Oh, the Places You'll Go!

If someone has visited Poland, chances are they've been to Kraków. Perhaps they've also been to Warsaw. Maybe Gdańsk (but probably not). But the longer I'm here, the more I learn about gems that are hidden below the surface and off the beaten track (or at least, off the radar of most American and Western European tourists). The following list is a work-in-progress that I will continue to add to as I learn more. In no particular order, here's just a few of the amazing places I would like to visit:

• Przemyśl, Krasiczyn Castle, and the Bieszczady mountains (also Lviv, Ukraine, which is just across the border)
  
• picturesque Kazimierz Dolny
  
• Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains -- a hugely popular summer and winter destination for Poles, but a place I had never heard of before coming here
  
• Białowieża Forest-- huge primeval forest in eastern Poland and western Belarus. They have bison!
  
• Toruń, a red brick city from the days of the Teutonic Knights, has fantastic gingerbread. Also, Copernicus was born here.
  
• Lancut castle
  
• Gniezno, the first capital of Poland, and today famous for its cathedral doors
  
• Warmian-Masurian lake region
  
• Malbork castle near Gdańsk, headquarters of the Teutonic Knights and the largest Gothic castle in Europe
  
• Częstochowa, famous for the Black Madonna icon
  
• German bunkers in Miedzyrzecz area
  

And of course, the cities:

• Poznań, Lublin, Wrocław (whose Old Town is connected by 100 bridges), Katowice, Łódź, Szczecin, and more!

Here's a Map of Attractions from Stay Poland.com