My first impressions

From New York to Paris, then from Paris to Krakow, I see and feel lots of differences that impressed me. New York is a modern city where people live in the fast-paced lifestyle. It like the center of the world where you can meet people who work and live there from all around the world. Everyone in the city seems ambitious and motivated. A crowded city that embraces the diverse culture, art and foods. On the other hand, Paris is an emotional city. Long history and traces of greatest artists edified classical, romantic sentiments rooted in every brick on the street. Wonderful architectures, fine chocolate, tasty French food, countless museums and well-dressed people. These things make up a fantasy dream that is unreal, and you won’t want to wake up. 

If I say Paris is a dream, Krakow is storybook. The old town in Krakow likes a storyteller. When I saw Krakow from the plane, it is neither a modern city where the skyscrapers go up from the ground nor magnificent city where is full of palaces and masterpieces. The city is cozy and artistic. Along with the old town city wall, the story begins from here. History and modern life combine within old buildings. Randomly walking into a small shopping mall next to the main square, I was so impressive about how the way of the building constructed. 

Arriving Krakow one day earlier allows me to walk around and sightsee the old town. I found an interesting thing that many stores selling ice cream have a name “LODY” on the sign.  I though it is a brand for local ice cream. But the fact is “LODY” just a Polish word for “ice cream” ;). Krakow is an ice cream city, and I tried a  particular one called “Black Rose.” It smells like rose and tastes good.

Lucky for Alexa and I, we had a chance to listen to the famous local orchestra in the Saint Peter and Paul church.  This is my first time to have a concert in the church.  Different and sacred!

As a foodie, I won’t miss any opportunity to try foods during the travel. Here are photos of foods in Krakow, I’d like to share. 

Can't wait for the culture study tour tomorrow! 

Good night Krakow;)

    

Hello Krakow!

It still makes me feel like a dream in Krakow and indeed, sometimes our bodies even travel faster than our minds.

Maggie and I arrived in Krakow one day earlier on May 27th. We hanged out around the old town square and went to the church for orchestra concert last night. We could not help but exclaiming how impressive the city is. I did some research online about the city for big idea of how it looks like before our landing. Unlike Paris, where we can get to know about the city from various sources such as movies and novels, Krakow is a city that gives you more surprise when you actually step in. The city is full of historic and artistic feelings. The lifestyle here is pretty relaxing and enjoyable. People here are so nice and less aggressive. The first impression of Krakow is just so amazing and charming!

I look forward to exploring the city more, getting to know more about Polish culture here and enrich my experiences. I expect more suprises during our study tour in Poland.

My travel to Poland and the first impressions

We are here!!! With so many positive emotions :)

My whole trip to Kraków was very long...I had a 7 hour layover in Oslo, Norway, so the whole travel to Poland took me almost 1 day, but I'm sure it was all very worth it! Also, flying together with Keiana made the trip much easier and funnier. We chatted, laughed, even ate delicious salmon in Oslo (you can see a picture of our meal on the right).

Having impatiently waited for this trip so long, finally being here, in Kraków, makes me so happy! I've been waiting for this since January and yes, I'm finally in Poland and I'm excited!

The first impression of Kraków is that it's a very clean, cute little city with narrow streets and many tourists. I've only seen it at night and mostly from the car window, but I can already tell that it's a beautiful city with a lot of history. Also, certain things such as buildings and even road signs remind me of my hometown, Vladivostok.
The first impression of the people here is that they are very hospitable and nice :)

Can't wait to discover what this city has in store for us!

See you all tomorrow :)

I am ready for Poland!

I wrote this blog when I was in Paris but and I did expect I will come to Poland in Krakow one day. European lifestyle and culture have attracted me since I was a kid. Now I am surrounded by building with history and language that I don’t understand. I like this strange but new feeling. Traveling helps me to learn more about the world.

About the study tour, I want to know more about the change when Poland transited from CCCP to Capitalism, and how media industry adapts to all the change through political aspects to economic aspects.

Can’t wait to meet you guys!