Wroclaw: August 28-30
I'm going to start with the Lesson in Kindness. We like to think we're generally considerate people and that we'd help out those in need, but we met a few people in the last couple of days that have been true models of kindness. When we got to Prague, we couldn't get into our hostel for nearly two hours. A bunch of Polish students staying nearby let us into their apartment to eat, drink, use the internet, and pass the time. It was great!
But the really awesome person we met was Sergei from Latvia. He spoke fluent Czech and Russian, but little English. He saw us looking for food at a train station, but we had no cash and little time. He gave us his grapes and a candy bar and walked us to the train station. Then, about half an hour later, we saw him walking up to the platform again...turns out he had bought two chicken dinners somewhere and brought them to us! All we have is a picture and a phone number, but here's to you, Sergei from Latvia. We will try to be as kind to some poor soul as you were to us!
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| Sergei with us at the train station! |
Wroclaw (pronounced vrots-wahf, because Polish) was the next stop on our list! Like Krakow, it's been around for quite a while. However, tourism hasn't really reached it yet, so the city isn't as polished and fewer residents speak English. We spent most of our time wandering about. Wroclaw has a nice central square, as well as lots of churches and ruins scattered throughout the city and the islands nearby.
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| Remains of the Bastion Ceglarski, built in the 1500s as part of the city's defenses. |
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| A view along one bank of the river. |
Near the Old Town Square stands St Elizabeth Church, one of Wroclaw's oldest churches (built in the 1200s, repaired/rebuilt since then due to various damages). We climbed all 294 steps to the top for a magnificent view!
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| We could see for miles on this beautiful day! |
Of course, since we're still in Poland, effects of WWII are clear. Some of the churches in Wroclaw have their original structure remaining, but many were damaged almost beyond repair during the bombing. War memorials dot the landscape as well.
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| This memorial commemorates the 22,000 Polish prisoners in 3 POW camps, executed in 1940 on Stalin's orders. |
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| St John the Baptist Cathedral. A church was first built here in the 11th century; Gothic updates were made in later years. WWII bombing destroyed 70% of the cathedral. |
On a more lighthearted note, there are plenty of historical artifacts still intact around Wroclaw, and other wonderful places to visit! Here are a few more pictures of those places.
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| Inside the Jesuit Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus...absolutely stunning. |
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| Edifice of Wroclaw University and site of the former Imperial Castle, built in the 13th century up against the walls that once surrounded the city. In the 1600s it was handed over to the Jesuits, who turned it into a church (Jesuit Church, picture above) and a university. |
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| University of Wroclaw Botanical Gardens. They're fairly large, and located north of the Old City. You can find some of Wroclaw's many gnomes here! |
And of course, where would we be without Dexter...
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| Dexter channels King Kong at St John the Baptist Cathedral. |
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| Dexter has been known to consume prey much larger than himself. It looks like this particular Wroclaw gnome is out of luck... |
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