Poland in short

We only spent five days in Poland, but it was time well spent!

A few quick hits:
- What a difference a few degrees makes! Russia was interesting and I'm glad we went, but I felt sluggish the whole time, due to the freezing weather. Poland was only a few degrees warmer (highs around 5 C) but we were much more energetic and able to wander around outdoors for hours at a time.
- It's really amazing what Poland has been through, and how they have managed to rebuild and grow. Between the Nazis and the Communists, the Polish weren't really free until 1989. In the last twenty years, they have significantly improved human rights and free speech, transformed into a market economy, built impressive museums and memorials, joined NATO and the EU, and more. Remarkable.
- Polish people seem to tend towards dry humor, but are often very funny. At the Wieliczka Salt Mines, our guide would often say something, pause for several seconds, and then say something else that made us realize that the first thing had been really funny. At the Uprising Museum, the guy collecting tickets pretended to be mean and unfriendly for a few seconds before cracking a grin and becoming really helpful.
- Polish food is a combination of really yummy and more questionable stuff. I did not like the dumplings at all; they were way too doughy and bland. The Polish sausages (kielbasa!) were very tasty and my only complaint was that they start to get heavy after awhile. The "smalec" homemade lard on bread is the best invention ever, I could eat the fermented rye soup every day, and the cabbage fried with bacon/pork is delicious as well. I prefer Russian desserts, though.