To Poland for Heritage, To Prague to Czech it Out

Learning Polish History

I had told Caitlin I would do whatever she wanted for our Europe adventure together, which was concentrated in the eastern Europe area. But as we were going over our itineraries in the South of France at Becky's I knew I wanted to add Poland in there. Why poland?

My mother's side of the family is purely polish. Both of my great grandparents came from Poland on Ellis Island together and used some sort of matchmaker to maintain family nationality. My grandpa's surname was Americanized from wisnieski to walker...to make things easier for him. I wish I had learned more about this heritage before visiting because we descend from a beautiful region called Swalaski...all national park to this day.

Polish Castel in Krakow

So I came to Poland to learn about the history of this place...figure out why my family left this place. Having one day in Warsaw, Caitlin and I decided to take a free tour of the city. I learned this place has only maintained 20 years of freedom, which has been only very recently. We visited the basilica where the 2nd constitution in the world was signed (the first being the USA, of course). But the democracy system backfired on the poles because neighboring European mega powers paid off nobility votes-and they worked with a unanimity decision process rather than majority. So this place has been ruled by greedy kings with each reign concerning an entirely different agenda, and was split up into pieces after WW2. Also, Hitler was pissed that the poles were able to withstand his troops for so long-they were estimated to last 3 days and but actually they held strong for 60-so he completely decimated the city to show one to them. The city is therefore a very modern representation of what it might have been like...so much has been rebuilt because of war and such. All in all I learned quiet a bit about why this place gets such a poor reputation-and how different it is today filled with life wheras it used to be a place where people hid and rarely interacted.

Warsaw City Walls. . . Reconstructed to Look As It Might Have

This is what I wanted, to get some understanding of what my ancestors had to go through when they lived over here. Just the essence of it helps get to know my Polish lineage.

So our one day in the capital consisted of walking around the gardens where the tomb of the unknown soldier lies. It was a beautiful morning, walking and just talking with Caitlin about life and our aspirations while passing pretty fountains adorned with weeping willows. We then took the free walking tour, where I learned some background history of the place. The tour ended with a vodka shot and lard pickle sandwich-the grease helps with the intensity of the shot. Poles do not like when others decline drinking, so for future reference say you have health issues if you prefer not to join in festivities. We wanted to indulge in some traditional perogies at a local restaurant, but the moment we sat down we realized we had to run to catch our train. Amazing Race back on again, we sprinted back to the hostel, swiftly grabbed our bags, and speed walked to the train. With a few minutes to spare I grabbed a hot dog and sweet cherry pie. Once on the train I put my tunes in and zzzzzzz. Then I awoke and a polish controller was asking for my ticket. Turns out we were in 1st class, which made me laugh because it looked just the same as 2nd.

The Park in Warsaw

    A few hours later we were in Krakow. Our hostel was perfection! It was like home. Nice living room with flat screen TV, newly renovated kitchen, comfy beds with fluffy pillows...and get this, they did our laundry and folded it all nice like Mama would :D Recommended to a place from the hostel staff, we went to Chata for real polish fare. Wooden tables comforted by fur, low lit by lanterns, I felt as if we had just returned from a long day of hunting. We ordered the hunters stew and dumplings, such a hearty meal. The Polish are well known for their vodka so we decided it would be our drink of choice for the night. But by the time we were ready to go out it was raining. Krakow was suggested by friends and told to be a great party scene...but the rain must have scared everyone away. We landed at the first bar semi filled with college students, but while we were ordering I noticed the crowd slowly disperse with glass drinks in hand. By the time I had taken my first sip it was just Caitlin and I. I asked the bartender if we could take the drink with us, he was short to reply with a negative. We were going to try another place but it was freezing cold, rainy, and the streets were empty. The following day we slept in, it was pretty hard to wake up since the bed was the most comfortable to date. But we made it to another walking tour through Krakow which furthered the Polish education. Unlike Warsaw which is pretty modern since so much was decimated, Krakow is very old and the buildings are the same from years ago. It also used to be the capital, so it was also rich in history. A long day of walking calls for a delicious meal. Caitlin and I found a place where we ordered soup again-rye bread this time. When the weather is cold, all the body wants is something warm and comforting. We returned "home" to our hostel and although we weren't staying there another night, they still let us crash in their lounge and use their kitchen for dinner. Caitlin prepared some epicly delicious perogies before we had to catch a ride to the night train. Bellies full I was so ready to fall asleep on the train to Prague. A little mix up on buses over to the train station, but we made it just in time. Luckily there was only 4 of us in the 6 bed train room...but the sleep wasn't the best as I kept on thinking someone was going to take my stuff. It was pure paranoia though, we had very friendly roommates and our door was locked.

