My friend Bianka spent her birthday in Poland with her boyfriend Nick and her family. We took the chance to take the bus and drove over there for 2-3 days, it was only a four hour drive from Berlin and we had never been to Poland before. It was so nice to meet my friend's parents, to see where she grew up and to have another get together to play Cards Against Humanity and to drink some foreign beer :)
Wroclaw (also called Breslau in Germany) is the largest city in western Poland. An interesting fact about it, during World War II, half the city was destroyed during the "Battle of Breslau". During this time the city became a fortress, to be hold at all cost. They surrendered two days before the end of the war. Today, a lot has been rebuilt. It is a beautiful town with lots of history.
What we ate - Real Polnish highlights and all from scratch:
As it turned out, this was not just a visit to see my friends and do some sightseeing. We had the privilege that Bianka's Mom cooked all the traditional Polnish food for us to try.
- Borscht - I am a big fan of soups, and this one was special. It is a beetroot soup, pretty clear, you can add some big beans as toppings. It had an unusual flavor for a soup, but very tasty. On the second day, the flavors are even stronger and you actually get it served in a little cup to drink up. Very interesting.
- Pierogies - Bianka's Mom made dozens of these little dumplings from scratch, I think they were stuffed with cheese or potatoes and served with traditional sour cream and parsley.
- Bigos - Also called a "Hutner's Stew", this is a mix of sauerkraut, cabbage and sausages, served with some potatoes on the side. Bianka's Mom made it the day before, so that the flavors can develop over night. It tasted delicious.
- Polnish cured meat, cheese and quail eggs - This was the standard breakfast that we got. And you all know what a big fan of breakfasts I am. This was like a dream buffet, especially because I do like any kind of salami. And Bianka's Mom was so nice to serve us some fresh quail eggs, first day sunny side up and the second day hard boiled. This was a first for me to cook (or assist cooking) and eat quail eggs :)
- Bismarck Herring - As Nick told me we have to try herring, I thought this will be one thing I will definitely not try. Well, I was wrong. I imagined finding these little ugly canned herring, but Nick and Bianka bought a selection of three different big curred and pickled bismarck herring that had no similarity to the canned ones. This was another little hightlight as I found out that I do like herring, especially the one with tomatoes and onions (middle one in the picture).
And of course, we did drink some Polnish beer. I cannot really say that I know what I tried (as I couldn't read the language) but I trusted Nick and Bianka and tried quite a few :)
At the oldest restaurant in the world:
"Piwnica Świdnickathe" - basement restaurant of the Old Town Hall
You could say that for 2-3 days, we had all the food we needed, but we were
able to even squeeze in some restaurants. They told us we just have to
try the Old Town Hall restaurant as it is supposed to be the oldest in the
world. Such a cute place, it has several different rooms and each has a different atmosphere. The food was delicious and very nicely arranged and served.
- Zurek (left in picture) - Soup in a bread bowl made of soured rye flour, meat and egg (Sauermehlsuppe im Brot mit Ei und Weiswurst)
- Herring (middle in picture) with onions and apple in cream sauce
- Oscypek (right in picture) - Smoked cheese (Bergkäse) made of sheep milk exclusively from the Tatra Mountain Region in Poland, served with cranberry sauce
What we saw
Next to the delicious food, we actually also saw quite a bit of Breslau
in those days and we had beautiful weather. Here is a quick ovreview of
the hightlights:
- Market Square (Großer Ring zu Breslau)
- Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) with its delicious basement restaurant
- Flower Market (former Salt Square)
- Butchers Lane
- Dozens of Dwarfs (as part of an "Fighting Solidarity - Anti-Communist underground organization of 1982, the Orange Alternative)
- Wroclaw's Cathedral (Breslauer Dom) at the Cathedral's Island
- University of Wroclaw: Aula Leopoldina and panoramic view from the "Mathematik Turm"
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Top: University of Wroclaw (at the top of the mathematic tower and Leopoldina Aula), Bottom: Market Square and Dwarfs |