Europe

  • Luxembourg

    Luxembourg – the fabulous or financial Dutchy?

    It’s very hard to determine if Luxembourg is the fabulous or financial Dutchy. It’s one of the smallest and the wealthiest countries in the world. There’re more than 150 banks and numerous EU institutions and international corporations.  What’s more, the unemployment rate and taxes are the lowest in EU, in one word – real idyll. According to European Statistical Office, the minimal wage there is twice bigger than average wage in Poland! It’s no wonder that, at least half of the residents of this country are immigrants. A lot of people from France, Belgium and Germany commute to work here, every day. It’s visible that there’s a specific official atmosphere.…

  • Ukraine

    Sweet Lviv and the best coffee on sand!

    During organizing a trip to Lviv, it didn’t run through my mind that it’s the land of milk and coffee. We used to connect Ukraine mainly with cheap alcohol, cigarettes and halva made of sunflower seeds.  By the way, it wasn’t only our image. We saw it on our way back to Poland. When we heard one big noise of bottles at the bus station, we knew that this journey would be very hard. In a fact, the reality turned out to be worse. During more than 6-hour customs inspection which was ended in pushing the bus (battery had gone flat) I was thinking why in the depths of 54…

  • Holland

    Rotterdam – the unreal city

    Rotterdam, called also the „Gateway to Europe/World” is mainly associated with the biggest port in Europe and the third – biggest in the world (just after the Singapore and Shanghai). Another famous symbol of this city is Erasmus of Rotterdam. This famous philosopher matches perfectly to the multicultural character of this cosmopolitan city. During our visit there, we had an impression that in this second – largest city in the Netherlands, the Dutch are in the minority. It is said that there’re at least 160 nationalities in Rotterdam. But not only the biggest port and cultural diversity make this city an unique place. Nowhere in the Netherlands you will find such interesting…

  • Lwów - Cmentarz
    Ukraine

    Lychakiv and Cemetery of Eaglets – difficult History lesson

    On the Lviv hills is a place which is the best History and Art lesson. It’s Lychakiv Cemetery. It was built at the end  of 18th century and it’s one of the oldest burial grounds in Europe. The whole necropolis is somewhat a metaphor of the death embodied in sculptures which look like real figures which present grieved angels and sounded in eternal asleep or fossilized in mourning people. Beautifully decorated gravestones, tombs and shrines seem to struggle not only with passing time but also they fight a losing battle with overgrowing vegetation. But not only artistic aspect makes this cemetery exceptional. It’s an expression of multicultural character of Lviv…

  • Estonia,  Europe

    Tallinn – gloomy Patarei prison

    Tallinn connotes mainly with a magical atmosphere of medieval town, surrounded by fortified towers and beautiful pastel townhouses. However our connotation of this city differs significantly from this picture. Our memories refer predominantly to barbed wires, dark corridors and hair – raising operating theatres/rooms of gloomy Patarei prison. This place hides nearly 200 years of Estonian history. It was built in 19th century as a fortress to protect harbor in Tallinn. In 1920 it was changed for a prison. During WWII, POWs were incarcerated here. After war it was used by KGB. It’s estimated that in peak time, more than 1000 prisoners were held in this prison. According to the…

  • Denmark

    Christiania – utopia, social experiment or tourist attraction?

    Copenhagen, the capital of the one of the richest EU countries is famous for beautiful architecture, picturesque canals and upmarket restaurants. On the other hand, there’s also Christiania – something like a “country within a country”. In the Christianshavn district, close to picturesque canals, there’s an inconspicuous gate which leads to another reality of self – proclaimed, independent city – Christiania. It was created in 1971 when first hippies seized the previous military base area. New inhabitants settled in abandoned military barracks and created city infrastructure such as nurseries schools, schools and cultural/artistic institutions. Christiana was a symbol of liberty and revolt against imposed social norms. At its peak it was inhabited…

  • Denmark,  Sweden,  Tip for a trip,  Tips

    How much does 6-day trip to Denmark and Sweden cost?

    Is it possible to organize 6- day trip to Denmark and Sweden on budget? In a fact the cost is a relative concept, what’s  cheap for some for others is beyond reach. During our trip to these countries we tried to reduce the costs of transport and accommodation maximally. On the other hand it doesn’t mean that we lived there as hermits. We  stayed in an apartment located in the city center, visited everything what had been planned, used public transport and tasted very good food.  Was it cheap or expensive? Take a look and assess 🙂 Our trip was a little bit complicated because we wanted to visit Denmark…

  • Ukraine

    Only in Lviv!

    We’ve been waiting for a trip to L’viv for a long time. This city is a part of long Polish – Ukrainian history.  We hadn’t known what to expect there but our visit turned out to be a journey to the past. Having got off at local bus station at 8 o’clock, we saw another reality. This city brought us back to the old, pre-war Warsaw times and resembled Polish conditions around 30 years ago. It was a very important cultural center. Many famous Polish writers, scholars or artists lived here. A lot of Polish prominent figures were buried in the old Lychahiv Cemetery and in the city many monuments…

  • Sweden

    Jakriborg – medieval ghost town

    Halfway between Malmo and Lund, somewhere in the middle of Sweden fields, there’s a sleepy town surrounded by a red rampart. After passing the gate which is the element of fortifications, one can see another, medieval reality. Pastel townhouses with soaring roofs, decorated with colorful windows and doors, winding along cobblestoned lanes, look fabulous. The town seems to be abandoned. There’s no residents or playing children, let alone tourists. In front of the house are bikes, on playgrounds you can see barbecues or even toys so someone must live here. There’s an absolute silence, you cannot hear even fast trains passing through nearby Hjärup station. Walk along the old town…

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