Biking Poland

18-20 June 2023, Krakow, 86.12km
Room in White 95.7zł [R439]

We have tried our first pierogi (thank you, Rachel), and found them to be considerably more robust and pleasing than their anaemic appearance suggests. Pierogi are "pieces of thinly rolled pasta with salty or sweet stuffing, shaped in the shape of a triangle or a semicircle and cooked in water (boiled dumplings) or less often baked or fried." We selected two fillings: potatoes and cottage cheese, and pulled pork rib, with a garnish of caramelised onion.
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We could not have asked for an easier introduction to the city of Kraków, population 769,400.
Despite the easy terrain and safe cycling, it took us over nine hours to cycle the 86km from Kogutowo to our apartment on the fifth floor of a block at the northwest corner of Kraków's old city centre. We are delighted to announce the building has an elevator, making it easy for us to lug our tired selves, our bags and our bikes up to our floor! In addition, if you click "restaurants" on Google Maps, around 50 pop up near our location!
We spent approximately 90% of our day cycling the Wiślana Trasa Rowerowa (WTR), the Vistula river cycle path curling along the south bank. The bulk of the path is built on top of the levees constructed to protect people, their land and their homes from flooding, and to regulate the river's flow. Remember we cycled the same raised embankment along the Vistula when leaving Warsaw?
"Spring flooding of rivers is not an uncommon occurrence in Poland... Severe floods were recorded in 1570, 1584, 1719, 1891, and 1997, with the first records of local embankments for flood control dating from the thirteenth century. By 1985, 370 rivers in Poland (including the Vistula) had been completely or partly embanked along a total length of 9,028 kilometers for some degree of flood mitigation."
On rare occasions, the route drops off the levee and potters along a country lane; on the outskirts of the city, it crosses the river and takes to the north bank; within the city, it forms part of the park that stretches for several kms along the river. As we neared the city, the foot and cycle traffic along the route increased, with fitness fanatics, families and lovers enjoying their Sunday outing. We were astonished at the number of people who descended on the park to walk, cycle, rollerblade, lie on the grass and read or kiss, feed the ducks, enjoy a drink on one of the moored barges, kayak or take a river cruise.
We will spend a few days…
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For lunch, again in search of traditional Polish food, we ate potato pancake topped with goulash and sour cream. We did so at Restauracja Smakołyki, overlooking the park that circles the old city and the efficient trams that rumble down Dunajewskiego Street.
After lunch, we took a stroll through the old city ...
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Poland is a Roman Catholic country. Although atheism is apparently on the rise, most Poles seem to be strongly attached to their God. Churches tower over small villages and their architecture inspires. Outside every hamlet and town and at many intersections in the countryside, are shrines, large and small, elaborate and plain, depicting images of Jesus and Mary. Some are built by individuals giving thanks, some by communities asking for protection. We've enjoyed this interesting cultural phenomenon.