Our latest adventure, in early May 2014, took us to Poland. We chose Poland because Tim has a significant degree of Polish ancestry, and since we have already visited the other countries to which he could said to have genetic ties (Germany, Austria, and Canada) we felt that Poland was due. It proved to be a fantastic journey, far more atmospheric and scenic than I think either of us expected, and then there was the food, oh the food!
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Getting There
The flights to and from Poland, well at least part of the way, were courtesy of Delta Airlines, of course. We were able to take advantage of a fantastic new program available only to Diamond Medallions, such as ourselves, by which we could purchase the lowest class of Economy tickets, the bottom rung U, L, T, and E fares and use new and improved upgrade certificates to move up to Business Elite seating both ways. Delta has long offered its premium passengers the option to choose, as yearly gifts, upgrade certificates, but these certificates could only be used on tickets purchased for premium economy, the Y, B, and M fares, which while providing Economy seats, might only be a few dollars less than buying Business Elite outright. On a few occasions, the saving were so minimal that we simply purchased Business outright. The point of the certificates was never so much cost savings, although they could be quite valuable, when available, on Asia runs, but they did allow those on expenses accounts to technically purchase Economy as required by most companies while still flying Business. For the most part, into Europe, the fares were quite close, but with these new certificates, the spread was thousands of dollars of difference, making them amazingly valuable indeed. We shopped routes carefully as not all dates and all city pairs are available, and since we knew that Delta has no routes into Poland directly, we could pick just about any city in Europe that had availability, and thus we would fly into and through Frankfurt, Germany. We were in luck in that Frankfurt is served with aircraft retrofitted with the Thompson Solutions lie-flat bed seats so the nine hour flight was a breeze after the 3 course dinner.
By the way, there is more than one “Frankfurt” in Germany, but that is really only relevant if traveling by train, and then it really matters! But for air travel purposes, Frankfurt will always mean Frankfurt am Main, so named for its location on the Main River. By the way, the city name is not pronounced like “Main” Street, but rather as “mine.” Not only is Frankfurt a population and financial center of Germany as a whole, but Frankfurt Airport is one of the world’s largest and most frequented air hubs and it can be a challenge to move about quickly if you need to change terminals, which we did. We were scheduled to continue our journey on LOT Polish Airlines later that morning on to Warsaw and we had selected flights that gave us ample time to make the connection given that we would have to claim and recheck our baggage since Delta and LOT are not partners in any sense. United States airline employees should beware since Frankfurt was the second European airport we have transited where all check-in, including baggage check, is completely automated, the other location being Oslo. Check-in agents are fast becoming a feature of the past.
Flying LOT was really no different than flying any other airline. They were on time and reasonable comfortable for flying Economy and given that intra-Europe first class consists of the same seats as Economy except that no one sits in the middle seat, it really makes little difference where you sit, especially given that any truly intra-Europe flight can’t be more than 3-4 hours at the biggest stretch, and this hop was little more than an hour all told.
Arrival In Poland
Warsaw airport is pretty small compared to Frankfurt of course but it served its purpose and we found a taxi easily enough. We were prepared for our total lack of Polish language ability in that our hotel name and address were printed and ready to hand to the driver. Polish has to be one of the most confounding languages on the planet, full of many consonants, most with modifications indicating different pronunciations than what you might expect and few vowels. We never would grasp the intended sounds of most of the even basic letters! Thankfully, many of the younger population in Poland are quite proficient in English, especially near most tourist sites.
We picked a real gem in terms of hotels when we booked the Castle Inn. The Inn is located in a renovated townhouse and all rooms overlook the main square of the city, as did ours, or the nearby cathedral of St. John. In addition, each room in uniquely decorated in a style intended to represent Polish, or another, culture and ours was dedicated to Chopin, arguably the greatest Polish musician of all time. Accordingly, our room was partly wallpapered with piano sheet music and there were two pianos on the walls and one serving as a table. The view was amazing as we had ringside seats on the main square of the city, steps away from the restaurants, shops, and attractions of Old Town. As this is a pedestrian only area, be aware that you will have to carry your luggage across the square to the Inn, but it is absolutely worth it.
Timing really is everything in life, and we arrived in Warsaw on April 30, and May 1 is May Day in Europe, a major holiday when practically everyone takes to the streets and many things are closed aside from restaurants and tourist shops, but beware, even some of those will close. But never mind, because all the city is a party and we didn’t even have to go outside to partake as the party was in the square. To make it even more timely, May 3 is Constitution Day in Poland and the square was set up with stages and banners for this important national holiday. There were military parades, bands, and speeches, quite incomprehensible of course, throughout the day. It was quite the unique experience.
