I normally skip this sort of activities: short stay over the weekend in a big city, but this time it was different. It was my birthday and I decided to organize a surprise trip for my husband so we could spend some time together. I wanted to make it special and, therefore, I chose a place that was new to both of us: Scotland. One of the things I took with me was a SIM card given to me by MTX Connect. It guarantees an access to the Internet in over 40 European countries including Scotland. I thought that for such a short trip there is no time to loose for purchasing a local SIM card. I decided for this handy solution to save some time and fuss. Thus, here is my story of a romantic weekend retreat with a short review of the MTX Connect services. Weekend Retreat It took me about 2 weeks to organize everything. This was a challenge as I started from getting a workshop organized in Warsaw so we had an excuse to leave the house. I bought a one-way flight from Warsaw to Dublin first with a late arrival at midnight. I booked a hotel at the airport so we could have at least 4 hours sleep before we flew to Edinburgh the very first thing in the morning. Travel Tip I shall never fly from Warsaw Modlin on Friday evening again! The line for security check was 1 hour 15 minutes long! It was unpleasant and highly frustrating. In fact, this airport is doing so badly in terms of security services there are rumors that Ryanair is leaving them (not confirmed information but I can easily believe it). Weekend in Edinburgh We arrived at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. The morning was glorious! I haven’t expected the sun and tranquility so we felt wonderful from the start. I got in touch with AirBnB host and he was kind enough to meet us at 9:00 a.m. which was great because we felt tired. The guy was polite and very welcoming. He gave us a few tips on how to move around and where to eat. We came back with a direct flight to Poznań which was a marvellous thing to do. Travel Tip Always contact your AirBnB host in advance. There is a good chance that they will accommodate your needs. Also, find a local person as a reference point and a good source of information. Super hosts are especially helpful. Food and things to do in Edinburgh I hate rushing, I dislike crowds, I loath quick guided tours. You might ask: what was I doing in Edinburgh over the weekend. Indeed, this was a tricky journey but even a person like me could find something interesting to do and do it with no rush. First, we walked a lot. We used tram only twice: a round trip to and from the airport. The rest of Edinburgh was seen by us on foot. It is a fantastic way to spend time actively, enjoy the good weather, feel independent and avoid the crowds of the public transportation. Edinburgh is a walkers’ friendly town! Second, we followed the advice of the host and ate in pubs and restaurants near the apartment. As our host said: “You can’t go wrong with food in Edinburgh”, and I must say I completely agree with him. All five restaurants and pubs we ate at were terrific! Further, we kept our restaurant budget tight with one exception: a whisky tasting experience. After all, this was my birthday, I like whisky and this was once in a lifetime opportunity to taste the real thing. This wasn’t cheap but I must say they are well prepared to accommodate guests who are not experts in whisky. Not only we felt welcomed and taken care of but most of all there were packages we could pick up with a profound comment of the waiter. We felt that even if we knew nothing about whisky we tasted the most characteristic ones. Last but not least, we visited the main attraction which is the Royal Mile only once and next day we picked up a long walk to the harbour. Crossing Leith was really nice! No crowds there and we spotted a military cemetery which was really interesting to visit. The harbour was also quite spectacular with a huge ship of the Queen Elizabeth II available for visits (the real Scots name The Queen Elizabeth the First, as the first one was not the queen of Scotland). True: we haven’t seen even half of the attractions prepared for tourists in Edinburgh so what is the point of such short visits in a city? For me, the main gain is the explorative activities. What I mean is that after 3 days I’m able to say whether I wish to visit a place again and stay there longer. Is Edinburgh a place I wish to go back to? YES! And I have a dream to expand the journey to the Highlands. A week long trekking around the mountains should do the trick! Travel Tips for Weekend Retreats Walked as much as you can. The major part of mid-size towns and cities have their historical sites located within a 2km radius of the downtown. It is best to see everything you want on foot. Visit the places that are not top 10 attractions. It’s OK if you don’t see the main attractions. Sometimes the suburbs or small villages near the main city are the most interesting ones. Spoil yourself even if only once throughout the journey! I’m so happy we tasted whisky in a proper way! Such birthday is memorable and very joyful. There are some things not worth being parsimony. Go back to a place more than once. It gives you a chance to fully know it. The MTX Connect Review Throughout the journey, I was using a SIM card sent me by MTX Connect. The card was working great. I logged in, in no...

