Tag: backpacking

Salamina, Colombia

Charming villages of Colombia

Charming, little villages were our absolute favorite in Colombia. There is nothing better than sitting in a little bar with an old man, drinking coffee almost looking at the coffee beans growing on the bushes ahead. So sit down with your cup of coffee and let’s go through the best of the best 🙂

  1. Salamina

This little town has completely stolen our hearts. It’s close enough to Medellin to get there with just one bumpy, bus ride but far enough to get far away from the big city life. There is no traffic, rush or groups of tourists in Salamina. Instead there are lovely cafes, colorful houses and green, mountainous heaven around it. It’s truly a perfect place to just relax, read a book and enjoy nature and good weather. Close by there is a stunning valley of Samaria, (to be) famous for its very high wax palms.

In Salamina we stayed with Martin and Angelica, an extraordinary couple on Airbnb. They are not only very inspiring people who create everything around their house by themselves with love, but they also made us feel at home there 🙂 Not to mention they make the best breakfast ever with fresh juices, arepas (corn pancakes) and eggs.

  1. Filandia

When nearby Salento is attracting all the crowds with its wax palms in Cocora Valley, Filandia stays a wonderful, peaceful treat. You won’t see crowds or overpriced hotels over there. Just peaceful but very colorful town with lovely and a bit curious locals. They will ask you how you like Colombia and why you chose Filandia. It’s it obvious? Not only it’s very colorful and has a lot of character but it has the best surroundings ever! Here you will find waterfalls, ever green forests, endless coffee farms and amazing hikes. Not to mention you will see hummingbirds, toucans and even howler monkeys.

In Filandia we volunteered in a really nice hostel called Bidea which is owned by a lovely Colombian-Basque couple. It’s not only a beautiful, Colombian house but also a great atmosphere that makes it a great place to stay. Don’t forget to visit Helena Adentro for great food and a romantic, charming vibe.

  1. Villa de Leyva

Nothing can compare to the white houses or cobblestone streets of Villa de Leyva. Not to mention the one and only, massive, gorgeous Main Square. Although it’s number one on many lists of towns of Colombia, it’s not busy. Not at all. We were actually really positively surprised. All the little streets were charming, white and really clean, even outside of the center. Little markets on the corners were selling true curiosities like dried bushes of pink pepper! And we will never forget an amazing ice cream place, Santa Lucia. Although we shouldn’t, we went there every day… and every single time it was delicious and the owners were just the most cheerful people on earth.

In Villa de Leyva we stayed in a stunning hostel (Buda Hostel), just outside of the city on a hill. It was a struggle to drag the backpack up there but once there the views made everything ok again. The house itself is wonderful, with lots of terraces and open space, not to mention the huge barbecue and chill out space outside.

  1. Palomino

The town itself is not really that nice, there is no beautiful architecture and it was just build along a busy road which goes just in the middle of it. But… those beaches. If you can’t go to Providencia than that’s the second best. Kilometers of sandy paradise with not too many people. There are quite some charming, boutique hotels out there. The beauty of the place is that there is not much to see, just pure relax 🙂

  1. Santa Elena

Probably the most calm place of them all. Middle of absolute nowhere and so close to Medellin. We stayed there surrounded by green, luscious nature in a trailer made into a house (Airbnb). It was just an unforgettable experience to stay away from everyone and everything in this charming little place where all we could do was to just relax, walk around and enjoy. During the evening when it was getting chiller we could sit on our deck, start a fire and observe all of the weird bugs coming to visit us 🙂 It was our last place to visit before we ended our Latin American adventure and we wish such an end to all of you 🙂

Useful tip!

If you’re going to Colombia and you would like to get to charming, little villages that are not so well known you should visit http://www.pueblospatrimoniodecolombia.co/nuestros-pueblos. There you will find a whole list of tiny towns well worth a visit:) Enjoy!

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Łódź, Poland

One day in Łódź

Łódź is famous in Poland for its film academy. Almost all the people that matter in the business pass through that school. Although for many years people went there not for pleasure but for must, now it’s been changing. It’s becoming more and more a bit of a hip city full of young life and creativity. It’s also a very good one day trip from Poznań or Warsaw as it’s just around 2hrs away. Why to visit Łódź?

  1. Łódź Light Move Festival

Visiting Łódź Light Move Festival in October we found ourselves in the world of dreams and nightmares as that was the theme this year. There were installations in parks, 2D/3D mappings, light tram, virtual reality and surprisingly not that many people. Maybe because the festival is still quite small and focused just around the main street of the city. Still very much worth a trip to see it. To make it easy you can download an app android IOS which gives you access to the whole map so that you won’t miss anything.

