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The Last Neighbor

August 2022
I have already visited every country bordering Germany except one. It is about high time I went to Poland! Read more
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  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 1

    Träwelling wiz ze Deutsche Bahn

    August 1, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    As energy and fuel prices soared in 2022, the German government decided to introduce a public transportation pass valid across the entire country for only €9 per month during summer.

    The catch: You can only use it on local and regional trains. Also, it can get extremely crowded on weekends and public holidays and the increased demand has driven the railway infrastructure to its limits.

    It has been great to move around town and go to nearby cities such as Erlangen, Bamberg, and Würzburg. And since business tends to be slow in summer, meaning I usually have some time on my hands, I decided to put this pass to the test and use it for longer distance travel.

    The first leg of the trip is taking me to Berlin in seven hours on four trains - compared to the direct sprinter train that would have gotten me there in three hours. Wish me luck! 🤞🍀    Read more

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 1

    Stuck in Elsterwerda

    August 1, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    It was just too good to be true. The trains weren't chock-full of people. The air conditioning worked on all of them. In the first two I was able to observe a couple and their dog (who'd start barking anytime anyone passed by) discuss the bark-activeness of their pet. I even got bumped to first class in the third one.

    But then, the last change before reaching my destination for today: 10-minute delay, the connecting train gone. Stuck in Elsterwerda, 8400 souls. For two hours.

    About 20-25 people, all with the same 'kinda lost' look on their faces, forlorn on the plattform of a train station where freight trains were a more common sight that passenger trains.

    But the small train station in the middle of nowhere had a bar (and nothing else) and I soon found myself at a table with two retirees from Regensburg, drinking beer and listening to their stories from post-war Germany and life in the 70s and 80s. Later, an old sailor on his way to Stralsund joined our group and more and more people joined in on the conversation.

    By the time the next train to Berlin finally arrived, a handful of strangers that had bonded over the shared experience continued their journey with a light buzz.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 2

    Goodbye Berlin - Hello Poland!

    August 2, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Having arrived in Berlin much later than planned, I called it a night and went straight to bed.

    Early the next morning, it was time to head east and cross the border to Poland.

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 2

    Another day on the train

    August 2, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The train from Berlin arrived late in Poznan (obviously), so I was happy I had booked the next train an hour later than the schedule had proposed. That gave me enough time to successfully navigate getting lunch in Polish (one + "points at it" please and thanks) and find my way to the right platform. Only to find that the Polish train was 20 minutes late too.

    Since by this time none of the announcements were translated into English, it took my fullest attention and power of observation to keep track of what was going on by reading people's reactions and body language:

    General sighs of disappointment and groans, hectically checking their apps, sigh of relief (apparently still the same platform), nervously keep checking it and a collective sigh of relief as the train finally arrived.

    So while this aspect of the trip was business as usual, one big difference to Germany was that trains are much cheaper in Poland. So much so, that I could book first class without breaking the bank.

    Then again, first class in this train (or in Poland in general?) meant you got to sit in an air-conditioned compartment with five other people and had access to a power outlet vs. having to stand in the narrow hallway, where, if you were lucky, you could at least sit on a small fold-down seat.

    This meant that walking up and down the train every now and then to get some blood circulation in the bottom half of your body was a bit of a squeezy challenge. So I leaned back and finished reading my book over the course of the next couple of hours. Just as I started to get worried I might get butt sores, we finally arrived at Krakow.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 3

    Taking it reeeaaaal slow

    August 3, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    I spent most of the morning chit-chatting with the other guests of the small, quiet Evergreen Hostel, which basically is a large apartment with three dorm rooms and an ample kitchen with living room area. I had decided to take my time during this trip and not rush from one activity to the other.

    Following this motto, I headed out in the search for brunch and found Franja Café, which serves breakfast all day, has free WiFi and laundromats in the back room - something that would probably come in handy in a couple of days.

    For now, I enjoyed a sunny meal with poached egg, baguette with olive-tomato paste and cream and a Greek salad.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 3

    Wawel Hill

    August 3, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    The closest attraction (apart from the ARCADE GAME AND PINBALL MUSEUM - which I took a mental note of, but didn't feel like spending the day indoors) was Wawel Hill.

