Hunting Dwarves in Wroclaw

At the end of January 2013, I had a two week holiday and I decided to do a mini eurotrip around Central Europe. I went with two of my friends, Amanda and Erin. This was stop 1 of our 5 city trip.

We took a stroll after dinner. The christmas lights were still up.

Our first stop on our adventure was Wroclaw, Poland. This beautiful city is becoming a popular tourist destination. Its colourful history and cultural vibe attracts people from all over Europe to visit. It is pronounced Vrotswav, not rock claw. I have to emphasise this as the locals laugh at the tourists who make this mistake. I must admit, I giggled myself when I heard it mispronounced.

The buildings surrounding the square are quite pretty

The city lies on the Odra river and is a hidden architectural and cultural gem in Poland. It is probably my favourite city in the country, besides Krakow. There is a beautiful old town square with restaurants, cafes and clubs that outline the square. It has a prominent night scene, most probably because it is considered a university town.

The river was half frozen.

The absolute best part of the city are the gnomes! Actually, they are dwarves but to me they are gnomes and thus, Erin and I went gnome hunting because we wanted to satiate our curiosities. There are currently over 200 little inhabitants all over the city. It was fun trying to spot them during our stay. We only found about 20 but there are maps that show where each dwarf is, if you want to find them all.

The market square was empty so early in the morning

Unfortunately we could only stay for one night and day and, although I have been there a few times before, I would definitely go back to explore more of the city.

The casino dwarf!

Wroclaw is a unique little metropolis with an interesting history that dates back to Middle Ages Bohemia. I would definitely recommend any traveller to add this destination to their holiday, if for nothing more than getting a kicking out of hunting all the dwarves!

The cathedral from a distance

Day to Day Living in Poland

So for the past 9 months I have been teaching English in a town called Radom, south of Warsaw. Here are some things that I learnt during my stay.

1. People lead a simple life here. A roof over your head, family, a job - what more do you need? This might be from the communism days, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

2. Cost of living is relatively low, depending on where you buy your groceries and shop for clothes. Many people like supporting their local grocer, most probably because its usually cheaper than chain stores.

3. Thrift shops are common here and it's quite normal to go shopping for something on a Saturday morning.

4. Poland is 90% Catholic, which means Sunday is reserved for mass and family. Most shops are closed on this day except for maybe shopping malls.

5. Women like to dress smartly. Never without panty hose and usually always with high heels. Women here like to dress well and take pride in themselves.

6. Most young girls don't dye or cut their hair but prefer to keep it long with just a fringe. Though its also popular, once out of school, to shave the side of your head. Or for guys (and scarily enough, some women) to grow a mullet and, wait for it, dread it. That killed me -_-

7. It's common to get married and start a family young. I find this weird and strange and can't imagine doing it at my tender, youthful age of 23.

8. Poles don't like the Russians. Don't talk about them, don't try speak the language, just pretend they don't exist. The older generation are quite racist about it. Communism - you ruin everything.

9. Public transport is great! I prefer to walk but the bus and tram system work really well. Taxis might rip you off though if you're not careful but I've had only good experiences.

10. Vodka. Need I say more. Na zdrowia!