Wroclaw, Poland...feels like home

The Train to Wroclaw

We left cold and cloudy Berlin and arrived in Wroclaw, Poland on a very warm, summer day. The train ride was really relaxed and enjoyable. We had our own compartment with lots of room. I was able to write my Berlin blog post and do some sewing on my EPP Hexie project. I even got in a nap. Mr. R had a nice nap, read and relaxed. I love traveling on the train. I wish we had more trains in the US.

We took lots of Instagram photos. I think this might be my favorite app. I love the photos it takes. Who needs a camera?

The First Day

My sister asked me if I felt any different being in Poland and I can honestly answer, yes. I like the smells, the language and the people. Like she said, “It’s in our DNA”. This makes me remember visits to my grandmother’s and my uncle’s homes in Pennsylvania when I was a child. Although I do not speak a word of Polish, I love hearing the people speak the language of my ancestors.

Our hotel was super nice. We booked this weekend to be our best hotel since we would be spending our anniversary in Wroclaw, and it did not disappoint. We walked around the square where the FanFest was set up for the Euro Soccer Championships. Wroclaw is a host city, but luckily, there were no rowdy fans. We toured a few churches and then ate dinner in the square.

The Second Day

The second day was pretty exciting. We walked over to the Cathedral Island, where there are several churches and a seminary. Our (Polish) priest from home had told us it would be a great place to visit and he was right. As we crossed the Tumski bridge we noticed all the locks with couple’s names on them. We found out this bridge is known as the “love bridge”, so we bought a lock and, in honor of our anniversary, we locked our love on the bridge with all the other couples.

As we crossed the bridge we could hear a mass being broadcast so we headed for the cathedral and arrived just as the 50^th anniversary celebration mass for the Archbishop of Wroclaw, the Reverend Marian Golebiewski was ending. There were more priests, bishops and nuns than I had ever seen in my life. Even more than we saw when in the Vatican. We even got to meet the Archbishop and congratulate him.

We took the tram to the train station to buy our tickets to Krakow. While there, we had a scary incident; several gypsy women and children surrounded us. We know this a scam they use to pick pocket people so we pushed them away and noticed that the police in the station were also watching them, so we felt a little more secure.

The weather was once again perfect and all things are going well in Poland.

Day Three

Today was our 40th wedding anniversary. We slept in this morning and enjoyed the nice breakfast buffet in the hotel, and then we went to mass. We were hoping to be able to receive a blessing from the priest for our anniversary.  Success! The priest gave us a special anniversary blessing, after mass, and we even got an altar boy to take a photo. It was pretty emotional for both of us.

After church we headed over to tour the synagogue, but unfortunately there was a concert rehearsal and we were not allowed inside. So we ate lunch in the synagogue square and then had a relaxing walk back to the hotel. I still think our body clocks are confused because we get really sleepy every afternoon around three o’clock.

After a rest in the hotel, we walked along the river. This really is starting to feel like a relaxing vacation.

Dinner tonight was a splurge, but so worth it. Delicious food and a beautiful presentation all helped to make this one of our best anniversary celebrations, ever. We sat outside, where it stays light until 10 pm., on another gorgeous summer night.

The Food

Polish food is delicious if you know how to order it. Growing up, eating pierogi, golabki, kapusta, I knew what to order. Our son had been to Poland and said we would love the pierogi, but we only had them in the square and they were not as good as I can make at home. The finer dining of rabbit, fish and pork dishes were all excellent, not to mention the beer, too!

We tried a new after dinner drink of sweet vodka. It is aged 10 years with herbs and is really good and is supposed to be good for digestion, not to mention it also helps you sleep.

So Wroclaw gets a big YES from us. We had a wonderful time here.

Thanks for stopping by,

"di"