Na Zdrowie!
Everything started with an EU project in Łódź. My first contact with the Polish people was in the embassy of Poland in Istanbul. The lady working there was extremely helpful and friendly towards me so I even saved money on visa fees. I already had a nice impression about the people and the country when I was standing at the customs. Finally in April 2005, I succeeded and even though I still couldn’t pronounce Łódź correctly, I passed the border for the first time.
After March 2007, my feelings towards Poland deepened and the number of my trips to Poland increased because of my “Kochanie”. She has been showing me around Warsaw and Poland for the last 3 years. I tasted salt in the South, Wieliczka, and gofry (waffle) in the North at the sea side. I experienced the hike in the mountains in the West, Jelenia Góra and a Polish wedding in the East.
I think my experiences prove that there is a wide range of activities in Poland both in summer and winter time. I still have a clear recollection of swimming in the Baltic Sea (Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia), ice-skating in Warsaw, trekking in Zakopane, visiting the Teutonic Knights’ castle from 13th century in Malbork, watching the games during Eurobasket 2009 in Katowice, shopping both in little traditional shops and big modern malls, touching the heart of legendary Frederic Chopin and much more…
In one of the memories, I was doing my first trekking in my life around Śnieżka. I remember that at the beginning of the day my girlfriend pointed the summit of a mountain and said: “We’re going there!”. I thought it was a nice joke and that’s why I just smiled. However, after five hours, I found myself climbing the final path to the summit covered with ice and using the assisting chains to reach the shelter/restaurant situated at the top of the mountain, where the border of Poland and Czech Republic can also be seen. It was a tiring, but wonderful and unforgettable day spent above 1500m altitude.
I have also been to relatively small, but cute cities and towns like Toruń, Działdowo and Kazimierz Dolny. The mentality and attitude of people are very similar to that of people from Turkey, where I come from. That is why I feel at home in Poland and I am sure more similarities can be found if nationality and religion issues are put aside. I am happy now to see that my first impression in the embassy was accurate.
Furthermore, there is not enough I could say about beautiful Kraków and Wavel standing there. For centuries it has been a melting pot of different ethnic and religious groups. I really enjoyed my walks in this historical and lively city, so I am sorry for Warsawians, but Kraków is the best!!!
