Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Poland

Flixbus – Wrocław to Munich

As I’m meeting up with Richard in Munich later today, I needed to get from Wrocław last night and the most efficient way of doing that was the direct Flixbus between the two cities. I’ve had mixed experiences with Flixbus, but I thought that it would be worth the risk as the timings worked out well to save me getting a hotel for the evening. Here’s the rather glamorous bus station in Wrocław, although it’s more a shopping centre than a bus station. It’s relatively new and it apparently replaced a ramshackle and disorganised bus station that was previously on the site.

And here’s the grand central area of the shopping centre element, which was rather nicer than the bus station. Ridiculously, the bus station toilets are chargeable and the shopping malls ones are free, so I walked the extra 50 metres to go to the latter.

The coach stops are in the downstairs of the building, but everything was clearly signed. I was pleased that it seemed logical, it’s not always the case.

There we go, stand 7 and I discovered something that I didn’t know, which is that Monachium is the Polish name for Munich.

The coach comes sweeping into stand 6, but that’s near enough. There were two drivers (well, one driver and one helping) and they were friendly and personable.

On board and I had a compulsory free seat reservation which I sometimes think are more hassle than they’re worth. Some people were put next to others despite the coach being nearly empty, but I was fortunate to have no-one next to me for the entire journey so there was plenty of space. There were only two stops which were Dresden and Nuremberg (well, and to fill the thing up with diesel and for the police check).

It was clean on board, but the tray was sticky.

The charging point being down there was a bit of a hassle as neither of my cables were long enough to even tuck my phone into the seat pocket. Instead, I charged my power bank and then charged my phone from the power bank.

Leaving Wrocław I tried to take a photo of the sunset, but, having thought about it, the foreground doesn’t look very decadent.

The police board at the German border, which I’m not sure is entirely commonplace, but it’s why Flixbus has to check passports and ID documents before anyone boards a cross-border route. The policeman was particularly interested in my passport with all its stamps, but not concerned enough to hold the coach up. There was a stop for diesel just before we crossed the Polish/German border and there must have been some sort of issue as there was lots of shouting about and moving the coach about the place. Someone wanted to get off for a cigarette, but this was refused in the middle of a petrol station.

And safely in Munich after the stops at Dresden and Nuremberg. The coach was always on time, or within a couple of minutes, and it was clean and comfortable. The free wi-fi was a bit limited in terms of the amount of data, but I had free roaming so it didn’t matter. The drivers were friendly, there was plenty of space and it was a reasonable experience for the £45 I paid. This was I accept a little bit expensive for a coach trip, but it saved a hotel and didn’t seem unreasonable. I got a sufficient amount of sleep on board and it was a generally very quiet coach which made that easier. Based on this experience, I’m becoming a little more confident to use Flixbus a little more often rather than just as an operator of last resort. Oh, and the coach station at Munich wasn’t as new and shiny as the one in Wrocław and it did look a bit like it might fall down soon.

August 20, 2025
Wrocław – Whiskey in the Jar

Whiskey in the Jar is a small national Polish chain of bars focusing on steaks and burgers. I decided to pop here as I’ve been to, I think, every other Whiskey in the Jar outlet in Poland so thought that I would complete the set. It’s relatively well reviewed online and they operate on a system of QR codes that customers scan rather than use printed menus.

I sat outside as that’s the only option they offered and there was no-one else inside. The service was polite and efficient, with everything feeling organised and well managed. There were no seagulls, pigeons or smokers in sight, so all was well with my outdoors bravery.

Here’s inside when I popped in for a look. I visited on a Tuesday afternoon and, unsurprisingly, it wasn’t busy, although it seems that it can get packed during the evenings.

Decorative….. The venue had a decent mix of different customers, including younger and older, families and tourists. There’s something of a rock theme going on, but I was pleased to note that there wasn’t any loud and intrusive music to annoy me.

Free popcorn, which I ensured that I completed.

They only had the standard Żywiec beer which was a little sub-optimal but it was cold, refreshing and generic. The burger was OK, served medium which is fine by me, although it didn’t really have a huge depth of flavour. The rest of the ingredients in the burger were OK, but it all combined to be an entirely satisfactory arrangement rather than one that surprised and delighted.

All told, this was a rather pleasant visit, although I’m not sure that the chain is quite as exciting as it once was. Not that it made any difference to me, but it has to groups that I’ve been with in the past, is their refusal to split bills at a table. There’s not really any reason that they can’t do this and it’s not ideal. But, I digress, and returning to the most exciting theme, they have free popcorn….

