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Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA)


ShawnH  8 | 1488  
13 Nov 2011 /  #151
Wonderful stuff Rybnik, please do share more!
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
13 Nov 2011 /  #152
and I kept walking.......


  • post office next to Dworzec

  • even the sidewalks are new!!
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
13 Nov 2011 /  #153
........and walking


  • sculpture_copy_2.j.jpg

  • an advert

  • biznes_sign_copy.jpg

  • the pedestrian
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
13 Nov 2011 /  #154
approaching the Rynek..............


  • ornate

  • one of the many Gothic churches

  • Town Hall

  • Welcome!
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
13 Nov 2011 /  #155
Walking onto the Rynek was a pleasant surprise. All the buildings are scrubbed and painted pretty pastel colors! It looks real good. Equally pleasant is the lack of car traffic on the square. Back in the day, cars were allowed onto the square. You can imagine the noise and smell. Now it's actually quiet - very nice. There was one thing that distracted from the Rynek experience: the umbrellas. Each and every bistro, eatery and restaurant have them - lots of them! I found them very distacting.


  • rynek

  • pedestrian mall

  • never went inside

  • I was there for the elections
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
13 Nov 2011 /  #156
more Rynek


  • nice touch I thought

  • ditto

  • rynek_waterchurch_5.jpg

  • wroclaw_rynek_water_.jpg
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
13 Nov 2011 /  #157
more rynek


  • wroclaw_rynek_550x4.jpg

  • ratusz at night

  • starbucks.jpg

  • wroclaw_rynek_550x4.jpg
Wroclaw  44 | 5359  
13 Nov 2011 /  #158
rybnik,

I am curious. What do your none Polish friends think of Poland when they see your photos ?
beckski  12 | 1609  
13 Nov 2011 /  #159
Town Hall

What a goregous photo

ratusz at night

The pic looks surreal. Reminds me of a pic I had taken of Lublin at night :)


  • Lublin
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
14 Nov 2011 /  #160
rybnik,

I am curious. What do your none Polish friends think of Poland when they see your photos ?

Haven't shown them yet.

What a goregous photo

Thanks Beckski. The building looked good. All I did was point and shoot ;)

The pic looks surreal. Reminds me of a pic I had taken of Lublin at night :)

You're right. It just turned out that way ;)
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
14 Nov 2011 /  #161
After I soaked-up the Rynek vibe I went off towards the river in search of the University. I found it and other stuff too. Again, the buildings shone they were so clean (from what I remember). Also all kinds of bistros, clubs, restaurants tucked away along the narrow winding streets. I also heard many foreign languages being spoken out there (you NEVER EVER heard any language other than Polish).

At day's end I was hungry and beat. I didn't want to eat on the Rynek (I was in the mood for a local joint nothing touristy). So, I began walking back towards the Wrocław Hotel hoping I would find my place to eat....I found it at the major intersection (damn I forgot the names of the streets) I had crossed earlier that day. The name of the place is "Marche". It's sort of a caffeteria-style eatery. The way it works is so PRL-days influenced: as you enter the place a young lady in a regional costume hands you a blank piece of paper (about 1/3 the size of an airline Boarding Pass). You take it with you to the various food stations. Whenever you get something the server stamps your paper. Every dish and beverage has its own specific stamp. eg when you get a beer the girl affixes a stamp in the shape of a beer bottle. When you're done eating you proceed to the register with your "receipt" whereupon the girl adds up your various stamps and calls out the damage. A meal with a cold pilsner went for about 10 USD....That ubiquitous pieczątka!! I got a good laugh. With a full belly and a slight beer buzz I was ready to get back to my hotel. A short walk past the Hotel Wroclaw to the tram stop; 5 minutes or so the #17 arrived.

Back at my hotel I bought 2 very cold Polish beers [unheard of back in the day to get beer, let alone cold!) got to my room, turned on the TV and plopped on the bed. "Life is good" I remember thinking to myself.


  • university

  • unniv_2.jpg

  • univ_3__Copy.jpg

  • flowers for sale
Meathead  5 | 467  
14 Nov 2011 /  #162
The town hall in Wroclaw is German architecture and not Polish, no?
a.k.  
14 Nov 2011 /  #163
How about gothic architecture?
Palivec  - | 379  
14 Nov 2011 /  #164
The town hall in Wroclaw is German architecture and not Polish, no?

Of course. Silesia was part of Bohemia. It's closely related to Bohemian (+Upper Lusatian) and Saxon architecture, as most of the craftsmen who expanded the town hall between 1480 and 1520 came from there.
Wroclaw Boy  
14 Nov 2011 /  #165
The name of the place is "Marche". It's sort of a caffeteria-style eatery.

Ive eaten there quite a few times, my only criticism is the amount of garlic they seem to add to everything. Good quality food though with a nice atmosphere. For a relatively small restaurant the choice of food is amazing with Italian, Chinese and Polish - spoiled for choice.

My favorite Wroclaw restaurant is Novocaina, the Italian pizza joint on the Rynek.
Ironside  50 | 12387  
14 Nov 2011 /  #166
The town hall in Wroclaw is German architecture and not Polish, no?

