Europe 2026 – Day 16 – Wroclaw

We had another relaxing start this morning. We made breakfast in the apartment from what we bought yesterday at the convenience store. Alina needed to get a phone number so that she could communicate with repair people that she needs to book to deal with the issues in her apartment. We also needed more groceries. So we rode our bikes to the local mall, which was anchored by Carrefour.  Many of the intersections that have traffic lights have these bars for cyclists to lean on so they don’t have to take their feet off the pedals.

Carrefour is the French multinational that pioneered the hypermarket or “everything under one roof” model that combines supermarket goods with department store items. It was my first time in one, but a familiar format with Costco, and since Walmart had groceries.

I  thought these carts that accommodate two shopping baskets were cute.

Alina visited one of several cell phone stores at the mall and got an eSIM. They told her to come back after an hour, so after doing our shopping, we got lunch at the mall.

Alina’s eSIM was still not active when we went back, so we took the groceries back to the apartment and then went out for a ride. Last fall when Alina was in Poland, she bought a book of rides around Wroclaw. The book provided QR codes to get GPX files for the rides. The cues were not in the GPX file, but because I have a paid Ride with GPS account, I was able to auto-trace it to get the cues. Here is a screenshot of the route.

We decided to do a short section near the apartment because it was late afternoon by the time we left.The trail started out very close to Alina’s apartment and was a smooth granular surface.

We stopped at a Park Mamuta. I remember seeing a picture in one of Alina‘s rides on Strava last fall of this woolly mammoth. The mammoth structure encourages climbing and active play with plenty of shade. The park was inspired by the discovery of mammoth tusks in the area in the 1990s.

Shortly thereafter, we passed a streetcar terminal. I like the way that the streetcar tracks are often set in grass here.

The Cemetery of Polish Soldiers (Cmentarz Żonierzy Polskich) is a memorial site established between 1968 and 1970. It holds the graves of over 600 Polish soldiers from the 1939 September campaign, the Second Polish Army, and victims of Nazi terror. It was created to consolidate scattered graves found throughout Lower Silesia after the war. Alina recalls school trips to the site.

It features a massive 23 m monument designed as stylized Hussar wings. It is situated on an artificial hill next to the Ślęza River. There was a lovely line of flowering trees in blossom.

Alina explained that Polish Hussars wore wings primarily for psychological warfare, intimidation, and to display their elite status as noble heavy cavalry. These large, feathered frames, attached to the backplate of their armor or saddle, created a terrifying, loud, and distinctive appearance intended to demoralize enemies and frighten their horses during a charge.

It is decorated with reliefs of soldiers. One of them depicts silhouettes of lancers and horses during the charge in 1939, while the other captures the scene of the attacking soldiers.

The route deteriorated to a single track on a berm next to a the Ślęza River. At this point, it was after 6 PM and we were starting to get hungry.

Alina suggested pierogies for dinner, so we headed to a local restaurant.

After two slower days, I was beginning to feel more rested and ready to continue exploring. Tomorrow, we will have an earlier start by having breakfast at a restaurant that is in the Michelin guide.