With more than 500 castles in Poland, we were bound to see a few, but two in one short bike trip was icing on the royal cake. (Actually, three if I count the Król Kazimierz Hotel where we spent two nights.) After a walk in the rain to the village of Kazimierz Dolny from our hotel the night before, we were delighted to see the sun on day two of our bike trip. Temps were still chilly, but we were now used to the fallish weather.
Tuesday is market day in Kazimierz Dolny, so we began with a visit to the farmer’s market in the town square to shop and appreciate the culture of the village. I had never gotten this excited about seeing vegetables and fruits, before—certainly not shopping at our local Hannaford’s or Stop and Shop. The colors were brilliant, the aromas, tantalizing. I felt like a kid walking through a Toys R’ Us and told to look, but not touch. (Yes, I know the chain is now defunct.)
Check out these cabbages. I could make lots of gołąbki (stuffed cabbage) with one of those!
The original plan for the day was to have shopped for a picnic lunch on the lawn of our next destination, a medieval castle in Janowiec. However, with temps again in the low 50s, our guides rearranged plans for lunch to a restaurant mid-way through our morning and afternoon rides. So, back on the van for a trip via ferry across the Wisła River to Janowiec where we visited the castle on a hill overlooking a patchwork of farmlands before unloading the bikes. This part of our trip was changed on the fly, too, as the Wisła’s waters in Kazimierz Dolny were too low for the ferry normally used to cross. Poland has been in a severe drought for several months, curbing normal uses of the rivers, including fishing, according to our local driver.
The cycling began from the castle, downhill through the town to a country road–yes, you guessed it–a “Soviet road” through farmlands. This one was a bit different, with only double tracks with a median of grass that climbed through farms that may have produced some of the vegetables I had just ogled in Kazimierz hours before. A few pumpkins were left in a field and men worked on tractors in others. At the end of the “Soviet road,” our van and guides, and a couple of small neighborhood dogs, were waiting for us with a quick snack before we continued on, this time on modern paved roads, through more agricultural landscape and acres and acres of hops on vines. This was just the cultural experience that we were hoping for on this trip.
Before continuing on to the second segment of the day’s ride, we lunched in a Pensjonat where they served zurek, a sour rye soup with egg and kielbasa, and płacki or potato pancakes, known to many as “latke,” a Jewish specialty. My mother used to serve us płacki on Fridays, and Bill and I had already ordered them several times on this trip.
We chose a table on the patio, where we could bask in the sun, surrounded by containers of flowers, and the bees that come with that fragrant ambiance. Did I mention yet that there are flowers everywhere in Poland? Geranium, marigolds, and rainbows of annuals border outdoor cafes and restaurants, even in the cities; yards (or gardens, as they are called) are petalled quilts of color; fields, stripes of gold and purple wildflowers, and lots of green. And, as I found out early on our trip, the honey bee reigns supreme in Poland. Do not even think of harming a honey bee!
The afternoon’s ride combined with the morning’s had us in the saddle for ~30 miles. The hardest part of these rides, we would learn on this day, was getting back on the bikes and pedaling with full stomachs. But, when in Poland, eat (and drink) as the Poles do.
Na z drowie.
Cycling to Sandomierz will take you through more beautiful Polish countryside and to a Baroque palace for lunch.
If you missed our first day on the trip, read “Babcia” on a Bike in Poland.
Granny in Gear 
3 thoughts on “Castles, Cabbages, and Cafés”