Walking Poland - Part 1: First Impressions

This past May I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit Poland. My sister honored me by asking me to be the Godmother of her baby girl, and that was enough excuse for me to plan a whole deep vacation around the baptism with my mom and my husband. 

This was our itinerary of the entire month we spent there. While in Poland, we also took a week to visit a few cities in Germany and the Netherlands. Stay tuned for posts about it!

My impressions of Poland:

From the moment I arrived, I felt a broad sense of tranquility. The first time I perceived it, I confused it with despair, and that has more to say about me than anything. I thought everybody was just sad for all the things that had happened to this country throughout the years since they can remember. But it's all the opposite: 

1. They are Very Faithful:

The tranquility I confused with gloom is actually the sense of overall peace that comes with faith and the mentality of "let go and let God". I've never seen churches as full as they were in Poland. Not even in Italy. The churches were open daily, and they were truly visited and venerated. It seems that everyone is in agreement of living a peaceful life and let others be, and not sweating the small things. Probably not many people will agree with me, but I was only visiting for three weeks and I am a full believer that the first impression is the one that counts.

St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow

Veneration to the Icon of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa in Katowice

2. They Value Life: 

Every rest stop on our way to visit other cities had full facilities besides the usual ones (coffee and restrooms) - a shower area, kiddie's playing space, and a few had a sleeping area for quick naps. The majority of the restaurants we visited had an area for children to play, and even sometimes personnel in charge of making sure your kids are safe. My mother had to use the wheelchair services in the airports, and I've never seen staff more genuinely pleased to help her. They even used a lift to get her inside the plane. In conclusion, they make the effort to cover your bare necessities and a bit more, no matter in what stage of life you are. 

Yes...a free shoe shiner next to the restrooms!

2. Green Areas Everywhere:

You name it, parks, courtyards, balconies, you will be amazed at how green Poland is (my allergies were in full blown, by the way). We visited four cities during our stay, and it's green all over. One of the bridges in the highway even had a passage for animals to walk from one side of the road to the other (!!!). Supermarkets are full of organic products and healthy living is being taught in schools from an early age. My nephew gets his meals and snacks at his preschool, with all the food groups represented in his plate. They have still some work to do about recycling and plastic bags, but it's on the way. The hardest part is always making the kids eat veggies.

Warsaw from the top of the Palace of Culture and Science

Krakow from the top of the Town Hall Tower

Beautiful wheat arrangements in Pszczyna!

Poland is a great destination if you are looking to reset and recharge, regain some perspective, or simply have some quiet time and get to know Eastern Europe. I was working remotely the last week of our trip, and I can tell you that I finally learned how to take breaks - for every 2 hours of work, I would go out with my family, or just Nick and I, and take a long walk throughout the Old City or a park, have my meals at the right time, in a table, screens away. By the end of the week I wasn't drained like I used to be at home.  

Stay tuned for more for more insights about my travel adventures. I would love to read your comments!