Wroclaw #1: Exploring the Old Town

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An early morning flight had me in Poland before lunchtime. It had been a long time since I had flown Ryanair. It was fine, cramped but fine. I noticed that some of the rows were lacking windows, I don't think I would like to be in one of those seats. I took the city bus 106 into the city. The journey took about 30-40 minutes. On the bus, I watched the scenery go by. It wasn't anything spectacular, but I liked looking at it. It's been a long time since I have travelled in mainland Europe and I was excited to be visiting a new country and taking in all the details. From the bus stop, it was about a 5-10 minute walk to my hostel. I was in luck as the room was ready and I was able to check straight in. I was surprised at how big the room was. There were three sets of bunkbeds and plenty of extra space, makes a nice change from the cramped places I've stayed at in the past.

My hostel was in an excellent location and it was a short walk to the Old Town. I fell instantly in love with the Old Town, it was utterly gorgeous. Having spent most of the past decade in Asia, it was nice to see and take in the European architecture. It is just so different from what I am normally used to seeing. I spent ages just walking around the main square, Market Square, in the Old Town. All the buildings were so pretty and well maintained. I definitely think because I haven't been to mainland Europe in so long, I had totally forgotten how pretty it can be. Wroclaw used to be known as Breslau when it had been part of the German Empire and after the end of World War II and the subsequent border changes it became part of modern day Poland. With this knowledge in my mind, the Old Town did remind me of when I had lived and travelled through Bavaria and other parts of Germany. I loved looking at the cute little Swidnicka Cellar, which is the oldest and most famous inn in the city. It operated from the cellar of the Town Hall and was named after the beer that was sold there for centuries. It reminded me of the Weintubes in Bavaria. After exploring the square and its surrounding streets for a while, I decided to head into the Town Hall to have a look around in there and hopefully get a little respite from the cold weather.

The Town Hall cost a few Zloty to enter, I can't remember how much, but it wasn't too expensive. The Town Hall had originally been built in the 13th Century and over time newer bits had been added to it. It definitely had a Gothic feel to it and I enjoyed wandering around. There weren't a lot of English explanations, but I didn't mind as I was happy just to look at the things on display. The upper floor was pretty grand and there were lots of things on display up there. I loved all the little details in the architecture of the Town Hall. Just by looking closer at something, you could see figures that the craftsmen had added to their work. I really liked the wrought iron gate that had been the south entrance gate of the Swidnicka Cellar, the figurines on it were really detailed and my pictures do not do it justice. There was also a cartography display on the lower floor, which showed how Wroclaw had changed over time.

I headed over to Church of St. Elizabeth, which was just beyond the Market Square. The church dates back to the 14th century, which is when it was completed. Since it was getting dark outside, the church was pretty dark inside, too. I had a wander up and down the aisles, taking some photos and being careful not to disturb those who were praying. There were quite a few people coming in and out of the church to pray, I presume that the Polish people are pretty devout. The church had a nativity scene set up to one side of the main altar so I took a look at that. It had been a long time since I had been in a traditionally Christian country around Christmas time. When I came out of the church, it had gotten really dark and as I headed back to the Town Square I was delighted to see everything all lit up. This place looked even prettier at night.

I was getting hungry, so decided to find somewhere to get some food. I looked at a few places nearby and one place, Yammi Wraps, had the menu in Polish and English outside. The choices sounded good so I ordered a grilled Camembert wrap and a fresh fruit juice. There are a few tables inside and I grabbed one by the window. I read my book while waiting for the food to be ready. I didn't have to wait too long and Since I was starving I dug straight in. The wrap was really good. I loved the texture of the grilled Camembert, it was all warm and gooey. It went well with the salad and had a nice sauce on it. The juice was very refreshing. All in all, a good meal. After my dinner, I needed a coffee as I hadn't had one since breakfast. I headed back to the street that was near my hostel, which had a few coffee shops on it. Globalisation is real, of the three coffee shops I saw one was a Starbucks, another a Costa and the other was called So! Coffee. Since I had never seen a So! Coffee before I headed in there. The cafe was really nice. I had an Americano and made use of the WiFi as it wasn't working in the hostel. I was done with sightseeing for the day. It was dark and getting colder, so I decided to call it a day, but first I headed to the supermarket, which was in the other direction from my hostel. It took about ten minutes to get there. I only wanted a giant bottle of water. I presume that you can drink the tap water here, but I didn't want to have to keep wandering from my room to the kitchen, so thought a five litre one would last me a while. The supermarket was choc-o-bloc. I headed back to the hostel with my heavy purchase to chill and have an early night as it had been a long, but good day.

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Photos

Swidnicka Cellar
Old Town

Town Hall
Old Town