Day 21 - Poznan

Wednesday 15 June We're not in Germany anymore - welcome to Poznan, Poland. A new country, new language, new currency, new challenges.

We travelled Poznań by train and then caught a tram to our Air B&B accommodation.


After dumping our bags in the excessively small room that had been changed at the last minute, we went to explore the town centre of Poznań. Poznańis reputed to be the location of the beginnings of Poland and is quite proud of it.

There seems to be some strong rivalry between Poznań and Krakov, a bit like Sydney and Melbourne.

Like many of these older European cities, there was the usual collection of public and private buildings based around a town square. The most imposing building was the town hall, rebuilt a number of times so that only the basement is original.

Its claim to fame is that at midday, doors open in the clock tower and two goats come out and butt their heads. This is apparently based on an event hundreds of years ago when the local count saw two white goats fighting and ordered that it be incorporated into the clock. This has also spawned a plethora of kitsch goat souvenirs, which are peddled around the marketplace. The historic photo shows the square and town hall in 1945.

The market square is home to lots of permanent stalls selling local foods and other goods, so in fact it is rather cramped.

The square is surrounded by other private buildings that have been colourfully decorated, apparently in the style of the originals. They are very attractive though but difficult to photograph in the cramped space.

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After a short rest we went looking for a restaurant for dinner. Poznan is full of bars, cafes and restaurants, so finding one was not a problem, but deciphering the menu was. Eventually we went into what looked like a downmarket, but local, restaurant. After we sat down we realised that it was one of the former communist era ‘Milk Bars’ that served cheap but wholesome local food for workers and citizens.

They appear to be run and staffed by middle-aged Polish women, and everything was in Polish. There is no table service, so you order at the counter, and are expected to return your plates and wipe the table when you finish.

We ordered the only food we could remember, pierogi (filled dumplings like large tortellini) and a vegetable soup. They had 3 types of pierogi, spinach, meat and saukraut, so we had some of each with salad. The vegetable soup was excellent, with only small pieces of pork in it. The pierogi were tasty but incredibly filling, and we had trouble eating the dozen we had on the plate. The Lech Beer helped wash them down. We finished off with two sweets: a strawberry tart with a sweet cheesy cream, on a bed of jam, nestled in a sweet pastry (a total sugar bomb) and a chocolate mousse which Frances really liked. A good introduction to a bit of old-style Polish culture.

Day 22 - Poznan

Thursday 16 June In the morning we explored that central district a bit more ourselves before joining a Free guided tour. These tours are technically free, but you are expected to donate at the end. The guide Cami, had good English and was very personable and passionate about Poznan, giving detailed explanations of the historical aspects of the city.

Poznań has had the sort of chequered history of many European cities; growth, disasters, invasions, destruction and regrowth. Some facts I found interesting were: the fairly utilitarian buildings build by the Communist Government in the centre of the square cannot be demolished because they are in a World Heritage zone;

Poznan has its very own copyright and authorised croissant, the St Martin, plus a museum dedicated to it.

The beautiful Jesuit church, which is one of the world’s best examples of gothic churches, was built on the cheap, for example the huge marble columns are only coated to look like marble, and the cupola over the centre is an optical illusion, painted onto a flat ceiling.

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After lunch we attended a free student performance in the Poznań Ballet school which is house in an old Jesuit College building.

The performance was quite good, but it reminded us of ones that Rachel and Charlotte had performed in while at Miss Jenny’s dance classes in Newtown.

The venue however was completely different provided a unique atmosphere.

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By now Frances was desperate for a coffee, and we happened on Kawiarnia Sztukafeteria a tiny café that served real expresso coffee.

We’d had such bad experience trying to get good coffee in Germany, that we were a little apprehensive.

Fortunately Marta, the proprietor and her husband both spoke English so we ended up having a debate about coffee!

She was adamant that adding milk was an adulteration, and it should be drunk black. We agreed to differ and had an excellent cappuccino for the first time since leaving Australia.

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By now was late afternoon, and Frances wanted to swim at the nearby Thermal Baths at Lake Malta, a short tram ride away. The place was huge, with thermal baths, aquatic play centre and Olympic size swimming pool. Fortunately they had separate entry fees for the different sections, so Frances could just do a few laps. There was even an outside ‘beach’ area with sand, umbrellas and beach chairs!

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That night was another Europen Cup night, this time Poland vs Germany, so we knew we’d be in for a sleepless night.

Most of the bars and restaurants had their screen showing the football. Those that didn’t were empty.

We decided to have some snacks and sit outside in the square as it was a pleasant evening.
We went to the main Polish style BBQ stand to choose something. They had all kinds of BBQ’d meat; kababs, sausages, small rolled sausages, steaks, etc. In fact anything you like as long as it’s pork. I chose a kebab with potatoes (what else) and a huge dollop of mustard. It was huge, and was strung alternately with pork, pork fat and onion. The potatoes were the small kind that’s common here, cooked with paprika and dill – quite nice. Frances ordered bigos a traditional Polish meal. It’s made with sauerkraut, chopped cabbage and meat - pork, game, sausage and/or bacon. All the ingredients are mixed and cooked over a low flame for several hours, then put aside and reheated a few more time over the next couple of days. Frances really liked it but it was a bit too ethnic for me. We still have the duck’s blood soup and other traditional dishes to go!

They also served beer with a mixed berry cordial – I left that for Frances who thought it was fine. By the time we finished dinner the football game was in full swing, and as predicted, the celebrations went on until daylight. I don’t know why though, the game was a draw, no-one scored a goal!

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Today we leave Poznań for Wroclaw (pronounced Vratswuv) for 3 days which is about 2 hours further east in Poland. Here are some parting photos from Posnan, including the horrible Rosemary’s Hostel where we stayed – each room named after a Roman Polanski movie.