Poland > The Medieval Malbork Castle

It is cloudy outside when we open the curtains. It rained during the night. As we load the luggage into the car, there is still a light drizzle. We drive out of Gdansk on our way to Warsaw. About fifty kilometers southeast of Gdansk lies Malbork Castle.

Poland - The courtyard of the High Castle of Malbork

This medieval castle is the largest brick castle in Europe. Despite the hazy weather, we can already see the castle as we cross the Nogat River. We park the car near the castle. There is just one other car in the parking lot. Before visiting the castle, we walk into the town of Malbork for breakfast. At a local bakery, we order small meat rolls and coffee. Back at the castle, it is practically dry. We decide to leave the umbrellas in the car. Since it is Monday, only the castle’s inner courtyard is open. The exhibition rooms are closed. Because of this, we get a reduced admission ticket, which also includes an audio tour. With headphones on, we follow the route through the castle. Malbork Castle consists of three defensive lines. From the outer ring we have a beautiful view of the lower fortress and the elevated castle. Crossing a drawbridge, we reach the lower castle: a large inner courtyard surrounded by brick buildings and castle walls. A second drawbridge takes us to the higher central part of the castle. The audio tour gives clear explanations about the castle and precisely tells us where to go. Even if we stand still for a while, the last instruction is repeated. At the chapel, at the end of the tour, we cannot open the door. Could the church also be closed on Mondays? Just as we are about to walk away, the door opens from the other side. An attendant explains that we did not press the handle down far enough. The chapel is a true showpiece of the castle. On the walls, it is easy to see what has been restored after the destruction of the Second World War. Fortunately, everything has been brought back to its original state. Back at the car, we prepare a coffee. The ticket man comes walking over. Through gestures, he explains that we only have ten minutes between paying and leaving the parking lot. We drive the car off the lot and then finish our coffee. After that, we set course for Warsaw, a journey of about three hundred kilometers.

Poland - The Presidential Palace in Warsaw

The first part of the route leads through villages. Then we enter the S7 highway. Work is underway to widen this road completely. Large stretches are already four lanes, while other parts are still only two lanes. Around four o’clock we approach the city limits of Warsaw. The traffic immediately gets heavy. A traffic jam. We slowly drive along the ring road around the old center. Our hotel is located on the edge of the Old Town. On arrival at the hotel, we park our car in the hotel’s lot. We bring the luggage to the small but perfectly fine room. Within about ten minutes we walk to the Old Town. Along the way we pass the opera house and the Royal Palace. The city looks friendly and stylish. Inside the walls of the Old Town, too, the atmosphere is lively. It feels much less like a museum city compared to Gdansk. Just on the edge of the Rynek, the central market square, we order a beer in a cozy pub. A little further on, we have sauerkraut with sausages, a traditional Polish meal.