In my life I have been very fortunate to be able to travel a lot; I have visited multiple countries, explored multiple cultures and met multiple people along the way...every trip has been a great experience...
However, nothing compares to visiting Poland for the first time...a trip that came a bit too late for my liking considering my best friend of 20+ years (and godmother to my oldest daughter) is originally from Poland; so I feel like I should have visited her native country a long time ago...
But God's timing is always the best timing and I am glad that I got to visit this beautiful country with my whole family instead of in my teenage years.. we made memories that we will forever cherish and every bit of our time there was magical in every sense of the word.
Our first stop was Poland's capital city of Warsaw, which is a gem of a place made even better by the fact that Martyna was able to join us for this part of our trip.
Warsaw is an amazingly eclectic city, the perfect mix between classic Europe and noteworthy modern architecture. Even though our walking pace was slower than usual (remember I broke my foot in Copenhagen a few days prior!), we were able to soak in the beauty of Warsaw and visited amazing buildings, incredible parks and delicious restaurants.
Here are some of my favorites from Warsaw
After a couple of days in Warsaw, we headed to Zakopane, a resort town in southern Poland at the base of the Tatras Mountains, right on the border of Poland and Slovakia; this is the town where Martyna's parents live and where we spent our Easter holiday, soaking in some of Poland's most beautiful religious traditions among other things. Martyna's parents own an exquisite rental apartment building and were the most wonderful hosts to us. They showed us around town, took us out to the most famous regional restaurants and even drove us around town to see the favorite tourist spots.
During our time in Zakopane we visited some of the most intricate churches I have ever seen, ate at the most delicious restaurants we have tried and even hiked (not me!) a mountain and saw snow in one of the most famous peaks of Europe.... it was an incredible trip in such a dreamy place!
Once our wonderful time in Zakopane was over, we headed over to Krakow for a day. Krakow is the second largest city in Poland and it's famous for its well preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter. Krakow is also home to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary and the birthplace of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, one of the most special saints of the Catholic Church. Visiting Krakow was the cherry on top of an already amazing trip and it's one place I'd like to visit again and again!
Here are some of my favorite shots from Krakow, which honestly don't do it justice...it was such a beautiful place..pictures can't capture it all.. not even a fraction!
But the magic of the many churches, restaurants, mountains and touristic spots we visited in Poland could never compare to the magic of experiencing all of it with my best friend by my side. I am so grateful that Martyna took the time to make the trip with us; she was the most wonderful host, guide, translator and company we could ask for and I will forever remember this trip and pray that we can do it again at some point in our lives.
Thank you, Poland (and Martyna!) for a wonderful time!
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