It’s good to be back. Back in Poznań, Poland, that is.

I took the train from Łódź to Poznań on 11 December 2018, as I did from Warsaw to Łódź a week earlier. This time, however, instead of a direct ride, I had to transfer. Twice. I rode from the central train station in Łódź to a suburban one. Then I took a local train from there to a small town called Kutno. The next transfer caused me some anxiety, since I had only eight minutes there to catch my connecting train to Poznań. And, naturally, my train was five minutes late, giving me only three minutes to sprint over to the other track and on to my last connection. But I made it.

But it was all worthwhile when I arrived in Poznań. As soon as I landed, I felt just the way I did when I first set foot here back in July: I could totally live here! Oh, Poznań blows both Warsaw and Łódź out of the water. There’s a big-city-on-the-rise-with-a-unique-character energy and excitement here that’s lacking in the former two cities (which is ironic, given that both of them are larger than Poznań). And there are young people, and, more to the point, attractive young women, out and about everywhere. (Although there are a lot of old people out and about too. European cities really throw into stark relief how age-segregated many of their American counterparts are.)

Still, some differences with my previous visit were immediately apparent. One thing had nothing to do with the place itself, and everything to do with my different approach to this trip. Last spring and summer, I traveled around the world carrying only a laptop bag and a carry-on, my Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door backpack. That carry-on bag contained, for example, just one long-sleeve shirt and one sweater. Because in the spring and summer, that was all I needed.

Traveling in the late fall and winter is a different prospect entirely. This time, I’m lugging around a new, larger laptop bag (I bought a new 15″ Windows laptop back in August that doesn’t fit in the manpurse I bought in Sri Lanka for my old MacBook Air), the same carry-on, plus a huge suitcase. That suitcase contains, among many other things, three sweaters and three long-sleeve shirts. Which I need, because when I go outside, I am usually wearing all three shirts and all three sweaters simultaneously, over a t-shirt and under my scarf and winter jacket. Because it’s cold.

Sometimes (such as right now) even indoors I’m wearing seven layers. It’s not that my apartment is cold and drafty. But since leaving my parents’ house, where I consumed copious quantities of meat, sweets, and alcohol every day, here in Poland I’ve excluded all three from my home cooking. (And so far, I haven’t eaten out once, so all I consume is home cooking.) With the result that I’ve lost somewhere between five and 10 pounds, I’d guess. And with that loss of body fat, I’m pretty much always at least slightly cold. But there are advantages to this diet: I’m only spending about $15 a week on food, which is pretty damn near miraculous given my metabolism.

But I digress. The point I was making is, traveling with a big heavy suitcase is a different experience than traveling with only a backpack. Stairs are a lot tougher, for one thing.

And that gets me to the other big difference this time around. The time of year. The outdoor cafés are a lot less appealing in December than they are in July, naturally, and just as naturally, all that outdoor seating has disappeared for the season.

But, December does have its charms. It’s Christmastime in Poland, after all. After Łódź’s rather disappointing Christmas market, I’m pleased to report that Poznań’s is much better. (Although, to be fair, Poznań’s market is only officially open 17-21 December; perhaps if I went back to Łódź now, it’d be in full swing and be more impressive). Here are some images for your viewing pleasure. Merry Christmas!