Day 6 - 10th March 2013, Zielona Góra

Today was a rather uneventful day, as the majority of it was spent travelling on a long train journey  that involved three separate trains with little time to connect between them and around 10 hours travelling. However, we started out early, at around 8.30am and so arrived at our destination in time to find something to eat and make the most out of the evening and our limited time here.

Stary rynek (Main square) in Zielona Góra at night

It is worth saying at this point that Zielona Góra is absolutely my favourite Polish city. I know a couple of people from here, and the town is not at all one that would generally be full of tourists - the only tourists here would generally be from across the border in Germany looking to get in touch with their historical roots, as the town was formally German, known as Gruneberg. However, it is now quintessentially Polish whilst still maintaining some vague references to German architecture and style.

Haust bar and brewery where we spent the first evening

The reason the city is special to me are twofold. First of all, I know two people and their families from this city or very close by, and these people are good friends of mine and generally special people in my life. Having said this, the town is special in it's own right - unlike certain provincial cities in Poland, the city has a colourful and pleasant atmosphere, with many of the buildings being of a pleasant colourful facade. It also has an extremely unique and interesting attraction in the form of the Palmiarnia, or Palmhouse, which I feel a very close connection with. This is the second reason.

Bottle of the local brew - the way forward!

The Palmiarnia is both a botanical garden, a Greenhouse and a restaurant, complete with a viewing terrace overlooking the city, set in wonderful green surroundings and is generally a very refreshing and welcoming place to be, particularly in the summer. It is set in a park that is, or was, actually a vineyard, as the city is well-known for its wine producing, and holds a wine festival every September, known as Winobranie. It is a place I feel completely at peace and relaxed. However, since we arrived relatively late into the city, after checking into our accommodation we simply went out for something to eat and had a drink of the locally brewed beer known as Haust which is brewed on the premises next door to our hotel since 2004.