Probably sounds like an odd combination and they are not in fact really connected. Except for the fact that we got back from our trip to Slovakia and Poland last weekend and last week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Celery-Celery Soup was the first thing on the menu. The soup was tasty, but since you’ve all already made it, I’ll spend this post talking about our trip instead. As for this week’s Monk Fish and Double Carrots recipe, it’s currently simmering away on the stove, more about that later.
If I’m being honest, Poland has never ranked particularly high on my list of places to see. Yes, I do in fact have a list. It is very long and ever-growing. Poland only even made it onto the list after we became neighbors, and even then it took me nearly 8 years to wander over to say hello. Not very neighborly of me, I know.
But a few weeks ago we set off via a rather roundabout route through Slovakia. In Slovakia we visited charming villages and fortified ourselves with delicious garlic soup before visiting the castle from the classic vampire film, Nosferatu.
In the Tatra mountains of southern Poland we sampled tasty grilled sheep’s milk cheese served with lingonberry jam.
We soaked in vibrant Krakow while noshing our way through a fabulous market selling all manner of tasty treats, our favorite being a polish version of stuff on toast.
We turned our visit to beautiful Wroclaw into a multi-day cafe crawl.
On the Czech border we viewed a chapel decorated entirely with human bones and found the best pierogi of the entire trip, so far off the beaten path that we may well have been truly lost. Aparently our noses for good food are more finely tuned than our navigation system:-)
And so much more. We got a glimpse into the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau, visited a beautiful “Peace Church” built as part of a treaty between warring Catholics and Lutherans, toured numerous castles and ate some wonderful food. The marks of the past are still there, but from what I saw, things are looking up and we had a wonderful time. What can I say, it turns out that the neighbors are quite nice.
one expat's life 
Hooray for Polish stuff on toast!! Love your photos – thanks for sharing your trip with us.
Lovely pics of your trip – I was in Slovakia and Poland (amongst others) in 1991 – so very different to how it all looks now!
Thank you for sharing some highlights of your trip with us! And getting a little lost is usually a small price to pay for fantastic food.
One of my favorite food persons here in PR is a Polish girl who runs a food tour company with her Puerto Rican fiancé. Thanks for your road trip highlights and the glimpse at her home country.
Oh, Rosa, nostalgia. Were the human sculptures coming out of the sidewalk from Bratislava? There were so many amazing stone and bronze “surprises” as you’d walk through the city – just loved them. I was so fortunate to go to Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia 4 years ago. Poland was my absolute favorite country (Have you read Michener’s Poland? – I got half-way through it) and, Slovakia, what a surprise. The CR and Hungary were exciting to see also. Please don’t spread the word that your best pierogi was in the CR. That’s almost blasphemy. What I came away from that trip knowing was that these four little countries, which were sometimes forgotten by the West, are brave and worth honoring. They just keep soldiering on despite the slingbats that are thrown their way. Glad you enjoyed your trip as well.
Polish stuff on toast 🙂 I guess you can find it everywhere!
Your trip really sounds amazing.
Thanks for the mini-tour. I never seem to go anywhere, so enjoy seeing other people’s vacation pictures. Looks like you ate well, as well as saw some amazing things. And nice to come home to a tasty homemade soup. Welcome back.
Looks like you had a wonderful time on vacation. Thanks for sharing the pictures. Happy cooking.
I really loved the glimpse into what you saw and ate on this trip. It ALL looks phenomenal. So cute about the “stuff on toast” and my mouth was watering for those homemade pierogis. Great art and architecture as well. I REALLY need a vacation soon 🙂 Fun that you can travel to such fabulous places so easily…even if it takes a little while to visit the neighbors. Well worth the trip. Hope you enjoyed the monkfish as well as the soup ~ Tricia
Love the photos, I’m from Yugoslavia and always think one day I’ll go back and visit…
You’ve inspire me 🙂