Warsaw Today
Old Town Warsaw is atmospheric and charming as you might expect, but what you might not realize is that it is also entirely fake. Warsaw was essentially completely obliterated during World War II, first by in invading Nazi armies and then further flattened during their retreat from the Russian forces moving in from the east. After the Warsaw uprising, Hitler ordered Warsaw completely destroyed and every person killed. By the end of the war, approximately 85% of the city was gone and what was left was heavily damaged. The small section of the Old Town you see today was rebuilt from the rubble as was anything else older than about 60 years. Given this, I was expecting a concrete Stalinist nightmare of a city, but in reality, Warsaw has loads of beautiful green spaces for pedestrians, masses of trees on every street and loads of spring blooming flowers, especially the abundant and fragrant lilacs. Of course, some monstrosities remain, but there has also been massive investment from the West as Poland has long been the darling of Eastern Europe and one of the first nations to emerge from behind the Iron Curtain.
Most sights in Warsaw are reasonable central and there is something for everyone, especially history buffs since Poland has a remarkably long and illustrious history, largely unknown to most Americans. I think it would surprise most of us to realize that Poland was once the largest and most powerful kingdom in all of Europe, encompassing not only what we know of as Poland today, but also large swatches of present day Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Many museums will represent this history and if you are interested in Jewish history, few cities can compare to Warsaw, formerly home to some of the largest Jewish communities in all of Europe, or the world for that matter. Warsaw is certainly a modern, forward looking and thinking city, mostly rebuilt in modern times but with plenty to offer any visitor, even those who stay on foot and don’t take advantage of the underground metro and comprehensive bus system.
Oh, The Food
A real treat in Old Town are the restaurants. If you have never had Polish food, you are in for a real treat, provided you are not a vegetarian. Pork features heavily on the menu and Tim’s favorite was pork knuckle boiled or roasted with heavenly mustards and horseradish. One night we treated ourselves to a feast at Podwale 25 which most closely resembles a beer hall with masses of food, mostly meat, for a reasonable prices complete with drunken Poles singing their hearts out on these national holidays. It was so amazing, we did it twice! I fell in love with the pierogi, which are a form of ravioli, for lack of a better description, that can be either steamed or fried and are filled with just about anything from cabbage and cheese, to meat, or fruit in the spring and summer. You can get a plate of them for next to nothing and they are simply fantastic with fresh sour cream. I stuffed myself with them every day! There was nothing we ate that wasn’t fresh and hugely tasty, especially the pork, but including chicken. If you don’t have a Polish restaurant near you, and if you can’t get to Poland any time soon, head to Chicago, the city with the most Poles in the nation (7.3% of the population!) , and have a feast today!
Another AMAZING taste treat was a visit to a hole in the wall Hungarian restaurant where we experience true goulash, an amazing treat of beef and paprika, not spicy but rather almost sweet and tender served with potato noodles. Little English was spoken, but YUM translates into any language. It was truly amazing. Georgian food was interesting as well but it couldn’t quite compare to true Polish grub, but it presented a rather unique opportunity for a food adventure.
By far the best Polish food, however, comes from what are called bar mleczny, “milk bars” in translation, in reference the large portion of foods that are dairy or vegetarian in nature. These are the cheap, bottom end cafeterias from Communist times and a few still exist in cities around Poland. The one we went to was actually in Krakow, so I am a bit ahead of myself, but on the topic of food, it has to be mentioned anyway. The menu was written on plastic Venetian blinds, so if anything was out, they simply turned the slat over. Once you pick what you want, you communicate it as best as you can to the woman at the counter, who calls your order into the kitchen via microphone, and then magically a plastic tray appears with your food on plastic plates. I had some sort of sauerkraut concoction with what I think was sausage and Tim had a pork dish. It was amazing; the best food of the trip, and it literally cost pennies in comparison to a more formal, and well lit, restaurant. You will be one of the few, if any other, tourists, but you are in for a real tasty and affordable treat. It was so good we had seconds! If in Poland, you owe it to yourself to be a little bit brave perhaps, and try a milk bar. I almost guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Onwards To Krakow
While in Poland we also wanted to visit Krakow in the south and we considered using the train to get there, but the trip was about 4 hours in duration and the pricing was comparable to flying, which would take all of 55 minutes. We opted for the cheap LOT flight and it was as fast as scheduled. Krakow airport, at least the domestic side, is a bit of a surprise as you will deplane on the tarmac and then ride a bus the short distance to the “terminal” to claim you baggage, which is essentially a large garage complete with rolling door on to the tarmac. Renovations are underway and the “international” section, connected by another bus, is quite a different, and more predictable, experience.
We had reserved a driver in advance from our hotel, the Wielopole, which came highly recommended all around. It was certainly different than the Castle Inn, being very modern with much smaller rooms and bathrooms, but it was quite centrally located without being in the absolute midst of the chaos and crowds that characterize Poland’s most popular city for Poles and non-Poles alike.
