Toruń

There has been much to absorb since we arrived in this beautifully-preserved medieval city.   It’s impossible to go wrong in a World Heritage Site that is famous for both gingerbread and Nicolaus Copernicus!  It has the charm and history of Gdansk, but on a much more relaxed scale, as it is not really a tourist attraction.  At the heart is an intact Gothic old town, with red brick churches with lavish gilt and gold interiors, crooked, cobblestone streets, the original city walls and towers that date back to the 1300s.  Thankfully, it escaped much of the destruction of WWII.  We arrived via a two hour train trip and decided, as we usually do, to simply walk to our lodging and that included trekking across one of the longest bridges I have ever dragged a suitcase behind. 898 meters becomes a marathon when you are also shouldering a backpack with wine, a large Polish sausage, Italian seasoning and a hunk of Parmigiana, because, that’s how it goes when you travel with a cook.  

First view of Toruń, taken from the middle of the bridge.

View from my bedroom window, up many flights of stairs (all different).

We logged a lot of steps today, and that was impressive given that there were a few cloudbursts that we had to duck around.  Fortunately (or not), we are on the top of our building and it is easy to see the boiling clouds headed our way.   The sound of the rain pounding through the night is paradoxically jarring and soothing.

It is impossible to do justice to this magical place with only photos.   It is so authentic and yet so inviting, with beautiful cafes and restaurants lining each square and cobblestoned corner.   The prices are enviable, especially when compared against the Norwegian kroner.

The only fly in the ointment is our lodging.   Fortunately, we have an extremely low bar to compare it to (Noni’s in Florence, Italy in 2021, where I refused to sleep in the bed until they supplied new linens, and Dave spent four hours fixing the WiFI).   This place is not friendly for kitchen crews, with a deplorable lack of utensils, including, most importantly, a corkscrew.   What kind of an Air BnB forgets that?  But, they did not reckon on solid Canadian tenacity and in the end, we triumphed.   

Another full day here tomorrow, and then Poznán welcomes us.   We’ve come a long way to witness a special clock where goats butt heads on the hour.  Can you blame us?

   We won.

The flowers here are still in full bloom!  

The fourth, and final staircase to our apartment, which is not half as elegant as it looks.  Trust me.