Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Torun

  • Torun – Torun Cathedral

    Unfortunately, there’s not much that I can post about this, as I couldn’t get into Torun Cathedral as they didn’t seem to ever bother opening it. I’m not sure why these buildings have to be closed, it was the only church in the city centre that remained firmly locked up when I was there. To be fair, it was open for a service on the Sunday, but that wouldn’t have been an appropriate time to visit as a tourist. Anyway, I’m sure that I’ll visit Torun again at some stage and during the summer months the tower is also open to tourists.

    Work started on the church in the late thirteenth century and it holds the nationally important Tuba Dei bell.

    This is the original fifteenth century clock face, with a hole visible just by the number 8. This is from when a cannon ball hit the clock when the Swedish attack the city in 1703.

    And a statue of Pope John Paul II. The church was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1935 and it became a cathedral in 1992. For those interested in churches, it’s hard to beat the city’s Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary though for architectural beauty.

  • Torun – Birds

    Torun – Birds

    It’s not exactly going to win a wildlife photography award, but I liked how the birds were neatly arranged on this streetlight.

  • Torun – Old Bridge (South Side)

    Torun – Old Bridge (South Side)

    I did post that I’d visit the south side of where the first bridge in Torun used to go from, so I did…..

    The approach to the old bridge. It doesn’t receive much traffic now, but I like the idea that thousands of people every year would have come down here to go over the bridge into the city of Torun.

    And here’s a little landing stage they’ve created, with a graphic which explains what some of the buildings in Torun are.

    It’s a pleasant view of Torun’s vista from the other side of the Vistula River.

    That’s where the old bridge would have connected to the other side, by the sensibly named Bridge Gate. Well, it’s not sensible now as there’s no bridge, but it was once sensible.

    The new road and pedestrian bridge (well, relatively new) that I used to cross over.

    An old photo which is displayed at the site, which I assume is when the road and pedestrian bridge above was destroyed during the Second World War.

  • Torun – Grande Pizza and Pasta

    Torun – Grande Pizza and Pasta

    As I’ve posted before, pizza seems to have become almost the national dish of Poland, the number of Italian restaurants is higher than perhaps any other type of international cuisine.

    I was a little unsure of the ordering process, but as this was quite restauranty, I guessed that it would be table service. On the grounds that a friendly staff member came over after a few minutes, hopefully that was correct. I had already decided what I wanted from the Polish menu, although the staff member did mention that there were English versions available. The design of the restaurant is quite modern and contemporary, although it remained quiet during my visit and there were never more than a handful of customers.

    There were a few beers, but nothing sufficiently dark and crafty, so I went for the reliable favourite of Pepsi….

    The pizza, which was perhaps a little too doughy, but otherwise fine, although I’d preferred it just a little thinner. The topping of chorizo was excellent, with a real depth of taste and flavour. I hadn’t realised what lamb’s lettuce was, other than some type of greenery, and they didn’t skimp on serving that. It tasted of green, although it added some texture to the pizza.

    The cheesecake, the exact variety of which I never knew as the staff member read the dessert options out to me. Well presented and it tasted fine, although unexceptional. The prices were relatively inexpensive and the environment was clean, comfortable and organised. There was nothing really notable about this restaurant, but the food and drink were perfectly acceptable and the staff members were helpful.

  • Torun – Dovecote Tower

    Torun – Dovecote Tower

    I liked the back story to this tower (Baszta Gołębnik w Toruniu in Polish), which was built as part of the city’s defensive fortifications during the early part of the fourteenth century. In the nineteenth century it was converted into use as a Prussian base for carrier pigeons, who transported messages across the region, as well as for residential use by humans. It was formerly called the Citizens’ Tower, only taking its current name after the pigeon arrangement was set up.

    Anyway, carrier pigeons were used long ago to transport messages, but it was the Pigeon Post established in France in 1870 which brought the idea back into use. The Prussians started to use them extensively and they also started to train hawks to kill their rival’s pigeons. The French and Germans used their pigeons in the First World War, although the British had mostly abandoned their use by then. However, during the Second World War, the British used over 250,000 pigeons in the war effort….

  • Torun – Torun Miasto Railway Station

    Torun – Torun Miasto Railway Station

    This isn’t the city’s main railway station as that’s the other side of the Vistula River, but it’s the most central to the Old Town. The railway station was first constructed in 1873, with the current building dating to 1889.

    The clock at the front of the building.

    It feels dated and unloved, with everything inside being closed up. There was though a vending machine and a coffee machine, the only hints towards modernity. Well, other than the trains.

    A slightly lazy pigeon who didn’t move from that spot for some time.

    There is a modernisation programme which is shortly about to start on this railway station. It’s a shame that it’s in this slightly dilapidated state, but some modernisation will soon improve that. It’s used by over 1,000 passengers per day as it is, so a nicer station might get used by even more given its central location.

