This spring turned out to be full of travels for me. The last one was an unexpected short trip to Poland. May is a wonderful time to visit my country, nature is blooming and the weather is usually perfect. This was also my first time traveling there by myself without the kids, which was great. I packed my days catching up with friends and family and  walking around Warsaw taking photos. I even got a chance to take a train to Bialystok to visit family there.

Below are some photos that can show you what spring in Poland looks like. I hope you’ll enjoy them and maybe they’ll inspire you to visit one day 🙂 Let’s start with Warsaw…

A visit in Warsaw can’t pass without a stroll in the largest and oldest of Warsaw parks called Royal Lazienki. This park used to be the residence of Stanisław August Poniatowski – Poland’s last king. The park is huge, lovely, a great place to relax with mature trees, peacocks and red squirrels running around.

Another must see is the Old Town in Warsaw… Dating back to the 13th century the Old Town was completely destroyed when the Nazis left Poland but it was meticulously rebuilt after the war.

As it is with many other cultures food is a big part of Polish experience. Most people still shop almost every day either at a local grocery store or small farmers markets that are open every day. And most people still cook at home from scratch. What’s wonderful is that whenever you go to visit somebody you can be sure that within minutes the food will be set on the table. Usually it’s at least some cake and tea or… a three course homemade meal (even if they didn’t expect you!).

I was surprised when during my walk around the Old Town Square in Warsaw I found this Bar Mleczny (literally “milk bar”). These bars were very popular in communist times but very few survived until now. Milk bars are not very fancy and look more like a cafeteria but they do offer good quality, very traditional home-style Polish food at super low prices. You can see a steal I got for about $4.

One day my mom and I took a train to visit our family in Bialystok area, which is a town in north-east Poland. I was looking forward to the train ride and really wanted to capture landscapes outside the train window. It turned out to be a rainy day so everything looked a little gloomy. Overcast days are very common in Poland so I thought I’d share it anyway to give you a glimpse of reality…

When we stopped by one of my aunts’ in a small village near Bialystok I even got a chance to see a stork’s nest and take a short walk in the woods. I miss bilberries and wild strawberries that are so common in Polish forests. This time of year I was only able to see the plants,  fruit can be enjoyed in June and July…

My main joy when I visit Poland always comes from reconnecting with friends and family. There is of course internet, Skype and Face Time but there is nothing like getting together in person. Here are some of my favorite Polish faces I was lucky to see and photograph last month. Hopefully I won’t have to wait three years before I see them again during my next trip to Poland…

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