Warsaw and Krakow Trip

Just recently finished a second international trip for 2023 with a good friend of mine, this time in Poland where we visited the cities of Warsaw and Krakow and managed to do a few day trips to Wolf’s Lair and Auschwitz. It was enjoyable and educational, full of art, design, history, vegan food, plenty of walking, good conversation, and vistas of the Vistula.

Impressions

What’s not to like? The streets were clean, the people were friendly, the food was enjoyable, English was widely understood. I can’t help but go on like this - beautiful architecture, walkable streets, smooth highways, great rail (we went by train between Krakow and Warsaw, which was pleasant and quite frequent). The roads were also smooth. Quintessential European experience.

Honestly, maybe a little too good. We did not see any “run down” areas, at least nothing that would be in the tourist areas. Diversity was rather low, at least compared to Berlin, but still present. And Warsaw could use more subway lines. I ended up going by bus between the city center and the airport, which was ok but bumpy-jerky as buses navigating city streets typically are.

Day trips to historical sites

We made two full day trips on our vacation - to Auschwitz and to Wolf’s Lair. For the trip to Auschwitz, we went with the 6 hour study tour (about 9:30 - 3:30), which I highly recommend. A number of online reviews mention how the tours felt a bit rushed, which I can confirm, but my personal take is that:

• as many people as possible do need to see this
• just take in impressions, and then reflect over them later in private and with friends
• consider getting a book from the bookstore
• the Auschwitz section has a lot of groups, but the Auschwitz II-Birkenau section is more spaced out (well, the very size of Birkenau is part of the horror of the place)

Staying open-minded and accepting the fast tour pace is a small price to pay. I would suggest preparing with some of the high quality materials online as well as the very well done podcast, which provides several episodes of piercing historical analysis. Also consider bringing a snack bar to munch on while waiting for the shuttle bus (that runs between both Auschwitz sites).

While Auschwitz is essential, my friend was pretty keen on also checking out Wolf’s Lair, which I had not heard of. We went with PT1212, run by historian Marcin (both the driver and guide), who really helped make the visit memorable and could explain key parts on the tour. The visit to Wolf’s Lair proved complementary to the Auschwitz visit, giving perspective on the German Nazi military leadership and thought process, particularly around site design considerations such as the use of camouflage and massive concrete construction. A note on trip logistics - it’s about 4 hours each way from Warsaw, and we had a late lunch / early dinner on the way back. The site is maintained well, with a visitor center, gift shop, and toilets.

Vegan

As my buddy is vegan (and I am vegetarian), we naturally went for vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants, for which there were many great options.

• vegan dedicated places
  • Krowarzywa in Warsaw
  • Veganic and No Bones Vegan in Krakow
• ethnic restaurants
  • Mumbai and Bollywood Lounge in Warsaw
  • Mazaya falafel in Krakow
• Eter bakery in Warsaw

Traditional foods are typically more challenging for vegan diets, but we did have potato pancakes for a late lunch after our Wilczy Slaniec tour. I had also snuck in one traditional vegetarian meal (before my friend had landed) of pierogies (with sour cream) and apple pie with lody (ice cream) at Gosciniec in Warsaw.

Like any good vegan, my friend had a discussion with Marcin when we were going to Wolf’s Lair on veganism. He seemed to accept the benefits of veganism, but felt that it would be difficult to follow in Poland particularly due to the harsh winters where it would be necessary to have adequate calories. Somehow I am not sure I buy it, but without knowing the research, I couldn’t offer a counter argument.

Language learning

Polish could use more love. Study of one European language (like Spanish or German) helps, but two would be better, for native English speakers. The alphabet is Roman, so nothing new there besides a few accent characters, and the consonant clustered words start to make sound sense pretty quickly. A good number of English and other European loanwords also helps.

A multiple source approach that covers both digital and analog sources would be very effective. Duolingo is great for practice, and Busuu’s beginner section is good for covering grammar rules. Getting a few month subscriptions to both would be worth it. At the same time, going through a book like Colloquial Polish helps make concepts gel through the use of dialogs and more detailed grammar points. There is no good dictionary app or book that I could find, but wiktionary is great, and Google translate is of course also essential.

Polish requires discipline and patience in the earliest stages, but once you get things rolling, it should be quite enjoyable. Although I was only able to put in about 7 weeks, I felt comfortable with basic survival phrases and reading signs. Four to six months of consistent study should be enough for an initial fun experience.

Urban angle

Poland is growing, but the past is still present. What happened in Warsaw was tragic, as the city was largely leveled in 1944 by the Nazis in response to the Warsaw Uprising. Most construction from what I understand was new, with reconstruction aided with by street scene paintings and possibly photographs.

A number of skyscrapers have been built, including the Soviet gift Palac Kultury i Nauki. While the addition of skyscrapers is welcome in my book, the Palac Kultury i Nauki, while beautiful, also feels uncomfortable. It would be interesting to see an architectural solution that does not involve tearing it down. Perhaps repainting the building in vibrant colors (pink or sky blue?), eliminating some ornamentation and pointiness, and a few other adjustments could prove suitable. Going further, I would add more skyscrapers around the building to help integrate it into the city, and provide more needed density.

Itinerary

• Day 1 - Fly out of Newark
• Day 2 - Arrive Warsaw in the late afternoon
• Day 3 - Explore Warsaw
  • Naradowe Muzeum (National Art museum)
  • Stare Miasto
• Day 4 - Day trip to Wilczy Slaniec (Wolf’s Lair)
• Day 5 - Trip to Krakow, explore Krakow in the afternoon
• Day 6 - Day trip to Auschwitz
• Day 7 - Explore Krakow in the morning, evening trip back to Warsaw
• Day 8 - Fly out of Warsaw, arrive in Newark same day