More Poland travelogue

Poland Tour Day 4: April 3
The next morning, our guide Michal met us at the hotel. We started our tour at the statue of Copernicus, who was raised in Torun and went to University there. The statue serves as a barometer of current student activity - the day we were there he was dressed in a Hungarian Flag to show solidarity with their fellow ex-communist country as it approached elections.

Statue of Copernicus in front of Torun University


We continued to walk through town, the Post Office which gets "oohs & ahhs" from the tourists - a lovely brick building.

Torun Post Office



We saw the jail; Michal alluded to it having been a bad place but didn't say much else. Torun was not bothered by the Germans, and not bombed during the wars, so much of it is very old. We stopped at the fiddler fountain, to commemorate the local legend of the man who fiddled the frogs out of town, like the Pied Piper. Anyone touching the frogs is guaranteed to come back to Torun. Fine by me, it is a lovely spot to visit.

Me, Debbie, Barbara, Ewa and Janice



We walked past the leaning building, made so that someone who leans against it and pulls his or her arms away from the wall finds it very hard to stay against the building. Legend was that a priest of the Knights took a lover. When found out, she was killed but he had to do penance by constructing these leaning buildings. Anyone whose sins were greater than his would not be able to stand against the wall.

Barbara trying to stand against the Leaning Tower


We walked down to the river, the Vistula again. Back up into town, past where the Copernicus family lived (in one of two adjoining houses, they're not exactly sure which one.) into the St. Mary cathedral, which was normally closed that day of the week. We saw magnificent examples of medieval art, carved scenes dating from the 14th century.

We finished our tour at the ruin of another castle of the Teutonic Knights. Our guide was finishing his PhD in the study of medieval merchants and the Knights. He was concerned with the goods & merchandise that the Knights used.

Part of the walls of Torun


We had an hour until our lunch reservation, so we hit the town shopping. Ewa and I went to the clothing stores. I bought a complete outfit - jacket, skirt, pants, which I am wearing the heck out of because it flatters me in a way that clothing hasn't done in quite a while. (Did I mention my work with a personal trainer? He kicks my butt, and the results are astounding.) Debbie and Janice looked for folk art. Chris and Barbara started back at the hotel so Chris could get her coat - it was another sunny but cold day. I was wearing several layers of clothing by this time, as I was coming down with a cold. Ewa went into an Apotheke with me, got the pharmacist to sell me some throat lozenges and some decongestant.

Lunch was at the Spichrz Restaurant (I guess you have to be Polish to pronounced it), a peasant style place with folk band playing most of the evenings. Chris and Barbara found some good wine, and had the meter of sausage - we have the pictures to prove it!

Meter of Sausage


Debbie and Janice shared another meat platter. Ewa and Carole had perogis upon Ewa's recommendation. All the food was excellent. We all tasted everything. The sausage was smoky and a bit spicy; great with mustard. The perogis were the best we had - very thin pasta around succulent fillings. The meat platter was several roasted meats all cooked very well, juicy and great with the horseradish sauce.

We went back to the hotel to be picked up by another driver, to take us to Warsaw. At this point, we were noticing the unique Polish driving style. If someone wants to pass, and oncoming traffic isn't too far away, everyone just moves over and makes room. Tailgating is the norm in some areas. And everything is 3 hours from Warsaw. I told Ewa that Chris & I were curious, why we drove these back roads instead of the freeway. Oh, she laughed! Said she was going to tell this joke to all her Polish friends. Expressways are not common in that part of the world. In fact, the driver told us he made sure to take us by the route that had the least bird flu roadblocks. At one point, we slowed way down and bumped over what looked like a mound of sawdust. It was to clean the tires, so we wouldn’t spread the flu.

That night we stayed at the Warsaw Marriott, a huge hotel just across the street from the train station. We went to Champions, the sports bar, for dinner. Had American style burgers and beer. And I learned that the food is American style at the Champions in all Marriotts. Next time I crave a burger, I'm headed to the next UBahn stop up the line from the apartment and going to Champions!

The Mariott was a great hotel to stay in. The beds were incredible – a huge feather bed to sleep on top of, and one to sleep under. I especially welcomed it because by now I was in the throes of a very bad cold, on its way to bronchitis. I tried to cover it as best I could & keep going, making sure to stay slightly away from everyone.