I landed at Warsaw International and made it to my hostel in Nowy Świat. Even though I hadn't learned Greek, I had grown used to it and now once again everything was unfamiliar. The first impression of Warsaw was cleanliness and massive scale. Compared to Greece, everyone seemed... busier.

Ultimately I spent a few weeks in Warsaw, the weather was gloomier, the internet was faster, the business atmosphere was more conducive to studying I'd been looking forward to. In the hostel community I met some great people again, on my first night I was drafted into a bachelor party visiting from Łódź. A long crazy night but a warm welcome to Poland. Next morning's breakfast was warm vodka followed by warm beer, eventually followed by a Talerz Kebab at a Kebab King. I moved to a quieter part of town eventually.

I also relocated to Gdańsk, it's a smaller city on the Baltic coast. Fairly famous for its role in recent history, Gdańsk was the impetus for Hitler's invasion of Poland and the beginnings of the Solidarity movement that helped bring down Soviet rule. The most noticeable quality is the Hanseatic style of the old town, looking more like Copenhagen than Warsaw. Both cities it's also important to note were meticulously rebuilt by the Polish government and have impressive central old towns mirrored to their pre-WW2 appearance.

From Gdańsk I also visited other nearby coastal cities like Sopot and even visited Falowiec, the longest continual apartment block in Europe. In the area as well as elsewhere in Poland, massive public housing projects sprawl out and up. Although the Soviets were responsible for these brutalist monoliths, I admire the pragmatic designs. Regimented apartment blocks broken up by parks and schools with nearby public transport. Although the Soviets weren't the future, some of these public planning principles will have to be.

Aerial image of Falowiec in Gdańsk which houses 6,000 residents.

So far I haven't mentioned the food but it exceeded expectations, even the milk bars which were a cheaper option to try Polish food. The currency exchange rate is very generous so nicer restaurants outside Warsaw were doable. I eventually wound up in Krakow and there I started enjoying pork knuckle (wieprzowina golonka), an extremely tender meat that I'd rate up there with great brisket. This isn't a food blog so I'll just say I didn't encounter anything I didn't like.

Krakow was a great city for me. Not only were the historical districts mostly untouched by war, but the social streets and squares reminded me of Greece. Being a university city there was a big youth presence as well as tourists coming for the history, including Wawel Castle. I could see why so many people I met consider it to be their favorite Polish city.

I'm skimming over a lot but then again I spent a long time in Poland. After Krakow I went to Zakopane, another favorite of many. It's a small resort town to the south in the Tatras mountains. Here I stayed at a cabin with more travelers, many working there as a costfree way to enjoy a ski lodge. I was able to climb more mountains and get lost some more, and of course enjoy more great food.

I zigzagged across Poland, met so many more people, plane train and automobile and unlimited pierogis, but everything comes to an end. Thankfully this ending was me leaving for Budapest.

From the northern coast of Gdańsk to the southern Tatras mountains.