Poland is a country full of gorgeous landscapes, hospitable people, and amazing food.\u00a0 I may be a bit bias, considering I am Polish-American, but once you experience it for yourself you will forever understand.\u00a0 Just thinking of the hot, delicious pumpkin soup and delectable pierogi is making my mouth water.<\/p>\n
The JFRC had two study trips organized for our fall break: one to Greece and the other to, you guessed it, Poland.\u00a0 While many immediately went for the Greece trip, I knew that going to Poland was a no-brainer.\u00a0 Why wouldn\u2019t I want to go to the motherland?\u00a0 Plus, Poland would actually look and feel like fall.\u00a0 All of September and October, when in Chicago it was cold, Rome had been hot and humid.\u00a0 There were no leaves changing colors.\u00a0 No cool, crisp fall air blowing.\u00a0 But, I knew Poland would give me my much need fall fix: and boy did it.<\/p>\n
We arrived first in Warsaw, whereupon I immediately felt right at home.\u00a0 Warsaw is a city similar to those in the US: full of people, skyscrapers, public transit, and endless shops.\u00a0 We were walking along one of the main streets when I suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar smell.\u00a0 It was coffee, and it was coming from somewhere that in America I had been an extremely loyal customer: Starbucks.\u00a0 I, of course, had to get a comfort coffee to, one, remind myself of home, but two, to appreciate the Western phenomena of to-go cups.\u00a0 I love Italian coffee, but you can only drink it at the bar and they give such a feeble amount.\u00a0 I miss being able to get a huge coffee and then walk all over Chicago with it keeping me warm.<\/p>\n
Our first night in Poland was a wonderful taste of what was to come.\u00a0 There were mountains of Polish meats, pierogi<\/em>, potato pancakes, a huge bowl of Greek salad, and cups of beetroot soup.\u00a0 While I was only able to eat the salad and soup, both were delicious.\u00a0 For dessert, I devoured a vanilla sundae topped with warm cherry sauce: truly divine.\u00a0 By the end of the meal, our stomachs matched that of Santa Claus\u2019s and we had to be rolled out the door like Cutlet in Animal Caf\u00e9.<\/em><\/p>\n After visiting the stare miasto, becoming educated at the World War II museum, listening in rapture to a ninety year old Auschwitz survivor, and getting hooked on a new coffee chain, Coffee Heaven, we left Warsaw and headed by train to Torun.<\/p>\n Torun is a tiny medieval town that accommodates to college students and gingerbread lovers.\u00a0 It is home to the Nicolaus Copernicus University and a gingerbread museum: both of which we visited.\u00a0 We went to Nicolaus Copernicus for a human rights symposium that was completely amazing and provoking.\u00a0 The museum, on the other hand, was\u2026entertaining.\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s just say reenactments are not my thing.\u00a0 From Torun, we headed to Krakow, a city rich with jazz music and culture.\u00a0 We visited the Schindler museum, had an emotional experience at Auschwitz, ate more pierogi, and lived Real World style in an apartment.<\/p>\n I was extremely sad to leave Poland, even though I was ready for a break from traveling.\u00a0 Already, I wish I could go back.\u00a0 I miss the food, the people, and the coffee.\u00a0 Plus, compared to Rome, Poland is super cheap.\u00a0 If you are a person on a budget, go to Poland because not only will get more for your zloty, but you will see how lovely and worthwhile the country truly is!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Poland is a country full of gorgeous landscapes, hospitable people, and amazing food.\u00a0 I may be a bit bias, considering I am Polish-American, but once you experience it for yourself you will forever understand.\u00a0 Just thinking of the hot, delicious pumpkin soup and delectable pierogi is making my mouth water. The JFRC had two study … <\/p>\n