  1. Manufaktura- not only commercial center

Manufaktura as it is now, is a result of one of the biggest renovation projects in Poland. Previously in the 19th century it was a flourishing series of factories producing various textiles. It was bought in 2000, when its best years were far behind, by a French developer. It took 6 years to bring it back to life. Fortunately the most important and prominent part is still the original factory building, red brick with big windows. The complex is truly huge with a big square in the middle. That’s where most of the life happens in Łódź, there are concerts, cultural events and even an artificial beach in the summer.

  1. Street art miracle

Before coming to Łódź we really thought Wrocław would be the capital of street art in Poland. Well not anymore. Łódź surprised us with numerous pieces of art spread all over the city. There are masterpieces everywhere: on a side of an awful communist block, by the pedestrian crossing in the center and even above a parking lot. It makes this fairly grey city way more colorful, fun, artistic and interesting. Our favorite one was definitely a mural of a famous Polish pianist Artur Rubenstein who playfully stares at the pedestrians. Detailed map of all the amazing murals you can find on the web page of the street art foundation. If you want to see all the pictures first you can check them out on their facebook. (The murals below are included on the map)

  1. Off Piotrowska- hip place for lunch and so much more

As usual when something becomes really popular it becomes a bit outdated for the cool ones. So Manufaktura is not a place to be if you want to be cool. For great cafes, artistic shops and restaurants you have to go to OFF Piotrowska. It was built in the late 19th century as a fabric factory and I would say it wasn’t that much renovated before it opened as a cultural underground in 2011. The windows of the upper part of the complex are broken and it’s all a bit rustic and honestly that’s the charm of it. Going there we felt that it was something real and special… more than Manufaktura. We strongly recommend Drukarnia, it’s a stunning place for lunch, dinner or drinks where you can just sit and relax watching people pass by through the huge industrial windows. It definitely doesn’t hurt that all the people working there smile and seem to enjoy a nice talk and their job.

  1. The famous tram stop

Since 2015 Łódź is very proud of its brand new tram stop that some of them call a “unicorn stable”. Its roof is made of a colorful, almost rainbow-like membrane that’s supposed to imitate more dangerous stained-glass. The effect is quite unbelieve and looking from a distance we got an impression that it almost looked like a part of a cathedral with its high ceiling, colors and arches.

  1. The biggest Jewish cemetery in Europe

180 000 graves ... That’s probably our biggest regret. We were just not in a mindset to visit a cemetery but we strongly recommend it. It’s such a big part of Polish history. In the south you will find 45000 graves of Jews who died in the ghetto and nearby some empty graves that were digged by the Jews for themselves as they were forced by the Nazis. As the Soviets were advancing too fast, the graves remained unused and are left there as a reminder.

  1. Piotrowska street

Although we were not really impressed with Piotrowska street, it would be a sin not to mention it. It’s the main pedestrian street in Łódź where all the life is. It’s almost 5 km which makes it the longest pedestrian street in Europe. If you expect no cars, you’re gonna be disappointed just like we were.

There are quite a few sculptures there as well as the Walk of Fame to honor the Polish pearls in the business like Roman Polański.

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Stary Rynek, Poznan, Poland

9 things not to miss in Poznań

Poznan is my city, I was born and raised here. Probably that’s why it was so difficult for me to see its beauty. Now that I don’t live here anymore, it’s much easier to appreciate what used to be „just” normal. Also in the years that I was away, the city has changed so much and became even more beautiful. Although it’s not nearly as popular as Warsaw or Wroclaw, I think it should be. Or maybe let’s keep it as a hidden gem 🙂 below a few unmissable things to do in Poznan.

  1. Enjoy goats headbutt each other and then some exceptional food in the Old Market Square

The Main Square is famous for pair of mechanical goats that appear every day at noon to headbutt each other 12 times. According to legend the real goats were stolen by a cook that was preparing a banquet for the voivode and his guests but he had burnt the meat and well… needed replacement. The goats felt that those were their last hours so they escaped and ran into the town hall tower and started butting each other which provided such entertainment that voivode decided to save their life and order mechanical goats for the tower.

Although they’re a must see, except for the goats there is quite something to see on the main square. It’s just such a lovely little square with colorful houses and lovely little cafeterias everywhere. If you’re there for lunch we would recommend Weranda Café which changes its interior all the time and serves great food. After lunch you can go to Cacao Republic which is a charming, romantic little place serving decadent desserts and liquid chocolates….mmm. In the evening there is nothing better than going to Brovaria where they have their own little brewery. Jandirk has a problem resisting their honey beer every time we pass by there… Obviously your trip to Poznan wouldn’t be complete without a shot of vodka. Poland has the best vodka in the whole world and for 4zl per shot you can try quite a few in a nice, communism-style bar called Pijalnia wódki i piwa.

