London experience

One year ago I visited London with my friends from university, we stayed there 3 days and explored the city. Three days doesn’t seem like a very long time a but we saw as  much as possible and visited most of the key sights in London.  There is no doubt that London is one of my favourite cities. The capital of the United Kingdom is one of the world’s top destinations. There is so many incredible things to see. Moreover,  London is really great for sightseeing because a lot of attractions are free of charge.

Famous red telephone box
 

The double-decker bus -one of London's principal icons

During our trip we visited i.e.:

The Houses of Parliament – also known as the Palace of Westminster and is situated along the Thames. The most famous feature of the Houses of Parliament is Big Ben. Interesting fact: “Big Ben” isn’t the name of the clock Tower. It’s the name of the largest bell.

River Thames

My friends & BIG BEN in background

London Bridge – it is one of the world’s most famous bridge and truly remarkable piece of architecture.

London Bridge in the background

London Eye -  is a giant ferries wheel. The entire construction is 135 metres tall. We took a turn on the London It is surely a nice experience and gives incredible views.

Buckingham Palace - the queen’s London residence. We watched there Changing of the Guard.

Tower of London - it was built over  900 years ago and it is the city’s most important historic monument.

St. Paul’s Cathedral -  this huge and harmonious dome have been a familiar sight to Londoners for over 350 years. It is beautifully illuminated at night.

Westminster Abbey - it is place  England’s kings and queens have been crowned since 1066.

St James’s Park - it is a beautiful place between Buckingham Palace and Horseguards. This park is the oldest Royal Park in London. We found there a bench to rest and admired the view. It's a beautiful setting, away from central London traffic.

Regent's Park is one of London's most popular open spaces. Many sports are played in the park, there are also three playgrounds for children.

The range of free London museums is incredible. Tourists will have to pay only for special exhibitions. We exploited this situation and visited:  British Museum - is the world's first ever national public museum with collection of treasures from around the world. Then, London's National Gallery - this museum houses one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of British and European paintings. Next, Science Museum – it showcases the history and development of science, medicine, and technology. Finally, we visited Natural History Museum.

We ended our trip on Oxford Street and begin our shopping adventure, because  it is Europe's busiest shopping street. In January in shops  are a  lot of bargains. We also visited Harrods – one of the most famous department store in the world.

It was a memorable trip! 

Prague is always a good idea

Need some travel inspiration? Can't decide where to go? 

If you're looking for a destination I really recommended city which offer a combination of magnificent architecture and breathtaking views - Prague.

Trafic sign in Prague

I was in  Prague with my university’s friends in april. It was my third trip to this wonderful city. We travelled  from Poznan to Prague by bus, we bought very cheap tickets at www.polskibus.com ;) Our group had an opportunity to discover the magic of Prague – beautiful capital city. Every day we were walking for a well-rounded exploration of Prague's famous sites.

Me & my friends

We stayed in hostel near St. Charles Bridge so we decided to start our walking tour from the bridge. (we virtually went over it every time we went out)

St. Charles Bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges in world. It’s always crowded with tourists, but the views make it a joy to cross, so if you visit Prague, you have to check Charles Bridge, not only for it's beauty but also for the amazing view of the Prague castle, especially during the night, when all the lights are on. The bridge was a cultural walk itself - a great structure, numerous statues.

St. Charles Bridge 

Our next stop was The Old Town Square. This is one of the places you can admire the wonderful architecture in Prague. It’s a former marketplace, but is now mostly a place to sit at an outdoor cafe or restaurant. I would recommend going to the top of the tower above the famous astronomicalclock as the pictures were incredible. 

Old Town Square

Another beautiful place: Prague castle - orginally Prazsky hrad. It’s in the Guinness Book of  World Records as the world's largest castle complex. We only went into the Cathedral although you can pay to do the proper tour. The old wall grounds surround the cathedral, there are plenty of cafes in the area and this place is good for photography- stunning view of Prague, especially view from the top is fantastic. This is one of the major landmarks in Prague and is a must do!

Prague castle

Tip: I would say it is important to bring sturdy walking shoes because there are many hills to walk up and down. Fortunately I had a good pair of shoes and I was able to walk comfortably all day.

Stunning skyline 

In Prague is located  controversial building which has become known as “the dancing house.” It may sound crazy to many people – a house that dances? Impossible thing, but it's true!  The very           non-traditional design was controversial at the time because the house stands out among the historic buildings for which Prague is famous and in the opinion of some it does not accord well with these architectural styles, but now is very admired. 

