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Art Hotel in Wrocław, Poland, from where I’m posting this. Some tidbits:
Rick Steves doesn’t include Wrocław in his guidebook, but it’s the fourth largest city in Poland, and from what little I’ve seen so far, it’s prettier than Kraków or Warsaw. The city is pronounced “vrotes-waff,” not “row-claw.”
Arriving last evening after a long train journey and lots of rain, we tried to get into the hotel. The main entrance was up several steps, which were all completely covered by businessmen smoking cigarettes or vape pens. I had to push through them to get into the hotel, as they wouldn’t make way for a woman in her 70’s lugging a suitcase into a hotel. My guess is that none of them were Polish.
Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant was good. They feature seasonal ingredients, so right now, in addition to the regular menu, they have a special asparagus (Szparagowe) menu. This includes white asparagus, which was also once featured on a menu, and thoroughly enjoyed in Switzerland about this time of year, but many, many years ago. It’s grown covered up, so that it doesn’t develop a green color. It’s also very thick, but compared to asparagus at home that’s hard and fibrous whenever it’s any thicker than about a quarter of an inch, this white asparagus was tender and delicious. It was also prominent at the indoor market we went to this morning.
The Art Hotel publishes a book (for sale here for 50 Polish złoty, about $13, with the translated English title, “Around the World in 77 Days 1904-1905.” Released in 2005, a hundred years after this fictitious story ends, and also a hundred years after the death of Jules Verne, author of another circumnavigational story, but which needed 80 days. This one involves Ferdynand Deseire, a Pole whose surname came from his French Father. To win a £1 million bet, his team sets out from London in December 1904, to traverse Earth in 77 days. The book is a series of 77 paintings by Polish artist Janusz Klekot. The protagonist, Ferdynand Deseire, looks curiously like Jules Verne, long white beard and all.
The hotel has 77 rooms, and each features a different panting from the book. They say you’d need to stay here 77 times to see them all. Ours depicts “Aczyńsk” (Atchynsk or Achinsk for non-Polish-readers), a place in Russia about 500 miles north of the point where Russia, Kazakhstan, and China meet, on December 30, twenty-five days into the journey. It features Siberian huskies and a sled, in addition to chilly-looking people.
The book also includes an image of Warsaw, naturally, and a meeting with Tsar Nicholas II who gives them a Letter of Safe Conduct for passage through Russia. Because of the Russo-Japanese war at the time, though, they have to detour south to Shanghai, and then steam to Hawaii (Hawaje). Reaching the USA, they pass through Yuma (Juma), seven years before Arizona became a state, then El Paso, Texas. Two days later they reach Fort Worth, Texas, after passing through Kolorado (Colorado). Huh?!? The map accompanying the book suggests they stayed down in Texas, and didn’t venture so far north to Colorado, then back down to Texas. There is a Colorado City in Texas, so theoretically that’s it, but the painting showed tower rock formations, and red soil, which doesn’t quite add up. Artistic license, I guess.
They later fly in a hot air balloon in Indianapolis, where I was born. Even later, arriving in Liverpool, Day 77 is then a train to London.
From our room on the fourth (Polish third) floor, I can see down the street to a ramen restaurant that has continually had a long line waiting outside the door, last night and all day today. Their noodle bowls must be exceedingly good, or exceedingly cheap.
