Quest for a Parkrun Z Day 10 - Zielona Gora

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Our last day in Poland and time to make tracks for Zielona Góra for the old man’s coveted ‘Z’ parkrun. We initially intended to go to Żary, but there has been much dispute among parkrun nerds over recent weeks on whether Żary should count as a Z, when it actually starts with a Ż. Some argued that a Ż is just a Z with an accent, while the linguistic purists insisted that in Polish, it is a separate letter of the alphabet. The purists won and thus our travel plans were rearranged.

We stop en route for brunch. I have been thinking about last night’s horrendous meal. It occurs to me, that over the years, many people have migrated to the UK and we have embraced their culinary culture. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say; “Let’s go for an Indian/Chinese/Italian” or “I really fancy a kebab/tapas/sushi”. Yet, you never hear; “Let’s go for a Polish” or “I really fancy dumplings/pickled cabbage”. There is a reason for this. Hence, we find ourselves somewhere we rarely go, but can guarantee will be cabbage free - McDonalds.

We reach Zielona Gora by midday. It doesn’t even get a mention in my guide book but it’s a pretty little town. Winny Park, in a former vineyard, is full of pink cherry trees, purple verbena and hundreds of Red Admiral butterflies. There is also a pleasant pedestrianised old town square. The town obviously takes great pride in its gardens and floral displays. And an added bonus; all around the centre, little drunk Bacchus statues.

After wandering around for a couple of hours, the old man suggests we get some food and asks what I want to eat. This is a trick question and a trap I’m not falling into two days in a row. So we opt for a trip to Aldi and a picnic in Winny Park.

Then we check into our hotel and have an early night in preparation for tomorrow’s run.

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