maurizio caduto P o l a n d

On the road.

You can certainly travel the country by train or bus but to me it is best done by car at one’s pace. There are so many unexpected discoveries waiting for you along the road and you would miss them if you didn't know exactly where to go. Some of the true gems of Poland are abbeys or centuries old monasteries and villages scattered around the countryside and not making it in the must-see official list.

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But I found most enjoyable the countryside itself, the road as it runs through forests and valleys. The colors of winter and the magic polish fall; the lost villages in the middle of nowhere and the chimneys and poles holding large nest of the storks that will come back the following spring. Sometimes just getting lost in the countryside at spring or early Fall is a true pleasure.

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Here and there you'll come across some very basic countryside service areas. Not much to eat and drink but kind of nice, from flat basic in the middle of a forest to funky stuff like the old plane turned into a rest area in the picture above.

A sad heritage of the Nazis oppression was the heavy industry they installed in the south of the country. The level of pollution rose to life threatening levels and the forests were seriously damaged by acid rains. Many years ago polish kids used to die just by exercising their right to breath. Those days are gone and the forest is back. The Polish countryside is green and vast and worth exploring.

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The two pictures above shows a detail of what is known as Skansen. Its an old village turned into a open air museum where you can see how would a family life be like centuries ago and how they would cope with simple things like keeping warm, storing food, getting together and insure privacy - very interesting. There are few in the country and you should ask where to find them. As usual knowing a bit of the language will help as virtually no one speaks English in those villages. But at least now you know that if you see a board on the road side that reads "Skansen" you'd better take a side trip.

One little advice if I can. In Poland the roads are neither great nor safe to drive as every Polish will tell you. Just one can be considered some sort of Expressway - the Warsaw-Krakow one. All the others are more like countryside roads with crossroads and traffic light every few kilometers. The speed limit is severely enforced and police hides behind trees and bushes. They are merciless and you'll have no choice but pay on the spot. But then again, why hurry, better take your time, drive defensively and enjoy the trip.