Właśnie wróciłem z weekendowego zwiedzania Białegostoku. Centrum miasta robi zaskakująco dobre wrażenie, zarówno rynek, Pałac Branickich, parki, kościoły, cerkiew - wszystko zadbane i interesujące. Miasto jest pełne życia, ale jednocześnie spokojne i dające poczucie bezpieczeństwa. Warte odwiedzenia jest też Muzeum Pamięci Sybiru, pełne dramatycznej historii i architektonicznych smaczków. Świetny weekend i miasto warte odkrycia. 😃
I'm a local man and I like your footage, comments and opinions. It's so interesting to look at my hometown through the eyes of a foreign guest. Best regards
Walking through the streets of my city, and even my street, with you, I had the opportunity to see them from a completely different perspective. For an outsider, every city is full of details that might escape notice, and your uncertainties or unfamiliarity with the places provoke us, the residents of Białystok, to comment. You notice the diversity of architectural styles, colors, and decorations. For residents, these elements are part of everyday life, but for an outsider, they are novelties worth discovering. This is very nice and raises the value of the place where I live in my eyes. Looking at a familiar place from a completely new perspective, you see things that usually escape our attention. Many thanks, and next time, announce your visit - I'm sure there will be a few people who will be happy to tell you about the city and the surrounding areas.
@byQbass thank you for the comment. As this was my second time here, it was interesting even for me to explore the same streets but in a different time of year. I can understand the new perspective from local to outsider. I'll be sure to announce a follow up visit. :)
In case you don't know (it's quite an insider's info) - during june, july and august, only on weekends, between 12PM - 9PM, with the exception of days with bad weather 😂 the observation deck (actually a cool garden on the top of the opera, with nice views and sculptures) is open. Entrance to the first level is free, but the very top (you can get there by spiral stairs) is ticketed. Tickets are 15PLN and you can buy them in the main ticket office where the main entry is.
@kwl37 I can't figure out where your message went, but good advice on the football game. We will see if my travels in the area ever align to seeing a game :)
@@TravelwithMrJonThe city for a long time was very mixed; Polish, Jewish, Russian, Belarussian, German.. Kind of a place where one gets an inspiration for a universal language people could have in common.
@@Dreju78 I remember that the first time I visited. I was actually amazed at the mixed population of the city. Thanks for the reminder, I totally forgot about that fact.
Hey Jon, I really enjoy watching your vlogs. They are very direct and authentic. Had a friend back in grade school(IL, USA) who was from Bialystok. At that time and even today, there were many stereotypes going around about the city and it's people...very sad and mostly all bs. From what I've seen and heard, the city is indeed beautiful and worth a visit or two. Looking forward to my first trip back to Poland in more than three decades 😮. Enjoy your time in Poland. The U.S. is slowly turning into a 3rd world cesspool.
Thanks for watching. I am wishing you a good trip back to Poland. Poland is certainly a different world in many ways than the USA. I know I would have stayed longer if I could have (when I worked in the country).
17:42 Believe it or not, but these are not for parental supervision. These are exhaust ports from fallout shelters. Most of buildings in the city center that were built during the 1950s (so nearly all of the center, since the city was razed about 75% after World War II) were constructed with anti-fallout sheltering in case of World War III. These quarters were not full nuclear bunkers, but provided rudimentary protection for the local residents, having air ventilation with filtration systems and heavily reinforced steel doors. After the early 1960s very few such facilities were built, since the cold-war paranoia went down after the post-stalinist thaw.
@rafahrynkiewicz8274 thanks for sharing this. I knew about the bulk of the city being destroyed so this note about the fallout shelters is cool to know.
Best $$$ Value in All E.U. Western Europe for Tourists. Excellent Coffee Shops ( Baristacja, Niezle Ziolko) , Excellent Proper Bars ( ALCHEMIA), You name it . Mini NYC of Europe
1. Were you locked in a church ? It must have been a pleasure for you, you like churches so much 😉🤭 2. The Podlaskie Voivodeship, Białystok, is indeed diverse in terms of religion. There is not only Catholicism and Orthodoxy there, but also descendants of Tatars who are Muslims live there. The Great Mongol Empire bordered Poland, and there were wars between us. Agreements were also concluded, e.g. the Mongols helped the Lithuanians fight the Teutonic Order. After the death of Genghis Khan and the fall of the Great Mongol Empire, many of his warriors settled in the areas where they happened to be. Tatars are descendants of these warriors. They lived in the former territories of Poland (now Ukraine and Lithuania) since the 14th century. In the 16th century, Poland was one of the most religiously tolerant countries in Europe, which is why many Tatars and also Jews settled here. Many Tatars, even though they were Muslims, fought on the side of Poland against the Turks. In return for their services, the Polish king gave them lands near Białystok. Polish Tatars have assimilated perfectly, currently there is no problem with them, they speak Polish but have retained their Islamic religion. In Podlasie there are several historic wooden mosques included in the list of Polish monuments. 3. God honor homeland/fatherland 👍✌ 4. 10:56 What a cute little bear, 🥰😍he fell asleep reading books. He's probably dreaming about delicious food, e.g. fish 😊 This bear is friends with this little dragon from Krakow. They went to high school together 😆😄 Do you know what the word "bear" is in Polish ? You already know how dziki is, so I'll teach you the word bear. It's spelled niedźwiedź Is it true that 80% of Americans think that polar bears run on city streets in Poland ? 🤔 5. Churches, wedding dresses - check. The cemetery is missing 6. Białystok is very nice, it's good that you went there in the summer. Your videos make me realize how clean Polish cities are compared to Western European cities. As for greenery, 1/3 of Poland is green areas, another 1/3 of Poland is agricultural areas, which is also green. 7. The Branicki Palace and its park are beautiful, but the answer to Versailles is the Willanów Palace in Warsaw. As far as I remember, it was not demolished during World War II because it is located in the south of Warsaw. Wilanów Palace is the most beautiful Baroque palace in Poland, built in the 17th century. The Branicki Palace has a larger and nicer garden, but when it comes to the building, the Willanów Palace is nicer 🥰😍
