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.

Although I didn’t have the chance to visit Venice, Wroclaw deserves the comparison with the Italian city, considering the river that divides the city into little islands. You can see branches of the river all around the city, that together with the bridges and the parks that surround them create gracious landscapes.
The architecture, something I just can’t stop noticing, is a little bit different from other European cities. Walking around, especially at Sądowa and Krupnicza streets, you can see that every building has a different style. They are also creative in a way that each one has its own color, and this time you can see the colors all around. Another difference is that not every important building or sculpture is near the river. The main streets are actually the ones that surround the traditional polish main square, called Rynek. As in all Ryneks, you can easily find at least one tourist information service, the City Hall, many gift shops, restaurants, pubs and clubs. They are always good options, but if you are looking for cheap eating and shopping, you should try the tight old streets around it.
Other fact is how green the city is, which is extremely pleasant for all eyes. Unfortunately, beautiful nature is also a synonymous of a lot of rain, that seems to like weekends just as I do .. and so, you should really enjoy the good sunny days out, in a walk through the many parks and plazas around town, who knows?
The museums are also better enjoyed during the good weather. Although they are indoor, the buildings always complements the visit, weather with the classical or the modern architecture. The architecture museum is the best example, cause in fact, the old church of the Bernardine Monastery is the main attraction of it. Other reason is that they are all really close from each other, having in between the bridges and some parks, creating a really good walk tour.
Most of the city’s attractions can be seen in a couple of days. You can check a few ideas of self guided tours in the section "recommended". The most known and easy to follow is the Ostrow Tomski, which goes around the main bridges, squares and churches in town. Then you have the further options, as the parks and the Centennial Hall surroundings.
The biggest inconvenient of visiting Wroclaw is that most of the Polish population on town does not really understand English or other common language, as Spanish and French. If you are lucky, though, you might find some German speaking, remnants from the neighbor’s occupation. It can be a problem in a quiet place, but if that is not your case, always try to find some young people. Again a result of history, I’ve heard that this absence of English came from the periods of Soviet Union and the rivalry between the communist country and the Americans, that was also present with the prohibition of learning the capitalist language.
If you have time in Poland you should also check other cities. The country is one of the biggest in Europe, which makes the trips quite long, but also a lot of cheaper than other countries' transportation. Before I came, I’ve read in many websites about the problems of the rail system in Poland, as the conditions of the roads and quality of drivers in it. Well, the trains might not be the most modern ones, but as an old home, they are really cozy and make you easily fall asleep. And again, they are really cheap. The buses are also extremely affordable, but not so nice to travel as by train, in my humidly opinion. But, depending on where you are going, they are less expensive taking less time, so it is definitely worth checking it. And in this case, remember to also check if they have restrooms inside.
From the main cities, which are not many as the countryside is a lot big; there is the beautiful costal Gdansk, which is surrounded by other also beautiful baunearies, such as Gdynia and the most charming Sopot. Then there’s the historical Krakow, which was once Poland’s capital, having in its castle the main attraction, I would say. Also historical, but not with the same polish appreciation as Krakow, there is Warsaw, the actual capital. Most of the people in Wroclaw don’t really like it, considering the capital mostly a good historical place to know, but without so much beauty or atmosphere. In the other hand, others have told me it is the easiest place to find something to do, both for day or nightlife. Well, such different opinions always make me more curious, so I'll definitely check it out and write my conclusions here!! In the meanwhile, fall in love with Wroclaw!