A Sunday Trip to Mazovia

My blog's stats are telling me that not all of you, dear readers, are acquainted with Poland and Polish culture; otherwise I would probably be writing this in Polish. I don't often mention here much about my heritage, but when I've had, many of you seemed to be genuinely interested. This is why I've decided to share my Sunday trip and show you some beautiful places in Mazovia, which is a central region in Poland where I had lived before moving across the pond.


On Sunday, me and my parents first headed out to Żelazowa Wola, the birthplace of Polish pianist and composer Frederic Chopin (this is especially for you, Citrine!). We'd all been to the museum when still in school, but let me tell you, a lot has changed since then. The Chopin's family mansion and the surrounding garden are well maintained and beautiful at this time of the year, and small strategically placed speakers play beautiful music composed by Chopin as you stroll between the trees.


Then, through fields blooming with red poppies and blue loggerheads, we drove on to Nieborów to see a barocco palace and a park, which used to be owned by one of the most powerful noble families in Poland, the Radziwiłłs. The palace is unique in that it retained its original decor and furnishings and wasn't plundered during WWII, unlike most Polish historical sites. The park features many ponds and alleys, but most of all, beautiful old trees, like the plane tree in the photo below.



We then had to make a stop for dinner, which was traditional Polish cuisine, something we don't enjoy that often. I had delicious pierogi with lentil and minced meat filling, yummy!


The last place we visited was Arkadia, a romantic English garden founded in the 18th century by Helena Radziwiłłowa. The most interesting aspect of the park are faux ruins, like the aquaduct pictured below, which were all the rage at the time. Walking through the park, we managed to burn off some of that pierogi we had earlier!


The trip was fantastic and I'd recommend it to anyone visiting central Poland and especially Warsaw, since it's so different from the hustle and bustle of the capital. I was supposed to be studying for my exams on Sunday, but I'm glad we escaped to the countryside, it was lovely and peaceful.

Let me know if you liked this little peek of Poland and whether you'd like to see more, I could sneak in some photos of Warsaw if you like!