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Here is a video I took of the Eiffle Tower during the light show. 

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Paris, oh Paris!

Paris, oh Paris! I have always wondered why this place was everyone’s favorite spot to go to. Once I visited the famous city, it made perfect sense. The atmosphere and vibe was definitely unique. Just like Poland and Czech have their own culture, so do the French. I love the Parisian charm. The best part about Paris, despite how small the city actually is, there is always something to visit there. The museum choices are endless, unfortunately during out five-day stay in Paris we were only able to visit two museums. We went to see Museum d’Orsay and The Louvre. We had to get that selfie with the Mona Lisa!

Paris was our first pit stop in Europe, therefore we were insanely jet lagged the first day. I couldn’t sleep for the first week we were in Europe, I was a bit of a zombie. My friend and I organized an entire itinerary of the things we were going to see in Europe, particularly Paris, but unfortunately we had to stray away from our itinerary considering our jet lag. We were still able to see a lot though.

The first thing I noticed in Paris were that there were military personnel walking around every big landmark. We stayed by the Arc de Triomphe, therefore there were military walking there as well. At first it kind of scared me, but I got used to it as time went on. Many people warned me about going to Paris and London, because of the political issues going on, but I didn’t see anything that made me feel unsafe.

Here is a photo I took of a military personal walking around The Louvre. 

The first day we got to see the beautiful Eiffel Tower. It was an overcast day, but the scene still looked beautiful. There was a Korean couple taking wedding pictures on the famous steps in front of the Eiffel Tower. My friend and I took a million photos for a couple hours, considering we didn’t know the next time we would be back there again. Below I shared a photos I took.

I want to share my experience at The Louvre, because the museum is quiet a magical place. The lighting in front of that building is breathtaking. You can see below in some of the pictures that I have attached. I have the read the book The Da Vinci Code, that was the imagination I had of the museum. It was quiet accurate because the museum was huge. If the directional signs weren’t up we would have definitely gotten lost. The art was beautiful! The Mona Lisa was located at the end of the museum. We knew when we found it because there was a huge crowed standing around it. We were able to squeeze through the crowd to the front to see the painting. I was expecting a huge painting, but it was absolutely tiny. You couldn’t get close to the painting because it was guarded, and it had a screen protecting the painting. Although we were successful a taking that selfie with the Mona Lisa! 

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Here is a video I took in Prague old town square. 

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Prague

Next we’re going to go to the southwest of the Polish border. We are going to visit Prague in the Czech Republic. During our winter trip in Prague we stayed at Linder Hotel Prague Castle with the best concierge I’ve ever had. We were helped out with every little thing, and they had the answer to every question. The night we landed in Prague, it was 11 pm and I was starving. The concierge recommended us going to a Cuban restaurant, since it was one of the only open places at that time. The place had salsa dancing and delicious food! The name of this place was called La Bodeguita Del Medio Music Bar & Restaurant.

Here is a picture I took of the hotel we stood at. How cute!

Our second day in Prague we went to visit St. Vita Cathedral. This place is the largest and most important church in the country. The church started being built in 1344. It has a gothic architecture. When we went to visit the cathedral there were Checz soldiers guarding the cathedral in 14 Fahrenheit weather. I was impressed with the determination they had to stand in freezing weather. You could tell their cheeks were rose red from being frozen.

Below are a few pictures I took of the Cathedral.

Despite the cheap currency that the Czech Republic had, Prague was pretty expensive. When we went to visit old town all the restaurants were pretty expensive. It calculated to be around twenty dollars a person. Although Prague did have my favorite old town. Whichever direction you turned there was a beautiful landmark. The Prague astronomical clock was one that stood out to me most. The clock was installed in 1410. This clock is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world.

 Below attached are a few pictures taken by me of the old town.

Here is a link to “The medieval Astronomical Clock in Prague” which will give me background on the astronomical clock. http://www.prague.cz/astronomical-clock/

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Here is a video I took of a hand made sculpture made out of salt. Next to the sculpture is our tour guide at Wieliczka. 

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Krakow

Like I mentioned a little earlier during my winter trip to Europe I visited Krakow, which is my favorite Polish city. Krakow is located in the southern part of the country. I fell in love with the city as a little girl. It was where my grandfather was from. I enjoy being there so much because the of the atmosphere. The city is old and has a lot of culture. You can feel and see the culture around you. As you walk around the city there are beautiful cathedrals, little antique shops and small souvenir shops everywhere. The city has a unique vibe.

The old town in Krakow is absolutely beautiful. There is a tall church in the middle of the square, called St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica. The inside of the church is incredible. During my winter visit in Krakow, when I was walking through the square there were horse carriages parked in front of the church waiting to take tourists on a ride along the city. I captured a photo of it posted below.

Below is a picture of the inside of the St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica posted on: http://beatitudeswyd.wixsite.com/wyd2016/single-post/2016/03/25/The-Wawel-Cathedral-and-St-Marys-Basilica.

Below is a picture of some traditional Polish food we ate in old town in Krakow. This restaurant was called Pod Aniloami. This pictures has white Polish sausage, kluski, potatoes and chicken soup. Delicious!!