    Legend says that a huge dragon (Smok) used to live under this hill, which now carries Wawel Castle and Wawel Cathedral.

    The castle, at least from the outside, was rather underwhelming in my opinion. But the cathedral immediately caught my eye with it's varied architecture. So much so, that I decided to find a spot to sit (on the ground in the shadow of a small wall) and spent some time just people-watching and sketching.

    On the left of the cathedral's main entrance, keen observers might notice three gigantic bones hanging from chains. These were found in the Vistula river at the bottom of the hill and we're believed to be the bones of the dragon. In fact, as is known now, they were the fossilized remains of a whale, a whooly rhinoceros, and a mammoth.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 3

    The Dragon's Den

    August 3, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    After some geocaching on Wawel Hill, I took the exit through the Dragon's Den. For a fee of 9 zloty you can descend a spiral staircase in the outer fortification wall of the complex into the cave system that was said to be the dwelling of the mighty dragon.

    It was refreshing to feel the cool cave air, so I stayed a couple of minutes before stepping out to the summer heat. Right outside the exit, there was a dragon sculpture that actually breathes fire every now and then. I'm sure that an unsuspecting pigeon resting on the statue must have had it's tail feathers burnt to a crisp at some point or another.

    I found myself on the bank of the Vistula river, with strips of green grass, trees, benches, and even a walk of fame. A bit further down the river was a ferris wheel and a tethered hot air balloon, with which people could float up into the air to have a view of the city from above. Behind them, the massive, grey shape of an abandoned hotel, which now is the largest food court of the city. Not feeling hungry at the moment, I decided to make my way back to the hostel, passing by the supermarket to get some groceries for the next couple of days.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 4

    Local Cuisine Part I: Pierogi 🥟

    August 4, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    What to eat in Krakow? Well, I have a few things on my foodie bucket list for this trip and started with some traditional pierogi. Nick, the hostel owner, had e-mailed some recommendations and I picked a place called "Pierogi Mr. Vincent" in Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter.

    When I entered the small establishment, I gasped in delight: Mr. Vincent was actually van Gogh! The entire place, down to the smallest detail, rendered hommage to the artist.

    The menu offered a variety of savoury and sweet pierogi as well as a (very) small selection of other regional favorites. They might not look like much on the plate, but as a fan of tortellini, dim sum, and the like, pierogi are right down my alley. And I wasn't disappointed.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 4

    Jewish History Tour

    August 4, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    In the afternoon, I joined a Walkative free walking tour of Kazimierz and the former ghetto, which are, contrary to what I had thought, not one and the same.

    Over the course of three hours, our guide gave us a very comprehensive overview of Jewish history:

    From when they where pushed out of other European and found refuge first in Krakow, then in Kazimierz (they used to be two separate settlements) to the atrocities of WWII (which is when they were forced to move to the ghetto across the Vistula river), the 1960s and the present-day Jewish community.

    I've included some tidbits of information in the captions of the pictures.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Last Neighbor
    Day 4

    Local Cuisine Part II: Zapiekanka

    August 4, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    According to our tour guide, Kazimierz in the early 90s was very run down and one of the quarters to avoid unless you wanted to get mugged or were involved in some semi-illegal activity.
    After Schindler's List, tourists started to come to see the locations of the movie and the events that inspired it. Today, it is a popular place to get some street food, a drink or two, shop in quirky vintage stores, rummage through flea markets or meet friends at a café.

    It is here that I went (after recovering from the tour) to grab a snack. Word on the street is that zapiekanka was invented as an alternative to burgers behind the Iron Curtain and that the best place to try it is Plaza Nowy. Originally, this was a Jewish market, where they'd get their kosher meats from the round building in the middle.

    Every single window is an individual vendor and they all sell zapiekanka. There's no way of determining which one is best. The tried and proven tactic: Just choose any one at random. The menus, prices, and quality are mostly identical.

    What I didn't expect was that I'd literally get half a full-size baguette, not a small hand-sized one or only a part of it. The snack was instantly upgraded to dinner. I wasn't expecting much from it, as it's 'just' baguette with cheese, mushrooms and chives. But it was surprisingly good and I can definitely see how it can taste like a heavenly gourmet meal if you're heading home after a night out.    Read more

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