Dancing house

I also recommended another worth visiting place: Petrin Lookout Tower. It was Built as a mini version of Paris's Eiffel Tower. The tower is 60m tall,but is sits at the summit of Petrin Hill, which is 318m high. We climbed exacly 299 steps to reach the top of the tower and admire the view over Prague - it was magnificent! There is a lovely park to walk around and have a picnic.

Petrin Lookout Tower

One of the best ways to get to know Prague is boat river cruise. It offers the unusual view-point together with an attractive boat-ride along the Vltava. We booked the Prague cruise and it was exactly what was advertised. Our guide was talking and explaining all the sights and the history of the places all the time, in several languages!  The tour lasted 2,5  hours.

Boat river cruise  

Vltava river and castle in background

The Mole is very famous in souvenirs shops, it is a cartoon character loved by generations of Czech children that first appeared in the 1950s.

Souvenirs shop - The Mole (in the Czech original called Krtek)

We admired the spectacular views of the entire city at night. The city really puts on a show for its visitors after dark.

Prague by night

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip! It was a real pleasure. This short trip gave us a great overview of the beautiful city of Prague. 

Goodbye Prague - I hope I see you again!

AHOJ!

Riding a bike in Amsterdam

I was really excited when I know that I will be travelling to Amsterdam! I visited Amsterdam in early May with group of my friends from university (12persons with me). We spend there 5 days. We checked in Camping Zeeburg- it is an international campsite for young people. The camping is situated on an island so it's very unique location. There's nothing better than an adventurous 
low-budget holiday, so we decided to slept in tents. We can admire stunning sun rises and beautiful view over the water  from the tent fields. Unfirtunetly, the weather in Amsterdam wasn’t awesome.-  it was cloudy.

Our tents..

...and more tents!

Camping's Zeeburg location

A little bit about Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital city and most populous city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This city is also known as the “Venice of the North” for its canals which divide the city into 90 small islands linked together by 1500 bridges.

The canals

Canals are everywhere in Amsterdam!

Amsterdam is truly a biker’s city and also for me, the best way to journey through Amsterdam is by bike, so we decied to rent it. Bike tour is  a great way to discover Amsterdam and also excellent way to explore the Dutch landscape. This kind of tour develop a sense of orientation and after trip we never got lost. I noticed that Dutch people are always in a hurry, even when they're not in a hurry, they ride a bike very fast!

My  bike

The biggest multi-story bike park is located outsider city's central station , there are so many bikes that it might be easier buying a new one rather than spending a lot o time trying to remember where you bike is parked.

Intresting fact: In Amsterdam are 1 million bikes when there are only 700,000 Amsterdamers! It shows how much cycling is loved. Another fact: there are 2x more bikes in Amsterdam than cars.

Multi-brand bike park

I also recommended another mean of transport: canal cruises. It started right at sunset so we manage to see one part of Amsterdam with day light,and then magic during the night.Light on canal are amazing,really something recommended to do. Canal Trip In Amsterdam is a experience you must have!

Canal cruise

One of Amsterdam’s most popular city squares is Museumplein, where you will find the ‘I Amsterdam’ sign.  This large sign that lies in front of the Rijksmuseum has become an iconic symbol of the city. You will also find many people sitting in or on the letters and getting their photo taken.

I Amsterdam in front of The Rijksmuseum (National Museum)

We also visited Van Gogh Museum.  I would recommend you visit this place when you are in Amsterdam. It is a great place to see a lot of Van Gogh's work in one place.  He has many types of styles not just self portraits and sunflowers. The original paintings are brilliant, he was true genius. Unfortunately photography in the museum is strictly forbidden. 

Van Gogh Museum

Amsterdam - city with intresting people, excellent food, and wonderful tourist spots!  This city is one of the most charming in the world, a stunning place of bridges and bikes crossing canals, picturesque streets, and strikingly elegant architecture. 

 I Amsterdam

A cloudy day in Vienna

Two months ago I had opportunity to travel to Vienna by bus with my friend.

 It is the capital and largest city of Austria. It is very beautiful, clean city and has a unique charm. Vienna owes much of its international fame to the many celebrated composer who lived and worked here including Strauß, Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn.

I love Vienna!

Entering the city gates, we first come to the Shonbrunn. The palace is an amazing place, beautifully kept and the exhibits are very well presented. Palace are lovely even in autumn but I can imagine that they are stunning in spring and summer. It is great to come to the palace and walk around, also at the garden and see the view over there.