Krakow is also known for one the most famous castles in Poalnd. It’s called Wawel Royal Castle. According to: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/poland/articles/the-10-most-beautiful-castles-in-poland/ it is rated the first out of the top 10 most beautiful castles in Poland. This castle was built for King Casimir III the great. It is one of the largest castles in Poland. It has a medieval, renaissance style since it was built in the 13th and 14th century. Here is a link that elaborates on more of the history of Wawel: http://www.wawel.krakow.pl/en/index.php?op=3.

Here is a link to video that takes you on a tour of the castle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYW5u8hUBfE. 

Krakow also carries Wieliczka, a salt mine, which is considered one of the seven wonders of Poland. Wieliczka was created in the 13th century. Now, if you are not up for a long adventure, this is not something for you! It took us three hours to visit the salt mine. A tour guide takes organized groups on tours every few minutes. The tour guides take you 135 meters underground and leads you through windy tunnels. They discuss the history of the salt mine and explain the underground hand-made salt sculptures. The tour guide also leads you to the Chapel of St. Kinga, which is the most beautiful part of the salt mine. This place has so far been visited by forty-one million tourists. If you are up for an adventure this is a great place for you!

Here is a clip that gives more historic background on Wieliczka: http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/?pg=33&s=films_details&id=1285.

Below is a photo I took of the Chapel of St. Kinga.

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Here is a quick video of Jelenia Gora during winter taken by me.

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Jelenia Gora

I’m going to start writing my blog about Poland since that is where I come from. I try to visit my country about once a year. I usually go in the summer, since that’s when the weather is best. Yet this time I took a trip through Europe with one of my good friends from school during winter this past January. I then got to visit my own city along with Krakow that I haven’t seen in many years. The vibe in Poland during winter is so much more different than in the summer. During the summer the cities are radiant with deep dark green trees, grass and mountains. The sun stays out till 10 pm, which is by far one of my favorite things, because you get to enjoy long, long days. While during winter you see no difference between the sky and horizon, it all flows into one. There is no green, everything is basically gray. It’s cold, very cold, like 9 Fahrenheit cold. It gets dark out about 4 pm. There is still beauty in the country at this time, but it’s a lot different.

Here is are two photos taken by me this winter in old town. This was one of the only sunny days during our stay.

Jelenia Gora has a population of 84,306. As you can tell it’s a very small city. Jelenia Gora means “deer mountain” in translation. It is located in the south western part of Poland, very close to the Checz boarder. This city consists of old town, like most Eastern European cities, the main city, and the suburbs. There is an enormous amount of history in this city, because Europe is so old.

On the suburbs of the city there is a little town called Sobieszow. This is where my grandma lives. The city actually has little castle called, Hojnik. This castle built in 1292 by Duke Bolko I the strict. In 1675 the castle was struck by a lightning and burned down. In 1822 the Schaffgotschs family rebuild the castle and added a tower. In 1964 the Polaks restored the ruins and now the castle is up for visits.  The castle is located up top of a mountain. I have hiked to it quite a few times to see the castle. The best time to do it is during summer or spring, because that’s when the weather allows for it. The experience of the castle is very magical; you can feel the history in it. The secluded surrounding really helps out with that. Once you climb the castle to the top you have a view of the entire city.  Absolutely beautiful!

This picture was posted on http://www.piechowice.com.pl/zamek-chojnik/ website.

The city also contains many, but many old churches that are absolutely breath taking. My personal favorite is one that I had my first Communion in and I was baptized in; it is called Podwyzszenia Krzyza Swietego. This church was built in 1710-1770. The art inside is absolutely stunning.

This photo was taken by Krzystow Wrona. Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kościół_Podwyższenia_Krzyża_Świętego_w_Jeleniej_Górze,_Ołtarz_główny.JPG.

When it comes to food in Poland, I may be bias, but it is one of the best tasting foods out there. A few of Polish famous foods are pierogis (aka dumplings), bigos and kopytka. Ultimateley my favorite tasting thing in Poland is pizza. In the small town my grandma lives in, is one restaurant and it’s a pizza place, the best tasting pizza there is out there. It is called Pizzeria Colosseum. I brought the friend that traveled Europe with me, and she agreed. Here is a picture of the delicious pizza:

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Places in the world

I know the most basic blogs are about food, fashion and travel... And yes, I’m dedicating this blog to travel. Traveling is my passion, and there is nothing more in the world that I love to do. Exploring new cities, finding cool spots to take pictures in, trying new foods, meeting new people, observing different cultures and learning about them is where I find myself the most content.

I come from a small town in Poland called, Jelenia Gora. Most people never even heard of it. I moved to the US when I was eleven years old. I first lived in La Crescenta for about six months, and then moved to Laguna Niguel, where I lived there since. Never have I ever thought as a little girl that I would be living the Southern California dream. Most people from my town never leave, move within Poland, or leave to Germany or England. As a little girl I remember hearing stories about LA and how amazing and warm it was and how there are movie stars walking around everywhere. Obviously that came out to be a lie, but the fact that Southern California is amazing and warm did not. I love living where I am, and I’m insanely blessed and happy to live here. At the same time I will always love my motherland.

The transition from Poland to California was what made me passionate about travel and learning about different cultures. This experience taught me that every culture is unique, and that every country has something completely different to offer. I have visited eight countries so far and I plan to continue. I want to travel the world. Besides Poland and the US, I have been to Mexico, Bahamas, England, France, Czech Republic and Germany. My next pit stop is either Costa Rica or Thailand. I plan to dedicate this blog to my experiences throughout each country and cities throughout the world.