All I can say about Poland is...WOW!! Throughout my journey from the Northern point of Poland down to the neighboring side of Slovakia, I was able to experience a wide range of cultures, weather, and lifestyles all in the same country!
Gdynia
My first stop was Gdynia. Here I stayed with a local family, along with a friend from my country for one week. We were only scheduled to remain there for a couple days, but we fell in love with the family, the culture, and everything Poland had to offer. We wanted to see it all!
What to do- Gdynia is a city known for having a combination of modern and historic elements. Relaxing along the beaches, sampling a variety of unpronounceable foods, and walking through the town square are just a few of the things that this city has to offer.
A piece of advice when visiting Poland-DRESS IN LAYERS!! The weather is different all throughout the country and I did not prepare for the temperature to be lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit when visiting the coastal cities.
Living with a family from Poland was a blessing! We were able to observe the family's everyday life and share experiences with them. While they were working throughout the day, we decided to travel by train to nearby hot spots.
One of the hot spots was known as the coastal town of Sopot.
Sopot
Here, there is a downtown that meets all of your touristy needs. There are numerous restaurants with live bands, souvenir shops, and a beach against the Baltic Sea if you are wanting to unwind from walking. This is where residents from nearby towns also come to enjoy its young and active nightlife.
We walked along one of the longest piers in Europe while enjoying its garden and beach type scenery.
One treat we decided to enjoy was their ice cream, which is referred to as Lody. The flavors come in the classics of vanilla, strawberry or chocolate. They also had a green flavor known as "Star Zelki" but I decided to stick to pink.
Continuing our adventure, we caught a train to our next destination of Gdansk.
Gdansk
Gdansk is a large town that supplies a long market with reconstructed buildings from WWII. There are many museums, along with Poland's famous amber jewelry, being offered all throughout the city.
For the best view go to the top of St. Mary's Church. Be ready for MANY, MANY stairs that you will have to face. But trust me, the view is worth it.
Having an arrangement of multiple Polish based restaurants, we decided to let our taste buds explore. We spent most of our times eating in Milk bars, also known as Bar Mleczny. These bars were very cheap but the trick was you needed to be able to read and speak Polish. Luckily for us, we ran into people that were able to translate the popular dishes for us. Other times we pronounced the names as best we could and seemed to always be rewarded with their home cooked delicious foods.
Little hidden coffee shops off the main areas were also my favorite places to explore. These treasures always brightened my day because it was a time to relax, plan for the following days and enjoy the memories my friend and I made so far in the day.
A must try is a Gofry!!! A food that is so simply but I feel in love with. This delicious treat is a waffle which you can layer with an arrangement of fruits, whipped cream and sauces.
After departing the family, we decided to go stay a couple days in Krakow.
Krakow
From being a tourist through the day to partying through the night this youthful town has so much to offer.
Where to stay- Rather than staying in a hostel my friend and I decided to rent out ab Airbnb. We were able to have a loft in the main square for 2 nights for around $100 each. Our Airbnb was beyond our expectations. We were placed in the center of town with a penthouse view. Thanks to the service of P&J Apartments we were able to enjoy Poland in the comfort of an amazing suite.
What to do- We started our day roaming through the town and visiting the tours offered around the area. There are multiple tours that we wanted to experience while we were in Krakow but our time was limited. The tours I would recommend that I was able to experience or heard highly about were:
1) Auschwitz camp 1 and 2
2)Birkenau
3) Salt Mine
There are multiple tours with differing prices so I suggest taking brochures from each, comparing, then come to a conclusion on which is the better deal!
For fun I recommend doing a bar crawl. This allows you to meet travelers from all over the world while hopping around 6 bars throughout the night. It will seem like you know the whole town by the time you are finished!
Shh secret! My friend and I were told that there was a secret staircase under Cloth Hall. We were unable to locate it after secretly searching while also purchasing merchandise from the rows of sellers.
From Krakow we continued our journey to our last stop before our flight onto the next country. That last stop was Warsaw.
Warsaw
Where to stay- Hostels. They are cheap, usually placed in the center of the town you are visiting, and are a way to mingle with other nomads. When traveling throughout Europe, hostels are the places I recommend residing. The hostel we stayed in was the New World St. Hostel. It was in the middle of Warsaw which made it perfect for us to walk to all the site seeing destinations.
What to do- We made trips to the Royal Castle, the University of Warsaw, and Warsaw Old Town.
We also spent our nights enjoying the rambunctious filled streets of people.
*GNO* If your a girl and it is a Wednesday, Congratulations. You are able to go into any bar and drink as much as you want for free :)
{Enjoy the picture below of a savory place that we found where I would go back everyday if we had it in America. My new weakness, the bubble waffle.}
The best advice I got from a local traveler was "The best way to explore a country is to get lost in it."
Now, go get lost.
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