Thursday, August 25, 2011

Poludniowy (South) Park


You can enter the Soutrh Park from many different entrances, but as you are inside, you find yourself surrounded by green. Big and paved paths guide you through the beauty of this park, which is coulourful and alive. It is a relatively small park, so after 10 minutes of walking you can reach the main space, which is consisted of one river and a big square with Frederic Chopin's statue. It is really amazing how alive this statue seems, as most of the statues you can see in Wroclaw.

Szczytnicki Park


As you walk into the Szczytnicki Park, you find yourself like in a fairytale. Wide roads guide you to the heart of the park, under the shadow of the treas. Wherever you turn your head, there is green. Sometimes grass, sometimes really high trees that hide the sun. The surprising thing about this park, and what makes it beautiful, is the variety in types of trees you can find there. It is really fun to explore the nature around you, breathe some clear air and relax reading a book in one of the many alleys of the park.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

WHO ARE WE?
Hello!I am Kelly from Greece and I would like to introduce you to my coleagues: Amanda from Brazil, Susan from Hong Kong, Vivian from China, Vladimir from Serbia and Oussama from Morocco. All of us are gathered in Wrocław, Poland, where we have an international internship as volunteers. We are working for the Social Education Center of Wroclaw, and we have the opportunity to be a team and make a blog about how we see Wroclaw from our perspectives. It is a really nice chance to stay in another country for two months, walking in the roads and taking pictures, and then writing about it and sharing your experiences with other people.

ARE YOU READY TO EXPLORE THE REAL WROCLAW?

As all of us were exploring the paths of Wroclaw, we have discovered some really interesting routes that are passing through the most important sites of Wroclaw. We really enjoyed walking them and we will post them here with the hope that you will too. Each route takes approximately one day for a person who visits Wroclaw to walk them. So get ready to put on your good shoes, and watch the most important sites of Wroclaw with our guidance!!!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Botanical Garden ( Ogrod Botaniczny)


This amazing garden attracts many people every day, local and tourists combined.It is an oasis of beauty and restfullness, and as I was walking through its paths, it really reminded me of the garden in Eden. It is a big garden wih all kinds of flowers and plants, divided in sectors.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Getting the Full Polish Experience

Everytime I travel, I find myself looking for what is good to eat, some local specialties. Well, the cuisine of every place is part of their culture, being usually related to a especial event and even having its own history. In Poland nothing changed. And while searching for what to eat in Wroclaw, I found a cuisine much based on potatoes, meat and vegetables (especially cabbage and mushrooms). To me, Polish food seams a classical example of homemade and comfy food, as it is not full of luxury, but well done and well seasoned (in general of course), which is of huge importance to please me.


Thursday, August 18, 2011

One Little Help With the Polish




Language is a trace of culture increadible important, as it unites people. But at the same time, it can avoid it. You really realize that when you go to a country without knowing any word besides 'hi', as I did in Poland. When you need to talk and simply can't, neither to ask for information or even to be nice, with a thank you and a good morning! Because, at lest for me, polish is not a language that I can assimilate with others I know, being a lot different from english and the latin languages, in a way that it is hard to catch common words or just get the meaning of what is being told. Though, after six weeks here, getting used to the sound of the language, and understanding what people are trying to tell me, even not knowing the exactly translation, is just extremely pleasant .. So, here goes a little list of basic words that might help you get involved with the polish life!

"Thriller It's not only a movie” Exhibition – Feel the horror and anxiety by your heart




"Thriller It's not only a movie” Exhibition – Feel the horror and anxiety by your heart
Venue:
BWA Glass and Ceramics Gallery
Nowadays, we depend too much on words or texts. Sometimes we should receive the message of a piece of works by our hearts. „Thriller It's not only a movie” Exhibition provides us a chance to practice this type of appreciation. Once you have entered the exhibition, you can feel the anxiety immediately. Among the seven exhibits, there are different mediums of works ranging from picture to model, object to video. Like its name – you can feel the sense of thriller not only in movies but also other mediums.

