Poznan

     I was sad to leave Ireland behind me, but next on my list was Poznan, Poland. It would be my first time in Poland and the first time in months that I would be in a non-English speaking country. Honestly, I was rather nervous about having a language barrier again. But I ended up having no real problems interacting at restaurants and museums with just the basic pleasantries in Polish.
     I flew in and then took a bus to the main train station in town. Not knowing what to really expect, I was surprised to find that most of the greater city is relatively modern. My hostel was towards the heart of Poznan though, in the older part of the city which I loved.
     The old town square is absolutely stunning and seemed to be pulled right from the pages of a fairytale. Simply walking around it was my favorite part. On the free walking tour I took, I learned about the local lore of a feast celebrating the construction of the town hall around 1560. After the original meal burned, two goats were chosen and brought to the kitchens. Somehow the goats escaped and began fighting in front of all of the guests. Apparently this was very amusing, and warranted the mayor to commission a commemorative clock with two goats that fight every day at noon. The clock and its goats are still there, and I got to see them head-butting at high noon.
     One morning I tried the classic local St. Martin’s Croissant; a pastry filled with an almond and poppy seed paste, and topped with icing and nuts. It is filling and delicious. I visited the town hall museum, which had beautiful interiors and exhibits on the history of the city, like medieval guilds, and Nazi occupation. I wandered into beautiful church interiors, and through lovely little streets. One afternoon I treated myself to a meal outside in the old town square. The mulled wine was cozy and the traditional duck blood soup was actually really tasty. My last night there I went out with a group of travelers from my hostel. We ended up at a karaoke bar, where we were very obviously the only non-locals. It was a very fun time, and a unique entertaining end to my stay in Poznan.
     Next I would be heading back to Berlin!

Note the goats right above the clock.