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Having fun in Lloret de Mar was somehow against the odds. First, the weather was not as warm as I expected. Although I don’t mind cold, I did mind in this case because of the clothes I took (summer like dresses and sandals). Second, my phone broke down. I know! First world problems! It all confirms Murphy laws being in force, but it made me angry. Not only I had no internet connection, which was the least problem, but I also was left with no camera and no alarm clock. Suddenly, because of one little thing broke down I found myself in an awkward position of being late in the morning and not having pictures. But I had fun! And why is that? It’s because of people I met! People People is definitely the best part of Tbex community and I had a pleasure to rediscover it. Although my closest blogger friends could not come I found some new ones. I was having an interesting series of discussions, sharing the knowledge and also giving back, as I went for Tbex as a speaker for the first time. It was funny because I met another Tbex participant already on the place from Munich to Barcelona. She asked me if I was going for Tbex just because of the book I was reading (btw a fantastic one, soon to be reviewed here!). So I had this opportunity to give a few advice to a blogger who participated Tbex for the first time. It was also great to meeting my co-presenters, Lanora and Pola, and to discuss further our theme of multilingualism in blogging. Tbex Team My huge congratulations to Tbex team with exceptional MaryJo on board. My transfer from the airport to the hotel was as smooth as a walk to the corner shop. I was taken to the hotel in no time, and checked-in likewise. I had a lovely large room in a hotel where the conference was held, which is always the most convenient way of enjoying full freedom of movement. Also, my technical problems with using my computer for the presentation was resolved in a blink of an eye, and the cable was found in less than a minute. The information about trips and activities was always easy to find making my stay on Tbex stressless. This year, Tbex team made an effort of inviting very attractive keynote speakers. Although I enjoyed immensely Robert Reid in Athens and missed him among the speakers very much, they did an excellent job. Michael Collins performed the best talk of the conference on the very last day. It was super interesting to listen to his point of view, especially that his comments also included a large part of language focused issues. The Internet is much more than English, he said, and I couldn’t agree more! It takes me straight to my presentation titled: ‘Building community when English is not your first language‘. Presentation Together with Lanora and Pola, we’ve been discussing this issue for months. It took us a considerable time and effort to make a thorough research, small scale survey, analyze the results and draw a conclusion. The biggest satisfaction was watching a room full of bloggers who run their blogs in their mother tongues, and also those who decided to publish in English and are struggling with a quality challenge, just like me. The discussion after our presentation was rich and lively, which makes me sure on the importance of the issue. Bloggers are not only English native speakers, and I consider this group large enough to make an effort to meeting their needs. There is a window of opportunity in the global blogosphere at the moment, on publishing in native languages rather than in English. The trend is visible and will be developing further in coming years. Lesson learned Never again, I will go for a conference or a journey with no camera or separate alarm clock. As long as the alarm clock is easy to replace it was much less so in case of the camera. I have only a few photos from Lloret de Mar taken on the second day so my sincere apologies for this post and only a few pictures. This is the reason I would like you to visit the sites of my friends and co-speakers so you could look for yourself how beautiful Lloret is! Karen published this post on Lloret and I think it is wonderful! Also Heather did a great job, summarizing highlights of our stay in Lloret de Mar. If I had a camera, I would love to walk some of the trekking paths along the coast. The little part I saw was just marvelous! Rocky mountains just above the crystal-clear water looked fantastic! I don’t blame the British, who walk it every year spending their retirement in this part of the world. Lloret de Mar The moment I’ve known that Tbex 2015 takes place in Lloret I didn’t expect any fireworks. The location seemed to me dull and predictable: another summer destination, full of beaches I don’t like and crowds I hate. Instead of a dull place full of tourists I found an exciting city, very well kept (with impressive sidewalks, banks and trash cans everywhere), and tourists’ friendly place. I was delighted to see a huge sandy place in the city center for petanque (bulle or boccia) players, full of retired people spending their late mornings on this play. A few building in the center were beautiful and made me think about the history of the place. Also, this is an ordinary city with many locals living there, with schools, shops, post offices etc. One thing that I can’t stand is an artificial village for tourist purpose only. Well, this is definitely NOT the care of Lloret de Mar. Think about above-the-sea trekking trail and renaissance like gardens of St. Clotilde and crystal-clear water wherever you are, and you will get a very attractive holiday destination. All pictures were taken during...

