The only trick? Finding a cafe around here. We have some restaurants. We have some nightclubs. We have a lot of sort of dodgy-looking places where you can buy beer or vodka. There are cafes, too, but wintertime in Sopot is dead time, and Poland doesn’t really have the cafe culture you find in places like Amsterdam or Berlin or Paris. There are no tourists here in the winter, and not many locals go to cafes in the first place. So when it’s not summer, several of the cafes on the tourist strip simply close down—or, if they’re open, they’re deserted. Try sitting in a cafe where you are the only person and where customers are clearly unexpected. It’s slightly unnerving.
But last week I got lucky: I found Cafe Kultura. One block off the tourist strip, this snug little cafe is partially hidden behind a giant, heavy door nestled down a couple of steps from the sidewalk. I had passed by once in the daytime and thought, hmmm, what’s this place? At night you can see the candles glowing from inside, and a few folding chairs out front. So last week I thought I’d give it a try.
Well.
It’s perfect.
Giant comfy couches and overstuffed chairs. Thrift-store oil paintings on the crowded walls. Kitschy decor like someone’s grandmother’s attic. And books stacked willy-nilly everywhere. Lace and doilies and candles and flowers. Polish music. And the.best.pear.tea.ever. Not to mention, the chocolate cheesecake. Even better? There are people in here. Meeting, chatting, sipping tea and eating dessert. It’s lovely. It’s cozy. It’s the best 20 zloty ($5.28) I spend all week.
Happy Friday. (Looking forward to Wednesday.)
With a name like Kafe Kultura, it sounds perfect. Self-care and self-love is the theme this month I think. Good for you!
OOOPS forgot to change my web address!
Agreed, Janet! It is the theme for this month…I’ve been doing Susannah Conway’s April Love and it’s been a lot of fun, and very thought-provoking. 🙂