Autumn 2021. In theory we could travel to other continents, but destinations we had in mind such as Japan or the United Kingdom were impossible to plan ahead. Instead we organised a rail trip to Eastern Europe, travelling to Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg. By travelling to Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Austria, we explore an area which was in the (not too distant) past bonded together by the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and by Austria-Hungary.

We spent four days in Poland. Yes, that’s short. But we travel quickly. It’s how we roll. With Gdańsk and Wrocław – and stopover in Szczecin – we visited cities we did not know. 

Our 2021 adventures in Poland

• By train from Berlin to Gdansk via Szczecin.
• Stopover in Szczecin.
• REVIEW | Restauracja Ritz in Gdańsk.
• REVIEW | Holiday Inn Gdansk.
• GDAŃSK | Museum of the Second World War.
• GDAŃSK | European Solidarity Centre or Europejskie Centrum Solidarności.
• A walk through Gdańsk.
• Gdańsk 2021.
• POLAND | PKP Intercity Gdansk to Wroclaw via Warsaw
• .Wrocław Museum of Architecture.
• The Dwarfs of Wrocław.
• Wrocław.

Observations

It was a success. We were charmed by both Gdańsk and Wrocław. It’s time for some observations we made.

COVID-19

In Gdańsk, people were were really lax in respect of coronavirus countermeasures. Motivation for wearing face masks inside buildings, restaurants and bars and on public transport was at a low. As if COVID-19 didn’t exist. Yet it seemed to us people were expected to wear face masks inside. 

In Wrocław it was more mixed. More people adhered to the rules and expectations. 

This coronavirus countermeasure in the Holiday Inn in Gdańsk made no sense. People sharing a room shouldn’t fear infecting each other.

Early birds

Poles are early birds. They dine early. Dining out at 6 PM is or at least seemed to us to be very common. Something to take into account. 

When we left Gdańsk early on a Saturday, people were already out and about at 7 AM. Even teens and students! No sleeping in. It explains the early dining, perhaps.

Fine food

Speaking of dining. We had some great meals. Restauracja Ritz, Grape Restaurant and Peruwiana spring to mind. 

Another observation we have is that every restaurant we visited had plural vegetarian and/or vegan options and those options were listed prominently on top of the list of dishes. Not hidden between side dishes and the kids’ menu. 

Museums

We visited two very interesting museums in Gdańsk. Wrocław was less a succes. But both museums were multilingual with great audioguides. 

Rainbows

Poland has bad press in Western Europe. Nowadays, we tend to associate Poland to its governmental politics, its struggles with the European Union regarding respect of the rule of law, free press and the separation of powers; and reports of the so-called LGBT Free Zones. 

But as a tourist you don’t experience that. We are very passable and we are not a couple. Which helps the ‘passability’. 

We also saw quite a few rainbows, defying homophobia. There’s sunshine after the rain. 

Underrated

We feel Poland is underrated as a destination. Poland has more in offer than Warsaw and Kraków. 

We vividly recommend putting Poland’s culture cities on your to-visit list. 

Previous adventures in Poland

• Warsaw 2017.
• POLAND | 3 hotspots of gastronomy in Kraków.
• 2018 Poland Trip.
• Visiting the Kraków Salt Mines and Castle.
• Rail Tour of Silesia.
• Holiday Inn Kraków City Center.
• Auschwitz-Birkenau.
• Novotel Katowice Centrum.
• Katowice and the Silesian Museum.

2021 Rail Tour of Imperial Europe

1. POTSDAM 2021 | Schloss Sanssouci.
2. 1945 Potsdam Conference’s Cecilienhof Palace.
3. Potsdam 2021.
4. REVIEW | InterContinental Berlin.
5. BERLIN 2021 | Pergamon, ‘Das Panorama’.
6. BERLIN 2021 | Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace.
7. BERLIN 2021 | The Bundestag in the Reichstag.
8. Berlin 2021.
9. By train from Berlin to Gdansk via Szczecin.
10. Stopover in Szczecin.
11. REVIEW | Restauracja Ritz in Gdańsk.
12. REVIEW | Holiday Inn Gdansk.
13. GDAŃSK | Museum of the Second World War.
14. GDAŃSK | European Solidarity Centre or Europejskie Centrum Solidarności.
15. A walk through Gdańsk.
16. Gdańsk 2021.
17. POLAND | PKP Intercity Gdansk to Wroclaw via Warsaw.
18. Wrocław Museum of Architecture.
19. The Dwarfs of Wrocław.
20. Wrocław.