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So disappointing! The weather in Paris crushed my plans. And I wanted to do so many things related to my favorite writer Samuel Beckett! You know the story of Beckett and Little Museum of Dublin so you are not surprised I wanted to visit all places related to his long residence in Paris. I wanted to have a coffee in his favorite place, look at the neighborhood where he lived and finally visit his grave on Montparnasse cemetery. It didn’t work. When I saw heavy and dark clouds this morning I thought this plan might not be easy to proceed with. Just when I met a photographer and blogger Lanora I went straight to the Montparnasse graveyard. When I entered it was already drizzling but not excessively so I thought I still have a while to find the grave. I met an old French man just at the front of a small map and tried to get informed about topography of the place. He did not speak French but was so dear! I like this sort of old man that remind me my grandfather. They wear weird hats and have a lot of time. He would take my hand and lead me to a place I could recognize from a map. Then he dissapeared leaving me there but I was sure I could have handled from there. Well, I couldn’t. I went through the sector where the grave of Samuel Beckett should be located and haven’t found it. In a meantime the drizzle turned into a serious rain. But I didn’t give up. I run back to the map, checked again and turned back to the sector 12 looking at all graves one after another. After half an hour or rain and when I got soaked I thought that’s enough. And went back to the subway. Funny thing: I didn’t feel down. I remember what Beckett used to say: Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. Yes, yes, it’s the most comical thing in the world. I looked at the Montparnasse cemetery and it was so beautiful! Just in the middle of this busy city you have a peaceful place with big trees and lovely little figures guarding the graves of most famous people. The trees were yellow and the alleys were covered with yellow carpet. It was raining so all graves were wet and shiny. This was a very picturesque place. So I went back to the hotel quite comfort. Peace and silence are things we probably need most.  

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Tbex conference is always packed with events. But there is always one of two days off to enjoy the place where the conference is held. This year we were very lucky to find ourselves in Athens – the capital of Greece. Although the weather was summer like only for 2 days we were still having fun laughing, drinking and dancing together. Once in a year it is great meeting all bloggers in the same place at the same time. Bike tour After one day trip with Jenny to Marathon I took part in cycling tour around Athens. No surprises here: I have always considered bikes the best transportation in big cities and also the best way to actually see the city. So when a company Travelncycle invited me and Susan decided to join them we didn’t have a second thought! Security first! We were a jolly group! Twins from Slow Spirit Blog, Franziska from Coconut Sports, Susan from VibrantIreland and Roni from TravelGuru were all invited to join Yorgo and Villy – locals from Athens who wanted to show us their city. Each of us got a helmet, highly visible vest and a bike. Now, I tried quite a few bicycles during my travels. If you remember my adventure on the Aran Islands you will surely know how hard and uncomfortable it was. Thus, I was shocked how easy this bike tour was! Even if we biked up and down the bikes provided by TravelnCycle were brilliant! Guys from this company also published few really nice pictures taken throughout the day: click here to watch them all. Around the city We started from main city site: Acropolis. The weather was perfect for a bike ride: no sun was shining and it was chilly enough to ride a bike without sweating. We biked through the main districts including famous Plaka and Psirri, less known Gazi with revitalized post industrial buildings, Greek Parliment to watch changing of the guard, Public Gardens and epic stadium called Panathenaic Stadium. The Stadium was pretty impressive especially because a finish line of every classic Marathon run in Athens each year is right there. Here are few pictures taken along our itinerary.         Fish Market One of the most fascinating attractions seen and experienced with all 5 senses was a fish market. What a place! Guys from TravlnCycle did great job taking us there so we could – at least for a short moment – see how locals live and do their daily shopping. This place was smelly and very very loud. Every seller shouted in Greek things we didn’t understand but surely they tried to catch the attention of the buyers, and they were very successful in that! I’m not a big fan of seafood but I loved this place! For its vibrant and unpretentious character. It gave us a grip on where and how Athenians buy their food. Chill Out The tour took us more than 4 hours so eventually, after seeing all beautiful byzantine churches, ruins of Hadrian Library, Temple of Zeus and million other sites, we headed towards an exceptional place called: Kerameio Cafe. All of us were tired and needed some regeneration before going back to a hotel so Yorgo and Villy took us to a brilliant place. The music, interior design and food was exceptional. I felt warm and peaceful in a minute. We sat around a table and started trying traditional greek food and drinks.  The tour around Athens by bike was fantastic. I had a great time not only visiting the famous sites but also interacting with our guides and other bloggers. I can tell you this: biking IS the best way to visit the city and with guys from TravelnCycle you can be sure to be well taken care of! Highly recommended! Tbex 2014 from Null & Full on Vimeo.  