Rub your eyes – more than meets the eye



Rub your eyes – more than meets the eye
Venue:
BWA Awangarda Gallery
BWA Design Gallery

(Before the exhibition:
BWA Awangard Gallery is the biggest gallery in Wroclaw. It mainly showcases contemporary art. It is based in the former site of old Hatzfel Palace. During World War II it was destroyed and nowadays it is nicknamed as "living ruin". The looks outside of the gallery is already very astonishing. Moreover, there are lots of exhibitions and activities which take place in the gallery. For sure you will find something interesting whenever you pass through the gallery.)


There are many ways to go to Wroclaw. The city counts with its own airport, which will actually be expanded as an investment for the UEFA EURO 2012, together with the construction of a new and modern terminal. You can find cheap flights with companies such as Wizz Air, LOT and Ryanair, so it's a metter of researching. In advance is always better if possible.

Another way that can suit you is to go by rail. The Polish trains are not the most modern or faster, but there are some cheap and confortable options when looking directly to the Polish Rail (PKP) timetable and fares. All the trains I got so far have the classic cabins, and if your are lucky you can have most of it for yourself! It has been also a surprisingly good way to travel as I have headaches while reading on buses but not on trains. There are some direct trains to other turistic Polish cities, but it is not so easy to find them if you want to come from or go abroad.

Then probably is better to look the bus companies. Although you can not streach your legs and walk as in the trains, some trips are much less expensive and faster to go by bus then train, besides the fact that may be easier to find direct buses then trains to the countries nearby. There are many options to look at, all I have seen providing wi-fii during the trip, which does not always work on its best but is definitly a convenient service.

And then, of course, you can go by car. Although I read many bad reviews about the conditions of the roads, haven't really travelled through a bad one, even though they were all one lane roads. Maybe it was my luck. Anyways, it seams a good option if you want more privacity, make your own schedule; and adventures, many would say.

Once you made to Wroclaw, it is pretty easy to get around. The city has a good and cheap public sistem that includes trams, trains and buses. Especially the trams and buses can take you everywhere for a good price, as it takes only 1,20 zlots to get discount tickets (for students, senior and kids), which can be purchased at the machines located in some stops and inside the vehicles. The difference is that inside them you can only pay by card, but in both machines you have the option of getting up to ten tickets.

But there is almost no need to take transportation. Most of the city attractions are close from each other, so it's sometimes even faster to walk or ride a bike to get to the places you want then waiting for the right tram to be there. The geography also helps to save energy, as Wroclaw is incredibly flat. Besides, walking is the easiest way to actually look at the details of the streets and buildings, see what polish people do and where they usually go to, and simply really experience your stay.

As for the bikes, there are some places you can rent them, as at the tourist information center at Rynet (Market Square), and in many of the hotels and hostels around. But since this summer, the cheapest way to rent one is to use the Wroclaw's Urban Bike system. You have to register online first, which costs 1zlot, and then it is just find a pick up station to start biking. There are 23 of them, the most popular being at Uniwersytecki Square, Market Hall, Galeria Dominikańska, Market Square or Bema Square, and the 20 first minutes are free of charge. After that, it costs 2 zlots for an hour, and 4 zlots for each additional hour. The only thing is that the cycle paths are not so developed, because riding a bike is not such a common thing to do, even though you always cross with a cycler here and other there ...

And of course, if you are looking for a more privet transport, there are the two classical options: renting a car or taking a cab. Taxies are expensive everywhere, but there's also the classical tip of calling one instead of catching at the street, which can save you from 5 to 30% of the fare. The car rental is also not the cheapest way to go around, and will give you some work to drive around the main areas, as those are old streets. But the service is available at the airport and in a few other locations closer to downtown.

My advice?? Get a free map at the information center and start walking .. hopefully with a beautiful sun to make life prettier!! And with the good weather, enjoy a ride to some park, like the Szczytnicki Park.
Additional info:

You can also use the so called mobile eco tourist, a small car/cart that offers guided tours, which are easily found in all the Rynek corners. And to go along the Odra River, there are also boat trips available! Those you can take from the harbour situated by Bulwar Włostowica on Piaskowa Island.

Good website to check public transportation routes - http://wroclaw.jakdojade.pl/ - remember to search with the original polish names!!