  1. Find out all about our croissants and Poznanian dialect in the Croissant Museum

Poznanian people are very different from the rest of the folks in Poland… supposingly scrooge, supposingly with a bit more distance and we talk our funny, little dialect. In the museum a cheerful guy or two, will tell you a bit about Poznan and about our pride- Saint Marcin croissant. They are delicious, heavy, filled with poppy seeds paste, raisins and other goodies. We stuff ourselves with them all day long on the 11th of November when there is a big celebration for Saint Marcin, his name day and the Polish Independence Day. Saint Marcin is also the name of one of the biggest street here so you can imagine that the celebration is epic.

  1. Stroll through the park of Citadel and stop at one of the graves of the British Empire

The park was built on the leftovers of a fort that was there since the XIX century. Some of the fortification is still there but except for that there is a military museum, military cemeteries and plenty of open space. For lovers of art there are quite a few sculptures scattered all over the park. The biggest one is called The Unrecognized and consists of 112 statues of headless people walking in all different directions. In the summer Citadel is very cozy especially because of organized parties, open-air markets etc.

My favorite place in the park is the Old Garrison Cemetery. It might sound weird but those, mostly British graves from first and second World Wars, have just something peaceful about them. Each one of them is unique, many have beautiful, personal notes from the family and yet from far they all look the same. I supposed that’s why not many people come here. And it’s a shame.

  1. Get twisted looking at the most twisted staircase in Poznan

Since I remember Okrąglak has always been a symbol of Poznań. Built after the 2nd World War it was quite unique and modern, later on it became a store house and then it was closed for a long time. Now after many years of renovation it came back as an office place. But you can still enter the building and see the most twisted staircase ever.

 

  1. Enjoy your own beer at the side of Warta river

Especially during summer Warta River is a must-see. There are concerts, café’s, cultural activities, bars, city beaches and even little Jacuzzis. There is also plenty of space for absolutely everyone so you can just come with your own booze and food and picnic looking at the cathedral.

  1. Appreciate street art all over the place

Poznan is growing stronger and stronger when it comes to street art. In last years there have been more and more master pieces coming. The most spectacular one is definitely “The Śródecka tale” which tells the story of the neighborhood and reminds you of the houses that used to be there. It is really realistic and standing in front of it you don’t realize for the few first seconds that it’s a painting and not a reality. Except for that one Poznan has many poems written on the walls in many different places and even an old postcard-like painting in the city center.

  1. Look at the cathedral from a whole new perspective

For me the Cathedral was never anything special. Living in a country where for each neighborhood we have probably two churches, they stopped impressing me in general. But looking at it from the new museum (Porta Posnania) changes the perspective completely. The museum embraces the history of the “cathedral island” with its modern architecture. Just in front of the museum there is also a nice area just by the river where you can have a picnic.

  1. Go shopping at Stary Browar

Stary Browar is definitely one of the most extraordinary commercial centers that I have ever seen. It was built on the leftovers of an old brewery that goes back to the beginning of the 19th century. It still has the old, classic look and atmosphere but with an interesting twist of new, futuristic art. You can not only buy all you need in there but also enjoy cool cafes, art exhibitions and lots of cultural events

  1. Enjoy the mesmerizing fountain

The fountain on the Freedom Square was built in 2012 for the European Football Championship and since then it’s been a pleasure for the eye and relief in warm days of summer. Although I heard it’s difficult in maintenance, from a visitor point of view it’s very impressive. It not only changes colors but also looks a bit like sails of a boat. It attracts many people that would otherwise never choose that place to relax.

How to enjoy a fairytale in peace close to Poznan?
Kobylniki Palace

Poland has many palaces and castles. There are plenty of them going for waste and trying to be sold. I guess it’s one of the very few places in the world where you can buy a property like that for quite cheap for what they are. Still not cheap enough for normal people to buy them. Not to mention that a house like that has to be maintained, renovated, cleaned and that brings the expenses quite high. Fortunately Kobylniki Palace is one of the few lucky ones which survived the hard times... and after many years went back to the family that had it before the war. That happened only last year. You would think the war was over a long time ago but after World War II the palace was actually used as apartments for farmers working on a State Agricultural Farm… so as a form of collective farming on fields that belonged to the government. Later when the communism was over the Twardowski family still had to fight in court to get their property back. After around twenty years.. they have it.

