Anne Sawicki Jinks' Travel Adventures: Poland - Anne & Michael visit the homeland land of the Sawicki/Fijarczyk Family - May 1

Wednesday & Thursday, May 1 & 2, 2024

Here we come Poland!

Michael & I left Detroit airport to fly to Amsterdam then on to Kraków Airport. We arrived at 5:10 pm on Thursday and were picked up by driver to takes us the Wyndham Grand Hotel in old town Kraków. After check-in we walked to the main square and had a delicious meal. Long time traveling and much needed rest for Anne followed.

Friday, May 3

The weather in Krakow was beautiful! A fitting setting for the Polish to celebrate Majówka - May 1 -Labor Day, May 2 - Flag Day, and May 3 - Constitution Day. Loads of Polish tourists along with tourists from around the world made for a lively, interesting visit for us - we heard a lot of different languages. The May 3rd Constitution was passed in 1791 and is claimed to be the 1st written constitution in Europe and the second in the world after the American one. Constitution Day is celebrated with speeches and military parades.

On our walk to visit Wawel Royal Castle we passed many people waiting for the festivities to start. We climbed the hill and walked around the beautiful grounds.

After walking the grounds, we had lunch at Pod Wawel (Under the Wawel) Restaurant. I had good pierogi and Michael had stuffed cabbage which were not that great - but as long as Michael has beer he is happy.

After lunch we took an hour boat ride along the Visla River

The Wawel Royal castle was built by King Casimir III the Great in the 14th century. It has numerous buildings of national importance and includes a cathedral where Polish monarchs were crowned & buried. It is built on top of limestone next to the Visla River. It was declared the 1st World Heritage site as part of the historic center of Krakow.

Lovers Bridge (Polish: Kład

Lovers’ Bridge with the usual locks

Interesting sporting sculptures on the bridge

Saturday, May 4, 2024

We went to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine today. Before our visit we had a delicious lunch at a restaurant across the street from the entrance to the mine recommended by our diver. We had delicious pierogi (cabbage & mushroom) as a starter. I had an egg, vegetable, chicken salad (very good) and an excellent iced coffee. Michael had ok fish & chips with beer.

Wieliczka Salt Mine is a UNESCO World Heritage site near Krakow. It’s 1,073 feet deep & over 178 miles long. The salt is grey not white like you’d think. The mining of the salt started in the 13 century and continued until 1996. Flooding & falling salt prices stopped the mining. There are a maze of tunnels and exhibits describing mining technology, an underground lake, four chapels, and numerous statues carved by miners. It worth to see although when I asked Michael what he thought - “interesting if you like mines” 😂 Be ready to climb down

lots of steps! I was sore for LOTS of steps! I was sore for 3 days after our trip.

Salt sculpture of Copernicus

Chapel of St. Kinga inside the mine where mass is held and even weddings if you have the money!

Sunday, May 15

We visited St. Mary’s Basilica in the old town square. The story goes that during the Tatar invasion of Poland in 1241, a sentry was playing St Mary's Trumpet Call from the church tower to warn the inhabitants of Kraków about the enemy troops nearing the city. While he was sounding the alarm, a Tatar arrow reached his throat, taking his life and abruptly ending the melody. Mary’ trumpet call (Polish: Hejnał mariacki) is a traditional, five-note Polish bugle call. It is played every hour on the hour by a trumpeter on the highest tower of St. Mary’s Basilica.

We visited the museum where we saw the lady with the ermine by Leonardo Da Vinci

Last night in Krakow - pictures Michael took while visiting various beer houses.

Monday, May 6

Leaving Krakow to Zdiar, Slovakia to visit Thom Kolton in Osturna, Slovakia

Best view of the Tatra Mountains - unfortunately we had rain both days in Slovakia

Our rental car at Thom’s house in Osturna, Slovakia

Thom’s cute little house in Osturna on the land where his Grandmother’s house once stood

Thom’s future house next to his little one - and he has a flag for Ukraine in blue & yellow lights on the building (hard to tell during the day)

Poochini, Thom’s faithful companion

Thom was kind enough to drive us up into the Tatra Mountains in the rain and fog. We went to the Kempinski Hotel and had a wonderful dinner. On a clear day you could see the mountains, but notice the dense fog by the tree behind Thom. We had a nice visit with Thom and Poochini!

Wednesday, May 8

Michael & I left Zdiar, Slovakia at 10 am and arrived in Wroclaw, Poland at 3:30 pm. It was a nice day for the drive thru beautiful scenery.

