I understand that TS do not intend to run this tour again and I believe that JY have no plans either so I don't see any point in doing a full review. However if anyone is thinking of a trip that includes Polish cities or a tour with another company I can thoroughly recommend a visit to this country.
Poland is a beautiful country with a fascinating history and although I obviously knew of the devastation wrought upon it in the 2nd World War I didn't appreciate that the country has actually been decimated and even obliterated 3 times in it's history. That it and it's cities are as beautiful and vibrant as they are is testament to the spirit of the Polish nation and their love of the country, its customs and culture. Anna, our local guide for the whole of the trip demonstrated this very clearly and was excellent in her explanation of the complex route taken to the Poland of today. All of the individual local guides we had were also excellent. Carole the TM did a fantastic job including keeping us entertained on the long coach trips (of which there were several) with quizzes and dingbats (new to me!!).
Of the cities we visited the one that surprised me most and I think many on the trip was Gdansk as for most of us our knowledge was limited to TV coverage of the Solidarity struggle and we visited an excellent museum located in the shipyard dedicated to this movement. The hotel location was fabulous right on a vibrant waterfront and close to the old town. Wroclaw (pronounced Vroslav) was a delight with the dwarf trail and I also loved Poznan. It seemed everywhere we went there was a celebration of some kind going on - the Poles have a real love of life. Food and drink were inexpensive in most places, a few hotels were more expensive but generally a coffee cost approx £2, a large beer £2 and a good meal could be had for £4 in the self service restaurants.
To any singles concerned about going on a TS holiday I would say don't be. All the couples were friendly and inclusive but there is no point in mentioning names as they don't use this forum. However I will say thank you to Roger the Red and Caroline (Magpie 10) from here for their company. Good to put faces to the Forum names, happy travelling and maybe meet again in some corner of the world.
Chris