1. Yes I was locked in a church in Bialystok - 1st time in the city. I'm sure you saw the short on me reflecting on this experience. ru-vid.comLNM92gy9gBk 2. That's really cool and also explains the Tarter Mound I climbed in Przsyml. 3. So it's not medved (like in Russian). Most Americans don't even know where Poland is. They think it's like the Ohio of Europe. In fact, they might even think it's in Africa. You would be hard pressed to find many Americans who can even locate Washington DC. It's a sad country. As for me, I know better, all the bears live in the eastern part of the country. 5. You wanted a cemetery .... there is a part two out on Thursday. I think I visited something that we can count as a cemetery . . . 6. It really is a beautiful city. I would have liked to have gone to the forest, the real ones to meet the Bison, but had to catch the train the next day to Elk. Not enough time to explore. I do feel the eastern part of Poland is better than the west... 7. I suspected you might post this and let's just say I read somewhere, no idea were, but there was a debate for some time over the nicer palace in Poland. This one has/had quite a following over the Warsaw one. I think I would agree with your assessment on the gardens/palace, and if we are counting the grounds around the palace, than it's got to be Warsaw. @nonperson22
The Polish names ending with "-cki" should be pronounced "-tski". So not "Braniki" but "Branitski". Such mangled pronounciation is extremely jarring to the Polish ear.
@@pw6053- Probably wouldn’t make the top 30! (Though it’s improved in the last ten years.) Personally, I prefer the smaller towns outside of Bialystok.
Są, ale w przedpołudniowych godzinach ludzie pracują. Pojawiają sie na ulicy po 16. W niedziele i soboty tłumy. Wylegają całe rodziny z dziećmi i rozsiadaja sie w restauracjach.
@@ilonaoglecka9174 Yes the weekend crowd never disappoints. I remember being there in winter time on Orthodox Christmas and the area was mobbed with people.
@avitalsheva This was my second time here. I just like the atmosphere and it's another part of Poland maybe people don't see. Many just go to Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Krakow. I wanted to show a different place.
@@TravelwithMrJon As proper Americans, we should be not even only worried , but horrified as it is Eastern Europe and it is so extremely dangerous and there is war ( constantly of course) and any day you survive in Eastern Europe make you a real highest level hero which need to be admired for generations. Ps: in addition ...if you anyhow despite everything still decided to go to Eastern Europe, then the best you can do in Poland is to start remind Poles that they are Eastern i mean EASTERN Europe - as this will make so much friends .. you will be surprised
@@avitalsheva I don't necessarily agree with your perspective on this or the perceived dangers of living in the region. There is a war going on across the border, I should know as I used to live in Poland and visited Ukraine. That's the current reality but I don't feel it's any more dangerous than some of the cities we have in the USA. As for your PS, Poland is in Central Europe as they will remind you. You will not make any friends if you say Eastern.
@@TravelwithMrJon Yes as real true American- you didnt recognized my deep sarcasm even I wrote it in very thick way.. as I mentioned every red flag of stupid American prejudices what are usually held by very typical rednecks / uninformed US citizens . SO basically I said every nonsense what is usually mentioned by "Muricans" and jokingly counter-advised on every issue ( as reminding Poles that thery are EASTERN Europe)
@avitalsheva I wish I had read your joke in the way you had intended...I did find it a bit odd. Then again if you saw some of the comments I get, especially on my shorts, you would understand why I didn't interpret it that way. Anyway, have a good one.
@@_Uduwudu_ It's certainly not like Krakow, Warsaw, or Wroclaw, but it's got a charm of it's own. I saw the memes when I lived in Krakow. As for Ohio - if you like farms or run down cities, that's the place to go. :)
I was in Białystok just a few weeks ago. The city underwent a tremendous transformation in the last 20 years and indeed now is a hidden gem in Poland that not many know about. This movie should have been shot on a summer weekend night in the city center where the casual youthful and joyful energy of night life is incredible.
@@odyga8330 Clearly, it's simply just my opinion in my travels around Poland. I enjoyed the atmosphere, that's all. I do believe more tourists should visit - simply why not.
@@TravelwithMrJon I was talking to shuttle😅 I agree with you. I live in Białystok nad i think that it should have more tourists. Most of the foreigners I saw in Poland are here because of polytechnic (I live next to it and I see a lot of people of different nationality in shops nad around it). Also idk if English speakers use word polytechnic (it's a type of university mainly focused on electronic and technic).
@@odyga8330 I noticed some of the foreigners are also there for the medical school as well. Maybe I'm wrong but I know I saw several Chinese students as well which was interesting because Bialystok is not a major city.