August 20, 2025
Lodz – Three Creators Statue

[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image link]

Known in Polish as Twórcy Łodzi Przemysłowej, this is the statue of the three creators of industrial Lodz. The men represented are Izrael Poznański, Karol Scheibler and Henryk Grohman, who were all involved with the cotton industry and who collectively brought great wealth to Lodz.

As an artwork, I think it’s brave to have created such a large sculpture, and the intention was that the public can be seated at the table with this manufacturing titans.

August 19, 2025
Lodz – Szpulka

[I originally posted this in August 2018 about a visit in February 2018, but I’ve reposted it to fix some broken image links and I’m pleased that the restaurant is still trading]

I visited this restaurant in Lodz’s Manufaktura retail park in February 2018 as it was well reviewed for its traditional Polish food. Many of the food options at Maufaktura serve international cuisine, and I had worked my way around most of them during the time I was in the city.

Although I hadn’t realised before I got to the restaurant, there was a fixed price lunch menu available, which was an interesting option. I arrived at 11:50, and the staff member said that I could either order breakfast or wait ten minutes for the lunch menu to start, so I went with the latter. It all felt rather friendly, although the downstairs area is relatively small, so it was fortunate to get a seat in a convenient place.

The fixed lunch menu cost 25zl (about £5) and included a drink, a starter and a main course. There wasn’t a choice of dishes, as they were specially made, but the staff member was keen to explain what the dishes were and the ingredients which were being used.

The starter was a soup, which had a pleasant flavour and the croutons added some texture to the dish.

The main course was similar to wiener schnitzel, which I think in Poland is known as Kotlet schabowy. It’s battered pork in breadcrumbs and in this case it was served with vegetables and on a bed of mash potatoes. It’s not something I’d normally order, but the meat was tender and the vegetables had a depth of flavour to them.

I decided against having a dessert, although a drink seemed a very good idea.

Overall, I felt that this was a friendly and welcoming restaurant. I liked how they had a set lunch menu where there weren’t any options, as that meant I didn’t really have to think about anything. The entire meal, including food and drink, came to under £7, which I thought was perfectly good value.

August 19, 2025
Wizz Air (Luton Airport to Wrocław)

Another day, another train from Norwich to Luton Airport. I went via Cambridge and St. Pancras, but everything ran like clockwork so no delay repay today….

Lunch at Big Smoke.

A snack at Nolito.

And the evening meal at My Lounge.

At the boarding gate.

The boarding process was efficient and well managed. The aircraft hadn’t even arrived when they started checking boarding passes, but the aircraft seemed to be turned around quickly. The aircraft is HA-LGW and I haven’t been on this one before, although that’s not entirely surprising as it’s only been in service for just under eight weeks.

Happy passengers during the flight. The announcements during the flight were helpful and informative, the crew were friendly and everything was beautifully uneventful. The seating Gods had given me an aisle seat near to the front, which was handy for border control as well as being decadent as it wasn’t a middle seat.

And safely in Wrocław on time. There wasn’t much of a wait at border control as most of the passengers had EU passports, although there was quite a lot of checking and counting my passport stamps. As I used Multipass, the flight was just £8.99, a whole arrangement that I thought was marvellous value for money. As we arrived on time and the border control checks were efficient, it meant that I was able to catch the 00:06 bus and had a 40 minute journey to the city centre, a trip which costs under £1.

August 19, 2025
Lodz – Szmigiel

[I originally posted this piffle in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image link]

Just as an aside, this is a Polish company that deals with road works and road safety. But I couldn’t help thinking of an episode of Friday Night Dinner and the gift of the schmoigle…..

August 19, 2025
Gdansk – Labeerynt

[This was a post from June 2018 early in my craft beer adventures, so excuse the lack of details. I’ve reposted it to fix some broken image links]

This craft beer bar came well recommended, and although it was nearly empty on my arrival, it soon got busier.

I asked if they had any dark beers, and they located two different bottles in the fridges. One of the beers they found was milk stout, which perfectly matched my requirements.

The drinks selection on a large chalkboard.

The bar got busy when the World Cup match started. It’s Mexico against South Korea and I hope it finishes soon….

August 11, 2025
Gdansk – Browar PG4

[I originally posted this in June 2018 but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

I’m always pleased to see new brewery restaurants opening up, and this is located at Podwale Grodzkie 4 in the basement of a city hotel. It’s quite easy to miss the restaurant as it’s to the rear of the building, rather than accessed through the main frontage of the hotel.

The brewery equipment gives a positive first impression, with everything looking modern and clean.

