Poland

I have to admit that both Steven and I were disappointed when our plans to visit Iceland had to be shelved and Poland became our new destination. In my mind, Poland was, at best, a transit country, a grey, postwar, communist-influenced old world place we simply had to travel through to get somewhere else.

If ever there was an example of why travel is so beneficial, this is it. I don’t know where my preconceived ideas of Poland came from, but in all my planning I never took the time to actually learn anything about the country that might dispel how I perceived it.

I didn’t expect such beautiful architecture in Gdańsk but it makes sense when you learn the city was blown to smithereens during World War II. I wasn’t sure what to expect with regard to Polish food, but given the history here, there are influences from all over Europe. You can’t beat a good Polish sausage, a hot bowl of Zurek, a delicious soup made with rye bread starter, or a plate of big fat pierogi stuffed with spiced meat or veggies.

Zurek is typically served in a bread bowl, but this one wasn’t. Also, this version had mashed potatoes in it and I loved it! The herb floating on top is marjoram, which I don’t typically care for, but I love it in this soup!
Zurek in a bread bowl, with no potatoes. I prefer no bread and with mashers, but that is not typical. The sausage is white kielbasa and it is delicious.
We have eaten our weight in pierogi and it is really tasty, but I am done with it now. It’s become my new paella, which I am still tired of two years on from the Camino. This pierogi came with a creamy mushroom sauce. It was filled with a very tasty spiced meat filling.

More than anything, we have found the people of Poland to be extraordinarily friendly and welcoming. Most are surprised to find two traveling Americans in their midst, and they are so happy we are here. One thing that never ceases to amaze us is when the general population of a country speaks English. We found this to be true in Portugal and, here in Poland, most people are multilingual. When we ask a local, “Do you speak English?”, the standard answer is “Of course!”.

It may have taken a global pandemic to slow down our travels in such a way that it became necessary for us to spend a month or so in Poland, but we are so glad that we have had this opportunity. What a wonderful gift it has been for our travels!

We crossed into Poland from Germany with no issues, in fact, there was no border to speak of so we rolled right in. We had had a long travel day and were looking forward to getting to our campsite and settling in for happy hour. But of course, it didn’t work out that way. Our exit was closed due to construction and there were no detour signs at all. We have since found this to be quite typical in Poland and it makes traveling here a real challenge. The highways are awesome, though, as long as they are not under construction.

Another challenge has been that the Polish language is impossible for us to understand, or even speak. As a Texan, I can stretch and bastardize words, twist them up and spit them out in ways that will make your head spin, it’s like one of my superpowers. But there is no amount of verbal acrobatics that will allow me to form Polish words. My mouth just doesn’t work that way. Plus, 26 letters were not enough for the Polish, they had to add wingdings to their letters to give them a whole other sound. Take, for example, Łódź. Unless you are familiar with how Slavic languages work, in a million years you would never figure out how to pronounce Łódź. You see that little lightning strike through the ‘L’? That turns it into a “woo” sound. So the correct way to say Łódź is “Woodge.” All the towns are like that so we literally couldn’t tell you what town we were in at any given time. Thank goodness for Warsaw. Six letters, no wingdings. What you see is what you get. Of course, that’s the English version.

Here’s an example of what the Polish language looks like. Steven likes to have some phrases prepared before he arrives at a place where we are intending to stay. This is basically asking if it’s okay for us to park overnight in our motorhome 🙂

Anyway, we finally found our campground in the town of Szczecin (shcheh-cheen) which was lovely and peaceful and the restaurant was open. This site was also at a marina with lots of waterfowl for us to engage with. We spent our evenings watching the sunsets, the sailboats returning to port and the cormorants making their way back to their rookery which was just across the way. It was a lovely stop and a nice introduction to Poland. Oh, and we had a fox in the campground!

