Perhaps the Planty is more sweeping in high Spring but if you want peace and quiet the Botanical Gardens are a fine place to relax (and, of course, to whisper sweet nothings with the apple of your eye.) To get there, stroll down Copernicus street - which provides a good walk in itself with its panoply of churches and lines of trees (this was the ancient route to Poland's great eastern city, Lwow). Amongst many natural beauties one finds a sturdy old oak that has stood here for some 500 years. Legend has it that King Boleslas the Big-Moustached hid here during the Swedish Deluge. O.K, that's made up, but it is true that Poland's first hot air balloon was launched from the astonomical observatory here in 1784. (Open May-Oct. 9-7p.m).
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