Dear Poland,

Here are some of my super insightful, never been said before, ground breaking, loves of your wonderful country. No mehs this time, I think your country has been through enough, dontcha, think?!

1. MTV still plays music videos here. So I love music videos. I mean I really, really love music videos. When I was in junior high I would wake up early to watch music videos, during the day I would record all the music videos and I would come home from school and watch the music videos I recorded. So you can imagine my excitment finding nonstop music videos playing in the hostel common room. 

2. The Polish Education System. I can’t say for sure that the students here love or enjoy their education system but I can tell you that the high school students I worked with schooled me (see what I did there) in American History, American politics, world history, who am I kidding they’re just plane smarter than me at everything. Did I mention they speak two or more languages. Whoops. I defiantly took my very expensive, compared to their free, education for granted. Sorry, mom and dad. 

    

3. Vodka. Who knew. I never really thought of myself as a vodka person. The vodka here goes down smooth and easy and soon you’re wondering … What time is it? How did I get home? Did I bribe a cop not to arrest me? Where is my shoe? Am I taking a shower right now? Sadly, these are not my stories but they are very true stories from some of the folks I met in the hostel. And for the record, I drank that vodka and just like T. Swift I knew it was trouble.  

 

4. Crazy cheap food and drinks. I still can’t get over food and drink prices. When you can go out for sushi and spend $4 or a gourmet burger, fries and a couple beers, oh and water (cause just like London, you still gotta pay for the damn water) and spend less then $10, you gotta wonder I am ripping them off or I am getting ripped off in the good ole US of A? Either way Poland’s doing something right in the food and beverage industry. 

 
  
5. Castles in woods. Castles everywhere. When you can be walking through the woods and just casually find a castle, yep, that’s for me. Any land that you can stumble on a castle is my kinda land. Sometimes I wonder if I was born in the wrong era but then I remember modern technology and pop culture and I think nah, this was right!  

6. Fairy Tales. Dragons, mermaids, dwarfs, oh my. I love that all the cities here have a history of folklore and fairy tales. 

Warsaw – Or as the Poles say Warszava. There was once a Sailor named Wa (pronounce Va) who met and fell in love with a mermaid named Szava (pronounce Shava). Believed to be the long lost cousins of Eric and Ariel. Speaking of cousins, my cousin, Malorie and I ruined several copies of A Little Mermaid on VHS from our obsession. Hence, why I love this story. 

Kraków – There was once a dragon who lived, under the Wawel Castle, in a cave. After years of terrorizing the city, two brothers set out to distory him. They filled a sheep skin with gunpowder and when the dragon went for a little midnight snack. BOOM, they blew the dragon to bits. But for one brother the victory was not enough, he killed his brother and blamed it on the dragon. But like most evil things he was found out and killed. To honor the innocent brother they named the town after him, Krakus. 

Wroclaw – So not quite a fairy tale but still a pretty fun little story. In 2001 the communist rebellion group, The Orange Alternative, placed a large dwarf (or gnome) statue – to commemorate the movement – in the city. People loved the idea so much they began to add small dwarfs (or gnomes) in front of their shops and homes. Today you can try to find over 300 of the little guys all over the city. 

             
7. Fairy Tales, Cont. The darker side of Poland. Vampires, serial killers, Addams family and ghosts, oh my. While in Kraków we got to go on a free Macabre tour. Basically, a look at the darker side. One story … Turns out 1000 years ago those who had hemophilia where prescribed blood cocktails and basement cellar apartments. When the sicklings died they would  have their arms and legs bound, something about drinking all that blood and maybe coming back to live … When the city decided to move the cemetery out of the Main Square they uncovered many of these so-called “vampire graves”. Hence the Vampires of Kraków. We heard this story along with many more creepy-eepy little tales.

8. Polish Hostels … Are the best. Comfy beds, free sheets and towels, old world feels, plants everywhere, welcome vodka shots, free family dinners, free or cheap breakfasts, free walking tours, snacks, free laundry services, coffee and tea bars, free, free, free and cheap, cheap, cheap!  My kinda accommodations.   

9. Resilient people. Remember that time Poland wasn’t on the map? Nope? Me neither, I think I missed that day in history class. Poland’s land has always been coveted but it was flat out gone and off the map from 1795 to 1918. Soon after getting it back WWII happened and that didn’t play out well for Poland either (i.e. Auschwitz – but more on that in another blog). Either way these are strong and wonderful people and I am in awe of all they’ve overcome and how smart, funny and beautiful they truly are. 

 

   
10. Polish meal times. Breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, dinner and second dinner.  Need I say more?!?

   
Bonus: Poles sure love their American Pop Music. Me too. Let’s be friends and listen to all the jams. 

Poland, it was fun, you are beautiful and your people are the BEST. 

Until we meet again…

All my love! ❌⭕️❌⭕️

Em