Have traveled to a fair number of towns & villages since you last heard from me. We are in our 4th hotel, making our way by bus. The longest ride was five hours, but with stops, the time passes quickly. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, there are just 23 of us traveling together, so we have lots of room in a large passenger bus. Our bus driver, Robert, is a master of maneuvers. And, our tour leader Anna is a “feeder”. We are constantly being treated with shots of vodka, candy, cookies, gingerbread, etc. Never even a remote chance of being hungry.
Speaking of food, we are eating well. Traditional Polish dishes with lots of starch, fish & meat. The beer is quite delicious, & of course, the vodka can prove to be somewhat medicinal. We need that when traveling in a group, although, I don’t think that is Anna’s intention, to provide us with medicine.
Since leaving Warsaw, we spent three nights in Olsztyn, two nights in Sopot, & now one night in Torun. Then it’s on to Wroclaw for two nights, finishing in Krakow for three nights. Departing for home on 9/23.
Long bus ride today. To break it up, we stopped in the town of Gizycko where we embarked on a 3 lakes & 3 canals cruise. Lunch on board. Gizycko is known as the sailing capital of Poland. Typical Polish lunch on board.Canal in Old Town Olsztyn as seen on walking tour.View of the 14th century Gothic castle of the Warmian Chapter, now a museum. Olsztyn.Wolf’s Lair, Hitler’s headquarters & first fortification in Eastern Europe. Series of bunkers inhabited from 1941 – 1945. Destroyed by the Germans when the Russians began to advance. Another historical museum where one could spend a day just to learn. Had not heard of Wolf’s Lair before this visit to Poland.Organ with 2500 pipes. Short 10 minute concert with moving figures. Baroque style Swieta Lipka Sanctuary, a popular pilgrimage site.Museum of Folk Architecture. This open air museum offers a glimpse into Poland’s rural life heritage & traditional village life. Found the straw thatched roof interesting on this village church. This heritage village reminded me of the historical villages I have visited in the US.Home hosted family dinner with too much food, vodka sampling & entertainment. Entire family got involved in the evening; entertaining, serving & probably growing the vegetables & processing the meat we ate.25 meter ramp on which the boat makes its way to other side to reach the canal to continue sailing. The boat is lifted out of the water & placed onto tracks & dragged across the land. One of four we experienced today. Opened in late 19th century & used for transportation of goods. After railroad completed & took commerce from the canal, it became a tourist attraction & remains so today.Traffic going the other way on the Elblag canal.Golabki: cabbage roll made of pork & rice. Galushki in German. This was a staple when I was growing up, and still is today, but made with beef instead of pork.Solidarity Museum. After WW2, Poland came under Communist rule. Anna told of the severe restrictions put on the Poles by the Soviets. This informative museum told of the struggles to finally gain independence. It all began in 1970 with a strike at the steel mill in Gdansk, & ended in 1989 when Soviet control began to collapse, & Poland finally gained its independence & became a democratic society. Hope was gained in 1980 with an independence victory, but then martial law was declared, & the restrictive life remained in place, so hence the many years in between. Certainly recent history, & many lessons to be taken from the Polish struggle.Gdansk Main Square. Visited an amber store here where we learned how to identify genuine amber. Treated to a taste of vodka with gold flakes.Purchased the one’s Melinda is wearing. Lost my prescription sunglasses in Olsztyn. Another excuse for a wild pair of glasses.Emigration Museum in Gdynia located in the ocean liner terminal building. Because of Poland’s tumultuous history, Poles have been immigrating for centuries. The museum tells the stories of the immigration history & the lives of individuals who chose to make the journey mostly to the West. At one time Chicago welcomed the most Polish people anywhere in US. I wanted to come to Poland to learn. What we are learning is at times overwhelming.Pirate ship parked along the longest wooden pier in Europe, Sopot Molo which stretches out into the Baltic Sea.Fiat anyone? This one’s for you, Walt.Medieval town of Torun located on the Vistula River, one of the “Seven Wonders of Poland”. The Old Town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered one of the best preserved medieval towns in all of Europe.Church of the Lady in Torun. Church on every corner in this small medevial village. Most in Poland are Catholic.Participated in a gingerbread making demonstration today; not acceptable students. Torun gingerbread is a traditional gingerbread that has been produced since the Middle Ages in this village.
I have attempted to give you just a glimpse of what we are doing & seeing. Hope you will travel along using the map in the first photograph above.
All very interesting! So much history with lots of challenges. Thanks for all the beautiful pictures and narrative. Love that you found time to shop for new sunglasses. Have to support the local economy. You go girl!
Traveling with Judy 
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