How cute is this little guy? We saw him at various times just trotting around the campground.
What is this strange contraption, you ask? It’s a unique way of getting rid of your toilet (black) water. You simply empty said waste from your cassette into the pot over there on the right with the hose coming out. Grab both handles and swish it around while tilting towards the hose. In the meantime, you get a nice closeup of the contents. We’ve never seen a contraption like this before and Steven said if he he sees another one in his lifetime, it will be too soon.
We rode our bikes into Szczecin which was a real challenge due to construction. We finally made it, though. This is Szczecin from the bridge. It’s a lovely city, but the old town is quite small. We only made the one trip into town and felt like we saw everything that was of interest to us.
Szczecin cathedral was central to everything. No matter which direction we went, there it was.
This is the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes. Pomerania is the region and yes, it’s where Pomeranian dogs originated. We saw a lot of them. Puppies, not dukes.
We found few tourists and fairly empty streets in Szczecin.
This is a good example of how I take photos with my “point and shoot” method. I point at it and Steven shoots it for me. I was really drawn to the wedding dresses in these second floor windows, located in the old town square, which has to be the smallest square ever.
Our campground was just steps away from this marina. We came here to watch the sunsets and the birds. It was really lovely.
Since Steven does all the hard work in the photography department I figure the least I can do is take a few photos of him plying his craft. Here he is focused on the rookery across the bay. At first we thought it was a heron rookery, which we were really excited about, but then we realized it was cormorants. Not as exciting, but still kind of fun.
There were dozens of trees filled with cormorants.
Beautiful sunset at the marina in Szczecin.
Evening storms were fairly typical and made for some really dramatic skies.
There were a ton of herons flying around, which is why we thought it was a heron rookery. Alas.

We said our goodbyes to Szczecin and made one stop on our way to Gdańsk, Camping Alexa, which was on the northeast coast of the Baltic Sea in a little seaside resort called Chłapowo. It was clear this little town was a popular place but they weren’t quite ready for prime time when we were there. Still, there was lots of activity, stores were stocking up, the Lody (ice cream) trucks were getting ready to open and folks were beginning to arrive at the beaches. Steven and I did lots of walking and bike riding. In fact, there was a spit at the edge of town that was very reminiscent of the Dungeness spit in Washington state and the Homer spit in Alaska. We figured we’d ride our bikes to the end because Steven had determined it was only three or four kilometers long. Turned out to be 80 kilometers roundtrip so obviously we gave up after a while and stopped at a nice place to nosh on a plate of mussels, fish and chips. Just lovely.

This is the entrance to Camping Alexa on the Baltic Sea.
That’s Bijou on the left just a couple of spots from the waterfront. We were too close to the weekend to get a waterfront, which was on a cliff about 30 meters above the water, but we still had a nice view.
Noshing on some mussels after realizing we would never reach the end of the spit. If ever you decide to travel in Poland, here’s a Pro Tip: Google Maps sucks here. And so does Garmin. Just FYI.
We walked for miles every day, this time out on the beach. It was the weekend, so lots of folks out and about with the kids.

Our next stop was Gdańsk, which so far is my favorite city in Poland. It is purported to be one of the most bike-friendly cities in all of Europe, but we never got the chance to find out. That’s because we parked up at a marina that was just a few hundred yards from all the action. I’m not sure what the numbers are like for the coronavirus here, but Poland is open for business. Shops, restaurants, tours, museums, you name it, all are open and ready for visitors. Needless to say, we took full advantage of it and over the next four days we ate out for nearly every meal, took a walking tour to learn about the city and rode the giant Ferris wheel. The weather was mostly sunny, so we walked and explored the city every day. It felt like we were rarely home, which is certainly a big change from being in lockdown.