Most of the old town was rebuild by Poles after WWII. so I guess is Polish architecture now, yes?
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
14 Nov 2011 /  #167
Ive eaten there quite a few times, my only criticism is the amount of garlic they seem to add to everything. Good quality food though with a nice atmosphere. For a relatively small restaurant the choice of food is amazing with Italian, Chinese and Polish - spoiled for choice.

the inside:


  • Marche_428x570.jpg

  • I love all the wood
beckski  12 | 1609  
14 Nov 2011 /  #168
I love all the wood

Very charming photo; kind of like a gingerbread house. Is that you in the pic Rybnik?
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
14 Nov 2011 /  #169
Is that you in the pic Rybnik?

Nope - some local
They also have tons of seating. I beleive there's an upstairs
BBman  - | 343  
15 Nov 2011 /  #170
Great pics/commentary rybnik. Keep it coming, i love it.

I found it at the major intersection (damn I forgot the names of the streets)

I've been to marche several times. If i remember correctly it is on piłsudskiego/swidnicka.
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
15 Nov 2011 /  #171
My favorite Wroclaw restaurant is Novocaina, the Italian pizza joint on the Rynek.

I missed it! What is it near?

@ BB You're right!
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
15 Nov 2011 /  #172
I awoke the next morning refreshed and excited about my upcoming adventure. Today I would be re-visiting the medical school I attended among other destinations. I was psyched! And I was hungry. So off I went to the dining room. The breakfast spread was nothing to write home about. It consisted of the usual Central European fare ( I had recently been on a 10-day bus tour around the region and ate the same thing day after day): 2 types of cheeses, fresh bread, cold cuts, cold cereal, coffee (my one gripe vis' a vis my Polish trip was I hadn't had a good cup of coffee - mediocre at best). Luckily, the Wrocław breakfast also offered the hungry traveller yogurt,several soft, spreadable cheeses, and jams (marmalady). I ate my fill, said "Do widzenia" (good-bye) to the pleasant AND polite breakfast ladies and returned to my room. I got my stuff (small backpack,camera and important paper). Out the door I went into the beautiful Lower Silesian autumn!

On my way to the tram stop I passed this school.


  • Interesting.....Colorful too!
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
15 Nov 2011 /  #173
I found the tram stop and after a very short wait got on the #17. Again I passed the TV and Radio stations, new office buildings, the handsome BMW dealership, Sky Tower, Hotel Wroclaw and the intersection of piłsudskiego/swidnicka. From there my memory started to fade and I realized, that if I continue onward, I will be riding on pure instinct. In other words, I had no idea where I was going! Nothing looked familiar! The tram sign said it goes to Plac Grundwalski but will I recognize it? I hoped so. We passed Ostrow Tumski, some more new apartment buildings under construction, older sections of town were passed and then. And then a feeling so strong grabbed me. "Get out, get out" it was telling me. I quickly looked out the window and recognized nothing! NIC! I hesitated. But, so intense(I literally felt as if a hand/force had grabbed me by the collar and led me out of the tram) was the feeling; so strong the urge that I succumbed and obeyed. I got out. And the first thing I saw was this:


  • Simply BEAUTIFUL! For those who lived under communism will understand my reaction.
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
15 Nov 2011 /  #174
I stood in front of that billboard for what seemed minutes! I literally did a 360 turning completely around to see if I had an inkling where the hell I was. At first I hadn't a clue. I felt the adrenalin starting to surge. I was beginning to panic. Just then, when I thought I was going to get back on the tram I saw this:


  • something about this hit a nerve
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
15 Nov 2011 /  #175
hmmmm i turned again to my right and saw this:


  • gas_station_near_med.jpg

  • the billboard really stands out!
OP rybnik  18 | 1444  
15 Nov 2011 /  #176
I think I know this place. The longer I looked around the more I realized that indeed I knew this place. I knew it very well! This is the bridge that I crossed every day for six years either to get to the dorm or my apartment. The gas station was the place I filled-up my car before, during and after martial law! I made it. I know where i was. Now, I wanted to go to my old dorm.
Meathead  5 | 467  
15 Nov 2011 /  #177
Most of the old town was rebuild by Poles after WWII. so I guess is Polish architecture now, yes?

No, just because the Poles rebuilt it doesn't mean that it's Polish Architecture. Looks Gothic to me which means German. I would expect Polish architecture to be a bit softer. But hey, I could be wrong.
pip  10 | 1658  
15 Nov 2011 /  #178
it is gothic and renaissance.
visenna  
15 Nov 2011 /  #179
Looks Gothic to me which means German.

Gothic architecture was popular not only in Germany but most of medieval Europe (apart from parts that were Orthodox). Oh, and it originated in France.
Wroclaw  44 | 5359  
15 Nov 2011 /  #180
This is the bridge that I crossed every day for six years either to get to the dorm or my apartment.

it seems you took my route to work. the bridge would look a little different as it was rebuilt a few years ago.

the billboard craze started around 1991-92 and got totally out of hand for a while. one can still find them popping up in some gardens as well. (i'm not kidding)

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