Bydgoszcz

Well I am back! And decided to kick off the year with a trip to Bydgoszcz, it's Poland's 8th biggest city and only an hours drive from Torun.  Bydgoszcz is very dear to me because it was my first ever experience of Poland in the summer of 2007 and I loved it, and while it isn't bursting at the seems with tourist attractions and things to do, it's a nice, normal Polish city.

Because Torun and Bydgoszcz are so close to each other and joint capitals of their vovoideship, there's a degree of rivalry between them.  Torun has the beautiful, original old town, and Bydgoszcz is well known in Poland for being distinctly un-pretty, and while I have to agree (granted the black slush all over the ground yesterday didn't help) I really do like Bydgoszcz.

It's situated on the Brda river, surrounded by lots of forest and the square is well, not bad actually.  I would even say that the lack of touristy sights to see, things to do etc in Bydgoszcz is part of it's charm and while I love Polish history, culture, architecture and experiences, Bydgoszcz is an excellent example of Polish normality, and it is also great for shopping!