Walking around a bit of the Nadodrze neighborhood: Wrocław, Poland

Next on the agenda after visiting Hala Targowa was to make it over into Nadordrze. This part of the city north of the center popped up in my research about 'what to do in Wrocław'. The Colorful Backyards of Nadodrze in particular got my attention. So we started aiming ourselves north across the islands in the Oder separating Nadodrze from the old town center. We stopped for a couple of scenic shots, of course.

Also couldn't help but notice Młyn Maria, which I thought might be a hotel or restaurant but turns out is a condo complex on the site of a 13th century mill. Not pictured here, but the colorful 2-car trams passing over the iron bridge in front with the river views off behind it make for a pretty charming scene.

First thing we noticed once we got across the river were lines outside of two ice cream shops. Lines. It was maybe 70 degrees on a Tuesday afternoon. We later realized over the course of the trip that ice cream is popular all over Poland. Ice cream. Donuts. Good beer. A few of the common elements I noticed.

While both of the shops in the pics above had some lines, this one had lines nonstop. We passed through this stretch 2-3 times over the course of the afternoon / evening and it was busy every time we came through. We wound up trying the less beloved shop later on. It was okay.

After observing the ice cream phenomenon we made our way up Ksiecia Jozefa Poniatowskiego to see the "colorful backyards". It was 10-15 minutes walking. Felt very neighborhoody. Middle-class-ish apartment buildings. Nothing touristy. An area of the city where people live and do their thing.

Once we got to the spot where google maps said the murals should be it still took a minute to figure out exactly how to access the area. It is common design in Poland (so I learned) for residential blocks to have an interior 'courtyard' of sorts that is accessible via one entrance. Almost like a mini version of the old 'gates to enter the city' model. We saw a few versions of this. More pics in later posts. But we eventually found our way to what looked like it might be an entrance and ventured in. Passed through a tunnel / passageway of maybe 5-10 meters that opened up to the courtyard (aka, the colorful backyards). Parking, playground, common areas. With the distinctive murals all around.

That last one is my favorite. Not just becuase it features dogs. But that HAS to be a Quiznos Sponge Monkey, right? Great commercial from back in the day. I may or may not have blurted out 'they got a pepper bar' at random intervals throughout 2004-2005.

Initial Walkabout & Hala Targowa Visit: Wrocław, Poland

Our train arrived intro Wrocław Głowny at 3pm. We got a Bolt over to our Airbnb. Took about 15 minutes to get over there. Not a ton of heavy traffic. But it moves slowly. One thing we noticed throughout Poland is that pedestrian right of way is very much a Thing. With a capital T. If drivers see a pedestrian somewhat near a crosswalk and it looks like the pedestrian is evening considering the idea of entering the crosswalk, the car stops to allow the crossing. Took a bit to get used to this dynamic. I'd seen something similar in Romania, but this is another level. Nice if you're walking around on foot. But slows up the process a bit if you're moving by car. And that's probably the point.

After we settled in we headed out to see what we could see day 1. Our Airbnb was on Swietego Mikolaja, which is a main street for traffic heading out of the center to the west. We were about 3-4 minutes walking to the Four Denominations district and probably about the same to the western edge of the central part of Stare Miasto (aka, Old Town). So we had a pretty convenient launching point.

My game plan for the day was to see Hala Targowa, explore a bit of Nadodrze, and then be on Ostrow Tumski in time for the famous lamplighter. It kind of played out according to plan, with a couple of audibles. On the way I snapped some vibe shots along Nowy Swiat, the main artery on the norhtern permimeter of the main island, including one of InQse Wrocław Marina, a nice 4* hotel on this island in the river that features a handful of sharp, stylish restaurants.

As we approached the nothern stretch of the island we cut in on Uniwersytecka to make our way more directly to the market. We came across Kungfu Malatang i Hotpot where the bubble tea caught Judy's eye. I needed some caffeine, too, so I ordered an iced coffee.

Well-reviewed and looked like a solid place. But we did not make it back for a meal. We continued on, but stopped into this book store which got my attention with some cool posters in the window. Wound up taking this guy home.

Found some great postcards later on in Gdansk that complement him perfectly. Need to get those framed and hung soon.

Snapped a few scenery shots as we continued toward the market. Initial impressions of Wrocław were great. Picturesque and charming. Helped, too, that it was our first day of sun after 4 days of clouds and rain in Krakow.

Soon enough we made it to Hala Targowa. Google Maps says it's about 15 minutes walking from our Airbnb. My photoroll tells me it took us about 1/2 hour with the coffee and poster stops.

Nice market. We enjoyed browsing for interesting food / snacks. Was happily surprised to find tarallini at this place offering a variety of international foods.

Spoke with the woman a bit and learned that she was from Sicily and her boss was from Puglia, hence the tarallini. They had a nice range of flavors. Got some standard and some 'spicy'. Great snack for the next few days. Wish we had a tarallini place here in la cdmx.

Nice little spot for beer and a meal right outside the market. Inviting. But we had some ground to cover. Easy to see myself enjoying an afternoon at the market followed by a burger and beer in the sun, though. Next time, Wrocław.

