Wondrous Wroclaw

Carys Reid-Davies
Sep 12, 2019
7 min read

Updated: Aug 20, 2020

6 - 8 September

DAY 8

So we’d survived our first week in Europe and now we were off to Poland. We went to the Artisan Cafe Bistro for breakfast as it was on our way to the train station and we had eyed it up already. Bacon, eggs, coffee and croissants were hoovered up in a heartbeat as we enjoyed our final meal in the Czech Republic. Then it was on to Wroclaw, a Polish town about 3 hours from Krakow. You’re probably wondering, why Wroclaw? It was actually because Ellis’ tattoo artist was from Wroclaw and had recommended it so we’d thought, why not? This meant we had no idea what to expect ...

ree — Update: two of my suitcase handles had now come off

As it isn’t your average destination, we had to get three trains and found ourselves in the rural Czech Republic before crossing over to the outskirts of Poland which was just as much of a ghost town. However, the scenery was gorgeous and we both read and played cards to keep ourselves entertained. It was also especially noticeable that whenever someone entered or left our cosy carriage they would make an effort to greet us and say goodbye. This is complete strangers, saying hello and goodbye, to other complete strangers after a five minute journey. Now, can you imagine that in England? When we boarded our last train of the day we got chatting to someone from Wroclaw who explained he had moved to Canada 20 years ago as his mother had got into debt when her business was destroyed by a flood in 1997. Apparently, in Poland when you get into debt it stays with you for life and is passed onto your children, so she effectively escaped the country and hasn’t been able to return since due to the risk of being locked up!

Finally we arrived, and our initial impressions were all positive. To get to our Airbnb we wandered through a gorgeous park which had water bars towards the end. Our street was filled with bustling restaurants and boozers with hanging lights and hammocks outside, so we didn’t struggle to find a nice spot for dinner. I’d been warned that Polish food can be ‘interesting’ but a Japanese place called Osiem Misek caught our eye and the food was some of the best I’d had so far. Then it was off to a lively Mexican style bar which had true Eastern European tunes blasting from behind the bar whilst bartenders mixed up a concoction of cocktails. We opted for beer based ones with passion fruit and mango, both of which got the thumbs up. It was a final round of cards before

hitting the hay as these trains days were far more tiring than you'd think.

ree — Osiem Misek; grub good enough for the Gods

Tomorrow, we’d see Wroclaw in the light!

DAY 9

So I said we’d see Wroclaw in the light, but we woke up to a drizzle. That didn’t dampen our spirits, though (we’d been so lucky with the weather and seeing as it was September we were bound to come across rain at some point). With my yellow raincoat zipped up, we ventured outside to find breakfast and en route found a quirky vintage shop. As it wasn’t the nicest morning, we settled in a cosy little spot with great coffee and grub which was surprisingly cheap (Prague, I think Wroclaw could give you a run for your money with prices, and that really is saying something)!

By the time we’d eaten the rain had eased off, so we made our way to the square where you can see the Aleksander Fredro Monument, behind which is the Old Town Hall (built between the 13th and 16th centuries). This building now houses Bourgeoisie art in the Muzeum Sztuki Mieszczańskej. All the buildings in the Old Town Square are very picturesque; they look like something out of Balamory! With yellow, pink, and blue structures jutting out the ground, it really was somewhere you had to stop and take in.

ree — He's one hell of a happy chappy is he not!?

I began noticing that little metal figures were dotted around everywhere, and I mean everywhere; from the station to the square you could find them on street corners, steps, benches, and sometimes just slap bam in the middle on a path. All of a sudden it dawned on me that when I’d read that Wroclaw offers a ‘dwarf hunt’, this is what it had meant (which did relieve me somewhat). After a little research, I found that these figures first appeared in 2005. They became so popular that their numbers have grown to over 350 and it is know seen as a major tourist attraction to go ‘hunting’ each one. They originated after a monument of a dwarf was erected on Swidnicka Street to commemorate the Orange Alternative; a Polish anticommunist movement. Who knew hey!

On the other side of the square (past yet even more dwarfs!) was St. Elizabeth’s Church, and having thought the museum was impressive, we were bowled over by the architecture here. Inside were stunning stained glass windows with an intricately designed organ. Yet, it was the building itself which was extraordinary. We decided to climb to the top of the tower which was conjoined to the Church, and whilst we were both gasping for air, the view was so worth it.

https://kostattoo.pl/

Next we decided to get down to business. Tattoos. Ironically, the tattoo parlour we wanted to go to was facing us once we'd made our decent down the tower. With tomorrow being a Sunday, our only option was to get one today which was very risky. However, it seemed like fate when we sauntered in, the buzz of tattoo guns echoing down the hall, and were informed that someone could fit us both in if we waited half an hour. Result. It was a long process but as black ink seeped into our skin we both felt excited to have been marked in this beautiful Polish place. Bogna created the most beautiful designs on our bodies and we were thankful to have had such a lovely artist. On our way out we were stopped and given gifts; where else in the world would you get given a present by your tattooist?! I would tell you what we got but then you’d have no reason to go and find out for yourself! All I’ll say is that it was perfect for me (and now we didn’t need to bother getting souvenirs!)

We found a pub to settle down and watch the England v. Hungary match (shoutout to Kane who scored a hat-trick), then it was off to the Sushi Corner for some dinner. You wouldn’t have thought it, but Wroclaw does some damn good Sushi, possibly the best we’d ever tasted! As for their Japanese plum wine, it was unlike anything I’ve ever had before. As it was our final night we indulged in some Saki after but we weren’t expecting the bonus of being told all about the exact type we’d ordered.

With two ornately decorated glasses and a dish of warm water to heat up the alcohol, our waitress explained where this Saki came from, how it had a blueberry flavour and a sweetness of +2 (the sweetness scale goes all the way up to +16). It was a lovely way to spend our last evening in this wonderful Polish city and we were both in agreement it had been worth the detour.

DAY 10

http://bistrocharlotte.pl/

As train tickets are so cheap in Poland, we decided to fund our Wroclaw to Poland trip separate to our inter-rail pass (this avoided us using up one of the five days that we could use our passes for). We were also, therefore, able to be flexible, and having enjoyed Wroclaw so much we decided there was no rush to leave. We went for breakfast at a boulangerie called Charlotte which we had been told did delicious pastries. We had attempted to go yesterday but the queue had been ridiculous. Today, however, we were in luck. It was such a popular spot that we did still have to queue, but only for five minutes before being seated in the french style restaurant. Fresh bread, cakes and croissants wafted around the room and teased us as we anticipated our breakfast. It was better than we expected and a definite must go if you ever find yourself in Wroclaw.

With a few hours still to kill, we strolled down the river and hopped across bridges whilst admiring the willows that shot up from the grass and dangled in the water below. We had a final look round the Old Town, and found a few more dwarfs, before finding a ‘creative space’ where the public are encouraged to create art in a square. There were neon signs and graffiti splattered all around which was a lovely sight to have stumbled across before picking up our bags. We also chanced upon a gorgeous Polish Orthodox Church of the Birth of The Holy Mother. It dates all the way back to the 13th century and was originally know as St. Barbara's. Being able to walk in and observe its majestic beauty was such a bonus.

Before we boarded our train we had a drink and game of cards at a pretty little restaurant, domek nad fosa, floating on the river. It was so picturesque and we’d eyed it up when we had initially walked from the station to our apartment, so it seemed like the perfect way to finish up in Wroclaw. Then it was onto a train for 3 and a half hours to the much anticipated Krakow.