PS20 - Torun

Torun is a beautiful, wonderful medium-size city an hour or so's drive south of Pluznica. It's also the birthplace of Nikolai Copernicus, the first astronomer to propose a heliocentric model of the universe. We had the privilege of spending an entire day there, and the weather was beautiful!

Roughly, "Nikolai Copernicus - A man from Torun made the Earth move and the Sun stop."

Magda and the fiddler's statue. In a sense, this legend intrigues me even more. The story is like this: Torun was once plagued by frogs, and the Mayor at the time was so distressed that he offered his daughter and a bag of gold to anyone who could rid Torun of the frogs. So a little boy came and played his fiddle, and led the frogs away.

Maybe Magda is their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter, and the story comes full-circle.

There's also a fetching little skating rink in the square.

The Copernicus Planetarium, which unfortunately was only running a children's show while we were there.

Sophie and Katarzyna in front of an opera house.

This is a famous wall - if you're a maiden, I think you're supposed to stand in front of it, and if you hold out the longest, you'll be the first to get married. The trick is that the wall bends inwards, so if you have your feet flat against the wall, it will take an effort to keep yourself from stumbling forwards.

I guess Ashley won, because she has a ring and a date. =)

The famous river Wisla. Torun has been an important shipping point for hundreds of years.

Hmm, I don't know if a Renault will make it that far. =)

At the Nikolai Copernicus University:

Obey the signs while you're in Poland. No cell phones, no food, no 007 trenchcoats and briefcases, and most of all - no bugles!

return to NetCorps exchange, Phase 2 (Poland), and other stuff