Hello from Torun! It was another scorcher today!
We woke up moderately early (7:00am) and opened up all the windows to get some air flow. 85 degrees with no air conditioning and brick walls create a very hot apartment. We enjoyed the sounds of people starting their day. After getting ready and having a little breakfast, we headed into the city to try and avoid the crowds. The sun was already shining as we roamed the streets. First on our list was the town walls, gates, and Torun's very own leaning tower. Like many medieval cities, it was completely walled in for protection with several gates serving as entry points. The leaning tower was only built with 3 walls, and over time, it has sunk into the ground. Fortunately it is stable now (and a local bar!)
Our next stop was the Lenkiewicz Cafe, a local hot spot for coffee and ice cream. We opted for gingerbread lattes. The air conditioning inside was most appreciated. After relaxing for a bit, we headed back towards the main square and the Town Hall. The Town Hall, which was modeled after Flemish cities such as Bruges, Ghent, and Ypres (all cities we've been to!) It was damaged and destroyed many times, but has been rebuilt and now houses the town museum. We walked around and got to see different historical artifacts from the city. There were even things from the 1400's! After touring the museum, we made our way to the tower. It was quite the climb, but worth it as it rewarded us with beautiful views of the city.
All that climbing and early morning site seeing was tiring (and not to mention hot!) so we decided to head back to the apartment for a little relaxation. But it wasn't long until we felt the hunger pangs, so back out to the city we went, this time for a little change of scenery. We opted for Chinese food for lunch and it did not disappoint! I ordered the fried rice and Adam had spicy chicken and rice. There were plenty of leftovers, perfect for tomorrow's breakfast.
We gave ourselves another quick break before heading over to our tour of the Living Museum of Gingerbread. Unfortunately, the only tours available to book were entirely in Polish. Oh well. Up we went to learn about the process of making gingerbread, in a language we didn't understand. The workers did a very good job showing things while they were explaining, so we got the gist of the ingredients list. He was calling people from the audience to help mix and sift ingredients. We were trying to make ourselves seem as inconspicuous as possible. It did not work. He pointed directly at us and asked us something in Polish. We both shook our heads, and then Adam asked, "English?" We had been spotted. He switched over to English and asked me to come up in front of everyone and help mix the honey and spices. So away I went.
After my job was complete, I snuck back into the crowd and we awaited our next instructions. Thankfully, it was the interactive portion. We all had a hunk of gingerbread dough and some tools in front of us. We were instructed to roll the dough, place it in the mold, cut it out, and then put it on the baking tray. In just 10 minutes, our creations would be ready. Adam and I both made ours a little too thin, so the resulting cookie was a bit hard, but nevertheless, we ate it! All in all, a fun experience!
Next on the list was dinner. Adam had picked out a fancy restaurant in a hotel for us tonight, Karczma Spichrz. There was a salad bar, live music, and even bread and smalec for the table! Adam got to try to restaurant's home brew and then ordered the mushroom soup and venison. I had a delicious goat cheese salad. We ate all that we could! Very filling, but when has a meal here not been? We left the restaurant to have one more walk around the city before calling it a night. Only 4 days left! Crazy how time flies.
Steps: 18,531
Miles: 7.85
Stairs: 26 flights
We woke up moderately early (7:00am) and opened up all the windows to get some air flow. 85 degrees with no air conditioning and brick walls create a very hot apartment. We enjoyed the sounds of people starting their day. After getting ready and having a little breakfast, we headed into the city to try and avoid the crowds. The sun was already shining as we roamed the streets. First on our list was the town walls, gates, and Torun's very own leaning tower. Like many medieval cities, it was completely walled in for protection with several gates serving as entry points. The leaning tower was only built with 3 walls, and over time, it has sunk into the ground. Fortunately it is stable now (and a local bar!)
Our next stop was the Lenkiewicz Cafe, a local hot spot for coffee and ice cream. We opted for gingerbread lattes. The air conditioning inside was most appreciated. After relaxing for a bit, we headed back towards the main square and the Town Hall. The Town Hall, which was modeled after Flemish cities such as Bruges, Ghent, and Ypres (all cities we've been to!) It was damaged and destroyed many times, but has been rebuilt and now houses the town museum. We walked around and got to see different historical artifacts from the city. There were even things from the 1400's! After touring the museum, we made our way to the tower. It was quite the climb, but worth it as it rewarded us with beautiful views of the city.
All that climbing and early morning site seeing was tiring (and not to mention hot!) so we decided to head back to the apartment for a little relaxation. But it wasn't long until we felt the hunger pangs, so back out to the city we went, this time for a little change of scenery. We opted for Chinese food for lunch and it did not disappoint! I ordered the fried rice and Adam had spicy chicken and rice. There were plenty of leftovers, perfect for tomorrow's breakfast.
We gave ourselves another quick break before heading over to our tour of the Living Museum of Gingerbread. Unfortunately, the only tours available to book were entirely in Polish. Oh well. Up we went to learn about the process of making gingerbread, in a language we didn't understand. The workers did a very good job showing things while they were explaining, so we got the gist of the ingredients list. He was calling people from the audience to help mix and sift ingredients. We were trying to make ourselves seem as inconspicuous as possible. It did not work. He pointed directly at us and asked us something in Polish. We both shook our heads, and then Adam asked, "English?" We had been spotted. He switched over to English and asked me to come up in front of everyone and help mix the honey and spices. So away I went.
After my job was complete, I snuck back into the crowd and we awaited our next instructions. Thankfully, it was the interactive portion. We all had a hunk of gingerbread dough and some tools in front of us. We were instructed to roll the dough, place it in the mold, cut it out, and then put it on the baking tray. In just 10 minutes, our creations would be ready. Adam and I both made ours a little too thin, so the resulting cookie was a bit hard, but nevertheless, we ate it! All in all, a fun experience!
Next on the list was dinner. Adam had picked out a fancy restaurant in a hotel for us tonight, Karczma Spichrz. There was a salad bar, live music, and even bread and smalec for the table! Adam got to try to restaurant's home brew and then ordered the mushroom soup and venison. I had a delicious goat cheese salad. We ate all that we could! Very filling, but when has a meal here not been? We left the restaurant to have one more walk around the city before calling it a night. Only 4 days left! Crazy how time flies.
Steps: 18,531
Miles: 7.85
Stairs: 26 flights
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