While Warsaw is the city of the Polish future, Krakow is proudly the city of the Polish past. The former seat of the Polish kingdom, Krakow escaped the wars of Europe relatively unscathed and preserves some of the best of Polish history. The central landmark is certainly Wawel Castle high on the hill. Beware that if you wish to visit, especially during summer or holidays, you won’t be alone. Every building seems to require a separate ticket to enter, although you can enjoy the grounds for free. If you can get there early enough to beat the crowds, all the better, or an even better bet is to purchase tickets for the following day at the visitor center or through a ticket outlet in town. Otherwise you will encounter long lines with no certainty that what you want to see won’t be sold out for the day. The views are excellent and the site is well worth a visit. In addition, the well preserved Old Town has plenty to hold interest although it is well given over to tourists and eating anywhere in the vicinity will cost you far more than it will be worth. You will be better served by filling your eyes only in the Old Town of Krakow and then venturing into the side streets for food. The market square is the largest of its kind in all of Europe and the central hall is packed with vendors of all sorts of Polish crafts and souvenirs. On the side streets, we found the Museum of Pharmacy to be an interesting stop with simply loads of antique equipment and preparations from the remarkably long history of the “drug store.”
Salt Mining
We took advantage of pre-booking excursions through the Wielpole in order to include some sites and attractions near Krakow that were worth seeing. On our first day we visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This ultra-deep salt mine has been in continuous operation for over 700 years and is filled with tunnels and chambers carved from the salt, including several underground lakes. The main attraction is the chapel carved from salt including the altars, statues, and chandeliers, all made from rock salt. You can only enter the mine, no longer in commercial use, on a guided tour, which are available all day in various languages. Again, you won’t be alone as this is a major tourist draw for Poles and visitors alike, especially during the summer and holidays. Despite the rain on the day we went, which made it ideal to be underground, the site was packed to overflowing with vacationing Poles and I wasn’t sure we would ever get in as it was completely chaotic. Be aware that LOTS of walking is required, including about 900 stairs to get down into the mine (you ride a mine elevator back up, not for the claustrophobic!), so a certain level of fitness is essential to make it. Despite this, it is well worth for the artistry of the miners, never mind some of the Disneyesque kitsch. And if you are in the market for salt souvenirs, including lamps and miniature statues, you are in luck with the nearby vendors!
Auschwitz
On our last day we took a small bus tour with only two other people to the outskirts of the small industrial city of Oswiecim, which most people have never heard of, but the German name of the town, Auschwitz-Birkenau should ring a few bells. The remains of one of the largest of the Nazi work and extermination camps, they were separate entities, is one of the starkest reminders of the capacity for evil that lurks in humankind. Certainly there were other concentration camps and extermination sites in Europe, especially in Poland, but Auschwitz seems to hold a special place in the consciousness of many. We started at the Birkenau site which was primarily a death camp. Little remains today except the outlines of the barracks, some of which have been reconstructed along with the exploded, by the retreating Nazi’s, remains of the gas chambers and crematoria. There are modern monuments and memorials to many who died, having walked their last steps along the same path that visitors walk to this day. The trains unloaded and the old, weak, sick, and too young to work, were immediately killed in the gas chambers and burned in the adjoining crematoria. The barracks housed those who could be used for slave labor until they too were too sick to work at which point they too would be murdered. The site is honestly misleading, especially on a spring day with the grass at its greenest and the wildflowers blooming with lilac along the barbed wire fences near the gas chambers. It takes effort and imagination to see the site for what it once was and it is preserved as evidence and to remind visitors of what should never be forgotten lest it be repeated.
The Auschwitz site is more substantial and probably more famous although the degree of evil here was potentially less severe as this wasn’t a purpose built death camp but rather a site for the housing of slave laborers and prisoners of war. I don’t say less evil to minimize the horrors of the place, for they were legion, but this was not the same type of place as Birkenau. The buildings are far more substantial, built almost entirely of brick, than I had imagined and certainly more permanent seeming that anything left of Birkenau. The exhibits are chilling, mounds of human hair used to make felt socks for soldiers along with piles of shoes, clothing, and even prosthetics that had been confiscated from the condemned and imprisoned. Again, it is hard to imagine what took place here but the guides do what they can to make it come alive for visitors, and while not required, a guided tour will enhance the experience as signage is not comparable to what a good guide can share with you about what you are seeing. It is a somber place, not a traditional holiday destination, but an important one that I think anyone who can should try to see to be reminded of our not so distant history.
It was, perhaps, an oddly somber choice for a last day excursion but I came away not depressed so much as impressed that anyone could have survived to tell the tale. The resilience of humanity at even its darkest hour always amazes me. We lightened the mood by eating at the milk bar close to Old Town but years away from the present day modern Poland.
Home Again
The return journey was easy enough with a short flight on Lufthansa, a partner of LOT Polish, back to Frankfurt, where we spent the night at an airport hotel in anticipation of a morning flight back to Atlanta on Delta. We were well rested but still managed to enjoy the lie flat seats of Business Elite along with two full meals on the return trip of a bit over 10 hours duration. We were glad to be home, happy to return to our two little monsters, Bailey and Rusty, having had yet another successful adventure in our exploration of the world.
Photos from the journey as well as a “photo map” are available at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/life_in_pictures/sets/72157644671962043/