Yay! Summer is almost here! I bet all the kids are so excited! I have to be honest though….I think I’m the only child that did not like summer time…I grew up on a big fruit farm…and summer time meant work, work, work…and pretty much no rest:) Oh well…at least I could sit under a tree and enjoy beautiful apple any time I wanted!

Anyway…I did not want to start a bad mood here…it’s summer and we are all happy!

Poland summertime festivals include Juwenalia, a students’ festival, and Wianki (Calendar of Feasts – St John’s Night), a midsummer Polish tradition. Juwenalia occurs in late May or early June and is an excuse for students to party off the stress accumulated from a year’s worth of study. Wianki takes place along riverbanks, such as the Vistula in Kraków, and wreaths are floated downstream in a continuance of a summer solstice practice dating from pagan times.

Besides country-wide festivals, individual cities fill their own programs of events with annual festivals. In Kraków, for example, the International Festival of Jewish Culture draws thousands of visitors to Poland’s cultural capital in the early part of summer, while later visitors can enjoy a Folk Art Fair and a Summer Jazz Festival. In the official capital, the annual program of outdoor concerts in Warsaw’s parks and gardens is a requisite part of summer. August visitors can participate in the Summer Festival of New Town or listen to performances of the Bach Organ Festival.

My daughter found quite a lot of “krasnoludki” in Wrocław

When you have had enough of sightseeing and eating and drinking under the shade of restaurant patio tents, look elsewhere for summer activities. Consider seeking out park musical performances, such as those dedicated to Chopin in Warsaw’s Łazienki Park. Or try a river cruise to see your destination city from the waterway that fed its development over the course of centuries. In coastal cities such as Gdańsk, it’s possible to sunbathe or look for amber on the beach. If you are traveling in the western part of Poland, be sure to go on a hunting expedition for dwarfs in Wrocław.

When you have exhausted your options within major cities, take to the countryside to visit attractions that are especially appealing when the weather is warm and tours are plentiful. For example, from Kraków, it’s possible to visit the cool, underground chambers of the Wieliczka Salt Mine (Salt Mine in Wieliczka) or the hallowed Black Madonna of Częstochowa. From Gdańsk, , Malbork Castle is a short train ride, but many other Polish Castles and Polish World Heritage sites can be accessed from destination cities.

Whichever place you will choose, you will have a lot of fun!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)