Poland – Warsaw, Lublin, Kazimierz Dolny, Zamość, Rzeszów & Kraków

Poland is a country that we were really excited about as we were curious to see how much it had changed since our first visit over 20 years ago. After flying into Warsaw, we spent a night before hopping on a bus to the pretty city of Lublin. Lublin was our base for a day trip to Kazimierz Dolny which did not disappoint. From Lublin, we took a train to Zamość, a beautiful city that earned UNESCO status because it is considered an ideal city and “a perfect example of a late 16^th century Renaissance town.” We took a minivan from Zamość to Rzeszów which has a quaint and charming market square with a city hall dating from the 16^th century. The lovely city of Kraków was up next, and we caught a Flixbus from Rzeszów. Kraków had been on our bucket list for over 20 years and it lived up to its very high expectations. We had a total of 4 nights here and were lucky enough to be here for Labor Day, Flag Day and Constitution Day (1, 2 and 3 May). The city was packed with visitors and abuzz with excitement. Flag Day was especially memorable as locals were dressed in their traditional best and various towns had prepared their own regional dish which was free for all spectators. Kraków itself is a very picturesque town and we were able to admire it from several different vantage points (at the top of St. Mary’s Tower and the Town Hall Tower). A day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the Wieliczka Salt Mine finished up our time in Kraków. From here we will continue our journey to Wrocław and beyond so stay tuned.

