Pomeranians

I had two nights in Swinoujscie, but not the same pressure for time I'd had in other parts of the trip.

First up; no matter how you think Swinoujscie is pronounced by reading it, it isn't. You're wrong.

WRONG

I didn't spend much of my first day in Swinoujscie in Swinoujscie, I took my time with the train across Wolin, getting a feel for the island (sand, farms, reeds). I asked the hotel staff the enst morning if there was a recommended way to see the town and they produced another handy map and I was on my way.

It took me right past the Monument With An Anchor

They were especially keen that I stop off and see the forts. There are three nearby (one just a short ferry ride away) and I was a bit underwhelmed. They were built in the 19th century by the Austro-Hungarian Empire a long way from the coast. There was no information on them inside or nearby, so I've no idea what they were supposed to defend.

Good view of the gate in the Angel Fort

I figured that by climbing to the top I could at least get a good view over Swinoujscie's many forests, but the forts were not even as tall as the nearby trees. They weren't built on high ground, they didn't look built to last... very odd forts.

Otherwise, Swinoujscie was a nice coastal town to visit. The esplanade was filled to bursting with German tourists and locals out walking their dogs (all one breed).  I got some lunch and spent the afternoon exploring the parks, forests and coast.

Sand. Pines. I've got this.

I had dinner in an Italian restaurant barely large enough for ten guests, the Italian cook and her Polish husband, the most irritable waiter this trip. But you can afford to be irritable when your food is this good. The pasta they made was outstanding, and they had the best Tiramisu I've had in my life.

Just great.

I had an early night, knowing that my next two days would be busy with travel.

Szczecin in

The first stop in Poland was Szczecin, a town in the north west.

My first view of scenic Szczecin

This was my first trip to Poland and while I had been told what I could expect I was still taken a little by surprise.

There's a lot of strange juxtaposition; historical sites next to industrial buildings, a group of restaurants surrounded by abandoned buildings falling in on themselves. In Copenhagen I had experienced what I called 'European City Fatigue,' checking the boxes of what to see; the palace, the cathedral, the old town, etc.

Outside the old barracks

Szczecin had all that... kind of. It was fun to walk around and have a look. Oh, and I forgot my camera, so all my photos were taken with my phone. At the hotel they gave me a tourist map which had all sorts of helpful descriptions of things I could see around town. I could just google the items and look them up, but I think it's more fun to use the Polish version.

The monument of Duke Boguslaw and Anna Jagiellonka

The map also provided me with two recommended paths; the City Tourist Trail and the 'Zloty Szlak' or Golden Route. I took the tourist trail because, really, the golden route was just straight up the main street.

The mast from the steamer s/s Kapitan Maciejewicz from 1929

The weather was fantastic, bright skies and warm without being hot. I had heard so much about the terrible Polish weather I was a little surprised. Though the people at the hotel told me it is usually much hotter, 30 degrees or more. I'm going to miss that.

The Royal Gate

It was also not as flat as I was expecting. Obviously it's no Norway, there are no towering mountains. The highest points are all man made. But it wasn't as flat as Sweden, either.

The Fountain with the Eagle Sculpture with the Architectural Basilica under Invocation of St. James

I wandered the old town in the evening, looking for dinner. The place I chose was based on the smell of the meals being eaten out on the front porch.  I got a goulash and a beer. The goulash was incredible, a huge serving of stew on an enormous potato cake.

$12

Way to go, Poland.