The past few days I have been busy with family and recovering from the wedding. I only had some time now, to tell you more about the second part of the journey through Poland as well as Warsaw, family time and the wedding. Soo much to tell!
Grudziądz
After walking around in Gdańsk for the day I found a nice accomodation in a little town, 1 hour south, in Grudziądz. It was a practical location and I have never heard of the place before, however, what a beautiful place it was. As I drove into the town I could see the stunning red brick walls and buildings that once belonged to a fort and castle. The inner city is not very clean and but it still has a nice charm and feel. In addition there were no tourists which was great.
It was a nice surprise and I am glad I stopped here. But what about Warsaw?
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Warsaw
I have been to Warsaw before, over 13 years ago. It didn’t impress me too much the first time, however it is the capital of Poland, and has lots of history so I thought I visit it again. Mainly to walk through the old town.
In Warsaw, there is pretty much the old town and the new town. The old town is a small area in the inner part that has been rebuilt after the WWII. It is quite cute with the little cafes and pastel coloured houses but I would pick Gdańsk over Warsaw any time.
Furthermore the new town is a mix of grand buildings and palaces as well as modern high rises that stand tall above the city. Warsaw basically has been fully rebuilt after the war as it was destroyed almost 90% by the Germans after the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
This post-war uprising monument is quite stunning and worth a visit. It is a tribute to the Polish insurgents who fought in the failed attempt to end their city’s Nazi occupation in 1944. Those were the most important and devastating times for Warsaw and Poland. Very interesting and amazing to read if you haven’t already. Click here for more!
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Driving through Poland is quite easy and most of the time I was on the new highways. There is still plenty of road works but it is still faster than the country roads. And we know all about them in eastern southern Europe – Escaping the rain into Greece. Luckily I had time and patience.
Family time and the wedding
It was finally time to see my polish family and my grandma. So exciting! But first there was my cousin’s wedding! What a night!
I always liked the parties in Poland because they are fun and relaxing. Especially once everybody gets into the vodka! The bride was stunning and the venue great. Unfortunately I have to wait a little bit to show you the official wedding photos. It was a long night eating lots of food, drinking vodka and dancing. Great wedding and glad I could be part of it!
The next day the party continued with a garden themed venue and it was just as beautiful. Not to mention more food and vodka.
Otherwise I am resting and spending time with relatives and my grandma. Her house that she used to live in is full of memories. I spent so much time here as a child (especially lots of sleep overs). There was no plumbing until 2000 and the toilet was outside, but I didn’t care. Unfortunately the house is now empty as the roof collapsed. But I still love coming here.
Going back to the roots is always nice. After all I am ‘made in Poland’.
(post 44)
