Who are we?

We are Drew and Laura Hromyak. We both work in the education field in Georgia. We enjoy seeing the world on our summer break.

“Why are you going to Poland?”

We got this question... a lot.

Laura’s great great grandparents immigrated from Poland in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Drew also has Polish ancestors, although we don’t know much about them.

We wanted to go to Poland to connect with our roots. We wanted to experience the culture of the country that is in our blood. We also wanted to learn about the complex history of Poland.

Why did we choose the Rick Steves Poland tour?

This was our first Rick Steves tour. Laura was familiar with Rick Steves from watching his travel series on PBS when she was growing up. We used Rick’s travel guides, videos, and app to plan our trips to Paris, Italy, and Germany. Rick Steves is a name we trust, so we knew this tour would be perfect for us.

The Rick Steves Poland tour allowed us the opportunity to conveniently visit different areas of Poland. We got to have unique experiences like pierogi making with a native Pole in Krakow and making gingberbread ornaments in Torun. We also booked the Rick Steves tour because we were concerned about possible language barriers. Polish is a very difficult language to learn! Having a native Pole to help us navigate Poland was very reassuring.

Museum of the Second World War

Gdansk, Poland

We started our time in Poland with a visit to the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, Poland. This museum is enormous and focuses on the Polish experience of war. We spent about three hours here, but could have spent much longer.

At the beginning of the museum you walk through the recreated streets of pre-war Poland. At the end of the museum you walk through the same street in war-torn Poland.

A couple of years ago Laura read a historical fiction book called “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys. The book was about the Wilhelm Gustloff ship which was torpedoed in the Baltic Sea during World War II, killing 7000 people. This bell from the Wilhelm Gustloff ship was housed in the museum.

There was so much to see at this museum including a plane, tanks, an actual sized atomic bomb, and a box car. One of the most poignant parts of the museum was a room showing overstuffed filing cabinets representing the vast numbers of Nazi party members who were in line to be prosecuted.

Welcome to Poland

Gdansk, Poland

We didn’t know what to expect in Gdansk, Poland, but we absolutely fell in love with this city. It is a stunning city on the Baltic Sea. Our Rick Steves tour started at our beautiful hotel- Hotel Admiral, the afternoon of Day 1. We met our amazing guides Agnes and Barbara. We had a short orientation walk around the city and dinner.

Gdansk’s Golden Age and Solidarity

Gdansk, Poland

Our first full day of the tour was a busy one! Agnes gave us a tour of Gdansk. We got to see the wheels underneath the incredible wooden crane. We wandered the streets of this stunning city. Agnes taught us about brick and how brick tells a story. We saw porches with no homes, as they were never rebuilt after World War II. We also had an amazing late lunch with some of the best calamari we’ve ever had and massive pizza. While we ate, we got to admire the modern swing bridge. That evening we tasted Pączki and headed to the Solidarity museum. We learned a tremndous amount about Lech Wałęsa and the Solidarity museum. Finally, we had a vodka tasting and learned about Polish vodka.

Red Brick and Gingerbread

Malbork Castle

Torun, Poland

On day 3, we said farewell to Gdansk and headed towards Malbork castle- a massive and beautiful brick castle. On the way to Malbork, we got to see a gigantic stork nest along with some storks! Agnes also gave a history lesson about Poland and the frequently changing borders it has experienced. This provided some enlightenment as to why Laura’s great-great grandparents might have left Poland. One of the most incredible parts of our Malbork castle tour was seeing the reconstruction from World War II melt into original structure. After our tour of the castle we continued our bus ride to Torun. We had an orientation walk around Torun and then we went and made gingerbread ornaments. We had a free evening to explore Torun and shop! Torun was hosting a Union of Cities festival, so we got to enjoy the parade while we were there.

Poland’s Countryside and Capital

Warsaw, Poland

On day 4 we departed Torun and headed towards Poland’s capital city of Warsaw. On the way to Warsaw, we stopped at the open-air museum. We toured several 19th century buildings there and saw some farm animals too. We had a delicious homemade lunch at the open-air museum. Afterwards, we continued on to Warsaw where we were treated to a Chopin concert at our hotel.

Historic and Contemporary Warsaw

Warsaw, Poland

Our first full day in Warsaw started with a walking tour with our guide Jola. We learned a lot about the history of Warsaw. That afternoon and evening we had free time. We found the most delicious pierogis we have ever had, indulged in another pączki, stumbled upon a beautiful park, and watched the changing of the guards.

Polish Pride & Jewish Culture

Warsaw, Poland

Day 6 was a heavier day, as we learned about the Warsaw ghetto. It was surreal to see remnants of the Warsaw ghetto still visible in 2023. We also went to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and learned about the Jewish experience in Poland throughout history. We had a free afternoon so we indulged in more delicious pierogis and wandered Warsaw. That evening we had a question and answer session with the owner of our hotel followed by a Ukranian feast with traditional Ukranian music.

Pilgrims’ Path to Krakow

Krakow, Poland

On day 7 we loaded the bus to make our way to Krakow. We stopped in

Częstochowa to see the Black Madonna. This was an unforgetable experience. We continued on to Krakow. Our first experience in Krakow was St. Mary’s Trumpet Call, a charming tradition that we watched several times during our stay in Krakow. We had a free evening so we had a delicious meal at a Krakow restaurant.

Historic Krakow

Krakow, Poland

On day 8, we had a walking tour of Krakow with Tomasz. We had watched Tomasz on a Youtube Rick Steves video and we were very excited to meet him! We also got to try the Polish version of a bagel, called a obwarzanki. That afternoon we had our pierogi making experience. We were teamed up with several members of our group and went to the market with a native Pole to buy ingredients. Then we went to her house and she showed us how to make pierogi- it’s a lengthy and intricate process!

A Taste of Communism

Krakow, Poland

On our last full day of the tour, Tomasz gave us a tour Nova Huta. We learned more about what life was like under Communism. We had a free afternoon so we had a nice meal in Krakow and did some shopping. We had our farewell dinner that evening in a beautiful restaurant. It was sad to see this incredible tour come to an end and say goodbye to everyone!

Auschwitz

Day 10 was our last official day of the tour. Once breakfast was over, the tour was over. We used a tour company and made the trip to Auschwitz. This was a must do for us while in Poland. Our guide through Auschwitz-Birkenau was extremely informative and her tone matched somberness of the place. Walking through this place where unimaginable atrocities occured is an experience we will never forget.

Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Laura had wanted to visit Poland ever since she found out her great great grandparents came from Poland. Drew didn’t know much about Poland but he was excited to see what Poland had to offer. We both came back in love with this beautiful country, its culture, and its people- and ready to go back again soon!

Laura went into this trip concerned that there would be a language barrier. She tried to learn Polish... but it is a very difficult language to learn! We were very surprised to find that many people we encountered in our travels throughout Poland spoke English. We also really appreciated that our guide Agnes taught us Polish phrases and words throughout the trip. We still use the Polish phrase for bless you- na zdrowie, whenever we sneeze!

We considered including our trip highlights, but there were so many wonderful things we saw, heard, and did, that we couldn’t possibly pick favorites. The food, culture, history, and sights of this beautiful country are all worth experiencing. As the sun set on our last night in Poland, we were sad to be going home, but we know we will return again someday.