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It caught my attention, I must say. Reading a post on the camino which try to convince a reader why it sucks was really interesting. Until I walked The Way of St. James myself. After I walked it and experience how it really is the author of the post I’m talking about lost his credibility. And here is why. Francis His post starts as follows: “Camino (…) is the most overrated long distance trail in the world. Millions have walked its path, and most gush about how great it is. It’s time to expose El Camino de Santiago’s ugly underbelly.” Source: Francis Tapon Blog. I think that the author’s main disappointment is due to his lack of knowledge before he decided to walk The Way. Or perhaps it is due to his selectivity in thinking about The Way. On the one hand he was aware of the particular heritage of a Christian pilgrimage, and on the other he expected a wild and off the beaten track trails in the middle of nowhere. Well, you can’t have both. Even the first phrase on UNESCO site about this trail says about its popularity the has started in the Middle Ages. More than a million of pilgrims walked the camino every year in the past which comparing with over 200,000 today sounds really busy to me. Why anyone would expect a solitude along such path? But leaving the general reflection let’s focus on the details and 10 points which Francis found most frustrating. My reply in 10 points Francis prepared a list of 10 most annoying things 1 and 2. Only about 1% of El Camino is a narrow (1-meter wide) dirt trail. About half the time you’re on a paved road or on a dirt path right next to a paved road. NOT TRUE. I would say that the last 311 km is fifty-fifty. Yes, there are some long sections on paved road but it surely is not the major part of the camino. 3. Because you’re on a paved road so often, by the end of the day your feet may feel like they’ve been put through a meat tenderizer. Well, I’m not sure about a meat tenderizer but I definitely felt pain of my feet. In my case, however, it was due to highly uncomfortable shoes. Enough to say I had to complete the camino in sandals because it was more comfortable than the shoes I had (psst! never ever buy the Berghaus trekking shoes for a camino). 4. About 95% of the time, car traffic is within earshot. NOT TRUE. While some of the sections lead through city centers and noisy streets it is not 95%. I experienced numerous moments of total silence, I’ve heard birds singing and rain drops hitting the trees. There are many sites of extreme beauty and peace along the camino. Also, if some of the sections are walked in very early morning (6:00 – 8:00 a.m.) you will experience an extreme comfort regarding lack of noise. 5. Amenities distract from any spiritual mission you may have. NOT TRUE. This is the most unfair point Francis made. The amenities available along The Way makes it comfortable and careless. Thanks to the commercial activity along the camino you can be sure you will find a place to sleep and eat. Spiritual mission is up to you. If you chose to focus on your interior and spiritual needs you can do it EVERYWHERE. Even in the middle of the crowd. You can pray, say the rosary, meditate, whatever suits you. But YOU need to decide to do it. And blaming the crowd for a noise is unfair. If someone knows that he or she needs a total silence for spiritual exercises I would recommend the one run by the Jesuits. Exercitia spiritualia by Ignatius of Loyola is just perfect for them!  6. The scenery is monotonous. NOT TRUE. In fact: far from it. Last 311 km I walked were full of small towns, fields, hills, mountains, cities, villages, forests (including eucalyptus which I found pretty exotic), small streams, well pretty much everything. Doing the same thing everyday (walking) might be monotonous but the scenery is not. 7. It’s a skin cancer magnet. PERHAPS it is but not more than elsewhere. Giving the example of New Zealand where after 1 hour of biking in the sun I got my skin burnt Spain looks rather friendly. True: I walked the camino in september/october which was wise if you checked the climate and temperatures in advance. I would never do it in the middle of the summer, though. 8. Unfriendly commercialism. NOT TRUE. Many of the albergue (accommodation for pilgrims) owners were friendly, cooperative and caring (including phone calls to get my luggage transported once, or giving some advices re the route). There were also less talkative people, who were not interested in my wellbeing at all. But this is just like everywhere else. The problem I found frustrating was the lack of English language skills. Fortunately speaking Italian was good enough to communicate. But I agree that spanish people should make an effort to learn some English. 9. It’s a cacophony of sounds. PARTIALLY TRUE. I would say that the worst noise was in the night in common dormitories. Snoring is the plague of the camino. It can be partially solved with earplugs but from time to time I was staying in smaller = more expensive rooms to avoid the noise, just to make sure I will sleep well. 10. It’s hard to take a piss. EMBARRASSING I find it so embarrassing that Francis visited a foreign country where – as he admitted – there was plenty of bars, cafes and hotels and he couldn’t wait until the next bathroom to use it. This is a real disgrace. I really find it hard to believe that anyone would make such thing an accusation for any one else but himself. Summary Surprisingly: I would agree with Francis. If you limited the camino to a long distance trekking trail, despite its particularity, you will probably be disappointed. And I think this is the beauty of it!...

