There was a military tank monument in the park next to our hotel - not something you see every day.
Malbork Castle was huge and awesome. The first building was started in the 13th century by the Tuetonic Knights. The castle was badly damaged in WWII and they're still rebuilding some of it. You can see where new brick was used to repair it on the facade. The castle was very impressive and I'm glad we made the trek to see it. A whole lotta red brick.
After touring the castle, we grabbed some coffee and a snack.
Then, we headed east and stopped in Gnierzno for lunch, and got to say hi to a couple peacocks. The Gnierzno Cathedral is considered the birthplace of Catholicism in Poland and even though it's a small town it plays a big cultural role for the country. Poles are masters of red brick - a lot of beautiful brick buildings throughout the country.
Based on internet photos, I expected Poland to be pretty. It's surpassed my expectations. The drive today also took us through several small, gray, run-downish towns and we got to see some of the less-pretty Poland. Perhaps it was the gray sky that made them look more depressing, or maybe this was our first glimpse at Poland B. Apparently, people refer to Poland A as the thriving cities where people are doing better financially, and Poland B as the places that aren't doing as well and resemble more of the communist past. We've also passed several large plots of land / forest surrounded by barbed wire which feels much different than much of countryside that's really stunning.
After lunch we continued on to Poznan, the capitol of the Wielkopolsa region of Poland. Guess what, Poznan is pretty. We're staying at a funky, modern hotel. They gave us an iphone that we can use to unlock the door, call the concierge, and adjust lighting in the room. There's a square toilet which looks rather cool, but isn't the most comfortable. So for all of you who are contemplating installing a square toilet in your bathroom, I think there's a good reason most thrones are oval.
One awesome thing about the hotel is that they gave us complimentary welcome drinks. The bartender is noted as one of the best in Europe (or at least according to the concierge) and she made us yummy yummy cocktails.
I will say, the food in Poland is not the best I've ever had. It's not bad, just not amazing. There's a lot more variety than what I was expecting, which is great. When traveling, I enjoy checking out snack food options and flavors. Here are a few chip options in Poland - Roasty Ribs anyone?
Highlight of the day: Malbork Castle was breathtaking. The amount of work that went into building it, and the intricate details throughout were stunning. We considered skipping it, and I'm so glad we didn't.