Nowadays the family is slowly bringing the Palace to its old beauty and they are doing a pretty good job. Kobylniki Palace was nominated for 7 New Wonders of Poland by National Geographic and although it didn’t win we had to see it.

Kobylniki Palace unlike most of the palaces and castles is quite easily reachable by bus so that’s what we take to get there from Poznan. Although not visible from the main road, where the bus passes, it’s just next to it. After just a short walk through a charming alley along farm fields, we see the gate and the palace. Even though it's small it's still very impressive with it's garden, little lake and decades or centuries old trees. It has room for only a maximum of 50 guests and it’s not particularly busy there… The first thing that draws our attention are the photographs of the family that owns the place, the Twardowski family. They’re placed on the walls of the common areas and some of them are quite funny like a woman showing her tongue. I guess we mostly think that people from the last centuries were very serious but they were just people like me and you and thats what those pictures show.

To get to our room we take an amazing, round staircase. It’s small but it’s unbelievable. The wooden stairs squeak like if they were medieval and not from the late XIX century which gives it another fairytale-like tone. Unfortunately our room is not all kept in style. There are no ornaments on the walls or ceiling, the bed is just normal and so is the bathroom. I wonder if it was like that or was it “made modern” during the soviet times? Hopefully the family will try to alter it a bit in the future. But we have a spectacular terrace with a view over the garden and although it’s very cold I’m highly motivated to use it. Wrapped in blankets I decide to do a bit of reading… You see the beauty of the palace and the neighborhood is that there is nothing to see really. So there is no rush just sheer joy as the only thing you can do is enjoy… and eat! Downstairs there is a restaurant which serves pretty nice food and they change their menu quite often.

Except for the interiors there is also a small park where you can chill out, walk around or feed a few ducks and a swan which already associates people with food and comes closer.

In the night, when the sky is clear, the park is a perfect spot to watch stars. No bigger cities means not too much light and so the night sky is beautiful and black.

How to get to Kobylniki Palace?

From the Central Station in Poznan you have to take a bus that goes to Wałcz and get off at Kobylniki just next to the Palace (although you won’t see it from the bus, too many trees). The ticket costs 17 zl and there are 3 buses per day. You can check on e-podroznik.pl (although it sounds very polish, the page is available in English as well). WATCH OUT! There are more villages called Kobylniki and another one of those is actually just on the way to the Palace so make sure you go to the one next to Obrzycko.

How much does it cost?

A private room with a private bathroom for two costs 200 zl. It includes a breakfast. Renting the whole Palace is 3500 zl. Other prices you can check on their webpage. May google translate be with you:)

Wroclaw, Poland

9 Things to do in Wrocław

Honestly if I wasn’t from Poznan I would probably say Wrocław is the most interesting city in Poland. It’s cultural, it’s full of surprises, history, events and new ideas. While all the massive crowds stay in Warsaw or Kraków, Wrocław stays calm and not too crowded. Here a few tips of what to do in there.

  1. Walk with the Lamplighter

Wrocław is one of the very few cities that still has the romantic tradition of gas lamps. The whole Ostrów Tumski Island (the island where the Cathedral is) has 103 of them. Every evening there comes this lovely hero in his cape and hat and switches them on. He is a lovely guy who likes talking to people and joking around. If you miss him in the evening you can still see him switching the lamps off in the morning. The time in the evening and in the morning depends on the sun so in the evening he starts before the sunset and in the morning around sunrise. Fortunately the place is fixed. He always starts with the double lamps, just in front of the main entrance to the Cathedral.

 

  1. Go on the Gnome search

To be in Wrocław and not to search for its most popular inhabitants would be a real shame! The whole city is full of statues of tiny gnomes who are placed there by restaurants, museums, hotels or the city. They all have a story. To know more read our other post.

 

  1. Walk around and drink coffee at Four Denominations District

The name comes from four temples situated really close to each other. There is an orthodox church, a synagogue, a catholic church and of course a protestant one. Except for the fact that it’s an architectural pearl, it’s also very much a food destination. We especially loved old style grandma-like café Mleczarnia with fresh flower and amazing coffee as well as CIŻ, a Jewish café with Jewish coffee and delicacies like croissants with rose and dates and their cakes. Both of the cafes have stunning terraces both in the front part and in the back.

 

  1. Enjoy the beer cocktail at the Golden Dog microbrewery (Złoty Pies)

Yep, as weird as it sounds to drink beer in a cocktail it’s absolutely delicious and really worth trying. It helps that the waitresses are full of life, joy and knowledge. They will tell you all about their specialties.  There is nothing better than sitting in their garden, looking at the main square, sipping beer& chocolate& earl grey cocktail. We want to go back immediately when we think of it:)

 

  1. Enjoy the views of the city from the Witches’ Bridge

It’s a bridge connecting two towers of St. Mary Magdalene Church which gives you an amazing view of Wrocław. Don’t expect anything pretty while walking up, it’s really messy and there are signs of pigeons’ presence, if you know what I mean. No wonder as according to the legend walking over the bridge was a punishment for the ladies that prefer to flirt with men rather than marry them and take care of the kids.