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Here is another inspiring woman! Meet Jenny and her dog Holly. To rise the money for a local charity Jenny walked amazing distance of 100 miles! I think she made her point and I find her determination inspiring. Right after I completed a full marathon I got known that Jenny walked 4 marathons in only 4 consecutive days. So let me congratulate to Jenny and please read her story below. Trekking the South Downs Way in four days  I’ve just finished a challenge to trek the South Downs Way across southern England in four days.  To say that I am as stiff as the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz is no exaggeration!  The South Downs Way runs from the cathedral city of Winchester in Hampshire all the way to Eastbourne in East Sussex.  It’s 100 miles long over rolling countryside, escarpments and finally beautiful white chalk cliffs. Why would anyone walk four marathons in four days? To complete the South Downs Way in four days meant walking almost a marathon distance (26 miles) each day – but adding in ascents and descents which makes it feel a lot longer!  I did it because I was raising money for my local charity, The Iris Trust.   What did I see along the way on the first day? Well, the South Downs Way changes all the time!  Setting out from Winchester where there is a statue to King Alfred (who allegedly burnt the cakes), it’s a gentle, undulating rise through the rolling hills of Hampshire.  Passing up and around Beacon Hill, and on to Old Winchester Hill where there is an amazing old hill fort and many bronze age burial sites.  You can still see the ground structure quite clearly.  The third hill in this first section is Butser Hill where the views stretch right out across the Isle of Wight to the South and down to the pretty village of East Meon to the North.   A Mixure of Roman Ruins and Shin Splints! Day Two started out from the Queen Elizabeth Country Park – where many people come for a day’s walking and mountain biking.  There are lots of special jumps and trails made throughout this beautifully wooded landscape.  This was a day of quintessential English countryside; harvested fields, hawks, hills and gentle moors.  The views were amazing all the way.  As I passed Bignor Hill there were more ancient remains, this time Roman, and a fun stone step – Toby’s Stone – which commemorates one of the 19th Century’s leading huntsman of the area.  By this time my joints were starting to feel the effects of the flints and chalk stones underfoot.  Although I have great boots – Meindl – your feet and legs are rocking around all the time when you’re sliding on flints.  I had forgotten how hard that is on the shin splints – and I wasn’t even half way through! Rain, Rain, Go Away ON the third day I left lovely Holly behind (Holly is Jenny’s dog).  I knew I was in for a fair amount of rain on one of the most exposed stretches of the South Downs Way.  That’s the interesting thing; the further along you go East, the more exposed you are.  I started out of the quaint village of Amberley very early to avoid as much as I could, and made it past Chanctonbury Ring (known for witchcraft and all sorts of shenanigans) but I could see the black clouds catching me up.  Before I got to the Devil’s Dyke – a beautiful bowl with fabulous views to the coast – it came down in a thunderous shower.  Sadly I saw very little of the Devil’s Dyke because the rain was so hard my head was down battling along.  Have to confess that at this point I wasn’t sure at all that I would make it!!  But finally the sun came out, and the day finished with a bright blue – but cooler – sky.  Ditchling Beacon hove into view and I was very, very glad to see my taxi waiting for me! Holly is Very Tired The final leg from Ditchling to Eastbourne is probably the hardest.  Not just because you are tired, but because it is constantly up and down, and quite steeply in places such as the Seven Sisters. But you can’t complain on an October day when its warm enough for you to still be in shorts and a t-shirt and the sun is beating down.  This was really the first day I saw any people and by the time I reached the Seven Sisters around midday it was positively heaving with folks out to walk one of the most famous stretches of the Way.  But poor Holly had had enough by the time we reached the cliffs.  The combination of the strangeness of the height, the humidity in the dips beneath the cliffs all got too much for her and I had to carry her for a couple of miles to the Birling Gap where she stayed for the rest of the day while I finished. Around 5pm, tired, sore, really very very tired, I finally arrived at Beachy Head from where it is only a mile into Eastbourne.  Beachy Head is sadly very famous as a place where people come to commit suicide and there are rows of little crosses commemorating them.  But it is also one of the most beautiful views and spots in the South, and I was very glad to see that little lighthouse! I’m not sure I would do it again in the same way.  I now understand why there is  a raging debate between Thru-Hikers and Hikers in the US.  It’s true – the pressure of distance and time takes away a lot of the benefits you get from being surrounded by nature.  There were times I was simply too challenged and tired to stop to take a picture – just aware of one more step, running out of...

