Tag Archives: przemysl

Finding Coleslaw in Jaroslaw

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28/08/2023

I’d read an online article about Przemysl, which described a worthwhile train excursion to a nearby town called Jarslow. And we’d have lunch out, again.

The very ornate train station to reflect the once importance of Przemysl. Grace (dinner last night) described how it was full of beds at the start of the Ukraine war. Locals supporting the refugees with clothes, toys, books and food.
Our first Polish train. Corrie spent some of it on my lap as she didn’t like the jolts and whistle blowing at so many stations.

The first stop on arrival was an ice cream. For some people, it’s coffee. Each to their own. We wandered the very quiet streets and square. Some interesting buildings but no museums open. Apparently, there are not one but two underground cellar tours. We couldn’t find them. And I’d done the one in Przemysl yesterday.

The inside of the Collegiate Church was impressive. And immaculate … not the conception, but being repainted!

The monastery of the Benedictine Sisters was a huge complex, built in 1614. Dissolved under Emperor Josef II in 1782. It became warehouses and military barracks. During the German occupation, it was used as a prison and an execution site. It has gone full circle as the Benedictine Nuns returned in 1991.

We had noticed a lack of restaurants and enquired at the Benedictine monastery cafe, but they could only offer pork chop and potatoes.

Our food quest saw us sit at one place and peruse the menu … only cakes and more ice cream. Fine in principal, but we do need one proper meal once a day. Google saved the day … restaurants open near me. And down a side street to an Italian trattoria.

J had pasta, but I had potato pancake with pork goulash with a coleslaw side … again. Might be my new favourite Polish dish.

Corrie was happy as the return train was a fast, modern and smooth train. We were happy as it had effective air con.

Back at our camper stop, we showered and I washed the sticky clothes we were stood in. Don’t think I’ve ever done laundry three days in a row!

Staying Put in Przemysl

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28/08/2023

We coughed up another £7.40 for the camper stop. I did another load of laundry. Then we wandered into town. You’d never guess, but Przemysl is prnounced shirmish, as in skirmish! As well as the guide books, I’d found an online article about the town so had the main attractions pinned on a map. We attempted to climb to the castle, but a sweaty 36C real feal defeated us.

During WW2 the town was split into two along the River San. This is one of the Russian defence bunkers … the Molotov Line … Stalin’s N S defensive line before taking on Germany
One third of the population had been Jewish. This is one of the two surviving synagogues. In a bad state of repair.
Nothing remains of the Jewish cemetery. Totally reclaimed by nature as no surviving families to tend to it.
Cathedral belfry. We tried twice to see the cathedral and crypt. First a service and then a wedding.
Local saint statue … guardian angel of Poland. He predicted 2 world wars, Poland gaining independence and a Polish Pope.
Award winning ice cream parlour and raspberry lemonade refreshment stop
I did the newly opened underground tour … through cellars of the square and then along 150m of sewers. Not much to look at, but lots of interactive screens and a very good audio guide.
A bear is the city emblem and apparently bears do live in the woods not too far away.

We’d been recommended a restaurant so joined the queue. Got chatting to mother and son, Grace and Nick. They asked if we’d like to share their table. They had emigrated 30 years ago, whilst the USSR didn’t issue passports. Who you know and a brown envelope sorted passports. Grace with two small children didn’t relax until the plane took off. Over a couple of bottles of wine (French), we asked questions.

Poland had been partitioned for 123 years by Russia, Germany and Austria, and I wondered how Polish culture and national identity had survived. They still spoke Polish, and underground schools taught history, etc. A very Catholic country, where abortion is still illegal. 3 women have recently died from sepsis as doctors were not allowed to abort foetuses that had died. An election is due on 15th October, and it’s expected that the right-wing government will be ousted. Rental property and hotels here are full. Journalists covering the war and Ukrainian families live here have pushed up prices. Similar to Germany, many Ukrainians come once a month to collect their refugee monies and then go back to the Ukraine to spend it. Poland does produce some wine, but it’s generally sweet. The availability of medical care was compared between Canada, Poland, UK and Greece. Poland is no longer a poor country, but has a positive GDP and is attracting a lot of investment. A memorable meal … one of those moments in time.

Sanok and Vodka Tasting

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26/08/2023

Not only did the metal bridge disturb my slumbers, but so did a drunk who kept belting out the same few song lines. Would have liked to belt him! Despite waking tired, we both cracked out a 4km run, well stagger / shuffle in my case.

Whilst we had breakfast, the cacophony of dog barking was explained. A race was on. Luckily we’d got back before they set off.

In my humble opinion, it was too hot to take dogs on a long race. Afterwards, I saw one lady applying ointment to her dogs paws and another chap pouring water over his dog. Animal welfare not at its best.

We paid our £4.30 for both of us to enter the Sanok Folk Museum. We are finding that now we’re off the international tourist route, entry prices are much lower. We’ve seen enough cooking bowls and shovel museums, but this was buildings. Poland’s largest collection of buildings. Why does it always have to be largest, oldest etc … not always the best! Buildings were grouped depending on where they came from within the region. Some you could enter, others had wooden grills you could look through. They got a bit samey after a while … and it was hot.

Some small doors
An outside loo … inside a tree trunk!
A couple of Greek Catholic churches … don’t know what the Greeks were doing here.
Some very impressive huge timbers

Feeling a little drained, after our run and the heat, we decided against driving to dip our toes into the Bieszczady National Park where we knew we couldn’t walk with Corrie. So we missed seeing Poland’s highest dam! We arrived at a camper park just outside Przemysl at the bottom of a chairlift and by a small outdoor pool. For £7.40pn we’ve a key to toilets, showers, water and WiFi.

We went straight into laundry mode … Kerstin’s bedding, nearly all our knickers and clothes … there were washing lines too! Insufficient for all our laundry, so I suspended a line from our awning. Suddenly, the wind got severely up … J hung onto the awning – just – I had visions of him doing a James and the Giant Peach … only in the case James and the Flapping Awning. I got the laundry and line down and reeled in the awning. It’s a new one, a freek gust took the old one last year.

I decided I wasn’t cooking. As J is won’t cook, can’t cook, that meant one thing… we’re eating out. A 10 minute walk to the old town.

A lovely meal: cocktails to start, wine and then we started working our way through the vodka menu … we were always going to do it sometime.

One would have thought we’d staggered home, but Greek Raki after a meal has us in good training. Don’t think we’ll be challenging any Poles to a drinking session … we’ve been warned. And they knock it back … we sip!