Kazimierz Dolny, Nałęczów and Puławy

I just returned from another language immersion trip. We left at 5:45pm on Friday. The trip is only about 90 km away from Warsaw , but with the road conditions and accidents along the way, we did not make it to the area until about 9:30pm. Have I mentioned that the roads in Poland are the worst I have ever driven on? Bumps, potholes, one lane each way, people playing chicken by passing cars as oncoming traffic gets closer and closer....you can find all of this on Poland roads. Anyway...

Once we arrived we found our pension (other word for B&B). However, another couple on the trip was staying at a hotel higher into the hills. So here we are at 10pm in the van climbing up these hills in a forest in pitch black darkness. I was expecting Jason to jump out with an ax at any moment. We get lost of course because the roads are not marked. Finally, we arrive to find that no one is at the reception. We all had a Scooby Doo moment as we explored this isolated house in the middle of the woods. We heard some guests in their rooms and some in our group proceeded to knock on their doors but they spoke no English. So, the couple that was supposed to stay here chose to rent a more expensive room at our hotel instead. We headed back to the “Mystery Machine” and headed to Hotel Wenus. Yes, it sounds funny, but the W is a V so it’s really Hotel Venus. We finally ate dinner at 11:30pm. I was exhausted.

Our hotel was nice. It was clean. But like most hotels in Europe if you do not reserve a 4 star and above be ready for some surprises. Let’s starts with the room. The room was tiny. Picture this: Open the door and there are two twin beds lined up (each bed touching the other) against the wall with a small wardrobe behind one of the beds and a small dresser with a TV and chair on the opposite sides of the beds. The bathroom felt larger than the room itself. For the most part, the place was clean and well kept. It was ok since we were just going to be there to sleep, but sleeping was part of the problem.

The beds were hard. In fact, I probably could have slept on the floor and had the same experience. The pillow was the only thing that was soft. Forget having matching towels or sheets! I brought my own towels and I probably should have brought sheets too. The only sheet on my hard mattress was a thin white sheet that was more of a blanket. It did not even cover the entire mattress. I did not sleep well either night. If it were not for the huge cups of expresso they served for breakfast, I would have been a zombie all day. Speaking of breakfast, the usual continental breakfast served in the US is quite different here. Instead of pastries, they serve fruit, yogurt, meats, cheeses, eggs, juice (in tiny cups) and of course, coffee.

We spent all of Saturday walking and hiking, exploring Kazimierz. I have never experienced such cold weather in the middle of September. It felt more like late November. It must have been in the low 50’s F, but the wind made it feel more like 40 something. For the most part, despite a few short rain showers the weather cooperated.

Kazimierz is a town on the banks of the Vistula River dates back to the 11th century. Some of its medieval history is well preserved. The streets are all cobblestone. There are wooden cottages with thatched roofs (like Shakespeare’s at Stratford upon Avon ) amidst more modern dwellings. An old wooden well sits in the middle of the Market Square. There are many artists who live and work here. There are galleries selling their work practically everywhere. There are also vendors selling all kinds of crafts.

We climbed a few hills to reach the ruins of the Zamek (Castle) and Baszta (Tower) built by King Kazimierz in the 14th century. The Tower looked more like a lighthouse to me and probably served that purpose. There are panoramic views offered to those willing to climb to the top (see pictures). Boatrides/Ferry rides are offered on the Vistula River for other views of the area.

As we walked around, I kept seeing signs everywhere for Koguty which mean “rooster.” I was rather surprised thinking that there were roosters for sale (this would be odd, but in Poland you just never know). I later found out that the “rooster” is a symbol for the city and that the Koguty is really a sweet bread shaped like a rooster. And to think I thought I could bring home a real rooster as a souvenir! We took a carriage ride and a ferry ride. In the evening we had dinner and went to a bar to listen to some live music. We had a great time. When we got back, we turned on the tube to find the “Miss Polonia” pageant. We had a good time comparing our pageants to theirs. These girls paraded around the stage with smiles that would not cease. The botox must have been passed around because I just don’t know how they could keep smiling for that long. And forget the tears of joy when the winner was announced. The winner just kept smiling showing no other emotion. They also did not seem to know that the answer to any pageant question is “world peace.”

Sunday, we left Kazimierz for Nałęczów and Puławy. Nałęczów is a spa area renowned for its mineral water (some of which is bottled and sold throughout Poland ). People travel here mostly for R&R. There is a park connecting all the facilities with a pond in the middle where swans were swimming. This part of the tour was not very exciting (I would have rather checked in at the spa for a few hours) until I found the Wedel House. Think coffee house with chocolate instead of coffee. I have never seen something like this. All the drinks are chocolate. You can order truffles for a snack or decadent desserts. A group of us found our way there and ordered truffles and chocolate drinks. And it was not even lunch!

We had some lunch in Nałęczów and then drove out to Puławy for a tour of the palace there. I didn’t take any pictures of these areas because they really did not offer much (unless you are going to the spa). But, one of our travelers did and his photo link is below. We took a bumpy ride home after the Palace tour and made it back to Warsaw by 6pm. It was a short, fun trip and I hope to go on the next one that they offer.

Links for Kazimierz Dolny, Nałęczów and Puławy:

http://www.kazimierz-news.com.pl/wersjaa.html

http://www.naleczow.com.pl/index_en.html

http://www.um.pulawy.pl/eng/news.php