Where the travel inspiration began…
This trip was the reason behind writing ‘Got Wanderlust’. The heart of the piece! A few years back, after graduating from uni and getting my foot on to the career ladder – I am not going to lie, money was an issue back then! Wanting to explore the world, but how, with hardly any money?
Skyscanner – Which is where I book ALL my flights from! In the search bar, type ‘any destination’, this ranks in order, the cheapest of flights and the countries first. Guess which destination came first?
Yes, Poznan, Poland! For £16 return flight – Insane! First, I was slightly sceptical; who would not with a price like that, and what was the catch? So I did some digging and research and saw such inspirational images from Google and thought, why not! So today I share with you some of the first travel inspirations that gave me the travel bug to see more of Europe on a budget (at the time) and the birth of this blog.
Old Market Square
One word, WOW! I could not get enough of this place. I have been to many ‘Market Squares’, and this is by far my favourite. So much life in such a small city! Everything you want to do is right in this centre. Fantastic variety for dining, and these restaurants know how to set the scenes for dining experiences. Expect museums, galleries, market stalls, coffee shops, even hookah spots for late-night smokes.
The building looks relatively new; this is because it was mainly destroyed in the Second World War. However, it does have the best views of Poznan! You can go right to the top of the castle tower. In addition, you can see the Old Market Square and the City Hall -Make sure to capture that!
What I enjoyed about this museum is the interactive exhibits; you could smell, listen, observe and even dress up, and lots to engage with. This museum was quite a laugh when my friend had dressed like a musketeer!
I did prefer the Royal Castle in comparison to the City Hall (hence the ranking order). Great to learn about this historical government building that is now a museum and iconic building of Poznan. You will see much symbolism of fighting goats, as this is based on a very traditional story.
My quick version:
In the 16th century, a chef named Pete had ruined his meat for a feast for the mayor. He then decided to cook goat. So there he goes chasing after two goats that escaped his grasp, and they headed up into the city hall tower. Both goats had a battle in front of the mayor and his guests, and funny enough, they were more entertained than disappointed over the meal! Which lead to Pete and his goats being pardoned – The end. Poznan’s famous fighting goats!
Probably the biggest zoo I have ever been to – So spacious and be prepared for lots of walking! In the summer, you can hop on transport to navigate around the zoo park. We went in off-peak time, and it only cost us around £4 each to enter! The animals are pretty lively and come to you for once. I always find that I am trying to find the animal, or it is either hiding or in the barn somewhere, for it to be nowhere to be seen.
There was no one around; it felt like we had the whole zoo to ourselves! I sneakily fed an African bison some leaves from the trees (that it was already eating). That is how epically close they came to the edge, AMAZING + SCARY (I need to upload the videos on my Insta stories at some point so you can see). Such an experience!
Great time renting a bike and going for a cycle in the fresh air and appreciating some nature. Many sights to gaze upon, from sculptures, a military museum and some remains of fortifications as this site used to be Fort Winiary; this was a nice change of scenery from being in the town square and about a 10 min bike ride from the city centre.
Lake Malta
Time to get some steps in! I did not realise how big Lake Malta was until we got there. Some great activities along the bank, from dry ski, mini roller coaster rides, lake activities (depending on the season), a water park on the opposite side (unfortunately no swimsuit was packed on our end), and Poznan New Zoo. We tried to get on board with the dry ski. However, this needs to be booked in advance, and you will need to bring correct waterproof wear and not just show up, like we did, with our fingers crossed.
A spot of shopping, anyone? This centre was right outside our hotel, which was very convenient. Some unique Polish branded fashion retail shops that had got us curious, or shall I say window shopping (remember we were on a budget then). The food square in the mall was excellent, with plenty of options. We came across Express Marche, which was a Polish cuisine buffet! The potato dumpling things are my favourite!
Speaking of Polish Food…
Food was terrific in Poland! Doughnuts are the best I have ever had – I ordered a dozen for the flight back, wanted to make sure I got to taste one of every flavour – Fear of missing out! Those dumplings are also an intriguing Polish cuisine; we tried blueberry pierogi. When I go back to Poland, I know on my list to have will be the savoury pierogi with potato and cheese.
GOT WANDERLUST 