Georgia

Hey!

What do you know about Georgia? I think that in your head there is only one, well known answer: it’s a wild country situated somewhere between Europe and Asia, but actually it’s really hard to decide where it belongs to.

Well, to be honest, we know nothing about Georgia. But I need to admit that last year, when one of my friend decided to go to Georgia for some European project and she started to posted many intriguing posts and amazing photos, I realized that maybe it’s worth getting to know something more about this country. That’s why I decided to show you today some interesting facts about this country.

*Although the country it situated on the border between Europe and Asia, most Georgians consider themselves rather Europeans than Asians. But on the other hand, there are many differences between Georgians and other inhabitants of Europe. For example, if you don’t know neither Georgian language nor Russian, it would be really difficult to communicate with someone in Georgia because most of them can’t speak English as many Europeans do.

* Georgians are really friendly and open-minded. They willingly invite and host strangers. What’s more, they always rely on their family and consider their relatives as the most important person in their life.

* On the one hand, Georgians are really religious. Almost 80% of them confess to believe in God and what’s more, this number still rises. But on the other hand, they are one of least tolerant country in the whole world. That’s why they don’t support homosexuality.

*The alphabet: Georgians language is really special and creative! They have their own beautiful alphabet, which consists of 33 letters, and many surprising sounds which don’t exist in any other languages.

The history: Joseph Stalin born in Georgia. Till today there are people who on the one hand adore him and are really proud of him but on the other hand, there are many Georgians who consider him a person who murdered their compatriots.

Colombia

Hi!

Even though the blog is called ‘Discovering Europe’, I’d like to visit with you more exotic countries as well. In the whole world there are hundreds of amazing places worth visiting that’s why today we’re travelling to Colombia!

To be honest, I started discovering Colombia thanks to TV series watched on Netflix called ‘Narcos’. This fantastic series tells the story of one of the most known drug lord, Pablo Escobar, and actually it takes place in Colombia. Well, the ‘Narcos’ explains and shows us the situation of this country in the 1980s and 1990s but I believe that it didn’t change a lot since that time because also nowadays 10% of national income comes from the drug production, especially cocaine.

I think that you already know that Colombia makes a perfect mix of everything! There are many rain forests, deserts, mountain ranges, an ocean, a sea and much more! This is the place full of contrasts and surprises. What’s more, the country is well known because of its emeralds. However, as always the most important aspect of each country is food! Visiting Colombia, you should try a soup called ‘ajiaco’ made from potatoes, corn and chicken and taste a typical cheese with chocolate - I’m not sure if I would do it!

Finally i’s time to tell you something about nice places to see! So let’s start with Bogota, the capital of the country. It’s situated 2600 metres above the water and that’s why tourists who come there in order to avoid a breathing problems, first need to acclimate a little bit. Bogota is surrounded by the mountain ranges that’s why despite beautiful monuments, like Plaza de Boliver, you would find there lots of breathtaking views. Then, you should visit Medellin (the city of eternal spring from which  Pablo Escobar  comes from) and Cali, the Salsa’s capital. It’d be nice to see Leticia as well, the town in Amazon.

So if you would like to visit Colombia but you need to wait a bit to collect money, I recommend you watching the ‘Narcos’ just to understand the Colombian everyday life and their history.

Albania

Hey!

This time I’m taking you to the country which is considered by Poles a little bit wild and dangerous. Why? Just because we don’t know it at all.

From year to year Albania becomes more popular destination among tourists from all over the world but fortunately it’s not crowded yet! Even if this small country doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the modern and developed European countries, it’s really worth visiting!

So maybe let’s start with some curiosities 😊 The currency of Albania is called ‘lek’ what means in Polish ‘medicine’. The national alcohol is Rakija (something like fruit brandy) and the national dish is Qofte (kind of fried meat). What’s more, there are lots of bunkers and what’s has surprised me the most, there is the UFO University in Albania as well!

The capital of the country of course is Tirana, a beautiful city surrounded by mountains where the luxury meets poverty. The capital of Albania is known because of its amazing, colorful buildings which you can find in every part of this small city. Visiting this place, of course I’d like to see the mosque Etehem Bey, the rests of the walls of the old city called Castle of Tirana and just many simple streets to discover the everyday life of Albanians.

After spending one day in Tirana, I think that it would be a good idea to see at least one more city. I have chosen the one called Berat, known of its white houses situated on the hill. This place is called ‘The town of thousand windows’ because when you admire it standing far away from the hill, you can see only many, huge windows.

See you soon!

Sevilla II

_{Sevilla part II}

_Hi!

_{Last week I was trying to show you the celebration of the Holly Week in Sevilla, however this time I'd like to focus on the monuments of this Spanish city.}

_{Well, Sevilla is full of various monuments and that's why it's really easy to find many interesting places in every corner of the city. Today I prepared for you a short list of those ones that seems the most interesting to me.}

_{La Giralda: an ancient tower which is built in place of the former mosque. Nowadays you can climb on the top of the tower and admire a beautiful skyline of the city.}

_{La Catedral de Sevilla: it's worth seeing because it's the biggest Gothic cathedral in the world.}

_{Barrio de Santa Cruz: very charming and romantic quarter full of white houses decorated with flowers. One of the legend says that Don Juan was born there.}

_{La plaza de Toros de la Maestranza: it's thought one of the oldest bullfighting arena in Spain. It’s still active and open so you can watch there a real show!}

_{Of course there are more breathtaking monuments to see, so before visiting Sevilla, I recommend you searching those ones that the most suits you :)}

Sevilla part I

Hi!

On occasion of the Easter, I’d like to show you the city in which people celebrate the Holly Week in the very unique way. Let’s go to Sevilla, one of the most beautiful Spanish cities!

The capital of the community of Andalusia is located near to the seaside, so you can imagine all those attractions that offers us seaside (including perfect weather of course). But today I’m not going to focus on the sun, the sea and the beach but rather on celebration of the Holly week. 

The tradition of the Holly Week in Sevilla comes from the Middle Ages, since that time every year residents of Sevilla prepare a lot of different kinds of processions for each day of the Holly Week. And the most interesting fact is that each procession is different. The longest one lasts 15 hours and the most popular one is called Procession of Virgen de la Macarena, she’s a Patron Saint of bullfighters and the whole city. The most characteristic thing of this event are people dressed up as monks. They put long hoods on their heads and faces to cover their sins. What’s more, they carry a huge figurines of Jesus, Virgin Mary and other Saints and they’re followed by the crowd of sinners. 

At that special time, a lot of tourists decide to visit Sevilla and that’s why the city prepares always a schedule of each procession and marks there a place where it takes place.

This year it’s already too late to go there to see this amazing performance but maybe it’s a good idea to go there next week :)

Anyway, happy Easter!