Arctic Trek: My Arctic Road Trip

[Rilot]

If you're going to do Poland, I'd skip Warsaw and do Krakow instead. Warsaw is a horrible place due to having been complete destroyed and then re-built in the communist neo-brutalist style. The only nice bit is old town, which they re-built as it was prior to 1939.
Krakow is much nicer and has some gorgeous architechture. You're also very close to Auschwitz which is something you will never forget if you go there.

 

[Yaayuh!]

If you're going to do Poland, I'd skip Warsaw and do Krakow instead. Warsaw is a horrible place due to having been complete destroyed and then re-built in the communist neo-brutalist style. The only nice bit is old town, which they re-built as it was prior to 1939.
Krakow is much nicer and has some gorgeous architechture. You're also very close to Auschwitz which is something you will never forget if you go there.

+1 for Krakow.

 

[dlockers]

That's insane. Rally drivers are something else man

100%. Anyone who backs the size of their nuts needs just watch a video or two of rally lol.

 

[Lopéz]

If you're going to do Poland, I'd skip Warsaw and do Krakow instead. Warsaw is a horrible place due to having been complete destroyed and then re-built in the communist neo-brutalist style. The only nice bit is old town, which they re-built as it was prior to 1939.
Krakow is much nicer and has some gorgeous architechture. You're also very close to Auschwitz which is something you will never forget if you go there.

I quite like the socialist realism architecture used on Mokotowska, Marszalkowska, Piekna, Krucza etc - but I realise I'm in the minority there.
A lot of the buildings constructed immediately after the war have been neglected for a long time (likely post - Soviet animosity) but over the last few years a lot of the large residential blocks have been renovated.

Reminds me in places of Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin which was built under similar ideals.

Unfortunately the MDM rebuilding project ran out of steam (and more probably, money) and a great deal of Warsaw was reconstructed as featureless grey slabs.

 

[randomshenans]

To be fair, adding Krakow over Warsaw only adds about 150ish KM on the clock, so it's not too much out the way. If that would be a better place to visit in Poland, I'd definitely be up for that.

What's in Krakow then?

 

[Rilot]

To be fair, adding Krakow over Warsaw only adds about 150ish KM on the clock, so it's not too much out the way. If that would be a better place to visit in Poland, I'd definitely be up for that.

What's in Krakow then?

A very old and grand cathedral that was Pope John-Paul 2ns ministry. SOme fantastic old, traditional, Polish architechture. Auschwitz. Salt mines. Some utterly fantastic Polish street food vendors (you have to try the fried potatoes with mushroon sauce).

 

[dlockers]

To be fair, adding Krakow over Warsaw only adds about 150ish KM on the clock, so it's not too much out the way. If that would be a better place to visit in Poland, I'd definitely be up for that.

What's in Krakow then?

To contradict the guidance above though --- Krakow is a worth a proper visit in its own right. If you are just flying through, Warsaw will be "fine"?

 

[413x]

So I've been putting together things to do in each place. While it's a tight schedule I believe I can fit these things in no problem, since the first 3 days are where over 50% of the driving is happening.

Anyway, as mentioned at the top, the idea for things to do along the way have to include:

• meeting a local (I'll put it out there on t'interwebs, which has already lined up some people in places)
• doing an activity
• drinking local drink
• eating local food

With that, I started to get some rough ideas:

1. Copenhagen - this might be a simple stop and go due to 1000km driving to get there. We'll start early so we can have a dinner there mind.

2. Stockholm, Sweden​

   • Activity: Participate in a snow rally or ice driving experience near Stockholm. (someone lining this up)
   • Eat: Köttbullar? (I know we have swede based people here!)
   • Drink: Snaps, apparently local?

3. Arctic Circle (entry from Sweden)​

   • Activity: Dog sledding
   • Eat: Reindeer stew or smoked Arctic char.
   • Drink: Hot lingonberry juice.

4. Helsinki, Finland​

   • Activity: Finnish sauna followed by an ice dip in the Baltic Sea.
   • Eat: Mustikkapiirakka (blueberry pie) with vanilla sauce.
   • Drink: Koskenkorva

5. Tallinn, Estonia​

   • Activity: Open on this one, not found anything that I think is a must yet...
   • Eat: Apparently their pork sausage?
   • Drink: Vana Tallinn, a sweet herbal liqueur apparently

6. Riga, Latvia​

   • Activity: bobsledding on the Olympic track in Sigulda, just outside Riga.
   • Eat: Latvian grey peas with bacon.
   • Drink: Riga Black Balsam.

7. Kaunas, Lithuania​

   • Activity: Need final decision don't know much about the place!
   • Eat: Cepelinai - potato dumplings stuffed with meat, curd, or mushrooms.
   • Drink: Midus, a Lithuanian honey mead.

8. Warsaw, Poland​

   • Activity: Need final decision​

   • Eat: Pierogi​

   • Drink: Vodka ​

9. Prague, Czech Republic​

   • Activity: Still open for suggestions​

   • Eat: Trdelník​

   • Drink: Czech beer!​

I'm not certain my son is going to come. He's a non committal 19yr old that says one thing but never commits, which is whatever, but a mate of mine has said he's up for it and he could be an additional driver so potential win win there.

Going to take the week after next off and hammer through some volvo work and get all the parts changed over in a couple of days.

​

Happy to masquerade as your son?

 

[randomshenans]

To contradict the guidance above though --- Krakow is a worth a proper visit in its own right. If you are just flying through, Warsaw will be "fine"?

Yea, so it's probably going to be an afternoon / evening worth of time to smash through something, get some food etc.

So would definitely not uncover 1% of what any place has to offer. It's like a taster of each place, which will leave me wanting to come back to each place for a true trip!

 

[randomshenans]

Happy to masquerade as your son?

Development on this... he's dropped a bombshell that, despite saying he's going to go off traveling, he's going to move in with his GF in Normandy... FML but anyway, let's not go there because she's something else as well So chances are, he's going to bail for sure.


I'd happily consider others coming along. All part of the fun isn't it?

My mate hasn't confirmed yet either. Last thing I want is to do it solo. I mean, I would, but it's not as much fun that way.

 

[413x]

Development on this... he's dropped a bombshell that, despite saying he's going to go off traveling, he's going to move in with his GF in Normandy... FML but anyway, let's not go there because she's something else as well So chances are, he's going to bail for sure.


I'd happily consider others coming along. All part of the fun isn't it?

My mate hasn't confirmed yet either. Last thing I want is to do it solo. I mean, I would, but it's not as much fun that way.

No joke. I'd legitimately come for some of I have the days off!