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Have you ever read about the camino? Did you feel encouraged to walk the Way of St. James someday? Or maybe walking the camino this is your biggest dream? Well, I made it! After 2 weeks of walking, fighting with exhaustion, numerous blisters, the heat of the day, crowded dormitories and a terrible cold I crossed over 300 km to finally reach Santiago de Compostela. Was it worth of this effort, you may ask. And here is what I want to tell you about the camino. How does the camino look like? I was waking up very early, before the sunrise most of the time. I was dressing up in the dark and leaving the dormitory as quiet as I could. I was starting to walk in the dark, watching the stars over my head and later also a slow sunrise. I was having a breakfast along the way. I was walking for 5-8 hours a day on a variety of terrains: mountains, paved sidewalks, stairs, streets, fields, pretty much everything. Then, I was having my lunch, a short rest in a shared dormitory, a quick visit in a village or town where I was staying in. I was eating a dinner and then was falling asleep very early. Next day, I was doing exactly the same thing all over again. For two weeks. Boring? Not really, as for me this was precisely a miniature version of a human’s life. And this is when and where EVERYTHING happens. Spiritual Most people consider walking The Way of St. James a spiritual act itself. This is just one way to consider it. But after walking it myself I can tell you this: it is UP TO YOU how spiritual and life changing experience this is for you. True: there is very little spiritual services available along the Way, which might be shocking to you. Closed churches, no priests, hardly few parishes that provide an evening mass and a blessing to pilgrims. It would be a great disappointment to me so I did a really clever thing: one of the people I walked the camino with was a priest. This resolved the major part of the spiritual problems: we had an everyday mass, we had a recitation of the breviary in the morning and in the evening and a person to turn to in any spiritual need. So for me, this was an authentic spiritual pilgrimage. And I think this is important for people to know it in advance to avoid the later disappointment: you need to take care about your spiritual needs. Especially when walking the camino. Is the camino helpful in your personal growth? Yes, it is. But only if you make an effort. There is no way that someone else will do this job for you. The Way is just like our life: hard, repeatable, sometimes breathtaking, always shared with others and preferably purposeful (or at least it should be!). And in our crazy world where we all have an impression of running in circles the experience of the camino is really powerful.  It is a plain walk from A to B and with a purpose at the end. And it is powerful because you can physically and mentally feel it. All you need to do is to wake up and walk for a certain amount of time with your backpack. So easy, and so hard, at the same time! For better or worse You’re not alone! This was the second most powerful experience I had when walking the camino. Even though this was off season The Way was FULL of other pilgrims. For better or worse. Literally! On the one hand, it is great to have someone to talk to, share the joy of watching the sunrise, complain about blisters, looking for accommodation or share a large meal. On the other hand, it is very annoying to hear of the snoring for the whole night. And for this reason not sleeping at all. Also, people are loud, sometimes rude, leave a mess in a shared bathroom and sometimes even occupy the very last bed in a dormitory so you have to walk further to find a place to sleep. Just like everyday life, isn’t it? We’re usually fed up with our neighbours, colleagues at work, people in shops or buses we use. And believe me: the camino is just the same and people are equally irritating. But again: IT’S ALL UP TO YOU. The way you deal with your irritation is always up to you. And a pilgrimage is a good moment to work on your behaviour. Being tired or even exhausted or in pain does not help but this is a great moment to start. Oh, and there is another issue related to a group you share the camino with. The bedbugs! Yes, they really are there. Paradoxically, however, I got bitten by bedbugs at the very end of The Way in a hotel in Santiago de Compostela where we had a room for ourselves. In the major part of shared dormitories, you will get a single use sheets, which keeps you safe from the bugs. But just as I said: for better or worse. For me, it was always helpful to think that other people are also tired and I should treat them just the way I would like to be treated in the same circumstances. Sharing a painful experience – and walking The Way is painful and demanding – helps to develop your empathy. Once in a Lifetime All in all, I think that walking the camino is a very important experience. Hopefully, my story and pictures shared here will give you a strong impulse to walk it someday. But remember about the right mindset before you go. Otherwise, this experience will disappoint you. And just as I told you in my previous post: if you never try you will never know. Here is a short video I recently published. It takes you for a walk and I think it shows how The Way is for real. Psst watch it in HD! Camino – The Way of St. James from Null...

