Poland is a country that not many people think of to travel to, but there are indeed many reasons and places that one should travel to and witness for themselves. It is a very old country with lots of history, and a very beautiful one at that. Architecture, landscapes, and even different types of food are just some of the reasons why it is such a beautiful and magical place to witness. Here is a list of just a couple of the cities and things to see in this wonderful nook of Europe.
1. Krakow
Krakow is a very large city consisting of approximately 750,000 people, and is the second largest city in Poland next to Warsaw. It actually used to be the capital of Poland many years ago, where the king once resided. This city has a folklore tale of a dragon that tormented the people, only to be tricked by a brave warrior into drinking water and never being able to breathe fire again. This is one of many beautiful cities in Poland, but one that has a lot of history as well. In the town center, there is a large building with two towers differentiating in height. This was because long ago, there were two brothers who were architects, and bet one another that they could build the highest tower in an amount of time that they both agreed on. As you can see, the one on the left won flawlessly.
2. Warszawa (Warsaw)
Warsaw is now the capital of Poland, and is yet another city with much history, both pleasant and unpleasant. As we all know, Warsaw was the site of the ghetto for Jews to reside during the occupation of Nazi Germany, but we don't want to focus on such negative things. Here again, there is also more folklore of a mermaid that aided, guided, and led soldiers to victory. It is the largest city in Poland, and has also thrived tremendously since the time where it was rebuilt literally from the ground up. There are still buildings with an ominous reminder of Poland's triumph in history forever engraved into them: bullet holes.
3. Pierogi
Sweet mother of God, if you have not ever tried pierogi, you are truly missing out. These delightful little things can be made in many ways, but are a trademark of Polish cuisine. They are a very simple type of food, more specifically a sort of filling that is wrapped in a clever fashion by fresh dough. Many fillings and types exist, ranging from sauerkraut and mushroom, to potato and a specific white cheese that can only be found in Poland. Of course, there is also the traditional kind with meat on the inside, but there is such a variety and room for one to be creative when experimenting with different combinations and flavors. There is also a cousin to the pierogi, called Pączki (pun-chkee). These are like pierogi, however, they are more of a dessert, with many types of sweet fillings such as whipped prune.
Salivating yet?
4. Lublin
Lublin is also one of Poland's oldest cities, with a University that has quite a lot of history. Here, Galileo Galilei HIMSELF attended this University, where he only went on shortly thereafter to discover and do the great things that he did. How cool would it be to visit this University, and walk the halls that one of the greatest astrologers and altogether scientists walked at one time many years ago?
5. Wrocław
Wrocław is probably one of the cities that I would like to travel to the most. Among the colorful buildings and broad and open city centers, there is one little adventure that one can take in this city. As pictured below, there are little tiny gnomes that are scattered throughout the city, and as of the 2014 census, there are currently 300 of them in the city. They are tricky, however. Not all of them are out in the open such as these three blind gnomes, many of them are hidden in store signs and in the actual architecture of buildings. Wouldn't it be fun to go on a little gnome hunt with some friends?
