After 5 nights in Warsaw it was time to hit the road and head out for my next destinaton: Lublin. I had rented a car through Booking.com and pick up was at the
Radisson Blu. One more opportunity to take Warsaw's very reliable public transportation via the very useful Jakodjade app.
Overall the pick up process was pretty smooth and soon enough I was in the garage collecting my metallic blue Renault something or other and then out on the highway heading for Lublin.
Lublin is in southeastern Poland, roughly 2 hours from Warsaw by car if you go direct, but more like 3 hours if you go by way of Kazimierz Dolny.
The little detour off the main highway to get to Kazimierz Dolny is scenic.
Some nice rural / bucolic landscapes off secondary roads. Pleasant. I bet it's especially lovely in summer or fall.
As you approach you encounter the telltale signs that you're nearing a touristic/vacation destination: billboards. Many billboards. Promoting restaurants, inns, museums, recreational enterprises, etc.
Having never been to the town before I pointed the GPS toward a
parking lot near the
castle, as I figured that would be semi-convenient. I suppose it was convenient enough. Parked the Clio and turned my attention to visiting the castle.
After a small uphill walk from the parking lot you've got some stairs to deal with before you reach the little ticket hut where they will disinterestedly take your 13 złoty and allow you to pass.
As castles go, it wasn't the most impressive I have visited. But it might well be the oldest. It dates back almost 700 years, to the 1340s,
according to Castles of Poland. (And actually, now that I think about it and google it, I see that
Naxos Castle is older.) Either way, it's pretty much just ruins now. And apparently they use the grounds to feature artistic exhibits.
I did not linger to learn more, but the pieces did certainly add some interest to the visit. Took a few more stairs up to the tower where you are rewarded with some views of what I believe are primarily 'Willas' or other types of holiday rentals.
The timestamps in my fotoroll tell me I was on the site for about 11 minutes. That's more than 1 złoty per minute if we're breaking it down. Quick. But I had the rest of the town to check out. Made my way down the hill, stopping for a view back up toward the castle. I wonder if anyone ever toboggins down that hill. Would be some high stakes with those monuments in the path.
I noticed this dog statue in the main square.
Research tells me this is a monument with a nice story and sentiment behind it.
As you get closer you can see evidence of the good luck rubs. Shiny nose. Ears and paws, getting some attention, too. Then you might notice, for better or worse, apparently some folks are superstitiously or otherwise rubbing Werniks' unit.
Speaking to the bohemian and creative nature of the town, everywhere you go you see posters promoting performances or exhibitions.
Or galleries. Many galleries.
I continued walking through the town, which was understandably super quiet since I was there early afternoon on a mid-April Tuesday. You can still get a sense of its potential and what the vibe would be like during peak season. Walk around a cute main square with an ice cream, pop into one of the galleries.
The only other people there with me on this day, though, were a school group on a field trip to visit the
synagogue.
Looped over to the
Maly Rynek (little market square) and, in addition to the older women strolling with their dog and groceries, I saw a photo exhibition illustrating what appeared to be some idyllic summer moments from the early 20th century.
Knowing I had a good hour's drive ahead of me to Lublin, plus whatever time would be involved in finding parking, getting to the apartment I rented, etc., I took advantage of the public toilet before leaving. Fyi, it's around the corner from the
E Wedel.
Not the nicest washroom I've ever stopped in, but in a pinch it works.
Having seen what there was to see by and large, I made my way back to the car, resisting the draw of any last souvenirs before leaving. Even the famous rooster bread.
Verdict: Glad I stopped through and saw it and can definitely imagine its charm for a 2 day stay over a long summer weekend. Maybe early fall, after the major wave of summer visitors.
