Wroclaw

Five days in the west of Poland with my parents was really nice. Wroclaw is a city I had already visited twice before but it is a place I could go back to on many occasions. It is similar to Krakow due to the fact that its main attraction is also a large market square and the beautiful architecture that surrounds it.
The city has a lot of quirky elements to it including the collection of gnomes which can be found randomly scattered around. Originally, they were used as a protest to the Communist system but now they function as a tourist hunting attraction. Another more Romantic element can be seen on Tumski Bridge where padlocks line both sides of the bridge. First of all I thought that it must be a prime area for bike thieves but upon further inspection I saw that each padlock had the names of men and women inscribed on them which brought back memories of the same quirkiness in Vilnius. Before getting married, this custom is carried out and the key is thrown into the river to symbolize the love of the couple. We were also in time to see a pumpkin festival which took place in the Botanic Gardens and showed how creative people can be with this strange vegetable.

Rather surprisingly, there are some areas not far from the tourist attractions which badly need investment and the city's hosting of the European Championships will surely see a lot of improvements taking place outside the attractive Market Square. Like every city in Poland there are the remains of Communism which can still be seen. One example can be seen above. I don't think it needs a comment.