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Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Kraków March 29th 2024

At the end of my blog at , where I recounted my travels to the burial mounds of my Swedish Viking ancestors, I indicated where the trail of ancestors would lead me next. By using geni.com to follow the trees of both Mary of Egmond and Guelders, Queen Consort of King James II of Scotland (our 17th great grandparents (ggps)) and Margaret von Oldenburg, Queen Consort of King James III Stewart (our 16th ggps) as far back a millennium ago I found a treasure trove of the Emperors and Dukes of the Holy Roman Empire (Germany, etc.), the Kings of Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia, and the Emperors of Byzantium. Shortly after returning from Sweden I visited the B&N bookstore where I found the historical fiction book "The Last Crown" by Polish author Elzbieta Cherwezinska, which ... read more
Queen Świętosława "The Haughty" and "Sigrid" in Sweden and "Gunhilda" in Denmark
King Bela Arpad I of Hungary
King/Saint Ladislaus of Hungary

Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Kraków February 6th 2024

We left in the morning, the rain had finally stopped during the night and today looked like a good day for more sightseeing! Typical. I’ve enjoyed my time in Krakow and would certainly be happy to visit Poland again. I would like to explore further, see less touristy areas and the countryside plus whatever wildlife they have. Preferably in the summer. The almost non-stop rain got a bit much, especially as they should have been having snow! I’ve felt safe here and not seen any people living on the streets , however I am aware that we were probably in one of the more wealthier areas, kept nice for tourists. All the guides and service staff have been lovely, although museum staff can be a bit scary! So yes, I’d come again. M... read more
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Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Auschwitz February 5th 2024

We got up at 5.30 am, because this is a Wade holiday. And because we were being picked up a 15 minute walk away at 6.50am. The day started how it planned to stay: dark and wet. A guy in a minibus met us on a random bit of pavement outside someone’s apartment. There were 8 tourists, all British except one lady from north Sweden. And so began the 70 minute journey to Auschwitz. The lovely architecture of Old Town quickly gave way to flat-sided, grey and dull apartment blocks, the traffic seemed less pedestrian friendly. Once through the slippage of the city, we drove through leafless winter trees along a highway that appeared to be in better condition than most British roads, probably because it was a toll road. Then the trees gave way to ... read more
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Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Kraków February 4th 2024

Our short trip to Krakow started in Yorkshire and until very recently I was completely unaware that there’s an airport at Leeds/Bradford, but there is and I think it might be bigger than Liverpool airport. The best part of it is that everyone up here calls you ‘lovey’, which makes being scanned by a lady in security very intimate. ‘Just lift your leg, lovey’, ‘turn around and raise your arms, lovey’, ‘bend over lovey’. Ok, the last line didn’t happen, but it wasn’t far off. The two hour flight last night landed in a wet and dark Krakow, it felt like being home. The customs guy was all smiles, which isn’t that common for customs guys. The airport loos were clean and arty, a good loo at the airport is often a good indicator of what’s ... read more
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Europe » Poland September 9th 2023

Wizz covid kredit este stale mam, dovolenku tiez. Tak sme sa rozhodli zaletiet si do polska a podrobnejsie preskumat ich piesocne plaze. Spiatocne letenky kupene v priemere za 43€/os (infant stal viac ako dospely clovek). Bohuzial leti sa z hamburgu, kedze z brem wizz prakticky mimo skopje nikam nelieta. Ryanair ma tiez dost ubohu ponuku (ak nepocitam v sezone 3 lety denne na nemecky ostrov malorka, ktory je fakt v lete masaker). Najskor som uvazoval, ze zakotvime v Słowiński Park Narodowy ale nepodarilo sa mi tam dohladat ziadny normalny spoj, tak som zvolil male mestecko wladyslavovo. Osobakom vo vozni pre cyklistov sa dostavame na hlavnu stanicu v hamburgu. Po skusenostiach, ze stary nemci a rozne pristahovalecke individua miesto schodov, cakaju v dlhom rade na jediny vyta... read more

Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Zakopane July 13th 2023

Continuing my exploration of the Tatra mountains on the Polish side of the border - where the greetings from fellow hikers changed from "Dobrý deň" and "Ahoj" to "Dzień dobry" and "Cześć" (and where sadly the Slovak 'hat stand' trail sign design has yet to catch on) - a minibus from Zakopane deposited me at the Palenica Bialczanska carpark, where I suddenly found myself in a queue - though for what reason I had absolutely no idea, until I realised that I had to pay to enter the National Park on the Polish side! Admittedly it was only 9zl (about €2), but after having been free to frolic to my heart's content on the Slovak side of the mountains for the past week without ever paying an entry fee, I felt slighted! Still, from the warnings ... read more
Turbulent Waters
Natural Amphitheatre
Lakes Big and Small

Europe » Poland » Pomerania June 8th 2023

Pas de panique... il y a tellement de changements suite aux campings qu'on nous avait dit ouverts dans le guide ACSI et qui sont fermés que souvent nous devons changer notre itinéraire, continuer plus loin ou toute autre bonne idée... mais du coup j'en perd la tête dans ce blog. Alors comptez plutôt sur les photos qui vous raconteront de par leurs légendes, ce que nous avons aimé lors de nos visites... Nous voici donc déjà en Lituanie... Une pensée toute spéciale pour Tiffany, notre petite fille qui y a passé un an à l'Université à Vilnius. Le Château de Trakai de même que la ville de Vilnius n'ont pu être visités... jour de fête locale et impossibilité d'y passer en voiture... Des bouchons à rallonges ont fait que nous avons préféré continuer la route (encore ... read more
c'est courant...
pont menant à Gdansk
il y a tant de frontières tout près que cela effraye un peu !

Europe » Poland June 8th 2023

que des photos avec légendes car pas trop à raconter !!!!... read more
oups... la frontière russe n'est pas loin...
toujours elles...
des pelouses super bien entretenues

Europe » Poland » Pomerania » Leba June 4th 2023

et tout doucement nous découvrons la Pologne mais aussi les polonais !!!! c'est une autre chose... je ne m'étendrai pas... Très différents de ceux que nous avions rencontrés dans une autre région de ce pays lors de notre premier passage il y a quelques années... nous nous en contentons mais souffrons tout de même de ce manque de sourires... de communication, etc... De plus combien de fois ne nous retrouvons nous sur des routes en travaux, donc détournements... ou tout simplement de très mauvaises routes... Heureusement, il y a les cigognes ! et celles-là... nous les adorons... Il y en a partout ! dans chaque village ou presque il y a un nid quelque part... dans les champs, on les observe également, en vol on les voit rarement. Pour les routes, sachez que cela nous avait ... read more
elles sont partout...
et ça... j'adore !
dans un village sur la route,

Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Kraków May 28th 2023

Krakow - Heart of Poland -Piprey on wheels Krakow is the lovely, old, cultural capital of Poland. Having faced armed invasions from the Austrians, Germans and being partitioned into three, Poland is now unified. The different governances and cultural diversity presented a unique challenge to this nation. Though it joined the European union, it still maintains Polish Zylot (PLN) as currency and not Euro. It is the fast growing nation in the EU while Germany has hit recession in 2023. Not certain if it means that the common people are getting richer though. Krakow is the cultural capital and the epicenter is the Wawel castle. Set on a hill, defended by Vistula (Wisla) river, the Polish people draw their sense of identity from this castle. I was on a business trip and dec... read more
Krakow on river Wisla
Wawel castle
Royal musoleums in Wawel castle




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