Our Excitingpoland "Pearls of Poland" tour from May 19-31, 2024 enriched our lives. My husband and I traveled with 5 fellow Americans and a friendly, accommodating bi-lingual driver/guide named Witek. We were transported in a comfortable 9 passenger Mercedes bus for approximately 2 weeks. We would not have learned, seen, and done nearly as much on our own. Warsaw, Torun, Poznan, Krakow, Gdansk, and Zakopane were some of the cities we visited. Malbork, Wawel, Jasna Gora, the Baltic Sea, and the Tatra mountains along with many cathedrals and churches took our breath away. We also saw remnants of war such as Hitler's Wolf's Lair, the Schindler Factory, and Auschwitz-Birkenou. When we were leaving the glorious mountain views of Zakopane and headed towards Auschwitz, Witek appropriately referred to the contrast as "visiting Heaven and then visiting Hell", but those sobering sites were worthwhile and left equally profound impressions on us. This was a very well organized tour (thank you, Grzegorz!) The guides in the cities and at the sites were knowledgeable and informative. The hotels were nicer than expected and the FOOD! The breakfast buffets and well chosen restaurants did not disappoint! Poland is an amazing and beautiful country with resilient people, incredible history, and fascinating art and architecture. We have visited various places in Europe and elsewhere, and when compared to destinations with similar amenities, Poland is a travel bargain.