Assorted Scenes from Wrocław, Poland

We really enjoyed our time in Wrocław.

Our Airbnb was solid and comfortable. I could see how it may not be ideal in really warm weather. But during our stay temps were mid 50s to maybe 70 on the high end. Perfect for us.

With a population around 700,000 (roughly the same as Coyoacán, just one of 16 alcaldias in CDMX) it's a nice size city. Good energy without feeling overwhelming. It has a variety of areas and vibes, too. Old Town is different than Nadodrze, which is different than Ostrow Tumski, which is different from the areas east of the center over toward the tech university and further out toward the zoo. Felt like it would be a cool city to live in. But I do that a lot. Picture myself living for at least a few months in almost every place we have ever visited.

Wrocław, though, was really pleasant. Scale, vibes, variety. Different elements reminded me of aspects of the places I've spent time over the years. The trams that made me nostalgic for my days on the Green Line heading up and down Comm Ave and Beacon St. Various bridges getting you between different parts of "the Venice of Poland," which vaguely reminded me of crossing the Charles between Allston and Cambridge. Sharp new condo complexes with a modern/industrial aesthetic overlooking the water that made me think of West Loop or River North from 15-20 years ago in Chicago. Neighborhood restaurants with the informal streeside seating areas that sprouted everywhere in Mexico City (and many other places of course) during Covid. This assortment of shots provides some sense of what we did and enjoyed during our 3-night stay.

Obligatory pics of the Stare Miasto / Rynek area and the traditional buildings painted in various colors that make you happy.

This last one shows the market that was opening up on our last day in the city. We were bummed it didn't open earlier. But we had seen the same thing in Krakow, so didn't totally miss the experience. Maybe we'll make it back some day as part of a Christmas Market tour.

These were taken during an easy walk / scoot around the city. Wish I had time to visit AleBrowar (first pic). Next time.

The 'scoot' alluded to above was my first venture out on a Bolt scooter. Had been wanting to try this form of urban transportation for awhile. The tour in Krakow finally gave me the nudge required to make it happen. So I did a test scoot early one morning while Judy was back in the apartment. Success. On our last morning in Wroclaw we had some time before the train to Poznan, so we scooted. Aimed west, kind of toward the zoo and the parks on that side of the city. Our route is below (love this new-to-me feature of google maps where you can track your routes).

We enjoyed the scoot too much to take too many pictures. But here are a few.

Also, we did eventually get over to Ostrow Tumski on our first evening in Wrocław. My phone died so I wasn't able to take pics. Judy grabbed a few. Overall that experience was not quite what I had built up in my mind based on what I had read. But I'm glad we saw it. Definitely unique. But not necessarily something you *need* to go out of your way to experience, in my opinion.