Cryotherapy in the sea, windbreaks on the beach and the heat that has subsided. For Czechs and Germans, this sounds like a perfect vacation
Polish Baltic? The most beautiful beaches with fine sand, modern resorts, excellent service, good food, lots of attractions, great bike paths, low prices. This is not a leaflet from an advertising folder, but real opinions of Germans and Czechs about our coast. In the face of record-breaking heat and catastrophic fires in the south and west of Europe, the Baltic’s capricious and unpredictable weather is also becoming an asset. And the horror receipts? There are those who believe that they are seaside legends.
“Thermometers are 15 degrees, it’s raining all day, but we don’t mind – we have the whole beach to ourselves” – Czech woman Jana, who is resting with her family in Rusinów in Western Pomerania, boasts in social media. In the photo, she in a raincoat and smiling children buried in the sand up to their heads. She’s not the only one.
– Exactly 590 years ago the Hussites reached the Baltic Sea for the first time. And this year, probably the rest of our country – laughs Pavel Trojan, director of the Foreign Center of the Polish Tourist Organization in Prague and author of Czech guides to Poland. His guide to Pomerania was completely sold out at the beginning of July, and a veritable Polish madness continues on Czech tourism groups in social media. “Croatia has ceased to be a Czech country in the summer,” write the Czechs, who went to the Baltic Sea en masse this summer. However, they immediately point out that the Baltic Sea should not be called Polish Croatia. “Treat the Baltic like the Baltic, not like Croatia” – they advise, because paradoxically the cool sea and changeable weather turn out to be advantages today.
“The climate is changing, as we all see. This, I would say, the freshness of the Baltic Sea is something that is really starting to be appreciated – says Piotr Piwowarczyk, president of the Świnoujście Tourist Organization (ŚOT).
Czechs cuddle plush geese, Germans count money
While the world is watching tragic photos of beaches red from fire in the south and west of Europe, smiling Czechs are posting photos from Baltic beaches and resorts online. Obligatory with a plush goose, which is a souvenir hit this summer. They go to museums, parrot houses, oceanariums, visit lighthouses, eat fried fish, walk along the seashore. – I drive through the city and every day I pass not one, but many cars with Czech registration numbers – says Grzegorz Jóźwiak, the mayor of Dziwnów.
– Do you know what is the advantage of Poland over Croatia? When I was on the island of Krk and it rained for four days, I had nothing to do. And the attractions that tourists get in Poland allow them to plan their free time practically 24 hours a day – says Pavel Trojan.