  • Flixbus – Torun to Warsaw

    Flixbus – Torun to Warsaw

    After a week in Torun, it was time today to return back to Warsaw West coach station. I’ve been pleased with how easy Flixbus have been making my coach trips recently, after years of being more than a little inadequate in that regard. So, I wasn’t surprised today to see the coach turn up on time in Torun, at the location that I expected it. I’d even go as far as to say that I’m starting to trust Flixbus.

    The Flixbus tracking was working well, so I could see where the coach was.

    I can guess how busy a coach will be by trying to buy tickets for the service that I’m about to get on. If there are no tickets left, then the journey will be packed. If, as with the above example, there are 34 tickets left to buy, then it’s likely to be nice and quiet.

    One of the oldest buses I’ve seen Flixbus use, but it was clean and comfortable. I couldn’t use the power supply as the design doesn’t fit the size of my adapter, but I won’t hold that against them. The wi-fi was working, but was just a little sluggish, so I used by own data. However, I’m sure that the wi-fi would have been a usable speed for light users.

    And here we are safely into Warsaw coach station. The service was a few minutes late, but nothing of any note. The price was also cost-effective, it cost around £5 for the trip.

  • Torun – Ibis Budget

    Torun – Ibis Budget

    This Ibis Budget hotel, one of the cheaper brands in the Accor hierarchy, is located around a six-minute walk from the city centre. It’s in a relatively quiet area, with car parking available for those who need such things.  The welcome from the staff member at check-in was warm, personable and helpful, so my first impressions were all positive.

    The room is basic, but was clean and well maintained. I was here for seven nights and the room was kept well stocked throughout that time. There aren’t hot drink facilities in the room, but hot drinks can be purchased cheaply at reception. There’s a vending machine as well for those guests who want some healthy chocolate based snacks.

    The breakfast room. The staff didn’t check whether guests had paid for breakfast, but I can’t imagine many people would try and avoid paying the small sum which is charged. As with the other parts of the hotel, it was spotlessly clean.

    I’m not personally particularly engaged with the cold meat selection provided by Ibis and Ibis Budget hotels in Poland, it has a watery texture and bland taste. But, I can’t much blame the hotel for that and the staff laid out everything carefully and ensured that it was well stocked.

    The cereals option was limited, but there were rolls and hot sausages available. There were orange and apple juices, as well as coffee and an excellent selection of teas. It was all very decent value for money and there were always seats available.

    Apologies to the hotel for ploughing through their pickles during the week, but I’m moderately addicted to them.

    The staff were friendly without exception, this is clearly a welcoming environment and a well managed hotel. The cost of this stay was £70 for seven nights, including breakfast, which is a ludicrously low sum. All very lovely indeed and another very positive Accor experience.

  • Torun – Torun Railway Station (Steam Locomotive)

    Torun – Torun Railway Station (Steam Locomotive)

    I saw this steam locomotive parked up (well, less parked, more permanently affixed) at the front of Torun railway station before my little journey to Wloclawek.

    It’s steam locomotive TKH49-5564, produced at the Fablok factory in Chrzanów in 1956. It’s nice to have some railway heritage at a station, adds a bit of character to the proceedings….

  • POLREGIO : Torun to Wloclawek

    POLREGIO : Torun to Wloclawek

    I was wandering near to Torun railway station, which is on the other side of the Vistula River to the old part of the city, and thought that if the ticketing purchasing process was easy then I’d take a little return train journey.

    I’ve been to Bydgoszcz before and I wanted to take a short-distance journey (R is Regio, or local), so the train to Kutno seemed the best option. The city of Wloclawek was on the way to Kutno, so I settled on that.

    And there was a machine, which pleased me greatly, as this makes things much easier. There’s an English option and it listed the various trains that I could get. Given the number of possible trains (there are faster and more expensive options), this is not an easy process for a Polish-only speaking ticket clerk and an English-only speaking idiot trying to buy a ticket, so machines are the way forwards…..

    This confused me, in particular, the Taryfa Województwa Kujawsko-Pomorskiego option. I knew that was the region that both cities were in, but I was a little concerned that it was only available to local residents who held some card. I thought it might be safer to purchase the single ticket option, but that was more money, so I risked getting the cheaper fare. I’m not entirely reckless though, I Googled the ticket just before boarding and I was pleased that it wasn’t a kid’s ticket that I’d bought.

    It transpired that this ticket is a legacy of European Union rules on ensuring market liberalisation and consumer choice. Rights and wrongs of that, judging from my journey today, it’s led to a near perfect experience for the customer, with insanely cheap prices and new trains.

    The ticket, which doesn’t require validation as it’s timed, cost 9.20zl, or about £1.80. No wonder Flixbus can’t charge more than they do with the rail network charging prices like this….. An equivalent journey in the UK with the once excellent Greater Anglia is around five times more expensive, with the cheap options being smashed away under the period of management of Jamie Burles. Anyway, that’s not for here….

    Clear signage, which was also replicated on the train itself.

    Not a very good photo, but the carriage was clean and although it was busy, it wasn’t difficult to get a seat. There was power at every seat and the guard was friendly and helpful when she came through the train. The journey departed and arrived at every station at the timetabled time, all very smooth and efficient.

    Entirely glorious and a credit to the Polish rail network.