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You are here: Home / Senior Women Travel / World Travel for Baby Boomers / Poland / The Artful Mill Town of Bydgoszcz, Poland
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The Artful Mill Town of Bydgoszcz, Poland

by Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski 3 Comments

The Camerimage Film Festival takes place each year in Bydgoszcz, Poland. My partner was invited to attend as a guest speaker and we spent 4 fun-filled days there. This charming mill town is located in the Northern part of the country on the Brda River.

Find a local guide in Bydgoszcz, here.

We arrived after a 10-hour flight from Los Angeles to Frankfurt, transferred to a 1 ½ hour flight to Warsaw where we met a taxi driver who drove us four hours to Bydgoszcz. He spoke no English so we couldn’t communicate with him. In retrospect, we should have landed in Gdańsk which is only a 2-hour drive, but our itinerary was booked through the film festival.

Arriving at our hotel

We stayed at Hotel Sloneczny Mlyn, a comfortable and conveniently located hotel near the Opera House where the festival was held. As soon as we checked in, we were whisked away by our designated handler, Basia (Barbara), who escorted us to the festival and a party that included a sumptuous feast of Polish cuisine.

hotel sloneczny mlyn
Our hotel in Bydgoszcz – Hotel Słoneczny Młyn (means Sun Mill)

The city’s state-of-the-art Opera House is on the shore of the River Brda.

The Bydgoszcz Opera house on the Byda River in Poland #Bydgoszcz #Poland #Operahouse #Camerimage
The Bydgoszcz Opera House on the Brda River

Buffet Polish style

The hotel served a tasty breakfast buffet in the morning. In true Polish fashion, it featured specialties like Bigos, (hunter’s stew) pierogi (dumplings with various fillings) fish, cheeses, button mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, pastries, and delicious coffee. My kind of breakfast!

Polish Breakfast
From our hotel buffet

A quick tour of Bydgoszcz

We had some spare time so Basia took us on a tour of the old section of Bydgoszcz. (Pronounced Bid – Ghost with a ch on the end) It took me a while to spit that out correctly. There was a war memorial in the Old Market Square to commemorate citizens killed during WWII.

The Monument for War Victims in Bydgoszcz commemorates those who died in the city during WWII
Monument for War Victims in Bydgoszcz
The Leon Barciszewski Statue commemorates the mayor of #Bydgoszcz during WWII who was murdered by the Nazis. He was a city hero. #statue
Leon Barciszewski Statue – He was the mayor but was killed by Nazis.

The Gothic Revival Style Saint Andrew Bobola’s Church in Bydgoszcz was built in 1903. I was immediately mesmerized by the mystical insignia at the portal.

The Bydgoszcz Cathedral was built in 1466 in the Gothic style on the site of a wooden church burned down by Teutonic Knights.
Portal of the Saint Andrew Bobola Church

The colorful ceiling and pillars of the Bydgoszcz Gothic Cathedral Church built in 1466 sits on the site of a wooden church burned down by Teutonic Knights.

Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Saint Andrew Bobola's Church
Bydgoszcz Gothic Cathedral ceiling

More photos of our tour of Bydgoszcz

Click on the images below to view the full-size photo gallery.

Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Brda River by Opera Nova
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Downtown Bydgoszcz
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | War Memorial Old Market Square
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Locks on River Brda
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Granary Warehouses
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Cathedral Church

See more photos of our trip to Poland here.

Lunch at a centuries-old Polish restaurant

We worked up an appetite walking around so we stopped for lunch at a rustic old restaurant called Karczma Młyńska (Mill Tavern) housed in a 300-year-old building. It’s located on the Brda River on Mill Island and is decorated with antiques from Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Bydgoszcz, Poland
Karczma Mlynska restaurant

The first item we were served was a small pot of pork fat that you spread on freshly baked bread. The idea of it sounded unappetizing and unhealthy, but it was tasty.

Pork fat and bread with beer
Antiques in the restaurant

I also had a bowl of Zurek soup made with soured rye flour and meat (usually boiled pork sausage or pieces of smoked sausage, bacon, or ham). and a shot of cranberry vodka. It was a perfect warm-up, especially for a southern California girl not used to the cold.

Dave and Polish Soup
Polish Vodka

My companions dined on stuffed pierogi with ham and Barszcz. (beetroot soup)

Polish Pieroggi
Yummy Pierogi with ham
Baby Boomer Travel | Poland | Karczmę Młyńską Bydgoszcz
Eating at Karczmę Młyńską Bydgoszcz

Meat is a big thing in Poland

Most of the restaurants in Poland feature Kielbasa or other types of sausages.  You’ll find fresh handmade sausages in butcher shops free from all the fillers and junk in American-made sausage. Goose, duck, pheasant, and rabbit are also popular menu items in Poland.

