Five things to know before visiting Poland

I’ve been back in Australia for over a week now. Where do I want to go next nags in my mind. Medieval Krakow and modern Warsaw impressed me a lot. For one, there was few tourists and two, the cheap cold pilsners went down a treat on balmy evenings. Here’s five things to know before visiting Poland.

1.Geography:

In the centre of Poland lies Warsaw, the capital and largest city. Krakow offered a lot of beautiful streets with cobbled streets and detailed architecture.Gdansk, located in the north of Poland, is close to the magnificent Marlbork. Malbork is home to the world's largest brick castle in the world. The south of Poland leads into mountainous Slovakia. A fairytale landscape that is cheap for skiing. (I barely saw Warsaw, it was steaming outside, so I visited the nearby Warsaw Uprising Museum.)

2.Where to visit:

I visited 1200 year old city, Krakow. And I visited Warsaw. During my four days in Poland, Krakow, the birthplace of Polish Kingdom, was my favourite place. In Poland, I prefered medieval Krakow to Warsaw, but both cities were excellent. Krakow is close to the highest mountains in the Carpathian range where European bears, wolves, lynxes roam. The infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau also lies roughly a hour away, a truly grounding experience.

3.People and Culture:

I arrived in Warsaw on August 1. The 84th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising was occuring. A large crowd assembled under Sigmund’s Column in Old Town. Women and men walked through the streets with large flags. Nationalism is strong part of Polish culture.

The conservative Law and Justice Party won 37% of the vote in the 2015. The LaJ Party have long held anti-immigrant positions in respect to African and Middle-Eastern muslim migrants. The country is lovely nonetheless. Poles are friendly and cool. At a supermarket I was refused service because my bank note was too large. A kind stranger just paid it for me.

4.When to visit:

The summer in northern Europe this year was stifling. A stubborn high pressure system meant days of 33 celcius last from 12:00 to 19:30. Climate change, no doubt about it. The equinox cycle means days are long in summer. I’d like to go again during August, October and November for hiking. Or alternatively in late spring during shoulder season.

5.Cost:

Poland is cheaper than countries such as Germany, the UK, the Czech Republic, and Austria. The Zloty is the national currency. Just look out for where the locals are eating and you will have a great food for good prices. Stick to beers when your out. And try a zapiekanka, a baked sandwich on long bread. It's like a Polish intrepretation of pizza. Try and have a smartphone that works well internationally as well, english is not as common in Poland.

1EUR sells for 4.30ZTY

If you have any questions please post below or email me at cooregeorge@gmail.com

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