On the train to Poland!: ...a minor change of plan
Looking at the calendar and realizing that our dreams exceeded the time that we have left, we have reconsidered our options. We fly home in a little over 2 weeks. On this trip, we had planned some definite parts of our journey: the Main and Elbe Rivers, Czech Republic and we had hoped Poland as well. In the last week, it has become clear to us that we don't have time to ride from Karin's to Poland,tour around Poland and then return to a city that offers us a way to return to Frankfurt/Limburg. As cycle travellers, our first consideration is always the bike, so it was a huge shift to come up with an alternate plan of using the train and leaving our bike behind. One of the places we have wanted to visit is Poznan and it is easy to reach from Berlin on a 3 hour train ride. Warsaw and Krakow would take most of a day on the train, so we ruled those places out. We have decided to go to Poznan for the week, rent an apt on Airbnb and tour on foot. This week will give us an insight on what it would be like to cycle tour in Poland another year. We are really looking forward to our little holiday in Poland.
An efficient way to buy train tickets for the DB train network in Germany. It is so convenient. We disembarked our train from Beelitz-Heilstatten, bought tickets for Poznan and then took the train from the same platform. On our first trip to Germany 3 years ago, we found the machines confusing - we are learning!
Our first glimpse of the Oder River which runs along the Polish/German border. We had planned to ride a part of this river if we had ridden to Poland. Originally, we were going to ride the Spree River route to Poland, then the Oder R to the Warta River,which would lead to Poznan.
A newly finished train station in Poznan with a huge shopping centre attached plus brand new bike paths. We don't see many cycle tourists here, but the infrastructure is improving. We can see that we would like to travel here on our bike someday.
A comfortable train - but, as cyclists (and recumbent tandem riders) we saw the narrow entrance to the car with the sharp turn needed to get the bike onboard and we were grateful that our bike didn't come with us.
Karoline is our host at this Airbnb apartment in Poznan. We had walked from the train station in 40 plus degree humid heat and were very hot.The apt. has more than lived up to our expectations. It is located in an interesting neighbourhood and the apt. is in a completely renovated pre-war bldg. and is super quiet and cool.
It's a hot day in Poznan...and it's best to hang our your window. As you walk along the street, day or night, most apts. have the windows open wide and people watch the activity below. This man is unusual as he is fully dressed.
The tram network is vast and covers the city and its outskirts. Recently, the city doubled their rates and locals, who rely on the service, are suffering. The Tourist Office recommended that we buy the 72 hour ticket and it will give us unlimited access and the freedom to explore.
Poznan is full of green spaces and parks with fountains. Typically they also double as swimming places for children and adults. The week we were here, the heat was extreme, so the fountains were always busy.
It is a bit hard to see the water feature of this fountain, but it is a clever design. Water cascades down the sides and this creates a refreshing place to swim, and in the middle you can sit and dip your feet in the water. We love the concept of the fountains as "hands on" places to enjoy.
A typical street in the neighbourhood where we are staying. We really enjoyed the combination of apartments, small businesses and street produce markets. The mix creates a vibrant community.
We had read about "milk cafes" which were started in the Russian era. Locals still frequent them for cheap and good traditional Polish food. We looked for these cafes as they are usually called "Bar .....". We really enjoyed the traditional crepes filled with a chicken mixture topped with sauce - very good and we shared salads. These are typical: watermelon with feta and cabbage. The only difficulty is that the menu is only in Polish and the staff speak no English.
Our apartment is in this building. We enter through the double doors (where the man is) and we are positioned through the courtyard and at the back where it is cool and very quiet.
This is the street where we lived for the week. We enjoyed shopping at the local butcher, baker and market for our supplies. We rarely found anyone who spoke English, but people were always friendly and helpful. They appreciated our awkward attempts to say the few Polish words we learned. We appreciated their smiles and generosity in never correcting our pronunciation.
6 months ago