Once again we parked up at a wonderful marina which was just a few hundred meters from old town. It was fantastic to be so close to all the action!
We were unsure if we wanted to ride this Ferris wheel, not sure why because we’ve done others. We were just ambivalent. But on Departure Day we decided to go for it. It was fun because we were literally the only people on it and we just kept going around and around. Steven got a ton of photos and it was great to see Gdańsk from this perspective. Also, Bijou is almost dead center at the marina in this photo.
Lots of activities along the Vistula River in Gdańsk.
The Polish are so proud of their amber they named their Ferris wheel after it.
Beautiful Gdańsk from the Ferris wheel.
How gorgeous is this city? It’s very reminiscent of Amsterdam, with the tall, multi-storied buildings. That black pirate ship is a touristy thing. It roamed up and down the river all day, with very few passengers. I have a feeling it won’t be long before the streets are once again teeming with tourists, such is the draw of Gdańsk.
The clock tower at the main Town Hall. That statue in the center is Neptune. Gdańsk is, after all, a port town.
Physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit was born in Gdańsk in 1724. This Fahrenheit thermometer is located on a main street not far from the statue of Neptune. It’s the only place we’ve seen where we didn’t have to do a quick calculation to figure out the temperature.
These rain spouts are found on buildings around the city. When the rains fall hard, water cascades from the mouths of these creatures. They are known as “pukers”, for obvious reasons.
Humorous sign in Gdańsk.
Beer in Poland is cheap, as is vodka. The beer isn’t quite as good as in the Czech Republic, but it’s good enough.
Beer and vodka are not the only cheap things. Poland in general is about a third less expensive than anywhere else we’ve been.
We had two lattes, two large orange juice, two beautiful, full meals for about $18. We decided we could live in Gdańsk.
A Polish hotdog comes in a grilled wrap, kind of like a tortilla only a bit breadier, complete with ketchup and mustard. You can buy these in every corner convenience store for about 4.50 zloty, which is about $1.20.
We have been working to set up a portable art studio for Steven and Poland is a good place to do that inexpensively. Steven has found that art supplies are about 40-50% cheaper than buying online, so he has been stocking up. In Gdańsk he found the perfect easel and drawing board.

Poland, particularly in the north, is famous for its amber that comes from a giant vein in the Baltic Sea that stretches all the way to Russia. Amber Alley (as I like to call it) is considered one of the most beautiful streets in all of Gdańsk and we made several trips there. Along with my addiction to dishes, I also have a weird obsession with long-handled teaspoons. They are hard to find in Europe, probably because Europeans don’t typically drink iced tea. We came across a shop with gorgeous spoons with amber handles, so of course I had to snatch those right up! Steven bought me a beautiful pair of earrings and a necklace to match. Honestly, a girl could get spoiled in Gdańsk.

Amber Alley.
My new amber spoons and jewelry.

From Gdańsk we made our way to Oświęcim, which you will likely know as Auschwitz. I’m actually going to cover this stop in our next post, because it deserves more space that I can give it here. It would just make this post too long, so I’m going to skip ahead.

On our way south we overnighted at a truck stop in Łódź, which not only has a weird name, but also, you may recall, is home to world-famous bra factories where once it was possible to get a fitting and custom made bra or buy one already made. Alas, this is no longer the case as coronavirus has apparently shut down this service and according to the email I received to my appointment inquiry, possibly for good. But never fear, we cracked on to Kraków and in the Jewish Quarter we found the “Brafitteria”. How perfect is that name? We made plans to visit.

Our overnight stay at a gas station parking lot on the way to Kraków.

We arrived at Brafitteria the day after we got settled into a lovely campsite called Camping Adam, just 15 minutes to the center of town by bike. The store opened at 10:00 a.m. and I was hoping I’d be the first customer of the day, which happily turned out to be the case. The fitter did not speak English (a rarity!) but she was so kind and helpful. She used Google translate and I would tell Steven my reply and he’d type it into his phone. She must have brought me 1,000 bras to try and it began to get overwhelming with communication not being optimal. So finally she mentioned that her coworker did speak English and she would be in the shop the next day. So I thanked her profusely, made a pledge to return and then left.

The Brafitteria, one of the many lingerie shops in Kraków.
Even though I had my personal photographer along to document this process for you, he had to switch gears and be my translator instead. So this is all we got.

