Answer: Wave to him.
How do you get a Pole out of a bathtub?
Answer: Throw in a bar of soap.
Why do Polish names end in -ski?
Answer: They don’t know how to spell toboggan.
The Polish have been made fun of for centuries, and I should know. I am one, and my grandfather (who is SUPER Polish) just loves telling bad Polish jokes. Of course, they all start with, “Do you know how stupid I am? I’m so stupid that I…”
See what I did there? Anyway, my point is, Poland has a bad rap, but I don’t think it’s deserved at all. Poland is a beautiful country with a rich history full of strife, hardship and hard work. Through it all Poland has stayed strong and proud…even the Poles who live in Cleveland, OH are proud.
Poland is definitelyoff the beaten path of regular travel, and that’s why I wanted to make it one of my first posts. Too long has Poland been neglected by the average traveler! It’s time to find out why seeing Poland will be time well spent.
Quick facts:
Capital: Warsaw
Official Language: Polish
Currency: złoty
Average Airfare from LOU Airport: $869
Average Airfare from STA: $828
The three cities I will be talking about in this post are Warsaw, Kraków and Poznań.
WARSAW:
Warsaw is Poland’s capital and largest city, and lies on the Vistula River. The city is no stranger to hardship, as you might recall from your high school history classes. Warsaw was under the thumb of the Nazi’s for many years, then became a Communist nation. Hope returned when the rise of Poland’s son, John Paul II, became Pope and instilled an anti-communist fervor in the country. And then Polish kids everywhere began dreaming of one day becoming the Pope…just kidding.
Today, Warsaw is a bustling city center…and it even has skyscrapers!
AKWARIUM JAZZARIUM:
Apparently, this is Warsaw’s first jazz club and it’s still totally operational. All that remains from the early days is the white piano, but it sounds like a great place to check out and get a feel for some of Warsaw’s cultural history.
OLD TOWN:
Most things here are pretty historical, but it’s not all yawns and dust. There are some cool clubs and bars in the area, but they also lend themselves to outdoor seating to just enjoy the area.
If I get to make a trip to Poland some day, Warsaw will definitely be my landing place. It should be a great start to the trip, and ease me into the life in Poland. But it can’t be the only stop I make.
KRAKOW:
One of the largest and oldest cities in Poland, Krakow is most known as the scientific and artistic center of the country. From doing a little research, Krakow sounds like the perfect city to roam around with no particular plan in mind. There are plenty of cool, underground spots (several gay clubs are scattered all over) as well as tons and tons of churches.
There are plenty of historical sites to wet your educational appetite, and I would personally try and see most of the cemeteries. No, I’m not morbid, I just find them to be incredibly interesting, especially when they’re as old as the ones in Krakow.
You can tell how interested I am in Poland by the length of this post, so I guess I should stop now and save it for another day. Stay tuned for details about Poznan, and maybe a few other spots around the beautiful country of Poland.
–Natalie