Shonbrunn

 One thing that you must do is walk up the hill to the Gloriette. The views of the Palace with what looked like the whole of Vienna in the background are amazing and well worth the climb. There is so much to do here, the building itself is amazing, the architecture is outstanding. The gardens are maintained all year.

Shonbrunn - Gloriette

Next we visited another palace  - Belvedere. The rooms inside building are amazing, the art on the walls and statues are incredible. The gardens and building facades are also spectacular. We visited it during the autumn but I imagine that the gardens are spectacular in the summer months.

Belvedere Palace

In the afternoon we walked around Stephansplatz. This is a large pedestrian area, filled with label shops, souvenir shops and restaurants, so it is is a great place to hang out for an afternoon, have coffee, watch people, window shop.

Stephansplatz


The St. Stephen's cathedral is right in the centre of Vienna, it has been the heart of city for centuries and it is one of Vienna's most impressive landmarks.  It dates back to the 1400's and is so beautiful. This is a truly magnificent cathedral! For a long time it was the  highest building in Europe - measuring almost 137 m.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Another beautiful landmark - St. Charles's Church. It is one of the most imposing baroque churches in Vienna  with amazing panoramic view from the top of the dome. You can take an elevator most of the way and then some stairs at the end, worth the climb. Absolutely gorgeous place with amazing paintings inside

St. Charles's Church

We were getting around Vienna on the underground rail system.

One of an underground station

In the evenin we rode on Wiener Riesenrad. It is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions - it is  tall Ferris wheel at the entrance of the Prater amusement park At the top, the view was really nice. I wish I had the time to go right back on again

Ferries Wheel

Extremely high carousel (Prater amusment park)

 I love this city and would definitely return to Vienna. I experienced the charm of this place - It is a beautiful city filled with historic buildings. 

Wien Hauptbanhof

Austria – another beautiful country conquered :)

Destination: Paris!

I am the lucky few to have the chance to fly to Paris with my friends. I just came back from this beautiful city few days ago and I spent brilliant weekend there.

After 1,5 hour flight we landed at the airport Paris-Beavais, which is located about 80 km from Paris. 

Than we travelled to Paris by shuttle bas and checked-in our hostel.

In shuttle bus

We decided to go sightseeing. Our first stop was the Louvre- the world's most famous museum with outstanding collection of masterpieces.

Mona Lisa

The Louvre Museum with its Glass Pyramid

Than we walked along the Seine River – the best-knowed river in France. We decided to relax on a boat tour.  It was good  ways to view the city's monuments, historic buildings and bridges. I really recommended this kind of tour.

Boat Tour

Our next stop was Champ de Mars, this large park is stretching from the Eiffel Tower to the Ecole Militaire. It is one of the most popular outdoor spaces, a lot of people run there and it is wonderful spot to relax with friends or family, have a walk, picnic or play. Unfortunately in December is too cold, but we can enjoy a incredible light show –  The Eiffel Tower glitter for 5 minutes on every hour after sunset. It was amazing view! I think the Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited monuments in the Word, at the top of the tower we can enjoy breathtaking view of urban landscape of Paris. For me, a visit to Paris will not be completed without a visit to the Eiffla Tower.

The Eiffel Tower as seen from
the Champ de Mars

View from the 2nd floor of tower

Next day we visited Arc the Triomphe -  the most monumental of all triumphal arches. We took the trip to the top and enjoy the view of Paris 360 degrees. It was well worth climbing the stairs to the top of the arch (we also can see the 12 radiating avenues that goes from arch). Walking down the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe is one of the best walks in Paris. 

Arc the Triomphe

View from The Arc the Triomphe

These are also some of the places that I have been to in Paris…

Bridge with a lot of padlocks

The Statue of Liberty in Paris

Sacre Coeur

Ferries wheel

View from ferries wheel

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Louvre Hotel

the Champs Elysees

The Invalides

We also visited famous Notre-Dame cathedral. It was a great experience for us to visit, it take us back to the middle ages. The Tower of Notre-Dame are over 200 feets high. 400 steps to reach the top that might not be suitable for everyone, but it is worth to visit.

Notre-Dame

One of Notre-Dame's well known chimera statues

                                         It was a lovely weekend spent in this remarkable city.

I think that any trip to Paris should be the trip of a lifetime.

Merci beaucoup, Paris ;)