Nicolas Copernicus Monument; Warsaw Entrance to the Museum of the University of Warsaw A young boy poses next to a pierogi from Zapiecek Restaurant while his mom takes a photo View looking to the Royal Castle in Warsaw Jesuit Church next to St John’s Cathedral in downtown Warsaw The Warsaw Mermaid; Old Town Mulled wine and hot chocolate; Warsaw Warsaw Barbican (semicircular fortified outpost) Szarlotka (Polish apple pie) Old town at night; Warsaw The Józef Piłsudski Monument (he was instrumental in Poland regaining its independence); Warsaw Fundraising concert for Ukraine at the Piłsudski Square in Warsaw Charles de Gaulle statue walking away from the old Communist Party Headquarters building in Warsaw Statue in the Royal Sculpture Gallery at Łazienki Park View of Łazienki Palace, the “Palace on the Water”; Warsaw University of Warsaw Library Church of St Joseph; Warsaw Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; Warsaw Baroque statues in Saxon Garden; Warsaw Zachęta - National Gallery of Art; Warsaw Holy Trinity Church; Warsaw Monument to Bartolomeo Colleoni; Warsaw Pediment of the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of “Artes Liberales” Judgement of Paris by Henryk Siemiradzki; National Museum The story of Lucretia on the front wall of a marriage chest; National Museum Egyptian artifacts; National Museum Golden bull’s head; National Museum Marble statues on display at the National Museum Gold coins; National Museum Ram’s head pendant; National Museum Illyrian bronze helmet World’s first pregnant Egyptian mummy; National Museum View of Warsaw from the Palace of Culture and Science Warsaw skyline from the Palace of Culture and Science Drama theater near the Palace of Culture and Science Palace of Culture and Science; Warsaw Vietnamese phở for dinner Monument to the Union of Lublin at Lithuanian Square; Lublin Roman Catholic Church of St Peter and Paul; Lublin Fountain in the pedestrian street; Lublin Lublin Market Square Plac Po Farze plaza with views of an exposed 13th century church; Lublin Tightrope walker; Lublin View of Grodzka gate in the Jewish part of old town; Lublin Bridge leading to the Old Town of Lublin View of town from the top of Lublin Castle Frescoes in the Holy Trinity Chapel; Lublin Artwork on display at Lublin Museum Kraków Gate; Lublin Multimedia fountain at night; Lublin Renaissance tenement houses built for the Przybył family; Old Market square in Kazimierz Dolny Close up of the facade on the House of Przybyl; Kazimierz Dolny View overlooking Kazimierz Dolny from the Hill of Three Crosses Kazimierz Dolny Castle overlooking the Vistula River Bronze statue of a dog at the market square in Kazimierz Dolny. Supposedly, touching its nose will bring happiness Old wooden well; Kazimierz Dolny Monastery church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Kazimierz Dolny Mural artwork near the VIVO! Mall; Lublin The walled city of Zamość is a UNESCO world heritage site considered “the perfect example of a Renaissance town from the 16th century” City hall in the lovely city of Zamość The Church of St Nicholas in Zamość A view of the city hall tower at the main square in Zamość Detail on the exterior of an Armenian house in Zamość Our delicious 50 piece sushi dinner at Ale SUSHI; Zamość Zamość at sunset Renaissance facades at the market square; Zamość Fosa outdoor pub; Rzeszów Lubomirski Castle; Rzeszów Theater of Wanda Siemaszkowa; Rzeszów Rzeszów Market Square Rzeszów Town Hall (built in neo-renaissance and neo-gothic style) Monument to the Revolutionary Act, a symbol of Rzeszów The statue of Jan Matejko in Planty Park; Kraków Kraków Barbican, a defense gateway dating back to the 1490s The Collegiate Church of St. Florian; Kraków Gate arch in Kraków Kraków’s m ain market square (‘Rynek Główny’), a massive 40,000 square foot space in the heart of the Old Town Town Hall Tower in Kraków St Barbara’s Church; Kraków Holy Trinity Dominican Monastery; Kraków Wawel Royal Castle; Kraków St Peter and Paul, a Roman Catholic Polish Baroque church in Kraków Interior of Pierogarnia Domawa, a Polish dumpling restaurant in Kraków Handmade dumplings at Pierogarnia Domawa restaurant Juliusz Słowacki Theater The famous Gothic tower of St. Florian’s Gate; Kraków Arch view of St. Mary’s Basilica Eros Bound, a large bronze sculpture in the old town market square of Kraków Town hall tower and the Cloth Hall (a renaissance-era trading gallery); Kraków Church of St. Wojciech, an 11th century Romanesque Church Early morning view of one of Kraków’s cobblestone streets Steps leading up to Wawel Royal Castle; Kraków Wawel Cathedral Fire-breathing dragon of Wawel Hill; Kraków Ariel, a Jewish restaurant in Kazimierz View of St Florian’s Gate from St. Mary’s Tower (Bugle Tower) Kraków’s magnificent Cloth Hall and market square as seen from Bugle Tower Woolen souvenirs for sale; Kraków Cloth Hall Lion statue guarding the entrance to the Town Hall Tower; Kraków Wawel Royal Castle as seen from the top of Kraków’s Town Hall Tower View of St. Mary’s Basilica from the Town Hall Tower; Kraków Interior view of St. Mary’s Basilica; Kraków Teenage girls dressed in traditional dresses get ready to perform on Flag Day (2 May); Kraków Locals offering free samples of food during Kraków’s Flag Day celebrations Musicians entertaining the crowd; Flag Day celebration in Kraków A close up look of the traditional outfits on display during Flag Day 2022 Lots of Polish pride during Flag Day! Boys sparring with flags after the Flag Day festivities; Kraków Horse-drawn carriages are a common sight in the Old Town section of Kraków Kraków’s market square at sunset Anti-Putin, pro-Ukraine demonstration at the Adam Mickiewicz Monument; Kraków St. Florian’s Gate at dusk Central Square (Rynek Główny) at night; Kraków Bust of Polish national leader Tadeusz Kościuszko Kościuszko Mound is a popular viewpoint on the outskirts of Kraków Wawel Royal Castle The Ghetto Heroes Square with 68 empty chairs representing the 68,000 Jews of Kraków who died in German Nazi concentration camps when the Ghetto was liquidated on 14 March 1943 Street art; Kraków Flower wreaths in front of the Grunwald Monument; Matejko Square in Kraków “Arbeit macht frei” (work sets you free), a 16 foot iron sign at the entrance of Auschwitz I Stop! This warning sign stands between the housing blocks and double electric fence at Auschwitz concentration camp Black and white photo of Holocaust victims at Auschwitz View of the Gatehouse and train tracks leading to Auschwitz-Birkenau Rock salt carved statue of King Kazimierz; Wieliczka Salt Mine A scene carved out of salt in the Royal Salt mine of Wieliczka. Salt has been harvested since the 13th Century, making this one of the world’s oldest operating salt mines View of the emerald colored salt lake in the Erazm Baracz chamber at Wieliczka Salt Mine

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