Left the hotel (WiFi was much improved in the morning) after breakfast for a 3 hour hour guided city tour of Poznan. The guide Malgorzata (Margaret) met us at the hotel and rode with us. She was very bubbly and enthusiastic, maybe a bit too talkative but fun to listen to nonetheless.
Poznan has 600,000 people and 90 Churches. It is the first capital of old Poland and is famous for kings, goats, and potatoes.
We made 3 stops in the town Center, old town island (surrounded by three rivers) and old town center.
The old town center was one of the nicest we have seen. Too bad we couldn't spend too much time in there or have lunch.
A pair of goats heralded by trumpets arrive at 12:00 pm every day on the parapet above the clock in the St. Stanislaus Cathedral. The town square had bronze statues of Greek Gods, noticed Apollo and Neptune.
St. Martin's bread is from here. We bought chocolates and sweet rolls from here.
I had a new 2 z coin and when I asked our guide Grzegorz what it was, he just about snatched it from me and gave me a standard one saying he collects those. I thought that was rather rude of him and he should have asked me if he could have it and I would have gladly given it to him. Other guides in the same situation typically have encouraged tourists to hold on to it as souvenirs.
Left Poznan for Czestochowa at around 12:30 pm, taking the Motorway this time passed 2 toll booth on the way.
Passed Two toll booths prior to lunch stop.
Lunch was at McDonalds on the roadside. We had been told that beef in Poland was rather tough and pork was the meat of choice and that's what McDonalds used, so I was somewhat looking forward to a pork quarter pounder with cheese. Unfortunately this particular ones claim to fame was 100% beef burgers. I settled for the chicken wings and parfait. The chicken wings were very good and the parfait tasted the same as in the US.
Went past Łódź, the longest street car route is here - 60 km. The people take street cars into the fields to work. Previously it was the second largest city in Poland, now displaced from that position by Krakow.
Checked into the Mercure Patria Hotel at around 6:45pm. The rooms are small and at 27c with heat blasting in, that cannot be controlled. Repeated complaints to the front desk and to Grzegorz got the answer of "open the windows" and a rude dismissal.
Dinner at the hotel:
Food: C-
Service: B
Mercure Patria Hotel:
Facilities D
Service D-
WiFi Poor.
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