'The world is a book.
Those who don't travel
read only one page.'
----
- St Augustine
Europe
Old and boring Europe, nevertheless I felt obliged to see it : )
The countries I visited have been arranged in alphabetical order:
Since June 1993, the time of my first solitary journey towards the east, I’ve been to Ukraine many times.
A pleasant, interesting and inexpensive country.
Kind-hearted people; that’s why I revisited many times since the aforementioned 1993.
I took a bike with me the last two times to test the new gear.
My first visit was in August 1986, and the last one in December 2009.
During the first one, England made a big impression on me, a newcomer from a gray communistic country.
It enchanted me.
Thanks to the courtesy of my English relatives, I could visit Oxford, Blackpool and many other charming places.
But times have changed. Communism collapsed and in Poland we’re having the socalled ‘second Ireland’, maybe that’s why during my last stay in London it felt rather pricey and pointless.
I’ve been to Hungary many times due to its proximity and good relations between the Polish and Hungarian people.
Budapest, Vysehrad, Tokaj, Beech Forest, Eger, Miskolc, Hajduszoboszlo Seged – I travelled tothese and many other cities and towns.
It’s impossible to enumerate all of them.
It was communist times, early 70s when my mother took me to Budapest. I was impressed by it's modernity: escalators, beautiful buildings and a general feeling of ‘high life’.
From the 90s onwards I've been there a few times. One of my favorite things about this countryis Furdo Rudas, a Turkish bath with the original 16th century interiors.
That plus Kolacsoda andLangose, which are simply delicious!
I can full heartedly recommend Hungary for a longer as well as a shorter stay.
I stopped briefly in Milano while on my way to Cairo but didn’t see much.
So, all in all, I’ve been to Italy twice.
Snowboarding on the Italian side of the Matterhorn Alpineslope still counts.
For now I can’t say anything more about this country but I might stay therefor a bit longer in the near future and then write more about it.
Country born with a silver spoon in its mouth.
It’s not only rich but also handsome, and this combination is truly extraordinary.
It’s not as pricey as people say.It is certainly scenic and there’s loads of tunnels there.
I even saw one on a slope
More in polish language on: GEOBLOG.pl
It ranks as first on my most often visited countries list.
No wonder I’ve been to Slovakia countless times, given its proximity (I live only 20 km away).
Therefore in my statistics I’ve used a rough estimation.
Slovaks are peculiar, but pleasant.
The country itself is beautiful, perfect for tourism, wintersports flourish there.
Moreover there’s a fairly large number of beckoning thermal pools.
The towns are neat and pretty. But I would not recommend Bratislava, the capital city.
During my preparations to visit this beautiful country for the first time, in 1998, I came across an eye catching sentence on a guide cover: ' Behind seven mountains and seven seas there is a mysterious land, Europe’s forgotten corner.'
But it was neither forgotten nor behind seven mountains, rather just behind the border.
Of course everybody reacted with surprise: 'Where are you going? To Romania?'
As if onlylepers would live there.
A lot has changed since then. Romania is an EU member since 2007 and nobody wonders anymore, why I like going there. In fact, sine 1998 I’ve been there many times.
It has a rich culture, beautiful mountains, picturesque Transylvanian villages and towns,charming Bukovinie monasteries, the wonderful Transfăgărășan and above all of that hoversthe bloodthirsty spirit of Count Dracula… what else could you wish for?
Well.. better cuisine and roads wouldn’t go astray… but even that is slowly changing.
More info about bike's trip on 2002 in polish language on: GEOBLOG.pl
More info about car's trip on 2009 in polish language on: GEOBLOG.pl
One can get along with the Germans quite well and the country itself is beautiful, especiallyBavaria.
Up until 2010 I wasn’t too keen on Germans, found them to be overly stiff and unsympathetic.
A trip to Munich in autumn 2010 dramatically changed that view.
I discovered that German people can be likeable and extremely friendly towards foreigners.
More in polish language on: GEOBLOG.pl
Only one day, a long time ago. It was rainy, cold and grayish - so I cannot say much about Lithuania.
I’ve spent almost a full, charming month in the Peloponnese.
Yet, I don’t feel nostalgic about Greece.Yes, the Meteora monasteries are interesting.
Athens is likable and the Hydra Island is unique… but still… I was partly disappointed by Greece.
Maybe it’s because of my expectations?
Maybe my head was stuffed with too many Greek Myths?
I don’t know the Czech Republic very well, but certainly one can say that Prague is stunning.
I find it to be the most beautiful city in Europe, from what I’ve seen up until now.
People rave about Budapest or Krakow...
How can you even compare that?
Prague is incredibly colorful, spacious and yet very romantic.
Unfortunately, it also has a flaw - more than enough of tourists.
Well, fame and beauty have their price...
It’s just a stone’s throw away. If only the road to Żylina was better…
I’ve been to Austria around 4 times so far; it’s less than 400 km away from my place, and so myfirst visit was to Vienna in the autumn of 1995. My most recent visit was on the way to the Alpsin autumn 2010.
Well… same as London, Vienna no longer impresses me as it used to.A dead city center. Being out on a stroll seems more like walking around in a forgottenmuseum.Unfortunately depopulation of such ‘touristy’ cities is more and more common.
After all, the inhabitants do get fed up with all the commotion going on all night long.On the other hand, this voluntary eviction is partly driven by the potential handsome rentalincome from the pubs and banks.Nevertheless a city without its inhabitants loses its atmosphere. It withers. Well…these are theruthless laws of the market.
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