Grape Hotel our home for 2 nights in Wroclaw (eastern district where there is a Japanese Garden, zoo, and neat old homes. And we had a good pizzeria a few blocks away

Great pool & hot tub at the hotel that Michael and I enjoyed

Old town Wroclaw - destroyed during WWII and rebuilt

Miniature gnomes all over the city

We took a pontoon ride on the Odra River in Wroclaw (called the Venice of the North) There are currently 118 to 130 bridges & footbridges in the city. The Odra River is the most important but there are many canals & tributaries

Goodbye Wroclaw, on to Pilawa Gorna to visit family

Friday, May 6

We left Wroclaw and arrived at Cousin Mircza’s house at 11am.

Michael, Cousins Mariola, Robert, Peter, Mircza, & Jaczek Wendelski

Peter’s garden & their solar panels

Cousin Mircza treated us to the best home cooked meal - everything from her garden except the meat (cream of tomato soup, salad, mashed potatoes, pickles, beets with toasted chicken, meatballs and breaded chicken cutlets, with homegrown fruit in jello and delicious cheesecake - best meal Mike and I had in Poland). We left Pilawa Górna at 4 pm and should have arrived in Lodz, Poland at 7 pm. Unfortunately we were at a standstill on the road for 1-1/2 hours because a semi-truck flipped over. We arrived at 10 pm to our hotel at the Manufactura complex where our hotel, the Vienna House was located. Manufactura was a textile factory now a complex with shops, restaurants, theater and hotel.

Saturday, May 11

Cousins Sophie & Michael Fijarczyk picked us up from our hotel and took us on a tour of Lodz. Lodz used to be an industrial city for the textile industry. Now the city is going thru a gentrification - many factories have been repurposed for lofts, restaurants, and theaters.

The originator of the name and logo of MONOPOLIS is Janusz Kaniewski, a Polish designer. He created the unique verbal and graphic symbol. The modern and historic font style is inspired by the 1920s. The name and logo of MONOPOLIS is a unique Art Nouveau city within a city that provides space for housing, theaters, restaurants, and a variety of meeting places.

Cousins Sophie and Michael Fijarczyk, and Michael - at their działka (cottage home)

Michael & Sophie’s działka home

One of the alleys in Lodz now transformed into a walkway with buildings coated in mirrors

Liberty Square - monument of Thaddeus Kościuszko - one of the lower facades shows Kosciusko shaking hands with George Washington

The Izrael Poznański Palace is a historical museum of Lodz. It was originally the mansion built for the family of one of the wealthiest textile factory owners, Izrael K. Poznańki. Our hotel was next door in the Manufactura complex which was part of the factories Izrael Poznański built his cotton empire.

Cousin Wojtek Fijarczyk and Michael out for the night in Lodz

Sunday, May 12

We drove from Lodz to Gdańsk

Gdansk, Poland for two nights - Długa Ulica (Long Street) main thoroughfare of activity

Michael in front of our hotel on Długa Ulicza

Strolling along both sides of the Motlawa River in Gdańsk

We took a round trip boat ride from Gdańsk to Sopot

Resort town of Sopot

Tuesday, May 14

Happy 43rd birthday Michael!

We left Gdańsk and drove to Hel, Poland - tip of the peninsula between Gdańsk Bay & the Baltic Sea. We continued on to Toruń where we stayed for 2 nights

Water was cold - I had to put my feet in as usual

This was actually Puck Bay which flows into the Gdańsk Bay and then the Baltic Sea (and it was 2024, not 2014)

Walking around Toruń, where Copernicus was born

Unfortunately we could not get into the Copernicus Planetarium - sold out

Leaning tower in Torun

We walked up 175 steps to the top of the Town Hall Tower in Torun for the view of the city and the Vistula River crossing nearby

Bydgosz, Poland - we both really liked the city and our hotel

Park & fountain next to our hotel and a short walk to the old town of Bydgoszcz

Murial of Marian Adam Rejewski - he was a Polish mathematician and cryptologist born in Bydgoszcz (formerly Bromberg, German Empire) who in late 1932 reconstructed the German military Enigma cipher machine, with the help of limited documents obtained by French military intelligence

Old Market Square in Bydgoszcz

Nice walking streets in Bydgoszcz along the Brda River, a tributary of the Vistula River and another bridge with love locks

Sculpture over the Brda River

We took a boat ride on the Brda River and went thru a canal lock

Manual cleating of our boat while the lock fills with water

Poznan

Poznan is the 5th largest city in Poland & one of the oldest cities in Poland. It is a center of trade, sport, education, technology & tourism. The Adam Mickiewicz University if the the 3rd largest Polish university