Poland was such a land of surprises to Rosie and The Operator when we traveled there in December for a short, 7 day, two city stay in Wroclaw and Krakow.
Driving to our destinations the land was flat and rolling for as far as the eye could see. This seems to be the fertile land of plenty feeding the rest of Europe with its every square inch utilised and tilled into tidy, huge crop fields which were lying barron and frosty white at this time of the year.
The amount of truck and trailer transportation coming in and out of Poland was eye opening as well. One whole lane of the three lane motorways was entirely dedicated to the long continual snake of heavy traffic that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Huge warehouses, the biggest buildings, that Rosie has ever seen were lined along the motorway interchanges coming into towns. Trucks were backed up to loading doorways in the warehouses receiving goods to be transported in lines so long Rosie couldn’t count how many there were as we flashed past.
The cities of Krakow and Wroclaw themselves are just postcard perfect, even in the monotones of winter with no greenery to frame it. Congrats to these cities which were heavily bombarded in WW2 and rebuilt so amazingly to original detail retaining the cities history and tradition.
But, it was the people we encountered, that made Poland such a great place to visit!
Other inhabitants of countries this side of Europe have been a little reticent and hard work to date, so Rosie was dreading Poland abit. The spoken language to start with is totally at another level. Rosies mouth and tongue couldn’t twist itself in the knots needed to try to make pronunciation. Rosie was reduced to the very basics….Hello, do you speak English? Yes I do, was the answer, how can I help you? Rosie was stopped in her tracks, thank goodness, that was a good start.
Everyone we encountered working in hospitality, shops, our apartment owners and locals inside cafes (that were curious where we came from and offered tourist tips and conversation) spoke perfect, mildly accented English. Happy days! As a bonus, everyone was willing to chat and offer recommendations and tips on what to see, do, eat and drink! On a couple of occasions, Rosie and The Operator had to back away and make excuses to leave or we would have been chatting all day and not seeing the sights!
Every Polish person we encountered was proud of their country and so willing to share its traditions and customs. They also humbly appreciated how beautiful we thought it was. But nearly everyone of them wanted to be somewhere else. They all thought the grass was greener and the opportunities more abundant in other countries.
Oh yes, the optimism of youth, Rosie remembers it well…before the cynicism and experience took over that is. The wages might be lower here in Poland, yet so is the cost of living and hey, every one of those spoken too had a job and was working. Where did they want to go Rosie asked? London, they mainly answered with stars in their eyes.
That is a shame thought Rosie, one of the most expensive places on the planet to live…out side of Auckland (lol). A hard place to find work in, especially with the bigoted opinion the English have of the ‘thieving Poles flooding into our country and taking our jobs’. If only these hard working, friendly kids knew of the hurdles they had to overcome to attain a dream. For once in Rosie’s travels, no one was that keen on coming to New Zealand…it was too far away. Maybe they are cleverer than Rosie thought….they had just better move quick before Brexit shuts the door on them all together.
These beautiful cities were a pleasure to be a tourist in because of the reduced number of visitors, the beauty and the wonderful reception from the locals. Was the lower tourist numbers due to the fact that it was winter? The magical Christmas Markets would surely be a draw for tourists, or are these cities just far enough off the beaten track for numbers to be reduced considerably compared to more ‘popular’ cities? Whatever the reason it made for one of the most memorable holidays Rosie and The Operator have had.
Please put Krakow and Wroclaw on your city break lists before they are really and truly discovered and become over run, you wont be disappointed.
