Relaxing in a new old town
Trip Start
Sep 12, 2006
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41
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Trip End
Sep 08, 2008
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Poznan,
Poland
Saturday, June 16, 2007
With everyone determined to get out of Opole as fast as possible, I used the opportunity to wind down for a few weeks before heading over to Scotland. Ania had some work to do in Poznan, a large city about three and a half hours train journey to the north-west of Opole, and given that I'd only ever seen the train station I thought it would be a good opportunity to visit.
I had a little company on the journey there, with Jess, Nick and John joining me. They were headed for Berlin, but had to change in Poznan, so it was great to spend a few final hours with them before saying farewell at the train station. Given the small team of eight native english speakers at my school, I was lucky that I got along so well with some of my colleagues. Jess, Nick, John, my flatmate Chris and I had done plenty of travelling together during our time in Opole, so it was quite fitting that I should see them for the last time in a while on a train!
I met Ania at the station and we spent the weekend taking it pretty easy, spending most of our time in the old town square. Poznan was an interesting city; it felt larger than Wroclaw and more like a smaller version of Warsaw. The market square was quite attractive, with old merchants' houses and a large renaissance town hall, however the communist style buildings in the centre looked like they belonged in the outskirts of the city. The place was certainly alive though, with a concert, market and outdoor bars and cafes all full of people. Poznan had one of the largest market squares in Poland, and we found it a little difficult to walk around which said something about just how many people were there.
Late on the Saturday evening we went for a walk to Ostrow Tumski, the island where Poznan was first settled. Like Wroclaw, which also has an Ostrow Tumski, Poznan's was quiet and peaceful with a large cathedral, and it was a good place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the town square for a while.
I made my way back to Opole on the Monday morning, feeling that I'd explored yet another part of Poland that had to be seen. However, when I thought about it there was still so much more for me to see. Nine months certainly wasn't enough time to see everything I wanted to see in Poland, let alone all of Europe, and my mind was made up - I'd be spending another year in Poland. The only question was where, given Ania's work and study situation.
