A Day in Wroclaw

We spent New Year’s Day exploring the 600,000-person city of Wroclaw, Poland, starting with lunch at a hotel right on the river. The waitress was so friendly, and patient as I said very slowly, “Przepraszam, nie mówię po polsku, czy po angielsku?” (I'm sorry, I do not speak Polish, do you speak English?) which, to give myself a little credit, can in no way be pronounced intuitively. 

 

We ordered grilled vegetables with fresh cheese with herbs, soup, and roasted potatoes with cheese. Everything I’d heard about Poland suggested that it would be extremely meat heavy, leading me to assume that vegetables would be severely neglected. This, however, was one of the most delicious vegetable dishes I’ve had in a while.

It was a mixture of carrots, broccoli, peppers, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms, roasted with savory herbs and served with three little dollops of a light, creamy, tangy soft cheese flavored with dill and thyme. It was warm and hearty enough to be satisfying, but not too heavy, and the contrast between the warm, still slightly crunchy vegetables and the delicate flavors of the cheese was wonderful. The potatoes were delicious too, roasted until just crispy and served with the same type of dip. 

 

 

(They all disappeared.)

 

They still had Christmas decorations up too! I liked their tree decorated with glass bulbs, lace angels, and stained glass-like dried orange slices. Our hosts also had a tree, and told us about how the tradition came from Germany and was very popular here.

   

I saw these decorations in another shop.

 

The old town square area was lovely – it reminded us of the tall, narrow buildings in Leuven and Brussels.

The Old Town Hall is one of the most famous buildings, with an intricate façade and clock face.

 

There were many old churches; this one by our apartment was especially beautiful.

The city was gorgeous at night, with bridges and church steeples lit up.  

Our hosts were absolutely wonderful – welcoming, friendly, and warm. They wanted to take a picture with us before we left, and hoped we would come back to Poland. I certainly hope to, and I would definitely recommend it. People are friendly, there are beautiful old buildings, and the food was, contrary to my uninformed prior belief, quite tasty.