Poznań

Archcatholic Basilica of St. Peter and St. PaulAfter I finished packing up my bags, I left Wrocław early this morning and drove to Poznań. I would be meeting Piotr & Dorota Firkowski and their daughter and son, Monika & Jakub. It was about a 3 hours drive but it took me a little longer to get there, because I discovered that their home is relatively new and the address was not in the GPS database. I guess I got in a little extra drive tour of the area, especially with the construction detour I had to go around.

When I arrived, Dorota had already prepared a meal. There had been a storm the night before and some of the power had not been fully restored yet, but they improvised and the meal was great! We had a pork roast, potatoes with dill, a colorful vegetable salad and gravy.

Jakub was at work with the car, so we had a beer & chatted until he arrived and then we went to Poznań. Dorota volunteered to be designated driver so Piotr and I could enjoy our beer. In Poland there is "0" tolerance for driving under the influence. Our

Pork Roast, Potatoes with Dill, a colorful Vegetable Salad and Gravyfirst stop was at the Archcatholic Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul. On the way there we drove by Lake Malta, which 2.2 km long and is all man made.

Monika arrived in Poznań from a two week trip. so Dorota went to pick her up and bring her home. while Piotr and I continued to tour the city. We walked to the Rynek (Market Square) in Poznan where we would meet up with Dorota later.

On first entry into the Rynek, I saw the Ratusz (Rathaus in German) (Town Hall in English). It served as the local government office in 1939, but now it is a museum. All the small original buildings that encircle it were colorful and fascinating to see. Just outside of the Rynek is the Royal Castle. It was mostly destroyed in WWII, but has since been partially rebuilt. There was a band playing 20s - 40s music, which everyone was enjoying greatly. This era of music has become quite popular in Poland.

It was a Sunday evening, so things were beginning to close up and we returned home. I was finally able to meet Monika. We sat