You may think, if you've seen Poles in their national costume, that they're a gentle, unassuming people. If so, you've certainly never driven there.

Many of Poland's roads have only two lanes for cars. Along the sides of the roads there are also bicycle lanes. When you drive the roads, people constantly pass each other so that you feel you're playing an ongoing game of "chicken." Slower cars are expected to drive more or less in the bicycle lanes, swerving around cyclists, while cars that want to go faster occupy the center of the road. Perhaps it's this good-natured bravery on the roads, where you often confront other drivers but seldom see road rage, that allowed Poland to confront the old Soviet Union and help bring an end to it.

Poland has played a major part in many other conflicts, fighting with Lithuania to put an end to the Teutonic Knights in 1410 and suffering the same fate as the Jews under Hitler, who murdered millions of them.

If you hunger to see medieval castles, Poland has hundreds to explore. If you long for faith, you'll find no better example than the Polish people who remained true to their Roman Catholic religion under Soviet persecution. Their churches remain full of worshipers. If you want culture and excitement, cities like Warsaw and Krakow exude it while the countryside offers the peace of rolling hills and the many beautiful "pols" or fields for which it is named.

Poland stands firmly on the southern edge of the Baltic Sea.	The Polish flag is a horizontal stripe of white over a stripe of red.

 
 
In a Nutshell...