Positively Poznan
In the third and final installment of his series on Euro 2012 travel writer Brendan Harding gets to grips with Poznan, the main fan-base for Irish fans during this Summer's football spectacular.
Poznan's famous fans doing 'The Poznan'.
The train to Poznan from Gdansk arrived with uncanny time-keeping: the clock on the station platform read 19:59, exactly as predicted on the timetable. Outside the station, and despite the late hour of arrival, the work on the construction of the new station, and central transport hub, continued unceasingly and is due to be completed long before the Euro 2012 kick off. Poznan, it was clear, was hard at work making sure that the city's part in this summer’s football showpiece would be remembered for all the right reasons.
The five hour journey from Gdansk had been hitch-free (and alcohol free it must be noted). The train had skimmed through a flat landscape of pastoral beauty where ever-alert deer fed on shoots of new grass by the edge of dark, fairy-tale forests; storks picked through the furrows of newly ploughed fields, and from the chimney stacks of remote lake-side houses smoke drifted skyward in nebulous pink columns into the fading evening sky. A journey which reminded those whizzing past in speeding carriages that Poland is more than a once-off destination.
After a quick change in the wonderfully appointed Andersia Hotel Poznan's inviting streets awaited exploration.
At one vodka bar, where a youth dressed in a Soviet-era police uniform stood smiling awkwardly like a theatrical prop by the door, the crowds inside were already in high spirits. 'All Drinks €1 EACH' the sign on the window declared as my liver gave an audible groan.
With such a choice of entertainment fuel would be required. In the basement restaurant of the Gospoda Pod Koziolkami on the old city square (The Inn under the Goats – I'll get to that) the period-costumed waiting staff filled the groaning table with pirogi and dumplings, roasted duck flesh and pork meat, breaded fishes and tender steaks. Local beers of countless varieties were swilled with a joie-de-vivre at every full and ebullient table.
Thus armed the night came and went in a haze
of song and new friends. The talk was of football and expectations, what-ifs
and maybes, and the daringly uttered words of Semi-Finals and Final.
In the cold light of day I retraced my steps through now bright streets and saw, properly, the beauty of Poznan. In the night's darkness I had missed the romance of the Old Town and the Old Market Square where the antique merchant's houses rub shoulders with cathedrals of spirituality and palaces of culture. Each day on the stroke of noon, in the clock tower of the Town Hall, two metal Billy Goats appear and lock horns. These same goats have lent their name, and their image, to everything from restaurants to the mascots of the local football team Lech Poznan (the mascots are called Gzub and Ejber, in case you're interested).
On a bright Sunday afternoon I got a taste of the championships to come. Enclosed in the white orb of the city stadium the noise emanating from the blue-shirted Lech Poznan fans as their team beat Slask Wroclaw two goals to nil, emphasised the sheer scale of what might be. The Poznan fans are known worldwide for their vociferous qualities and the complicated choreography which accompany their chants. So well performed are these spectacles that the act of turning their backs on the field of play while jumping up and down in unison has come to be known simply as 'doing The Poznan'. As I stood in the stands I imagined the shirts had changed from blue to green, the players names from Polish to Irish and the chants became ones I knew and anticipated with relish. June couldn't come quickly enough.
Getting to the stadium couldn't be easier with trams running from the city centre direct to the grounds. Armed with nothing more than a Poznan City Card fans can ride public transport within the city, access museums and other cultural centres and receive discounts in a city already serving value for money as a staple. Free shuttle busses will also be provided from the specially designed city centre Fan Zones; places where those without tickets can indulge in the atmosphere, eat, drink and party until the briefly disappeared midnight sun rises once again over the city. Also, the tournament's Host Cities have prepared a single integrated public transport ticket – the Polish Pass – valid for the duration of the tournament (www.polishguide2012.pl)
Well know for hosting international conferences and exhibitions finding accommodation in Poznan should not pose too much of a problem. From top class hotels (with top prices too) to smaller, more affordable options such as lesser-quality hotels, guesthouses, hostels and campsites, fans will have a wide choice. But, be warned, early booking is essential. As the day draws closer prices may rise dramatically.
I was enthralled by Poznan, and a little surprised by this beautiful and welcoming city. Over one of the finest meals I've had the pleasure to experience (a lovingly hand-made pie assembled from a cornucopia of mouth-watering delights), in the homely atmosphere of the TOGA Restaurant on Ul. Ratajczaka, I found a place where homage is paid to organic and seasonal ingredients. The food, I imagined, was from an age when care was taken to preparation and presentation, until I realised that Poznan, and Poland, also live by this self-same mantra. The country is prepared, and ready, to present a feast for one and all.
GETTING THERE:
Ryanair fly direct to Poznan from Dublin - www.ryanair.ie
STAYING THERE:
Andersia Hotel (4 Star) - www.andersiahotel.pl
Hotel Lech (2 Star) - www.hotel-lech.poznan.pl
Fusion Hostel (Old Town) - www.fusionhostel.pl
Melody Hostel (Old Town) - www.melody-hostel.pl
Frolic Goats Hostel (Old Town. Also has a large selection of apartments (250) 16km from the city centre with easy transport day and night) - www.frolicgoatshostel.com
EATING THERE
Gospoda Pod Koziokami (Old Town) - www.podkoziolkami.pl
TOGA Restaurant, Ul. Ratajczaka - www.toga.poznan.pl
Brow aria Restaurant (Old Town) - www.brovaria.pl/EN-H28.html
NIGHTLIFE:
The Dubliner Pub - http://www.dubliner.com.pl/index.php/lan/en/a/1
Dragon Bar (Old Town, 24 Hour, eclectic and arty bar), Ul. Zamkowa - http://www.dragon.krzyk.pl/
Poznan Local Tourist Office - www.plot.poznan.pl
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Euro Poznan - www.europoznan2012.pl
Poznan Local Tourist Office - www.plot.poznan.pl