Big pot of pork fat
Polish Butcher Shop

One dish that I have no desire to try is duck’s blood soup.  Sorry, even though I’m a raving foodie, I can’t go there.

A brewery by the river

While the guys were off doing their presentations, Basia took me sightseeing along the river Brda and we ate lunch at a local brewery.

Boomer Travel | Poland | Warzelnia Piwa - Brewery Beer - Bydgoszcz
Lovely Basia our handler at Warzelnia Piwa – Brewery Beer

The next day, the guys joined us there. Did you mention beer?

Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Warzelnia Piwa - Brewery Beer
Warzelnia Piwa – Brewery Beer with the whole gang

More from our time there

Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Old Town Market Square
Bydgoszcz Old Town Market Square
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Brda River
Brda River View – Bydg
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Dluga Street
Dluga Street – Bydgoszcz
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Kin Casimir III of Poland
King Casimir III of Poland – Bydgoszcz
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Locks on River Brda
Love locks on the Brda River – Bydg
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland |Locks and River Brda
River Brda and Locks – Bydg
Bydgoszcz, Poland
Brda River
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Mill and River Brda
Mill on River Brda – Bydg
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Karczma Młyńska on River Brda
Karczma Młyńska restaurant on River Brda – Bydg
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | River Brda and ducks
River Brda and ducks – Bydg
Bydgoszcz, Poland
Cameraimage Film Festival 2013
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Cathedral of St. Martin's and St. Nicholas
Saint Andrew Bobola’s Church – Bydg
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Stary Rynek statue
Monument to Struggle and Martyrdom in Bydgoszcz
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Street with militia
Bydgoszcz street with militia
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Downtown Bydgoszcz
Downtown Bydgoszcz
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Leon Barciszewski statue
Leon Barciszewski statue – Bydg- mayor of Poland during WWII
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Zywiec Beer
Dluga Street with Zywiec Beer sign – Bydg
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Polski Bus
Polski Bus – – Bydg
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Entrance to the Cathedral Church
Entrance to Saint Andrew Bobola’s Church – Bydg
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Poor Clares' Church, Bydgoszcz Cathedral stained glass
Bydgoszcz Gothic Cathedral stained glass
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Saint Andrew Bobola's Church
Bydgoszcz Gothic Cathedral ceiling
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | War Memorial Old Market Square
The war memorial at the Old Market Square
Baby Boomer Travel | Poland | Karczmę Młyńską Bydgoszcz
Eating at Karczmę Młyńską Bydgoszcz
Boomer Travel | Bydgoszcz, Poland | Bread and Pork fat - Karczma Młyńska
Bread and Pork fat Karczma Młyńska restaurant Bydgoszcz
hotel sloneczny mlyn
Our hotel in Bydgoszcz

How to deal with the language barrier

Many older people in Poland don’t speak English. However, students in school are now required to learn English so if you need directions ask someone under 40. Barbara was able to help us pick out what we wanted to eat on “Polish only” menus and decipher train schedules. I wish we could have taken her with us when we left for Warsaw and Krakow.

Changing times, more conscious nutrition

I asked Barbara if heart disease was a big problem in Poland because of their meat-heavy diet. She didn’t think so but I later found out that heart, respiratory disease, and cirrhosis of the liver, due to drinking lots of vodka are common problems for Poles. Their diet may not be the healthiest in the world, but their food is still delicious.

Cabbage, wild mushrooms, and beets are cancer fighters after all. I love stuffed cabbage, cabbage soup, Barszcz, and anything with sauerkraut! The Poles also love to eat wild berries and other fruits when available.

Barbara said there are vegetarian and vegan restaurants popping up in Poland for those who are more health-conscious, but because the weather is harsh, and it gets dark as early as 4 pm in the winter, that probably explains why they love eating so much meat. It keeps them warm on long winter nights!

Bydgoszcz was charming and visiting a smaller town in Poland is a wonderful way to learn more about the people and their culture. I hope we get invited back again.

Find the best things to do in Bydgoszcz, here.

Have you been to Poland? Please leave a comment and let us know.

Bydgoszcz is located in the northern part of #Poland on the River Brda. It is Poland's 8th largest city. It has a quaint atmosphere with art, gardens and a large Opera House. Despite it's rough history during WWII, it is a lovely place to visit. #Bydgoszcz #Polishtown

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Filed Under: Poland Tagged With: Baby Boomer Travel, Europe, hotel, International Cuisine, restaurant, Travel Over 50

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About Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski

Rebecca Olkowski is a travel/lifestyle blogger and founder of BabyBoomster.com, for active older women over 50. She is a purveyor of all things fun, loves to venture out in the world, is a foodie, and lives in Los Angeles.

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