As it turns out I had scheduled a few spa services just around the corner for the next day, so I figured I’d just pop in after some pampering and maybe I’d be in a better frame of mind to get on with this bra fitting thing. After a few hours at the spa, I returned to Brafitteria to find two fitters behind the counter. They knew I was coming and made a big fuss over me when I arrived, and then we got right to work. After a re-measure and a chat about what I was looking for, the new fitter quickly began filling the dressing room with so many bras I couldn’t possibly try them all on. She would hand me one and hang six more on the hook, then when I was ready for inspection, she would come in and with her white-gloved hands, tuck a little here, push a little there, then stand back to look me over and say, “I don’t like.” Then off she’d go in a whirlwind of activity until she arrived with a fresh batch for my trying on pleasure.

The Oasis Spa. I got my hair colored, a pedicure and a brow wax and color for $95. I want to live here forever.

I had learned the previous day about the Polish method of swooping. “Because if you don’t, “the mountain” will not top the soft material.” This, a direct translation from Google. I got the message, but it was a completely unnatural movement for me. By day two, though, I had it down pat. Take your hand under your arm, through the bra, bend forward slightly, reach around all the way to your back and pull everything sort of forward and up. Then let go. Give a little tug in the back and a little pull up on the top of the straps in front and everything falls into place. The mountain has reached the top and the right bra really does fit like a freaking tattoo.

But just because you can get a great fit doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right bra for you. I tried one that I absolutely loved, it fit great and it felt good. Then I put on my shirt and it looked utterly ridiculous. We both laughed. I guess it would be the perfect bra for me if I intended to walk around shirtless, but since I can’t see that happening, I handed it back to the fitter. On and on it went until I found exactly what I was looking for.

I can’t lie, though, when I got dressed and put on my old bra, it was like Old Yeller, so damn comfy. Still, I wasn’t leaving without some merch, so I bought two bras and called it a day. We returned the next morning to get another, and all the matching undies, too. So I am set for a while and thrilled that my long-awaited trip to the Mecca of Bras paid off.

A quick word about measuring for the ladies. I was measured under “the girls”, like around the upper ribcage. The goal is to properly size the band and then work on the cup size as you try things on. None of the bras I purchased are the same size, because each manufacturer has their own template for what a ‘C’ or ‘D’ looks like. So measure your body, not your boobs, and go from there. And don’t forget the Polish Swoop!

Kraków turned out to offer some terrific retail therapy, but lest you think I was the only one shopping, we visited the Galeria Krakowska shopping mall where Steven got his spring/summer wardrobe refreshed at H&M.

Aside from shopping we spent a ton of time out and about in Kraków, once again taking a wonderful two and a half hour walking tour of the city with a company called walkative.com. Best of all, it was free (with a voluntary tip at the end). These free walking tours are really fabulous and are usually the first thing we try to schedule when we arrive in a new city. The first one we did was in Amsterdam and we really enjoyed it. We have done more tours in the past three weeks than we have in a year and it’s great to be able to learn about the history of a place this way.

Perfect weather and a beautiful city makes for a wonderful day on our bikes! Kraków has lots of parks which were very bike-friendly.
Water feature in the big park in the center of Kraków.
See that little gold circle in the top center window? That is the trumpeter of St. Mary’s Cathedral. St. Mary’s Trumpet Call is a traditional, five-note Polish anthem closely bound to the history and traditions of Kraków. It is played every hour on the hour, four times in succession in each of the four cardinal directions, by a trumpeter on the highest tower of the city’s Saint Mary’s Church. (Source: Wiki)
The Walkative guides carry a yellow umbrella so you don’t get separated. The English tour guide also carries a British flag. I imagine these are quite necessary in normal times, but also if your guide is a fast walker, as ours was.
This is the courtyard of the Wawel Cathedral. It stands atop one of the highest hills in Kraków and is more than 900 years old.
More views of the splendors of Wawel Cathedral with a few more tourists than we are used to.
This was our lovely bike ride into the city from Camping Adam. Wawel Cathedral can be seen off in the distance.
Poland is obsessed with dragons and fairies. This fire-breathing dragon roars every few minutes. He is said to be much more fearsome in the evening when the sky is darker.
Referred to as ‘The Head’ by Kraków locals, the bronze body part’s official title is ‘Eros Bendato’ (Eros Bound) and is the work of Polish artist Igor Mitoraj. This is the final resting place of many previous locations in the city because it was mostly regarded as an eye sore and incompatible with the architectural surroundings. There was a change of mind, however, when the artist died suddenly and now it has a place of honor in Kraków’s main square.  
Musicians in traditional costume knock out a few Polish tunes.
This is the window of the room where Pope John Paul II lived when he studied to become a priest. After he became Pope, he gave a speech from here that inspired the Solidarity movement resulting in a free Poland.
Signs of tourism are beginning to spring to life.
We were shocked at the crowds in Kraków on this beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon and we couldn’t figure out where they were all coming from. At first we thought tourist season was in full swing, but then we found out it was a holiday akin to our Fourth of July. The Polish people are incredibly proud of their independence and it seemed they all came out to celebrate in the huge square.