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Have you ever went on a pilgrimage? A single thought about it can make you laugh as most of our contemporary conceptions of religion and faith are far from what made people to pilgrimage few hundreds years ago. However, the statistics do not lie: since 10 years a number of pilgrims walking the Way of St. James in Spain (Camino de Santiago or simply camino) steadily increases. And you probably wonder why. Do you find overwhelmed with technology? Are you constantly online? And even if you decided to go offline you can’t resist the temptation to switch your phone on? I have this too. Most people, especially in travel industry, tell you that a travel to an exotic place will cheer you up. A holiday package ‘all inclusive’ usually follows this advice. While changing a place of stay in helpful in a short term perspective it will never resolve your serious problems with relationships, work or health. Or let me put it this way: If any sort of travel can help you to deal with problems you experience everyday it would be a pilgrimage. And there are reasons why people have decided to join a pilgrimage for hundreds of years. Pilgrimage Today I am not saying that one pilgrimage will resolve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t. Pilgrimage will definitely not deal with serious illness or a nervous breakdown (i.e. depression, anxiety, unresolved conflicts, etc.) but what I know is that pilgrimage is a chance to create space for your spirit to stretch. And you really need it from time to time. This will not resolve any of your problems but it might create time and space you need to figure out where to find help or what to do next. There is a chance that a pilgrimage will change your life. After all, grace is given in a most mysterious ways. If you never try, you will never know. Most people don’t know about it but the spirit of pilgrimage is still very much alive nowadays. And I am not talking about buses full of tourists left in front of the chief attractions of the European pilgrimage centers. I am talking about an authentic experience of a long walk with your backpack. About everyday fight with your own weaknesses. About The Way focused on improving yourself, and most of all giving space to your own spirit to grow. You might have never thought about pilgrimage but here is the thing: I would like to share my own reasons why I walk camino this year. Getting Back to Our Roots Pilgrimage is appreciated in every major religion. Then it must be something really important in it! UNESCO proclaimed Camino to be a World Heritage Site. And for some this is enough reason to walk it. But there are many other reasons too. Thanksgiving or penance, demonstration of devotion or gaining a divine aid – there are as many motivations as people who walk it. But there is one common ground for all motivations: a pilgrim KNOWS that he or she has spiritual needs. This sounds trivial but the whole contemporary world tries to convince us that we don’t. That a human can be limited to their needs created by marketing and PR industry. Well, here is the news: EVERYONE has spiritual needs and it is up to you how you deal with them. Camino: On My Way To St. James The feeling you realize that the very path you are currently walking has been walked for over six centuries is pretty awesome. It brings you closer to your roots, if you are a European or you are connected to the western civilization somehow. It also makes you feel a piece of the gigantic puzzle of the universe being in the right place at the right time. Time flies, reality changes, people are growing old but The Way has been there for centuries. It makes me feel I belong to my cultural and religious circle and that I continue a longstanding tradition. Space Most of all, a pilgrimage, which in my case means a total offline status for more than 2 weeks, is an effort to create a space. Space for my spiritual grow, for prayer, for getting back to the basic things. And it shows me every day that there is SO little that I need.  To be happy and fulfilled and in harmony with the world. I am christian catholic which makes this pilgrimage a religious experience to me. But I would like to encourage you to think about it too, even though you do not consider yourself christian. Too often we get overwhelmed with our everyday lives. Too often we find ourselves in difficulties to cope with it. And sometimes it is good to take care of yourself. With true care and compassion. Instead of buying yourself a new gadget take yourself SERIOUSLY this time. Go offline. Leave your phone switched off. Talk to people. Enjoy every day and every place you visit. Don’t get deceived that time spent offline is a luxury you can’t afford. That’s a lie. You deserve to stop running. If only for two weeks. Results There is no way that undertaken effort will leave you untouched. The result depends on you how you will treat yourself, your faith and people you meet along the way. This is not my first pilgrimage so I know that of many benefits I’ll gain peace in my heart. Challenging little things like pain of tired feet or heavy backpack will set me free. Because above all a pilgrimage is a liberating experience. It sets you free from misconceptions on you poor condition, on your needs and your fear. It puts everything back in the right perspective. Brings back proper proportions to your life. And it allows you to distinguish things that you consider necessary from those that really are. So, I’m leaving tonight to Madrid, I go by bus to Leon in the north of Spain and continue The Way on foot. Walking little over 300 km to arrive to Santiago is my target. See you in two weeks when I get back home and...