 

  1. Cross the street with The Anonymous Pedestrians

Anonymous Pedestrians are statues going underground on one side of the street and appearing from the ground on the other. They can be found a short walk from the Market. It’s really worth seeing it as the sculptures are really detailed, you can see their faces, what they carry, almost what they think. It makes you think of all the forgotten “nobodies” who had to go underground during all of those tough years in Poland. No wonder that it's a memorial for the introduction of the martial law in Poland in 1981.

  1. Read a book and enjoy the peace at the garden of the Ossolineum

This library has the most amazing courtyard ever! All walls are covered with green ivy and in the middle there is a huge tree. You can sit on one of the few benches and just enjoy the silence. It's a perfect spot to escape the crowds and read a book.

  1. Stroll along the Oder River

There is nothing better on a sunny day than to walk around and chill by the river. Not only the islands are amazing but going a bit further from the center you get to see some quite unique architecture (like the National Museum) and picturesque bridges. It’s also possible to go kayaking or on a boat.

Książ, Poland

History and kitsch under one roof
Castle Książ

The first thing that we see entering the Książ property is a line of cars and German retired tourists. Passing through the gate all we have in front of us are restaurants/bars with kitsch umbrellas and Golden Train in all the names of the menu. Everyone needs to earn a few zloty on the supposedly found train full of German treasures. We can’t help to think it’s been commercialized just a little bit too much. Thankfully we didn’t decide to sleep in one of the hotels that they have there.
To see the castle we sneak in between all the German groups. Already from the first floor we hear a weird music. As ridiculous as it sounds it’s the soundtrack from Star Wars… I guess the castle doesn’t earn enough from all the tourists and restaurants around it so they decided to have films’ costumes exhibition. To bring it to another level in the middle of a beautiful corridor there is this “American” movie booth with the most bored girl ever. By her face it’s easy to figure that they won’t earn much from this one either.

The Castle itself dates back to XIII century but more recent history has not been kind to it. During World War II it was taken by the Nazis. Many say that it was supposed to be Hitler’s resident. One way or another the Nazis started changing the Castle destroying a lot of its beauty and historical value. Their reconstruction included also tunnels built under the castle. The Nazi style and lack of ornaments is especially prominent in the “ball room” that doesn’t look like one at all. Here there are no ornaments, it’s very basic and it looks like it just serves the purpose of a reunion room. On the lowest floor we find out how the Nazis reconstruction looked like as there is one room left as it was, with stripped walls…and painful history. It presents a very interesting exhibition about Książ when it was a sub concentration camp. It tells the story of the camp and their workers which is really shocking. Honestly for us it was the only interesting thing in the castle. The rest of the interesting furniture and things were taken by the Soviet Army…

After the visit to the castle we decided to walk to the Palm House. It's not nearly as old as the Castle, it was built in the beginning of the XX century. But maintenance doesn’t seem to be the top priority there so it seems much older. While walking around our level of disappointment is only going up. The Palm House is small and doesn’t have anything spectacular except… an exhibition of bonsai trees. There are not only many trees but also information about the age and descent and even a short explanation about different types of bonsai. As we walk between the trees we are being followed by the eyes and body of a not so kind, old lady. She must think we want to steal one of them because she doesn’t leave us even for a second. Thank God we are only the two of us otherwise the lady would probably lose her mind.

How to get to the Książ Castle from Wrocław?
So you take a train to get to Wałbrzych Szczawienko and from there it’s a 5 km walk mostly through the Castle Park so it’s nice and easy. It took us around an hour to get there. You can check the timetable on http://www.e-podroznik.pl/ (as Polish as it sounds… it’s all in English).

How much does it cost and what shall I see?
Ticket prices vary depending on what you want to see. We took sightseeing of the castle with its terraces and the palm house. It was 30 zl each. All the prices are on the official web page which is also in English http://www.ksiaz.walbrzych.pl/en/turystyka/zwiedzanie/dzienne#tickets-and-prices. It’s important to know that the Palm House is not really close to the castle, it’s an hour- walk away. We wouldn’t really say it’s a must see anyway. But what is really nice and worth seeing, is the viewing point which is in the Castle’s park. It gives you an amazing, classic view over the forest and the castle.

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