Goldring Travel’s Pondering of a Pop Over to Poland

As a respected travel agent/advisor/counselor/professional (Just call me a travel agent. Geez!) I receive many offers to participate in FAM (or Familiarization) trips offered at a deep discount. I never…that is never…take up any of those offers; mostly because I don’t feel these trips give me an opportunity to really see what the ship, hotel or tour product really is…and why should I spent $1,000 or more for a “discounted” trip I really have no interest in.

However, I do, from time to time, receive offers to participate in sponsored and fully paid “Forums” where I am provided with complimentary airfare, hotel, tours and meals in exchange for which I am pretty much trapped in a room with dozens of suppliers that want to meet with me to pitch their products.  These can be, for me, a painful experience because most of what is being pitched to me are products my clients would never be interested in.  However, once in a while I will find a hidden gem of a supplier and that, to be sure, can make the entire experience worthwhile.

And, to be honest, I “suck it up” because this forum is being held in a place I have never been…and, ya never know, I just might learn something.  And speaking of learning something, I find it is always better to learn a bit before I arrive, so come and take this virtual journey with me!

Poznan, Poland

In mid-November, I will be traveling to Poznan, Poland for such an event: The European Travel Agent Forum.  I mean I have never been to Poland, I have an Eastern European Jewish heritage and I was able to add a three-day post-forum tour of Lodz and Warsaw, Poland.

Interestingly (at least for me) the Forum has requested I participate in a panel discussion on Culinary Travel. Imagine that?!  Of course, I will and hopefully it will be an opportunity to not only share some of my knowledge but to gain some new relevant contacts…because it is important for me to “know a guy” wherever my clients may want to travel. There are going to be presentations not only about Poland, but Russia and suppliers from Eastern Europe that I otherwise probably would never encounter and might well be of interest to my clients who like to travel off the beaten paths.

Speaking of travel…I know! I know!  Where the heck is Poznan, Poland, how do you get there, and what is there?

Flying from the West Coast of the United States (well actually in between the West Coast and the desert) to Poland is not the shortest of my travels.  However, working with the Forum (and my kicking in just a little for the best flights) I find that on my longest legs I will be flying on Lufthansa (and I am Star Alliance Gold so I get those perks) in a 747 on the way and an A380 on the return.  Pretty cool flying on the first and most recent (last?) jumbo jets on the same trip! I discovered that Lufthansa may well keep its 747 fleet longer than its newer A380 fleet. (At least as a travel geek I think this experience is interesting.)

Poznan is located in north-central Poland, on the Warta River, about three hours from Gdansk/the Baltic Sea and an equal distance from Warsaw and not much further from Berlin, Germany.  It is known for its old town with Renaissance-style buildings around Old Market Square and an apparently famous town hall clock that has two rams butting heads at noon.  There are also a number of universities and churches.  So far, so ho-hum. But Poznan was also the location of some pretty horrific Nazi atrocities including running experiments with gas chambers on the mentally ill.  (Apparently one can visit a gas chamber; something this Jewish guy isn’t exactly excited about.)

On the brighter side, and as I have said oftentimes, cuisine is a doorway to understanding local cultures. There appear to be some pretty awesome culinary opportunities that I can try out before the forum begins.    Knowing cabbage, pig’s knuckles, kasha, and pierogis are most definitely old-school Polish cuisine (and who doesn’t love a pierogi?!), it harkens back to a relatively poor farming life…which is why soup (one of the great extenders of proteins and vegetables) has deep roots in Poland.  Fortunately, Poznan appears to have elevated its culinary opportunities with a number of small, high quality and creative restaurants which play off of its heritage.  And, of course, I will have to try one of the many local fruit-based liquors including many varieties of nalewki (fruit, sugar, honey or herb-based), vodka and beer.

Courtesy Haaretz

While I am in Poznan I will be staying at the Novotel Poznan Centrum, which is, fortunately, located near the old town. It is called a four-star hotel, and appears to be quite modern, but I am not so convinced.  That is part of the adventure and, most certainly, not my main reason for this trip.

After my four days in Poznan, I will be heading to Lodz (pronounced “Woodg”) for one night. A friend of mine has been there and said it was a bit depressing as it has never really recovered from the Nazi occupation (and murdering of not only 300,000 Jews, but most of the non-Jewish population as well). There is a significant revitalization program that has been ongoing over the past few years, so I am interested to see if it has progressed further than say, Constanza, Romania.  I am interested in what the tour emphasizes, hopefully including at least some of the Holocaust memorials, to be sure!