“Dzie dobry, Zapaszam do Wroclawia!” Do you know what that means? It's the way to say hello and welcome in Polish. I wonder how many students visit this country or whether they even know of its existence.

  Wroclaw is Poland's fourth-largest city, following the capital Warsaw and two other cities. It is located near the border with Germany and the Czech Republic. The city was built on numerous islands which are connected by over 100 bridges. 

If asked to name the best place among all those I visited, I would say the Ostrow Tumski Island.

 The name of the island means 'Cathedral Island'. That's why this island is one of the popular places in central Wroclaw. It has a number of churches,and there are many places for priests and sisters and many other buildings. On top of that, you can see a statue of the Pope welcoming all the visitors with a gentle smile on his face. Life moves slowly here where people take a seat on any bench and then enjoy a break away from their real lives. You might even feel as if you are one of the royal Baptists. Believe it or not, I saw a person who looks a lot like 'Lupin', a character in a detective novel. I gave him the nickname 'Lupin' because he is tall and wears a black suit with a mantle and a tall black hat, similar to the real Lupin.

  In particular, he is holding a long pole against his shoulder with a flame on top. It gives you a tip that he is something special. The guy lights all the lamps on the street of Ostrow Tumski, but only near the cathedral. Would you like to see him? All you have to do is to be there between 6 and 7 p.m., and you can see how he does it.

  I haven't seen such a romantic scene before.

 Second, I'll never forget the first time I was walking around the market place, better known as the 'Rynek'. I remember it quite clearly.

 The Rynek is surrounded by buildings, restaurants, bars and other shops, all with different structures and colors. I expected to sit at one of the tables outside and drink a cup of tea, but due to the freezing weather none of the shops had brought their tables out, so I wasn’t able to enjoy the outside atmosphere with a cup of coffee.

 A Polish I met in Poland explained how the Rynek looks in summer. The streets of the square are filled with tables taken outside the shops, music is played or sang by amateur players or music lovers, and there is small talk among people everywhere. Sometimes people can't pass through the streets or even find room to turn around because of the crowds during the months of sun in summer.

 One day I was looking around this place with my Polish friends, Ewa and Magda. What made me excited was the dwarves who are only 123cm. tall: Dumpling eater, Book-lover, Wheelchair rider and so on. Many dwarves have a place in the Rynek, so you notice them everywhere on the street. They are ready to say hello to those coming from all corners of Korea.

 By the way, I want to tell you about one thing that made me happy. One day, a polish friend, Pawel, and I got on the tram on the way to go sightseeing. Even though that the tram seemed too crowded to sit down, I was fortunate enough to find a seat. But when I looked back in the tram, a lady in her mid-40s or early-50s was standing with a few bags near my seat. I asked her to sit down in my seat and my friend translated my words to her in Polish. But she preferred to stand up because she would get off at the next stop. Anyway I had already stood up and the woman didn’t sit down in that place. It was not anybody’s fault.  Then, one thing happened to me. A man managed to make room for me to sit. I thought I am too young to take his seat, and so I said I would be alright standing up. My friend told me it's a common practice in Poland so I had to admit his tolerance. What I want to say is you don't need to have too many negative stereotypes of Poland, one of the countries in Eastern Europe, when you travel there. It spoiled my trip a little, I think, because I couldn't be outside very often, even in the daylight. I thought it's safe to stay in a room.

In any situation, eating comes first. I'll introduce you to some Polish food that I had. It's well-known for bread with sausage or ham. You cannot even imagine how many other things are there waiting to fascinate you. There are all different kinds and parts of meat.

  Any place you walk around, you notice bakeries and shops selling sausage.

  Mostly I recommend you try 'Piorgi' which looks like Korean dumplings but the dough is thicker than ours, with different ingredients inside, such as cheese, chopped meat or vegetables.

 Whenever I went shopping, I bought some interesting juice and drinks that I’ve hardly ever seen in Korea, like cactus and a few different fruits. Please, don't buy only the cheapest items. It wouldn't make you happy at all.

 And if you are a big fan of Korean food, and you feel you can’t live without it, please carry a bit in your bag. Any Korean (or Japanese) ingredients, snacks or noodles (like ramen noodles made in Korea) are hard to buy and, if available, they are expensive in Wroclaw.

 To tell the truth, it was the nicest time among all of my trips. I'd like to get one more chance to visit there. Hopefully, any student who visits there will spend meaningful quality time in Wroclaw, Poland. If you visit there in summer or early fall, it would be the best time to travel.

By the Department of Marine System Engineering senior Jeon Bo-ram