Category: poland

despite it being rainy, i had a great time in warsaw! i arrived a day later than planned and then my luggage was lost by low-cost airline wizzair, so part of my time after arrival was spent buying fresh undergarments and toiletries at warsaw’s shopping malls, which are significantly better than average. i had planned to visit some interesting museums such as the socialist poster museum and the neon museum of polish and eastern bloc light advertisements, but due to the flight delay there was not enough time. will have to go back!

i explored warsaw’s old city, which was entirely rebuilt after world war two as it had been completely destroyed by bombing campaigns. near the old city is a commemorative monument to the warsaw uprising, a valiant attempt by many of the citizens of the city to resist the nazi occupation toward the end of world war two.

downtown, the iconic palace of arts and culture tower is unmissable – it was gifted to poland by the stalin. it contrasts uniquely with warsaw’s new glass and steel skyline.

after two successive full days at the chocholaw and bukovina thermal pool complexes near zakopane, i had not quite immersed my body in enough hot water or sat in enough saunas (though i was getting close). i read about a just-opened massive aquapark (the largest in europe) called suntago, outside of warsaw. i had to go. this complex was unbelievable – built to be a destination in itself so poles don’t feel the need to fly to the tropics for a warm weather vacation. it had a huge sauna zone, salt water shipped in from the dead sea, palms imported from egypt, etc. indescribable!

bukovina termy (thermal pools) is another large thermal pool complex near zakopane. it isn’t quite as impressive as chocholaw termy, but still amazing!

chocholow thermal pools, or “termy,” is the largest thermal pool complex in poland, and opened just a few years ago. the main reason i came to southern poland was to experience it, and it did not disappoint. there are multiple large indoor and outdoor pools, filled with warm thermal water. you get an electronic bracelet for your locker, and you can also use it to buy food at one of the multiple in-spa restaurants. i really wish something like this existed closer to home. in the meantime i’ll probably go back to poland to experience it again, because it is just that amazing.

the best part of the complex is the sauna center on the top level. there are many saunas, steam rooms and pools in an exclusive zone, where everyone has to be naked. so no photos of that here, lol. the largest sauna has a glass wall and looks out over the high tatra mountain range. here, every hour or so throughout the day there are aufguss sauna rituals, which are basically organized serious sauna-going classes/performances, in which a saunamaster spins and whips a towel at the front of the sauna, choreographed to music and the crushing of essential oil-infused balls of shaved ice on to the hot sauna rocks. at the last of these of the evening, the saunamasters decided to go all out and dump all of their remaining ice, about 10 liters of water, and a bottle of menthol essential oil on to the sauna rocks all at once. it was an extreme, tear-inducing experience which definitely made everyone in the sauna pre-syncopal. one very committed sauna sweat hat-wearing guy who had been there all day had to get up and leave because of how intense the heat and menthol rush was, and everyone cheered/jeered him out the door. an epic end to an epic day!

zakopane is a town in the far southern reaches of poland, on the edge of the high tatra mountain range. it is a destination for skiing in the winter, and is also known for its salty goat cheese called oscypek, its ornate alpine style buildings, and its thermal pools, which is the main reason i went.

the wieliczka salt mine is in the suburbs of krakow, and was fascinating to see. it is a massive underground salt mine which has been in use for many hundreds of years, and one must take the guided tour to see the mine, which lasts over 2 hours. it involves descending thousands of feet, with many air locks and doors at different levels. the tour provides more information about salt mines than any person would ever need to know, but it is remarkable how much history is associated with this mine. in the middle ages salt was used as currency, and thus poland was very wealthy thanks entirely to this mine.

the mine is most famous for its underground chapel, including art work and chandeliers, all carved entirely from salt. the tour ends with an ascension in a small, mid-century miner’s elevator.

i spent an afternoon walking around the auschwitz and birkenau concentration/death camps, and it is a very heavy place. over 1.1 million people lost their lives here during the holocaust.

 

i had a nice time staying in the center of krakow. i spent a weekend here back when i was in medical school as well, so it was enjoyable to return. from krakow i drove to the nearby wieliczka salt mine and auschwitz-birkenau holocaust death camps.

 

 

 

 

 

the black madonna of czestochowa is the most venerated icon in poland, and possibly in the world. it is housed in the jasna gora monastery in the small city of czestochowa a few hours north of krakow, and poles have made the pilgrimage to see it for centuries, often on foot from all corners of the country. it is actually one of multiple black madonnas, which are icons of mary and the Christ child from the byzantine era. reportedly this one was discovered in jerusalem in the 300s, before being brought to poland in the 1300s. it became intertwined with polish national identity when it was believed to have miraculously saved czestochowa from a swedish siege in the 1600s, and ever since has also been known as the “protector of poland.”

it is housed at the front of a large church, and visitors and pilgrims come to to venerate it almost nonstop. it is kept covered, except for a brief unveiling which occurs twice daily. i was able to time my visit to correspond with this, and it was fascinating. there is a tremendous build up for about 15 minutes, with increasing crowds pushing in toward the front of the church. before the time of the unveiling the crowd becomes quiet, all cross themselves, and a trumpet sound is played, as the veil over the icon is very slowly lifted. many witnesses cry, and most of the room drops to its knees. visitors can line up and file beside and then behind the icon, and many do this entirely on their knees. some even make the journey from other towns in poland entirely on their knees. it was truly remarkable (and admittedly very unexpected for me as a christian) to witness this level of veneration for an icon.