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If you follow this blog long enough you know that I like visiting small and off the beaten track museums. Although I appreciate the mainstream art I immensely enjoy modest exhibitions focused on a single city or a theme. A good example was one of my favorite museums of all times – The Little Museum of Dublin – of which even the name is cute. Visiting small museums all over the world I realized they have a particular set of properties that I like very much. The exhibition is small enough to visit it in a relatively short time. Its narration is usually cohesive and understandable. And lastly the staff is very friendly and because of the size of the museum it also gives you an opportunity to interact directly with them (=experts). My last trip to Munich was very enjoyable in terms of one day hike in the Alps but also two interesting visits in a museum: Neue Pinakothek and Deutscher Alpenverein Museum. Pinakothek: the name says everything. It is very traditional sort of a place with beautiful pictures on walls. Large, obviously. I liked it but the second museum by the Alpine Club was much more sophisticated. Museum Focused On Mountain Tourism Deutscher Alpenverein Museum has only 4 rooms. Seriously. And in these tiny little rooms it contains exhibition focused on brief history of hiking in the mountains. B-R-I-E-F. What is striking is that this sport is so young! More than 250 years ago nobody would climb mountains for fun! It was originally connected to scientific and academic world: various geologists would climb some mountain ranges to get know the properties of rocks or to record the geological history of the area. And they were doing this in their ordinary clothes which always makes me laugh! By 1900 all prominent European peaks were climbed and named and I think it shows the real explosion of this activity. For couple of decades, however, climbing remained a highly exclusive hobby and climbers were recruited mainly from upper classes. In early years all Alpine Clubs, including the British one established in London and the German one established in Munich, were for selected wealthy and highly educated people. In that time British aristocracy simply invaded Swiss Alps climbing all highest peaks and enforcing its exclusive character. Along the development of this expensive hobby critical changes occurred. On the one hand climbers seeking out increasingly demanding challenges caused design  and production of modern climbing tools. On the other, a substantial development of facilities was noticed. Soon, the European Alps became a crowded place. Urban comfort pushed into the wilderness, as the Visitor’s Guide puts it. Two important mainstream trends: skiing and physical fitness – contributed later to further expansion of the mountain tourism making it also open to young people of non aristocratic backgrounds. And finally this process ended up with increase concern over protection of wild mountain area, as we know it today. My visit in Alpine Museum Being small and being focused on mountains seemed to me a perfect combination to spent one afternoon in Munich with. The weather was nice so I took a long walk along the river to finally reach a small island where the museum is located. Just as I expected: a warm welcome from a nice lady just for a start. After I paid 3 EUR of admission fee I received a thorough explanation of the exhibition with a short guidebook in English. One of the weaknesses of this place is a total absence of the English signs but with this little booklet I could enjoy my stay in this museum and actually understand what I watched. It took me about 1 hour and a half to watch the exhibition, read the information in a booklet and talk to the staff. I always enjoy watching old pictures and equipment. It always strikes me how difficult the beginning of climbing was. But what I love most about this sort of museum is the thought you have on taking for granted some of the present habits. And suddenly you discover that the obvious things are not that obvious. And that the moment when you’re ready to hear the story told in a museum like this. I enjoyed listening to it very much! Haus des Alpinismus und Alpines Museum, Praterinsel 5, 80538 Munchen, Germany. Disclosure: all pictures were taken with my cell phone rather than the real camera. Apologies for the poor quality.  

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Wang Church is the main touristic attraction of a little mountain village Karpacz. It is situated in southern Poland just at the foot of an old mountain range Karkonosze. This whole place is way off the beaten track of foreign tourists and hikers and I bet that most of you have never heard about it. Continuing my story of a week spent on hiking there this spring let me tell you few things about this church. This church is extraordinary: not only very old but also originally Norwegian. Surprised? I think most people are. Especially if you think how few of these churches last until today in Norway! It was constructed in 12th century in a small norwegian village called Vang from where it took its name (Wang in Polish). The history of this little wooden church until 19th century was pretty straightforward: it stood where it was constructed and served the local community for worship purposes. But then, in 19th century, something went differently than the ordinary. It was too small for the community and it was decided to be relocated so it could be used somewhere else. To make a long story short the edifice was taken to pieces and shipped in boxes, first to Szczecin, then transported to Berlin and finally reconstructed in Karpacz (in 1849). Apart of being an important touristic attraction in the area it is used by the local Lutherans until today. There are many curious details of this outstanding piece of architecture, like as it was constructed without a single nail, which is so hard to believe! Most of all, however, it is striking how different it is when compared with all other buildings in the area. It is bizarre. Even though the traditional houses around are also wooden these norwegian architectural details (lions, winged dragons, runes) are striking. It is carefully crafted and very well conserved so this is quite a treat for fans of norwegian architecture. If you are interested in norwegian architecture check this post by Jeff. He goes in depth of these marvelous constructions. What I love the most about this church is its smell. It is very special for two reasons: its age and my memories. As the construction is out of norwegian pine and the elements lasted for about 8 centuries the smell is very particular and – obviously – hard to describe. Try to think about old wooden buildings, like a mill or a barn. All years passed, all violent seasons’ change, everything marked it so the current smell consists of impossible to identify ingredients. For me it was also very special because it reminded me my childhood. It is an amazingly powerful experience: to smell the same smell after 25 years. Literally! THE SAME! 25 years is nothing when compared to 8 centuries so it hasn’t changed a bit! If you are curious what is the smell of the Wang church you need to visit it for yourself! Photo gallery from Karkonosze is here.  

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