28. Toruń, Poland

Toruń was never on my journey plans until relatively late in the day. In fact I had booked other accommodation in a bigger city called Bydgoszcz about 90 mins away. 

Then I started seeing lots of posts on the Interrailing for Seniors Facebook Page about Toruń. They were full of praise for the charm and beauty of the city. So I did some research as I had never even heard of the city. The more I read, the more I was inclined to change my plans. 

 

The Journey

The trains in central Poland were not affected by the floods, so thankfully my booked train was running on time. The route was largely through flat, fertile agricultural land with wheat probably being the most common crop. 

I was very impressed with the train. It appeared brand new, this was confirmed in the toilets where I spotted some protective plastic film still on some sanitary ware. 

The 5.5 hour journey passed relatively quickly, as I compiled the blog post on Kraków on the train and read two daily newspapers on my iPad. 

Toruń is a small city by Polish standards of just under 200,000.  My first impressions, got from Toruń Glowny (the train station) set the scene for what was to follow. 

It was quaint yet with all the modern conveniences. The station was on one side of the wide Vistula river, with a tram connecting it with the city centre on the other side, not unlike Derry.  The city itself was picture postcard pretty. On my short walk to my accommodation I saw not one, but three guided tours of retirees, and my immediate reaction was  “Oh no, I am way too young for this town!”

The Accommodation 

There was a bit of confusion about check-in to Francesco's HomeExchange apartment. All communication was via Google Translate as he only speaks Italian.  I was slightly confused, as the address he sent me by WhatsApp was different from the address of the apartment that I had booked on the HomeExchange app, so after initially turning up where I had booked, I had to walk another 100m to the new destination. 

Once I was settled in, I checked the app again and it showed that Francesco had three different properties in Toruń on HomeExchange. The one I was given was actually much nicer, more central and worth more GuestPoints, than the one I had booked. His having the three rental properties was the first hint that this was in fact a very popular tourist destination. 

I was barely inside when a huge thunder and lightning storm started, followed by an hour of heavy rain. This was the first bad weather of my trip and it came as a bit of a shock to the system. It put any plans for exploring Toruń on the long finger. 

The evening continued with light rain, so I set about looking for somewhere close by for dinner. There was a Polish restaurant on the ground floor of my apartment building, but I could tell straight away from the high prices that it was focused on the tourist market. 

As I wandered around, the prices just seemed to be growing street by street. These were not the typical Polish prices I had seen in Kraków, but rather they were closer to Dublin prices. It was obvious now that Toruń is a city that relies heavily on the tourist market, and that attracts a well off clientele.

To stick to my daily budget, I had to find a cheaper option than traditional Polish food. I eventually came across a pizza restaurant and entered. The food was typically Italian - bruschetta, vegetarian pizza and a carafe of 50cl of wine. It was very filling and tasty but the bill was a whopping €31.86! It was nowhere near the quality of the food in Kazimierz which cost less. This was the most expensive meal of my trip so far. 

The acat-themed apartment had no blackout blinds or curtains in the bedroom, but I was prepared for this eventuality, and used a great blackout sleep mask that I had brought with me. I got a great night's sleep in the most comfortable bed of the trip so far. 

I set out mid-morning for a stroll around the city. Very quickly I could see that this must be one of the pearls of the Polish Tourist Board. 

I didn't think anything could top Kraków, but I  was wrong. This small city was magnificent. 

That said, it seemed like there wasn't a whole lot to do. I sought out the tourist office and got myself a map and a short guide.  

Soon it was time for breakfast, or brunch rather, as it was already 11.30. I headed away from the tourist centre where all the restaurants were showing off their overpriced breakfast and brunch menus on glossy posters. I headed down some back streets and before long came upon a tiny place with only four tables inside and two outside. 

It had a very appetising display of brunch items and I chose a heated waffle with cream cheese, sliced avacado and chai seeds. 

I read through the tourist guide and set out a plan for the day, listing off about ten things to see. 

Above is the city's town hall, a UNESCO World Heritage protected structure.

This is Copernicus University.

This magnificent church caught my eye. It is one of six churches that I spotted in the Old Town, all in a perfect state of preservation.  This one dates from the 13th century and is named after St. Catherine of Alexandria.  It has the highest tower of all the churches in the city rising to 86m.

The crowd was just leaving after mass and I counted over a hundred in the congregation.  When they had all left I went inside for a look. It was very colourful and ornate.

The building below is called The Rotunda and was formerly a men's prison. 

Here is a view of Rynek Market Square. The red brick building in the centre has a very expensive restaurant. 

After this walk, I headed back to the apartment. I was enjoying the day just strolling about, with no real purpose. 

I did think of visiting the Copernicus Museum (below) as it was on my street, however when I researched it I found out that there are very few original artefacts in the museum and most items are replicas. The building itself was very impressive however. 

My thoughts eventually turned towards dinner and an ad in the tourist guide for a pub/ restaurant caught my eye. It is reputedly the oldest tavern in Poland and was visited by Napoleon. 

I planned to make my way there on a circuitous route, taking in the sites i had not seen. I headed down towards the river Vistula  and saw the bridge I had crossed over the previous day. 

Toruń's most famous building then came into view, this is the Leaning Tower of Toruń or Poland’s Pisa as some people call it.  

Here are three more views of it. 

Over the years it served many purposes, one of which was a women's prison. 

Currently the top two floors are apartments.  

I then headed back up the hill towards the Old Town again. I passed through one of the old entrance gates to the city. 

I passed the Cathedral of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist.  

I came across this very pretty protestant church in a quiet leafy setting.

Finally I arrived at my destination, Krajina Piva. The bar was empty when I arrived except for the owner and two barmen. They all spoke passable English. 

All three were very welcoming. The owner told me about his recent trip to Dublin, Drogheda and Bray and he practised a few words of Irish on me. 

I accepted his recommendations on two local beers and then decided to order from the menu. I chose roast duck stuffed with mushrooms, served with mini pierogis, red cabbage, raisins and a plum sauce. 

The owner then offered me a complimentary glass of Piernik Ówka, a gingerbread liquor made by a sister company of the pub. Gingerbread is one of the things Toruń is famous for. As a liquor, it kicked quite a punch with its 35% alcohol content. 

Here's me with my new buddy, the pub owner who I will call Seamus (as that is what his name sounded like to me)!

Toruń may not have an Irish bar, so this will be the next best thing as I continue my attempt to get one such photo from every city on my travels.