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Podlasie – fabulous Eastern Poland, Day 2 – Girl on a Trail
Heading from Bialowieza to northern Podlasie, it is worth visiting the ruins of the church of St. Anthony in the village of Jalowka. Arc vaults, high columns and huge windows, give the idea of the former glow of this place. The temple was ruined at the end of the war in 1944. At that time, the German army, for fear that this place was an excellent observation point, blew it up. In front of the ruins there’s a special altar where mass is celebrated every year on St. Anthony’s Day. Just 12 kilometers from the ruins of the church there’s a closed border crossing with Belarus, Zubki Bialystok – Brestowica.…
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Podlasie – fabulous Eastern Poland, Day 1 – Girl on a Trail
I have to admit, I made a cardinal mistake about my past travels. I had been planning a trip to Podlasie in Poland for a long time, but cheap flight steered me away from visiting this place. Only recently I managed to go there. What I can say, I am disappointed that Podlasie is such an underrated tourist region, although looking objectively I contributed a bit to it myself. This place surprised me with a homely atmosphere, rich history, culture and excellent cuisine. So far I’ve imagined Podlasie as a gray and gloomy place, somewhere on the border with Belarus, meanwhile I’m impressed with the amazing number of colours and…
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Warsaw’s bazaars – the capital lives here
What comes to your mind when thinking about Warsaw? For sure not bazaars… Most people would say that the Palace of Culture and Science, skyscrapers and fancy boutiques in the city centre. There’s no doubt the center of Warsaw is completely different from the rest of the city. As a matter of fact each capital’s district represents its own ” homey ” climate. In Warsaw’s life, for years, bazaars have played a major role. Not only have they been a place of trade but also an important meeting spot. It’s true that I’m a little late with this post, as it lacks the “pearl” of Warsaw markets – the European…
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Girl on a Trail – on the way to Poznan
I tried to visit Poznan two times before, I had bus tickets being almost ready to go but then new opportunities to travel somewhere else popped out. I really don’t know what I can write on my excuse, as Poznan is a special place on the map of Poland. It’s the only city which is mentioned in Polish anthem. Poznan is an interesting city for a weekend trip, both in terms of culinary, leisure and sightseeing. Anyone can find something for themselves there’re ale lot of interesting activities, numerous architectural monuments, the famous Malta lake or the excellent Swietomarcinskie (St. Martin’s) croissants stuffed with white poppy seed with added nuts,…
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Ciechocinek – famous Polish spa
Personally, Ciechocinek, until recently, seemed to be the place straight from the famous film “Back to the future”, but with one exception, to the communist past. Specific architecture, old clinics, pools are the typical things from the past times. This famous spa is about 200 km from Warsaw, so I decided to take a short trip to confront my ideas with reality. The vast majority of tourists are patients who have come here for treatment. Ciechocinek has a large reservoir of brine used in the nervous, circulatory or respiratory diseases treatment. The origin of the brine dates back to the 13th century. When Poland was under the occupation and the…
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Warsaw – 1,2,3… bungee
Have yoy ever tried bungee jamping? I guess everyone has had a falling dream even once. I’m not superstitious and I don’t believe in dream interpretations but reportedly it connects with an anxiety of losing control over a particular aspect of life. Fortunately I’m unfamiliar with such dilemmas but on the other hand lack of control of situation makes our life diversified and fascinating. Once in a while I realize that I need something new, unusual which will stick in my mind forever. Although I don’t like such dreams I’ve decided to try it in practice. The main difference between bungee jumping and falling dream is that the anxiety transforms…
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Sandomierz and the optimist’s stone!
Sandomierz is a picturesque town located on the seven hills, surrounded by loess gorges. However, not only beautiful landscapes invite to this place. Strolling along the Old Town streets, you can get the impression as if the time here has stopped. Sandomierz charm lies in numerous monuments and townhouses. What’s more, it’s leisure atmosphere, makes it an ideal place for rest. Medieval Gate The entrance to the Old Town is the Opatowska Gate, from top of which you can admire a beautiful view of nearby townhouses and the panorama of the Vistula river. Besides amazing, medieval architecture in Sandomierz you can find a lot of parks. The perfect place for…
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Torun – fabulous town
Torun (Toruń) is a mesmerizing city famous of its history, diversity and mysterious gothic buildings. Medieval, old town streets, townhouses built form red bricks, defensive walls and towers, located on Vistula river, create an unique atmosphere. Main part of the Old Town is the Town Hall. There, form the 40 m tower, we can admire beautiful view of surrounding old buildings. Just in front of the Town Hall, there’s a monument of the most famous Polish astronomer – Nicolaus Copernicus. However the most interesting, especially between the youngest tourists, is a little dog called Filutek, which guards his owner’s bowler and umbrella very bravely. Beside it, is a very famous…
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Artistic Warsaw – murals
Warsaw keeps surprising me everyday. It’s nice to see how it transforms into modern metropolis which in my humble opininion can compete with other famous European capitals. This modernity relies not only on urban infrastructure development but also on public space diversification. Street art is one of these components which create city atmosphere. Interesting murals can be found in various places in Warsaw such as gates or walls. What’s more, they aren’t only art for art’s sake but also they present an alternative and interesting way of depicting Warsaw history and people who lived here. The best way to see this uniqe pices of art is a bike tour, just take…