The beer selection, at first sight, looked interesting, but unfortunately the majority of it wasn’t available. The staff member made an appropriate alternative recommendation, but I was a little disappointed at the lack of dark beer.

Unsurprisingly, the restaurant wasn’t packed at 14:00 on a Monday afternoon in rainy Gdansk.

The restaurant interior, like the whole theme, is modern and on-trend, so there’s a contemporary feel. The menus at the table are in Polish on one side and in English on the other, with the prices being surprisingly reasonable given the location.

The service was efficient, attentive and very polite throughout, so it did feel like a welcoming restaurant. The beer tasted of a high quality and seemed fresh, with the temperature also being appropriate.

I ordered the fish and chips, because I do that a lot. The meal was beautifully presented, but I don’t know what the red dollops of sauce were, so there was a slight element of style over substance.

The fish was battered in a panko type breadcrumb, which made it crispy and added texture. Unfortunately, the whole fish was over-cooked slightly, so although perfectly edible, there was a bit too much texture for my liking. The cod itself flaked away and seemed of a good quality, and it had a pleasant taste. The tartare sauce seemed home-made and the chips tasted excellent, firm on the exterior and fluffy on the interior.

Overall, I thought that this was a rather pleasant location and it had a calm and welcoming atmosphere. The staff members were pleasant and the food wasn’t unreasonably priced, with the 0.5 litre of beer and food coming in around £10, although that’s towards the higher end for Poland. Ideally, there would have been a wider beer selection though, especially when they’ve got so many of the beer menus around the restaurant area.

August 4, 2025
Gdansk – Kotka Cafe

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

The cat cafe rules, sanitise your hands and then go and eat food and drink. And amuse yourself with cats if you so desire.

The food and drink, which is prepared in a separate room, was nicely presented and the prices are relatively low. There’s no charge to enter the cat cafe, and no timed entry system, with customers just expected to purchase food and drink during their visit. I felt that a latte and apple pie was a suitable morning dining experience, and it cost the equivalent of around £4. A decent depth of taste, everything at the appropriate temperature and tasting of a good quality, so all is well.

Some cats were sitting in baskets on the floor.

Some cats were sitting in baskets on the window sill.

Some cats, or kitten in this case, were lying down making a deliberate effort to look cute.

Some cats wanted to survey the action that was going on from their vantage point up high.

My favourite cat, a black and white one.

Resting cat.

The other heart-warming element of this cafe is that some of the cats are up for adoption, so you can take away an apple pie and a cat. Actually, the adoption process is slightly more complex than that, but it’s a nice idea that you can see the cat you like and interact with it. Some of the cats here are owned by the cafe and aren’t up for adoption, they’re here permanently.

The cats were also well trained, or as much as you can train a cat, not to eat food from the tables. Customers were also trained not to feed the cats, who were given cat food by the owners so didn’t need any more, which seemed much more sensible. During my time at the cafe, it all seemed to be very professional and both the cats and customers were suitably well behaved.

August 4, 2025
Gdansk – Salad Story

[I originally posted this in 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

I’ve seen a lot of Salad Story outlets around Poland, and as the saying goes, no good story starts with a salad. However, sometimes a new experience has to be tried, even a salad experience.

The menu boards, with salads, wraps and juices being advertised. They didn’t exactly whet my appetite, but at least the signage was clear. They could perhaps do with a little chicken strips section, but perhaps that takes away from the vibe they’re trying to create. And, they are literally next door in the food court to McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC.

Actually, the main reason I’m not dining at the holy trinity of McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC is that they have large queues. Salad Story doesn’t. I can’t begin to imagine why…..

Salad stuff.

I went for a healthy Fanta, with lots of sugar, and a hot avocado wrap. It transpired fortunately the wrap had chicken in it, as otherwise it would have tasted rather dull. I must admit, their tomatoes were excellent, I do dislike those mushy things that are sometimes served in, usually, British restaurants.

The wrap was grilled and I do like avocado and its smeary texture, and it was much more substantial than I had anticipated when I ordered it. The prices here are towards the higher end of the scale, primarily because I’m in the food court of the Gdansk Forum Mall. The UK equivalent for the Fanta and avocado wrap was £5, which is the same as a large McDonald’s extra value meal.

Overall, it was much better than I anticipated. Would I go again? That’s a much more challenging issue for me to deal with given that they normally locate these outlets next door to McDonald’s et al. However, I wouldn’t refuse to eat here again.

So, although not yet converted, not disappointed….

August 4, 2025