Rzeszów - City in Plus

There is no place like home! We tend to say and there surely is something in this statement... if not only for the families, friends or our jobs, we like to come back to our home cities because they're familiar to us and seem so close in a way.

It seems all the buildings, streets and places we've been to in our cities make us feel safe and secure. This is the case with my city - Rzeszów - as well. This south-eastern city in Poland may not be the biggest and most popular metropolis, but it surely is a nice place to visit, especially this time of year.

Rzeszów - coat of arms

Time has stops here during the day, within those narrow streets of the old city centre (Starówka) and vibrates in the night with the thousand of students studying here, who go to the local pubs and bars.

Rzeszów has recently accepted its new promotion strategy - Rzeszów - City in Plus (miasto in plus) and the debate started whether it really is a city in plus. Personally, I found it positive place to visit and I wish I there was also more reasons jobwise to stay longer...

Anyway, visit this beautiful city virtually with me ....above there are some pictures to do so.
Enjoy and please, let me know what you think of them :)

Town Hall (Ratusz) from the side...

...and from the front

the Market Square where everyone meets

Rzeszów welcomes you

traditional buildings

former Lubomirski Family residency

Rzeszów castle - now the headquarters of the court

romantic alee

Rzeszów Philharmonic

All pictures by Mariusz Mario Andreasik: www.mandreasik.pl

Dreaming of a White Christmas in Poland...

For lots of us this time of year is special...not surprisingly, one may say: there is plenty of free time you can spend visiting your family, on fantastic sales in shops or just at home watching TV.

Yes, we all love Christmas, or should I say, Xmas time...

But here, in Poland this time of year means a true waiting for the baby Jesus to come to this world. Christmas gives us hope and joy and is a time of coming together...

Unique traditions and lots of symbolism are also here for people make this time even more special. Show me any other country like Poland that has more colorful traditions connected with Christmas.

Boże Narodzenie in Polish means literally 'a Birthday of the God' and this name of the festive time managed to stay unchanged for years. Just imagine how special and important this name is - here you don't celebrate some commercialized and enigmatic 'Xmas', rather you are happy because the God has come to our poor world to make it better place...Beautiful and joyous, isn't it?

bulbs - a must-be item on every Christmas tree

Here are some pictures from this year's celebration we had in Karaś Family in Poland. As most of Poles, we try to keep as much of the traditions as possible. And, you need to know, there are millions o them. Just imagine over 500 kept and regularly singing Christmas Carols or 12 traditional dishes served during Christmas Eve (24th December)...

a scene from Bethlehem
this one is hand-made version made by our friend

special night needs special setting - our Christmas table ready for 12 dishes

some hay and the wafer - Opłatek - traditions you'll find only in Poland

By sharing and breaking the wafer, we wish each other all the best and luck and we express hope that all the dreams for the New Year will come true. Everyone who comes to Poland during Christmas finds this tradition the most amazing and worth-copying in their home countries. For me it is a small gesture that means a world to my family!

Polish Christmas Tree - gold symbolizes wealth and red - love and joy

one of the twelve dishes we serve are Uszka - dumplings with mashrooms
always home-made on the Christmas Eve day

new tradition in my family - Mom is reading her own rhymed wishes
she prepared for the whole family

eating those 12 dishes takes time...

Santa (Święty Mikołaj) has also visited our house

happy like kids from their presents: Marta and Krzysiek

Mom with her present

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

White, snowing Christmas is probably a dream of many people in the world. Not all of them have this unique possibility to spend it in that 'white way'.

Not only I have this luck but also I could spend it with my family - those I love the most.

Unlike in other countries, Polish Christmas has something unbelievably magical. Is it snow, the closeness of the dearest ones, presents or twelve traditional meals during Christmas Eve's supper...I don't know that.

I do know, that I can not imagine my Christmas without all this....

This is also to say 'Thank you' to my Family, to each one of you, thanks to whom these days were so amazing

:*

Merry Christmas everyone!

with Asia and Mario's dad

M&M a present for their parents for this Christmas :)

Speaking about the Polish winter - here it is in its bright and unforgettable image:

Mummy skiing somewhere in the mountains

my parents and their friend appreciating white winter