Living in Poland provided ample opportunity for day trips and long weekends. Perhaps it was more the fact that I was unemployable that provided the ample opportunity, but in any case there are plenty of interesting places within range of Warsaw.

One such destination was Torun: home of gingerbread and Nicholas Copernicus. Here I was able to procure many a Christmas present as well as a nifty shopping bag which has since accompanied me on more day trips.

Another such destination was Kazimierz Dolny: home of city-weary artists and bread shaped like a chicken. Here Radek did the shopping, as I was not in the market for any bread, chicken-shaped or otherwise.

Each city and town in Poland seems to be famed for something and each has a distinctive feel that separates it from the others. Maybe this is due to the fact that Poland’s borders have changed so many times that each region has a different ratio of overlapping cultures. Of course, in the end, they do all have that Polish pride to bring them together…that and the vodka.