We have now moved on to Warsaw where we are staying for a few days. From there, we will be on a mission to liberate our new credit cards from a man in Vilnius, Lithuania. Our credit card company contacted us to let us know that they were concerned to find that two cards had been used on our account (1.Steven. 2. Me.) and just to be safe, they had cancelled our cards and reissued new ones which were promptly be sent to our address in Florida, thus leaving us without a working credit card. Well, we have another one, we just don’t want to use it and pay extortionate fees for the privilege of using it in Europe. What to do….. I contacted my friend Donna in California, whose husband is from Lithuania, and he contacted a friend in Vilnius who was happy to receive the cards on our behalf. We have received word that the package has arrived and now this kind gentleman awaits our arrival in Vilnius where we will retrieve them. Problem solved. Thank you to Donna and Gintas for your help!

As you can see we have really been enjoying ourselves in Poland, and being able to take tours and enjoy meals out has been wonderful. We realized pretty quickly, though, during the on and off Covid lockdowns we have experienced that we have picked up some unhealthy habits, not the least of which is the amount of time we spend on our devices. When you sit four feet from each other all day, both of you staring at phones or computers, it’s easy to think you are spending time together and communicating when actually you are doing the opposite. When you don’t have any structure in your day nothing really gets done including things you really like and want to do. It’s easy to stay up late watching Ozark on Netflix thinking you’ll go to bed after a season finale only to decide you just have to find out how the next one starts, then you’re grumpy the next day because of lack of sleep. Many days when 7 p.m. rolls around and you still haven’t had dinner, you ask yourself, is that the time??

All this is to say we have had to do a bit of a re-focus on our priorities and make some changes. Steven purchased a watch for the first time in decades so that he isn’t relying on his phone to know the time. I haven’t done that yet, because I’m not sure I can stand having it on my wrist, but I might eventually try it. I’m more likely to ask him the time, as I usually do even if my cell phone is sitting right in front of me. I have been keeping my phone in my backpack when we are out and about so I’m not tempted to constantly check it. I now get a weekly email to tell me how much screen time I’ve had on a daily basis, and wow, that’s an eye-opener. I’m happy to report that this week I was down 59 percent. And funny enough, I didn’t miss a damn thing.

Steven’s new timepiece.

And speaking of Steven, he is continuing with his drawing studies and is making some nice progress. Here are a couple of examples of his latest work.

Mr. Robert Plant.
Steven’s cool new table easel! He’s moving so fast I can’t even get a decent photo of him!

As mentioned previously, Steven has also created a page on Facebook and would like to invite any of you who may be interested in his progress to follow his page. Click this link to get there.


NEXT UP: Auschwitz-Berkinau


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33 Comments

  1. Judith

    I purchased a ring and a small pendant in an amber museum in Vilnius.
    Loved reading and seeing photos of your visit to Poland. It was one of the countries included in a wonderful 23-day tour I took a few years ago.

    1. 2chouters

      They really make some beautiful things out of that amber! I looked and looked for a ring, but I just couldn’t find one I knew I’d wear. I am happy with my spoons and other items, though.

  2. Jeanne Sevaaetasi

    Wow this is so amazing, I to thought there would be post war through out, but being blitherized it would have to be rebuilt. It looks very nice. I’ve learned some interesting changes to different countries. Thanks for sharing.

