In 2016, Krakow, Poland was the host city for World Youth Days, an international event for Roman Catholic youth to celebrate with the Pope. My family (aunt, grandpa, and cousin) planned a trip to experience this event. I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to travel somewhere new where I had never been before!
When we landed in Krakow, we decided to rest at the hotel for the night due to the long flight from Toronto, Canada to Krakow, Poland.
The next day, the decision was made to tour the nearby streets and mall before departing on the train to our billet home for the World Youth Days event. I have to say… playing tourist around the mall and nearby streets was definitely needed on our first day in Poland because it gave me a sense of freedom with no agenda!
The following day as we were on our way to the train station, I was in “awe” witnessing my first pear tree along the sidewalks since they don’t grow where I live in Canada.
Over the course of the next few days, my family and I toured most of Krakow and took in the beautiful views of the rolling hills beside our billet’s home just outside the city. Krakow has a colorful, yet vintage scenery. I was impressed with the variety of areas to explore and learn about their culture.
Every morning when I woke up I decided to go for a walk up and down the nearby road to take in the peaceful sunrise through the morning fog as it wisped through the enchanting hills.
My favorite memory from the trip was playing a game of beach volleyball at a local park in Krakow. I met new people, made new friends and surprised many spectators as I jump-served the ball over the net for an “ace”! Many were impressed and yelled “Canada” (They knew what country I was from because of the World Youth Days badge we were given).
Aside from the festivities for World Youth Days, we toured the city of Krakow as much as we could. It was fantastic to meet so many people from around the world and we even exchanged flags with some of them! We made sure to exchange contact information, too, so that we could stay connected after the event was finished.
It has already been seven years since my trip to Krakow, Poland. I was a lot younger at the time, therefore, it is difficult to remember some activities and tourist attractions we visited throughout our trip. I do regret not being able to attend Auschwitz but I hope to return to Poland at some point in the near future to experience more of what the country has to offer including Katowice, Warsaw, and Wroclaw!