Rainy Days in Poland

Caitlin's Rib Platter

   Early morning we arrived in Prague. I was very excited as I have been told it is the best city in Europe. 3 nights there was just enough to czech it out ;) Our hostel staff wasn't very helpful, when I asked her for a breakfast spot she suggested the train station or McDonald's...so I knew google would be my main source of local knowledge. We decided upon a free tour which lasted over three hours. It's really helpful to take these right as you get to a city because they provide great background knowledge you need to understand exactly what you are looking at it. Granted, things can look beautiful regardless...but knowing some back story is always nice. Post tour we followed the tour guides suggestion for a lunch spot, I ordered the farmers plate. Duck and a whole bunch of other meat, signature pancakes... Very yummy, and of course complimented with a beer. Later that night I went on a run to take a different perspective of the city. 

 Although I much prefer summer weather, fall weather has me feeling like I could run for miles on end. I got pretty nostalgic of my lacrosse team while running. Something about that team aspect and probably also the fact every time I log into Facebook I have a few notifications of practice back home. After a hot shower Caitlin and I decided to walk to the grocery store, load up on local beer, and make a beer tour of our own. While cooking dinner I met some other fellow hostel stayers, two girls from Iraq. They had just finished working in the war and were taking  vacation to "get some distance from it all". I hadnt really ever taken much time imagining employment in war as mandatory. One girl said she really doesnt like talking about it, because she may not agree with whats going on...but she just feels the need to support her country. Its not a choice, she said. I took pride in being American in that moment. I was raised with such freedom, and I too often take it for granted.

Beauty of Prague

     Ok...back to the beer tour. We had the intention of making it to the 5 story club that night but the company of a Canadian talking politics and ethics brought us to 2am and we didn't find the cover worth it at that point. Next morning we slept in a little late, then joined a walking tour of the other side of Prague which includes the magnificent castle...basically a new town in itself. This tour guide spoke as if we knew a lot of the history already so we were very happy we had the knowledge of the previous days tour. 

Tour to Cathedral, Prague

We choose to go to one of the cheap eats Google suggested and it was delicious. Pig slaughtering goulash might not sound appetizing, but it was. And my friend Tess insisted I try the pate in Prague so I ordered a starter of the goose pate....yummO, delicious food and affordable prices. We continued to tour the city and take pictures, getting lost is sometimes the best thing when you are in an unfamiliar city-especially when it's all safe. Another pre dinner run, catching a great sunset and running through another area we had yet to explore. That night we joined a pub crawl-$20US for 3 hours of open bar and free shots and entry at the following bars, and a free tshirt :D Currently there is a prohibition going on in Czech. Some vulgar individual decided to taint the liquor with methanol resulting in 20 deaths and 5 or some blinded. In order to stop this toll the country has banned all liquor over 20%. At some points I felt like I was back in time, but during the pub crawl it was actually handy to be limited to beer and watery shots. Caitlin and I entered the first bar where the 3 hours started and immediate smiles on our faces-we were the only girls. Coming from College of Charleston where the girl to guy ratio at times is 60/40, we were super giddy. I mean, there was a line for the boys bathroom-that never happens! Let's just say we had a great time, spending a lot of time with a group of Scottish guys, in Prague for a mates bachelor party. When the first one introduced himself Caitlin responded "I only speak English" hahahaha, hilarious, good thing they have a great sense of humor! We took the time to get used to the heavy accent. A night well worth it, but a pretty rough morning on my part to follow. We wandered around again, visiting some gardens that had been closed before for a wedding. That day we rescinded on our statement "We will never eat here, that's only for 'those' types of Americans", and we indulged on some Mexican for lunch. Our bodies just didn't want meat anymore, and in combination with Poland everything recently had been like Thanksgiving food-which is delicious but can be a little much. We returned to the hostel later and spent a lot of time planning for Croatia (I'm super excited about this part of our euro trip). For dinner, we had some cheap Pho, Vietnamese soup and egg rolls. This was actually fitting to the culture is surprisingly a supple Vietnamese population. I was so tired and think I might have also been coming down with something, so I crawled into bed early and was out for the night. I thought it might be hard since there was someone kids getting ready for a Sunday rage fest, remember we are in Prague, but I even passed out with the lights on. Early morning wake up to pack up and continue the backpack adventure to Vienna, Austria.
   Overall, I enjoyed Prague. But I wouldn't call it my favorite city so far. Maybe its the fall season, and if the weather was nicer I could have had a more positive attitude. Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful. But top of my list so far is Florence and Santorini.

View from Castle, Prague