Getting Lost in Northern Poland
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Do's:
- Check out the cute fishing town of Ustka.
- Take a photo with the mermaid on Ustka's promenade.
- Try a plate of smoked fish.
- Get lost in the beautiful forests of Słowiński National Park, and if you're interested, walk along the shifting sand dunes.
Don't:
- Go to Łeba. It's overcrowded.
- Visit the coast in any other season but summer.
You aren't officially a Berliner until you've made a drive from Berlin to Poland. Not only is Poland ridiculously inexpensive, but the border is a little less than 2 hrs away and it's a nice change of culture. One random weekend, we decided to drive aimlessly through Poland with only one goal in our minds: get to the Baltic Sea.
The first few (or 5) hours of driving were through what seemed to be solely farmland and forest. There were a few grey houses here and there, some of them not in the best condition, but the countryside was definitely stunning. A lot of the roads were framed by rows of tall vibrant green trees. I imagine driving through Poland in autumn would be spectacular.
We eventually made it to the coast, stumbling upon a cute little coastal village called Ustka. This place seemed to be a hot spot for the Polish. NO ONE spoke English, making our experience that much more authentic and totally awesome. As we began to walk towards the sea side, we walked by an abundance of ice cream stands, waffle shops and fast food restaurants. Not to mention a few stands that were selling fruits, veggies, and huge sunflowers.
It seemed as if most people came here to eat, so after a walk along the promenade and a stop at a mermaid statue, we began our search for a nice place to have dinner.
We had a fantastic dinner at Restauracja Syrenka where their specialty is fish. Whether you try the smoked fish plate or a grilled fish dinner, you can't go wrong. If you don't like pickled things, I wouldn't suggest ordering a side dish, as most things are pickled.
There’s even bustling nightlfe in this little town! There were a few beach bars that were very Miamiesque, and one pirate ship turned club docked along the port. It was great for people watching.
The next day, we decided to check out Łeba, apparently an even more popular holiday village. Here you can visit Słowiński Park Narodowy, where sand dunes are the main attraction. Living near an ocean for most of my life, I didn’t feel the need to go see dunes let alone pay 10€ to enter. Plus, I was already content with the crazy cool red bark trees at the entrance of the park. I could have spent the day wandering around the forest.
If you do go to Łeba, make sure to try some smoked salmon at one of the local fish stands. Other than that, the ocean water is dark green, and the beaches are packed, so it definitely wasn't my favourite spot. The surrounding area is almost set up to be like a forest carnival with games and activities everywhere. The surplus of twisty ice cream cones, waffle shops and pizza baguettes continued, yet, each one seemed to be just as busy as the other.
All in all, if you're looking for a random adventure, Poland is definitely a cool place to explore. Don't forget to pick up some homemade honey from a street stand on your drive home!
