Poland Round Trip, the North

We depart with Ryanair from Frankfurt and land in Warsaw-Modlin. There we collect the rental car and also will return it later. From the airport you drive about 40 minutes to Warsaw. The capital of Poland shows us from its pleasant side, for a big city there is little traffic and we find our way with the help of Google Maps without problems.

Warsaw is a city with wide boulevards and although the socialist heritage is visible, there is a well-preserved old town and many beautiful corners and squares.

Two world-famous historical personalities will accompany us not only here, but on the whole journey: The astronomer Nikolas Copernicus and the composer Frédéric Chopin. In the city there are 15 CHOPIN benches, from which his music can be heard at the push of a button. Admittedly, it is not the best sound quality, but it is funny.

We are really enthusiastic about the culture palace as it is spectacularly staged by the colours of the light. The building is not undisputed. In the Warsaw vernacular it therefore has nicknames like "Russian wedding cake".

Even if you're not into museums, this one is different. The 1000 year old intertwining of the Jewish and Polish culture is told almost to the touch. It is without transgression one of the best museums we have ever been to. And after the sightseeing, one can try some very tasty original Jewish dishes in the museum restaurant.

The first picture shows the Old Town Market, the most beautiful square in Warsaw. What we here also learn: The Poles love their soft ice cream - you can really get the so-so tasting mixture of chocolate and milk ice cream everywhere.

The main attraction of our second station "Thorn" is the birthplace of Nikolaus Kopernikus which also houses a small museum. And in the gingerbread museum, which is located in a former gingerbread factory, you can work yourself as a gingerbread baker.

It is also interesting that the city was founded in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights. Typical brick buildings create a special atmosphere and the historic old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the birthplace there is a small museum with interactive exhibits and original documents.

... we discover these figures that animate us to read. They also encourage me to take pictures.

The old Hanseatic city Chełmno/Kulm is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Poland, the old town is laid out like a chessboard with a large market square in the centre. The Kulm Town Hall, which is located on the market square, is considered one of the most valuable architectural monuments of the Polish Renaissance.

We stroll here very comfortably through the beautiful city and let ourselves be photographed in front of the hearts. Chełmno is also known as 'the city of lovers'.

Malbork actually has only one sight, but it has it all. The mighty castle is Unesco World Cultural Heritage and was built by the Teutonic Order in the 13th century and was considered impregnable.

We are taking part in a night demonstration in which the inner courtyard is bathed in deep red light. The story is played by the tape and is therefore only in Polish. Nevertheless: The castle courtyard at night radiates an almost magical atmosphere.

The next morning we visit the castle and find it particularly exciting that a real cannonball is stuck in the wall of the summer retreat. With this cannonball enemies tried to hit the supporting pillar and bring the whole hall to collapse. The time of 2h that we had set for ourselves flies by due to the exciting stories and the medieval atmosphere.

Gdansk is a beautiful city, characterized by elegant patrician houses and a promenade along the riverbank where restaurant after restaurant lines up. It is July and we have to share the city with many other tourists. The photo shows the 'Krantor', one of Gdansk's landmarks.

We spend the night at the Hotel Kamienica Goldwasser, which has a beautiful room with a view of the river Motława. We always have to bridge some floors without elevator but that doesn't bother us. Also the restaurant offers totally tasty food, but at not quite cheap prices.

At our next station we meet an old friend, because Nikolaus Copernicus was in Frombork Domherr and made the discovery that the earth revolves around the sun. Accordingly, there is also a Copernicus museum, which is located in the Bishops’ Palace.

Worth seeing in Frombork is the water tower from which you have a nice view. In the ground floor of the water tower is the beautifully located cafe 'Water Tower 1571'. The first photo shows the view from the water tower to the cafe, the second the view from the water tower to the Bishops’ Palace and cathedral.

Every 5th stork in the world nests in Poland

The special thing about the boat trip and the canal is that the boats are pulled over several hills using a sophisticated technique. Completely without electricity, exclusively with water power.

This is unique worldwide!

The water and railways lead through a natural paradise with many biotopes, meadows and fields - a good opportunity to photograph birds.

The tickets for the 4-hour boat trip and the bus trip back we get in advance via the Internet.

Since we want to hike a bit, we stop in Mragowo, which is ideal for exploring Masuria. Unfortunately a big country festival is taking place around the lake, from which we quickly clear off. And also the hike the next morning doesn't give us much pleasure, the Horseflys were simply in the majority and so we stop the hike already after 30 minutes.

Nevertheless we don't regret to stop here. The Masurians have a special atmosphere and we immediately have the feeling to be in a real wilderness.

The photo above shows 'The Prussian Stonewives' which we admire at a stopover in Allenstein/Olsztyn.

The extensive hotel complex with park and lake access offers dozens of huge wooden sculptures and is well worth seeing (A small entrance fee is due for day visitors). It is so idyllic here that we will choose this resort as our overnight station for the next round trip. Link to booking.com