under 39 million inhabitants. How do they compare in other respects? Well, Canada has much more space but they are similar in climate, both are situated above 49 degrees of latitude and they each have similar demographics. Economically, Poland has a slightly lower GDP but both countries  are at the relatively well-off end of the scale. Both Canada and Poland are democratic countries. In terms of neighbours, Poland has the dictatorships of Belarus and Russia to the east and north and democracies of Germany, Ukraine, Lithuania, Czechia and Slovakia mainly to the west and south. Canada has just one land border with another country and that is the  new dictatorship of the United States of America. Yes, it may be scary being so close to Putin but Gym would argue being next to Trump is not ideal either.

Warsaw, the capital of Poland is very impressive. It has a well developed infrastructure with wide sidewalks, many pedestrian-only zones and less cars than Calgary. Everyone uses the lovely and efficient mass transit system and the modern train network is clean, comfortable and on-time. The people are very friendly and it feels very safe in Warsaw. Most of the Poles speak excellent English.

To go along with the assertion that Poland is a real democracy, there was a protest in the Old Town Square yesterday. The gathering was addressing Educational Reform. It was peaceful but  it was hard to  move around down there and get to the Christmas Market. Gym and his companions persisted though and they perused most of the Christmas Market stalls in Old Town. Later they holed-out in an Irish Pub to wait for the crowds to disperse before going to the Chopin Museum not far from their hotel. As a bonus they experienced a Chopin Concert in the museum before going for dinner.  Dinner was a celebration of Roland's birthday. The restaurant was the U Wienlawy and it served up some excellent Polish fair in a very eclectic and unique setting. Gym highly recommends this establishment. 

Gym and his cohort left the capital for Krakow on December 1. They will be traveling by train from the Central Station. They are already quite familiar with Polish rail travel because they went on a day trip to Gdansk on November 30th, the details of which will be covered in the next post.

Stay tuned!