Shop eat sleep repeat
When I woke up, I decided to book a walking tour to get my bearings and maybe meet some other people. I did what I had to do to get myself ready for the day, dressing smart but fairly casual, and made my way to find a cuppa coffee and may be a little nibble. I hadn’t stocked up on groceries yet and I had time to do that before my tour started at 1:30. I had researched local food markets and one ended up being really close to my hotel, so after properly fuelling up at a nearby croissant shop, I headed off on that direction, hoping to find mushrooms and eggs for my breakfast. I know that if I at least have breakfast in my room, I’ll save myself from eating out too much. Plus, I start to get weird if I go too long without cooking.
Wrocław Market Hall is set in an old warehouse & has been hosting stalls hawking locally produced meat, cheese, vegetables, local fruit & other delicacies for over a century. There wasn’t a tourist in the place, and while not especially busy at the time of day that I chose to hit it up, everything looked wonderfully fresh and interesting. I stumbled upon a stall selling fresh sprouts and jarred goods, and when I asked the seller a question, he shyly shook his head as he didn’t understand what I had to say in English. I apologized and pulled out my Google Translate to help us through our conversation, and after chatting through the app, it turned out that his brother lived in Regina! I immediately came around the counter and hugged him and took pictures of him and I together. It almost felt like I knew him as we laughed together. It was at that moment that I realized that maybe I really did miss home a bit. Let me just emphasize, “a bit “. Lol. I bought pea shoots & micro basil from him & continued on to stock up on breakfast-y things for the week.
Dropping my purchases back at my room, I made my way to the Aleksander Fredrick Monument, to meet the tour guide & get some background on this amazing city.
The tour was excellent & the guide took a shining to me, so everywhere we walked, we walked together while he asked me a million questions about Canada & saying how much he would like to visit there. The three hour tour ended in a different spot than where we started & I decided to explore the area a little & grab a beer somewhere. I walked along Oder waterway enjoying the sunshine & the colourful buildings with intricate gothic design.
The city, like most, is peppered with interesting place to find a beer & Wroclaw is no exception. I had a quick pint at a lovely outdoor cafe…the perfect people watching spot & then continued to walk & enjoy the day. By the time dinner rolled around, I was excited about finding the restaurant I had researched earlier…
Piwnica Swidnicka lays claims as the oldest restaurant in Europe, dating back to 1273. Housed in the old town hall in Wroclaw, the name in English means, “basement cellar” & while I ate in the vast courtyard outside as the night was absolutely perfect & the town square gave me something to gape at, I am definitely going back to sit in the old basement.
Whitney was going to join me, but was exhausted from travelling, & as a digital nomad, she had worked quite a bit that day, so I turned off my phone & got into the vibe of dining solo. I absolutely love eating alone in restaurants. There’s a knack to it, & honestly it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’ve got confidence & love your own company, it’s perfect. The menu was absolutely amazing & I had a difficult time choosing as I wanted everything on it. The restaurant also brews it’s own beer, so I ordered a pint & decided on the Oyster mushroom chop with mashed potatoes, baby carrots, red beet mousse, mango mousse, salad greens & cherry tomatoes. I’ll come back for the Pork Knuckle marinated in beer. The dish came & it was superbly executed & beautifully presented. I didn’t want my time to end, so I extended myself & ordered pavlova with fresh berries. I tore myself away smiling while walking around old town square to wear off a couple of calories.
The nights here are beautiful. The mornings are mainly sunny & calm. Afternoon can bring gusts of wind & overcast skies & then evening, the wind dies down & it’s perfect. The streets are teaming with people & it’s a jovial atmosphere. My accommodations are very close to the main square…a 7 minute walk…but, after walking home in a panic last night I realized I needed to take the long way home. I’ve found Poland really safe & I’ve never been nervous walking around in the evening even once, but I’m not stupid about it either. I don’t drink too much, I don’t stay out too late & I don’t walk down dark deserted streets. To get to my hotel apartment the GPS has taken me through a small park that houses a kids playground & there is zero lights in the area after dark. It’s eerie. Last night I almost had a heart attack as once you turn off the busy street & walk about 50 feet, you realize that you need to go another 150 feet through the playground in the pitch dark to reach the next street, to turn down to get home. It’s like you’ve stepped into a vacuum as street sounds just STOP & it’s so dark you can barely see where to step. I conjured up thought of Vampires & Rapists as I threw my shoulders back & clomped on. Taking this route just once was enough before I smartened up & took the long way, which was a great walk past lively restaurants with outdoor seating. Apple GPS & the convoluted short-way!!
I leave Wroclaw on Monday & I honestly don’t know how I’m going to do it. I love it here. I love everything about it. I sort of feel sheepish about all the polish jokes I’ve laughed at over the years. It’s no joke now that I want to be polish!