First Polish Train Experience: Krakow Głowny to Wrocław Głowny

I considered renting a car to get us around Poland. Overall I had a pretty good experience driving through Bulgaria and Romania last fall. So why not run it back in Poland? But a few factors tilted me toward taking the train between destinations. First, Polish trains are generally pretty reliable. Maybe not quite up to the Swiss standard, but much closer to what you would experience in Spain or Italy than Romania. Second, the distances between cities was pretty solid. 3+ hours from Krakow to Wrocław. 3.5 hours from Poznan to Gdansk. That's a lot of driving on 'vacation'. Third, city parking. As this was mostly vacation, I thought removing parking stress from the equation was a good idea. And finally, they are good value. Two second class tickets from Krakow to Wrocław cost 90zł. That's like $25 USD. And actually one other factor was to have the first-hand experience so I could make suggestions and recommendations for my clients. So the path was clear. We would be taking trains across Poland. (Though I did afford myself one day of driving around, which I'll post about later.)

I like to be prepared when trying new things. Turned to YouTube looking for resources and found this fantastic video below from Zuzanna. She's a Krakow-based guide and I found her info about navigating trains and trams super helfpul.

Per her suggestion, I used the Koleo site to get my tickets and the app to keep them handy while traveling. By the end of our trip in Gdansk I was a Koleo ninja, buying last minute tickets for local rides between Gdynia and Sopot and then Sopot to Oliwa.

But first we had to get ourselves from Krakow to Wrocław. The start was a little shaky. Our Bolt driver dropped us off on what I think was the top floor of a parking structure that very much did not seem like the entrance to Krakow's main train station. We popped into an elevator and a helpful local who spoke english (Bolt driver did not) assured us we were heading in the right direction.

It's been a minute, as they say, since my time occassionally navigating Union Station and the like during my Chicago days. But once we got downstairs into the station the general vibe was familiar with a mix of quick food options and retail, including a pharmacy where we picked up a nifty dispenser of 'lacto control' that came in handy.

We found our way to the right platform and track. Utlimately got to our seats. Comfy, facing the right direction. Had my pistachio donut from the station, later joined by the coffee from the food car. Success.

One observation / heads-up regarding these trains versus what I've experienced in Spain, for example, is that the amount of storage for big bags at the end of each car was limited. Like, could hold literally 2 or 3 bags. Unless you're the first one on the car you may not have access to store your bag there. Which means you need to be prepared to hoist it into the overhead, where it will fit (kinda). But if you're not able to military press your 23kg bag you could be stuck. Unless you can sweet talk -- in Polish -- a strong, healthy local for assistance.

Roughly 3 hours later we arrived on schedule at Wrocław Głowny. Definitely a step down in terms of scale, so easier to navigate. We saw a number of quick and pleasant food options, too. Not sure you're ever looking to spend a lot of extra time at the train station. But of the ones we saw during our trip, Wrocław takes the top spot for 'hangout-ability'.

Also snapped a couple of shots of the general vicinity while waiting for our Bolt.

Overall our first Polish train adventure was smooth. Would recommend.

Quick Review: Bonjour Pho (Krakow, Poland)

By the fourth night of our trip a trend had set in. We were having great luck with non-Polish cuisine choices. Specifically Asian options were treating us right. Bonjour Pho solidified the trend. I had read something about this little area in the 'second layer' of the center, just on the west side of Planty Park at about 9 o'clock if you look at the map of Krakow like a clock face. The zone between Rajska on the north, Krupnicza on the south, Podwale on the east, and Dolnych Młynow on the west is home to a number of cool cafes and restaurants to try. Very accessible from any part of the center. 15 minute walk from our Airbnb in the southern tip of Stare Miasto. Well worth checking out if you want to experience something beyond the dining options in the epicenter.

Good vibes, good menu. Great food. I think Judy has the pics of our meals so I'll need to update this. She said the Massaman Curry was the best she's ever had. And my tofu pad thai was quite nice.

Just before closing time and right as we were taking care of the check we noticed the chefs gathered for their end of shift meal. They had some authentic and native talent serving up the dishes that night.

100% recommend if you're craving some great Asian food in a cool spot next time you're in Krakow.

Quick Review: BIM TO BAP (Krakow, Poland)

Knowing we would be spending some time walking around Kazimierz and Podgorze I had flagged some spots to try in those parts of the city as well. This came in very handy after our walking tour, which ran from 10:30 - 1 or so. We had failed to really get a meaningul breakfast before the tour. We tried. Did a bit of a walkabout pre-tour near the Rynek. But didn't find any sit down places open and didn't love any of the quick take away options we saw. Couldn't do a donut that morning. So we subsisted on some light snacks. But by 1pm we were starving.

Our tour ended in Ghetto Heroes Square, aka Plac Bohaterow. BIM TO BAP was a short 6-minute walk away. Not sure we could have made it if it were a 7-minute walk.

Their layout is clean and sharp. Their model is simple. Maybe 5-6 options (tofu, salmon, chicken, bulgogi) and 3 sauces (gochujang, miso, and something else). Young girl running the counter was friendly and on top of it. Overall a pretty good experience. I loved my tofu with gochujang. Judy felt the bulgogi was too dry, not enough of its own juice in there. Think it was $9-$10 per for the small. Just enough to hit the spot.