Hey America, Come Visit Poland

25 Reasons to Come Visit Poland

25) Because most of your friends and family probably haven't - always fun to go places many have not
24) The USD goes a long way here, not only is worth more but things here are cheaper (Wroclaw is home to the world's cheapest IKEA, not that you should be shopping at IKEA on vacation)
23) The people are friendly and social
22) In 10 years, the word will get out about Poland and it will be too late. You will be like everyone else thinking they've discovered a new frontier but in reality - it's been a cool place to visit for awhile
21) The days in the summer are super long
20) It is the center of Europe. Literally. It borders: Germany, Czech Republic, Ukraine, "Little"  Russia, Slovakia and Belarus and you can get to most countries fairly easily
19) It has mountains
18) It has cities
17) It has beaches
16) It has country
15) It is a big part of history and a great way to learn about WWII and world history
14) Beer (Ladies: They actually drink beer from a straw and add flavors like raspberry to their beer)
13) Vodka - straight up - but they do serve a mean vodka and apple juice (which is super tasty)
12) You probably have family from here (or near here)
11) Pierogi Parties
10) It is the home of Kielbasa
9) You can try learning key phrases in a new language
8) They love festivals all times of year
7) Ice cream. If you have an affinity for ice cream, you can get away with eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it isn't just a summer treat - they eat it in the middle of winter, outside when it's like 0 degrees. Can you hang?
6) It is home to some pretty famous people: Pope John Paul II (now a saint), Chopin, Copernicus (he figured out the earth revolves around the sun)
5) Cabbage is served with every meal and is considered a superfood - so it's good for you to visit here
4) Vodka - it is one word you already know in Polish
3) It's fun to yes, Tak, Tak, Tak (it's not sufficient to say it just once)
2)Who really needs a reason to go on vacation?
1) "YOLO" You Only Live Once - so why not

Szklarska Poręba (Say What?) - Poland

So, we have no idea how to pronounce this town, Szklarska Poręba, but we were looking for a nice day trip from Wroclaw to some mountains and stumbled upon this place. Sure glad we did. The drive there was one of the prettiest drives we have been on. The mountains, open fields, small tucked away Polish villages, open skies, fresh mountain air - you literally have to pull over to take it all in.

The Drive There

 

The town is about an hour 45 minutes from Wroclaw by car so great for a day trip. It is about 15 minutes from the town Jelenia Gora (in Southwest Poland) - in the Karkonosze Mountains. Just on the other side of the mountains is the Czech Republic. During the winter is it a popular skiing destination but in the summer, lots of outdoor activities.

We opted to go for a hike to the Szklarka Waterfall along Kamienna River gorge. We took the black trail there and the green trail back. It was nice because they both offer different scenery. Recommend the two different routes to switch it up a little.

American Flag in a TeePee camp along the Black Trial: God Bless America

The Black Trail

A shack along the Black Trail

A walk through the woods

The Waterfall

Huge boulder on the Green Trail

Beautiful walk through the Green Trail

The town itself is darling. It feels like a cute ski village - very welcoming community. Lots going on for couples or families.

The town

The town

Ropes course

The town

The town

Art festival in the main square

Travelers Note: Check out the town's website. You can select English as an option. It will give you trails to take, sites to see, activities in the town. Suggest making the Tourist Information Center your first stop when you get here to pick up a trail map for free. http://www.szklarskaporeba.pl/en.html 

Click here for some of the different hiking routes they recommend.

Walking from Poland to Germany: Zgorzelec to Görlitz

Can you say you have walked from Poland to Germany - and back again? Well, if you visit the Polish - German border towns of Zgorzelec and Görlitz you can. Once, the same city, they are now divided by Lusatian Neisse River: one side Poland, the other side Germany.

Poland

Germany

Entering Gorlitz, Germany

Leaving Gorlitz, Germany

Entering Zgorzelec

Lusatian Neisse River dividing the two countries and cities

For anyone in Wroclaw looking for a day trip, this is a great day getaway. It is about 1 hour 45 minutes, to 2 hour drive from the city center. We parked on the Polish side and walked across the river to Germany. They have two bridges you can easily walk from one side the next.

It is interesting to see the two different cities which feel very different even though not that long ago - they were one in the same - and are just steps away from each other. There is definitely more to see and do in Gorlitz: from shopping, to cafes, to city sites. It is a beautiful small city, very clean and charming. Zgorzelec is more run down but they have a beautiful walk way along the river - which easily will place you at either of the bridges. It would be a shame to see one and not the other.

Park as you enter Gorlitz

Dicker Turm (Frauenturm)

Peterskirche Church (St. Peter)

An old wall in Gorlitz

Nikolaiturm- a look out tower

Entrance to a pretty park near the Nikolaiturm. It will walk you all the way to the St. Peter church

The park on the way to the church

View from behind the church

View from behind the church

A square in Gorlitz

The Bible House in Gorlitz

Fountain in Gorlitz

Butcher shop in Gorlitz

Sister buildings in Gorlitz: One has been renovated and the other not. Pretty crazy to see the difference.

Renovated

Not renovated

Pretty tree in Gorlitz

Run down apartment in Zgorzelec

Pretty river walk in Zgorzelec

Both of these towns are great for a day of walking. One cool fact about Gorlitz: "Due to the historical parts of the city, many movie-makers have used the various sites as backgrounds. Today the most prominent example is Quentin Tarantino who shot the movie-in-a-movie Stolz der Nation (Pride of the Nation) for Inglourious Basterds (which incidentally purports to be Sicily) on the Untermarkt and Obermarkt in Görlitz' oldest parts of the city." 

Travelers Note: We drove from Wroclaw but also consider the train. It makes two stops: one in Poland, one in Germany. A nice way to get there if you don't have a car. It's the same fast train headed to Dresden - so maybe even consider a stop there on your way to Dresden for a day/half day excursion.

Wrocławska Fontanna: Waterworks in Wroclaw

The Wroclaw Fountain is a nice way to end a summer day. Each night from 6:00pm -10:00pm the fountain puts on a performance of lights and waterworks. The cool thing is, every hour it has a different theme. From modern - to classical - to pop, it offers a theatrical performance for spectators. The fountain is currently one of the largest in all of Europe and was built in 2009 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1st free elections in post-war Poland.

Can't make it there at night? They also have daily shows too - it just isn't as pretty as night time when it lights up the evening.

Travelers Note: Getting there is easy from the city center. Just hop on the tram headed towards Hala Stulecia/Zoo (Centennial Hall). The fountain show is free so great way to do something fun for free. Click here to visit the official site.