  3. I just love amber. I’m sure I would have had a hard time keeping it to one or two pieces. Your post was fabulous and makes me want to see Poland. Glad you were “forced” to take the time to experience the country properly.

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you, Judy. Amber is everywhere here and we expect to find even more as we move north through the Baltics. I have to keep it to one or two pieces because I have absolutely no room to put anything new. Every nook and cranny is filled with Rosti! 🙂

    1. 2chouters

      Girl, you live in one of the greatest cities on earth and you haven’t found a good brafitter? Next time we are in New York city we’ll go together and I’ll teach you the Polish swoop. 🙂

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you so much, that means a lot to me. I added a link at the bottom of this post to the Facebook page I set up specifically for my artwork if you are interested in following along.

  4. Carmela M Gersbeck

    Another beautiful post! I loved everything about this post — the photography, the bra-fitting, the revelations about Poland! Your blog is wonderful and I enjoy every post!

    1. 2chouters

      Carmela thank you so much. This post was intended to convey just how much we love and appreciate Poland and I am thrilled that it resonated with you.

  5. Dolores Tanner

    What a beautiful blog… Just everything.. love yr spoons n jewelry. Bra fitting was a hoot! Can’t wait for next blog…. And pics!
    Travel With Kevin and Ruth are also in Poland.

    1. 2chouters

      Hi Dolores, thank you so much for your kind comment. I was catching up with Kevin and Ruth’s blog this morning and saw they are also in Warsaw, so I connected with them! Hopefully we will meet up soon. Aren’t my spoons gorgeous? I love them!

  6. I, too, enjoyed reading (and seeing) your post about Poland. Neither Jimmy nor I ever considered a Poland visit, but it appears we were biased, just like you. Good to hear travel puts the kibosh on all sorts of foolish ideas like these. Maybe someday Poland will be on the itinerary. (PS: I need some new bras, and — obviously — I need some amber.

  7. A James

    What a fabulous travelogue plus pics ,Steven’s art,the architecture & oh just all of it- can’t wait for your next! With regards to too much time on phone/ computer,I found that as an Apple user,the watch took care of the problem- still get enough info but more an aside.All the very best- just envious,lol.

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you so much for following along and taking time to comment. We appreciate it! As for the Apple watch, for us, I think that kind of defeats the purpose. That said, I honestly don’t know much about them, and they seem to work for you, so who knows! 🙂

    1. 2chouters

      So no Polish bra for Barb, then. 🙂 Our goal with this post was to bring Poland to life for those who might never visit here, so I am happy you got a glimpse! Good to hear from you!

  8. Vernon Hauser

    Wonderful as always to see the world through your travels . Steven’s art is stunning and beautiful . Thank you for
    all the work you put into your blog so the rest of us can enjoy it . . Safe travels .

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you, Vern. I’m glad you enjoyed this post, it was a monster to put together but worth it. One day we’ll look back and say, “wow, look at all the things we did in Poland!” 🙂 Steven says thanks for your kind words about his art. He’s very dedicated so expect more in the future! As always, so good to hear from you!

  9. This was so much fun to read. And of course,Steven’s photography is gorgeous! You even make reading about bra fitting entertaining. Which, by the way, I tried the ‘swoop’ according to your instructions, LOL!! So, thanks for that. I have a Polish friend and she never told me about the swoop, so now I’m mad at her.

    Slavic languages are crazy. So many consonants, so few vowels, and wingdings to boot, as you said. In a previous life I was married to a Serbian man and learned to speak Serbian. A lot of good that does me now, haha! So glad you enjoyed Poland. Thanks for the wonderful tour.

    1. 2chouters

      If I had a Polish friend and she didn’t tell me about the swoop, I’d be mad, too. But now we know and are better off for it. 🙂 Listen, learning any language is a huge accomplishment, even if you don’t really use it in real life. I mean, who knows, one day in a campground you could come across a Serb and bust out your language skills and impress everyone. It could happen. 🙂

  10. Wow, what a great post and introduction to a country that I don’t really know. Fabulous info. So happy you got your bra. And of course I love your “point and shoot” methodology lol.

    Nina

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