This year me and my family had a summer holidays, for which we had been waiting for more than. In April, we were already preparing for the trip. Me and my sister were so eager for the summer to start that we couldn't sleep at nights and we were not able to concentrate on school. We live in a small town in Wales, but my parents come from Poland. Me and my sister had never been there before that summer. We went there to visit our parent's families and friends as well as the places, that they miss so much.
W started our trip on 28th June. It was a very hot and sunny day, which happens very rarely in Wales. We had to get to London for a plane. My uncle decided to take us there by car. As we were driving, something in the car broke down. We had to stop and my dad and my uncle were trying to fix it. The time was passing and we wee all becoming anxious that we might miss the plane. We decided to stop cars going in the direction of London and get there as quickly as possible. Finally we got to the airport and took the plane. We were all quite nervous and excited about our visiting Poland. My grandmother was expected to wait for us in Warsaw at the airport. As we arrived to Warsaw, we had to look for her. The airport was very crowded and we couldn't find her for more than half an hour. Finally we met. Grandmother came to the airport with her new friend- she is w widow and met someone interesting. We drove together to Poznań, where they live. I was truly amazed by what I saw from the car. I didn't expect Warsaw to be such big and modern city. As we were driving, I saw many places similar to Welsh landscapes. The lowlands, forests, trees and villages. But there was something completely different and I couldn't say clearly, what that was.
It was also our first visit in our grandmother's house. We had known her before, as she used to visit us quite often, but we never saw her house. It was quite small, but very beautiful. I got the room together with my brother and my parents were supposed to sleep in the living room. We unpacked our luggage and had a supper. My grandmother prepared our favorite meal- pierogi ruskie. In the evening we went for a small walk in the center of Poznań. I really liked that city. It was modern, but at the same time it had a charm of old places.
For the next few days we were getting to know Poznań and its surroundings. We also visited our aunts and uncles, some of whom we had not seen ever before. They were all very happy to see us and they greeted us very nicely. I liked visiting them, because they would always prepare something delicious to eat.
After a week, we started a trip around Poland. We went to Wrocław. I must say that it is definitely my favorite Polish city. I was truly amazed by it. It is colorful and picturesque. It has the unforgettable atmosphere and I felt really great there. The islands, the bridges and wonderful churches make the city seem friendly and open, but at the same time, the city seems to be small. Similar to Poznań, history and modernity are combined there. And they make even better effect. I could sit in Wrocław on Ostrów Tumski by the river for ever…
After four days in Wrocław, we went to Wałbrzych. My mother's sister lives there. That city was also a surprise, but not really positive one. It was dark and dirty. People in Wałbrzych look sad. The city and its citizens seem to be extremely tired. The atmosphere of it is really depressing. When I think of that place, I can see no colors but black, gray and white.
Next, we went to Cracow. It is a very old city and it used to be the capital of Poland. It is different from Wrocław, but nearly as beautiful. There are hundreds of different churches there. There is also the Royal Castle- Wawel, where Polish kings had their residence in the past. I liked that city. My favorite part of it was Kazimierz- the Jewish district. Before the World War II, there lived and worked Jews from Cracow, it was even a separate town. But during the war, the Germans built Jewish Ghetto there. Almost all its citizens were killed during the war. Today this part of the city is being modernized. There are Jewish cemeteries and churches there. More and more Jews come and buy the buildings there. They want to come back to the places, where their grandparents lived.
Finally we went to the Tatra mountains. That was an amazing sight for me! In Wales there are no truly high mountains and I was astonished by Polish mountains. They are really high and seem dangerous. At the same time, I had never seen such wonderful landscapes as there before. We stayed at the small hotel next to Zakopane. For the whole week we were walking in the mountains, getting to know new places. Although it was very tiring, it was also extremely exciting. I fell in live with mountains and I hope to go back there as soon as possible.
All in all we spent 5 weeks in Poland. It was my most wonderful vacation. I had great time getting to know the country, people and history of the places. I think I learned much about Poland and at the same time- about my parents and my own origin. I know, where I come from and where I would like to come back. I hope that one day I will be able to stay in Poland for a longer time.