The bike rental map - www.nextbike.pl/1444.html















































Old Town Hall – in the centre of Wroclaw


Old Town Hall – in the centre of Wroclaw
Looking from the outside of the Town Hall, you may not notice this is once an important building to Wroclaw. There is no big banner telling you that this is the Town Hall which served for political purpose in the past, not even after you have stepped into it. It is because the Town Hall is now for art exhibitions as well as some permanent exhibitions about Town Hall history and architecture.

Town Hall is one of the members of the City Museum of Wroclaw. So don't be surprised that when you get the ticket which is exactly the same as the one for City Museum. Unfortunately even they are in the same group, you cannot visit the Town Hall for free when you hold the ticket of city museum. Remember to buy one new ticket.

The City Museum of Wroclaw



The City Museum of Wroclaw

Standing in front of the gate, it is hard for tourists to know that the Baroque Royal Palace in front of them is a museum.

Enter the gate, follow the instruction, open the door – you have arrived in City Museum of Wroclaw! Turn right to the Kasa and buy your tickets. After buying the ticket remember to go back to the lobby you have just entered. There is a floor plan on your right hand side. However, there is only 1 direction to visit the exhibition room so you will not get lost even you have not looked at the floor plan. When I visited this museum, there was a temporary exhibition showing dolls from different parts of the world in the room which is connected by the Kasa. You should check whether there is any temporary exhibition taking place in some hard-to-find rooms in the museum!

Ethnographic Museum




Ethnographic Museum
According to Oxford Dictionary, „Ethnographic” means „the scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs, habits, and mutual differences”. In the Ethnographic Museum, tourists can know the culture by not only reading the textual description but also seeing domestic setting of Polish community with actual-size exhibits of 18th Century. As the Ethnographic Museum and The Raclawice Panorama Museum are both the branches of National Museum in Wroclaw, tourists can visit Ethnographic Museum for free if they have a ticket of Panorama Museum. However, Ethnographic Museum does not locate near neither National Museum in Wroclaw nor the Panorama Museum. Tourists should take tram no. 5 or no. 3 at Station „Galeria Dominikańska”, which is the station to go to the Panorama Museum, to Station „pl. Zgody”.You only need to travel a few stations and you arrive at the Ethnographic Museum.

Museum of Architecture


Museum of Architecture

You can never expect what you can encounter in museum of architeture. Looking from the outside, the Museum of Architecture is an old, beautiful gothic building in Wroclaw. It was an old monastery building. For non-Polish tourists, please buy you tickets from the lady next to the staircase,who is also with a lot of books. When I arrive, I struggled to find the ticket office. If you are smart enough to choose to visit the museum on Wednesday – Congratulations! You don't have to buy a tickets. Free admission on every Wednesdays. As most of the staff in the museum cannot speak English, I here recommend you ,tourists, to get a leaflet which contains a brief introduction of the museum in English as well as a map, from the lady next to the staircase. Do it before you visit the exhibitions or else you will be completely lost during the visit, like me.

Museum of Postal and Telecommunication of Wroclaw



Museum of Postal and Telecommunication of Wroclaw

From the internet review, Museum of Postal and Telecommunication of Wroclaw is very tourist-friendly – because there is English description of the exhibits! However, it is not very tourist-friendly when finding the entrance of the museum. It locates at a building with a post office and a bank. Tourists can find the building easily as there is a big banner showing it. However, you are not sure whether the entrance you are looking at is the entrance of the museum or not. There is a post office on the ground floor of the building. If you want to send postcards to your friend and you struggle to find a post office in Wroclaw, you can post them when you visit this museum! Go inside the building and go straight to the 1st Floor as the museum entrance locates there.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Wroclaw from an Outside View


When I first arrive in Wroclaw no other thing called my attention as the way its name is pronounced: Vrots+Love. This beautiful city lies in the south-eastern part of Poland, near the German and Czech borders. The capital of Lower Silesia is the fourth biggest in Poland, with around 650 thousand habitants. Known as an university city, it counts with more than 100 thousand students in twenty-two different institutions of higher education, being also regarded as a prosperous city in cultural, financial and scientific matters. Wroclaw is a new and growing meeting point, and was this year voted the Europe Cultural Capital of 2016, which is increasing even more the variety and quality of events happening here, from film festivals to important sports competitions.