Games

Some time ago, during one of our English class, we talked about different toys which we liked as a child. While on this subject, I would like to share with you a few examples of games which I found quite entertaining.

I want to focus on three various games.Their common feature is that you can find all of them on the Internet.

Słowotok – as the name suggests, is a word game, involving the making of words. Rules are very simple. The player, having 16 letters to use, has to create as many words as fast he/she can.

The longer the word finds the player, the more points will be awarded. The winner is the player who collects the most points. By the way, there is a mobile app of this game, that allows you to play using your mobile phone.

Just try - https://slowotok.pl/ ! :)

Another game that I highly recommend is Rummikub, which combines elements of rummy and mahjong. Originally, it was a board game, invented in the early 1930s, but now it is also avaiable on the Internet. It is played with tiles. It's worth pointing out that rules aren't as complicated as it may seem at the beginning. Online version of the game can be easily found on the Internet.

The last game is called Quizwanie, in English – QuizClash. It's a a free social quiz game, which contains more than 25 000 questions. You can check your knowledge in different categories, playing with your friends or with other users. It seems to me that this game is only avaiable on the mobile phone, as an application.

Download it here: http://www.quizwanie.pl/

Bored Panda

I have discovered a lovley and amusing website some time ago and I just want to recommed it to you. I noticed that it becomes more and more popular, so maybe you have already heard about it.

One thing is certain, browsing through this site you can waste a lot of time. :)

On the facebook profile we can read that it is ''a leading art, design and photography community for creative people”.

The page is divided into different categories, so everyone can find something interesting, The choice of the category depends on your personal preferences. You can choose for example: travel, photography, food art or simply you can view the most popular posts.

Anyone can add something, so the content is created by different users and what's more, all texts are written in English. I hope it can contribute to improve language skills. :)

I recently read about an Australian artist who uses candies to turn rooms into ''sweets wonderlands''. The pictures accompanying the text showed really fascinating effect. (link below).

http://www.boredpanda.com/candy-floor-installation-pin-and-pop-tanya-schultz

For me, this page is in some way a source of inspiration. Another advantage is that you can find a lot of interesting and sometimes funny information in one place. As I said, unfortunately it can be transformed into wasting time on the Internet.

Check it out – http://www.boredpanda.com/ !

Alberobello

Alberobello is one of the most interesting places in Apulia, in southern Italy. It has been made a UNESCO World Heritage site, because of the unusual 'houses' - trulli . It has a special style of construction. It is a type of dwelling with a conical roof , built from the local limestone.

In the same time it is an example of Italian folk architecture.

You can also stay in one of the trulli. Some of them serve as an accommodation, others are used as small museums, which are furnished.

Alberobello is a small, typical Italian town, with some narrow streets and fascinating buildings.

There are plenty of opportunities for buying souvenirs or tasting local products.

As you can suppose, the major tourist activity in Alberobello is walking between the trulli and just admiring the scenery. :)

There is an area composed of trulli ....  really  picturesque place.

Taizé - Young Adult European Meeting in Prague

At the beginning, I would like to wish you all a happy New Year, and many happy moments in your life. :)

These past two weeks have been full of unforgettable moments. I've just returned from a trip to Prague, where it took place Taizé – European Meeting of Young people from all over the world. Undoubtedly, it was one of the best experiences in my life. 

It was organized by an ecumenical, monastic and international order – the Taizé Community from France, which is composed of brothers from Protestant and Catholic traditions.

Generally speaking, Taizé is a village in France where each year a lot of people from different countries, make pilgrimages for prayer, Bible studying.

Furthermore, every year, around New Year (usually 28 December – 2 January) , is organized a meeting in a large European city called Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth. This year it attracted 30,000 people. 

 

http://www.taize.fr/en_article17415.html

http://www.taize.fr/en_article17415.html

It is really difficult to describe all my impressions. During those few days everything was just ... awesome. :) I was sleeping in the gym, with other 50 girls from different countries. There were for example only two showers, but despite our simple accommodation, or perhaps because of these conditions, all these people showed me their kindness and I felt an incredible unity between us. 

Of course, it was also a great opportunity to talk with others about their countries, cultures, traditions. For our meals we need to travel to one of the exhibition halls. As you can immagine, it was really unusual experience to eat something, sitting on the floor, with other 30,000 people. It was crowded. ;) 

 

Then, each day we were taking part in some common prayers, in small, international groups in one of the parish, or there were some common prayers in the exhibition halls. During the prayer we were singing some short songs in different languages, with just a few words, usually lines from Psalms or other pieces of Bible, repeated again and again, which gives a meditative character to the prayers. It allows to pray all together. I put below some of my favorite canons.

 

 

Obviously, this trip was also a perfect opportunity to explore the city, which is really charming with the Old town and some magical streets. 

  

It's only a small part of my observations and feelings. The next European meeting will take place in Valencia, Spain and I hope I can be there. :)

Mostar

When you think of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the first cities that comes to your mind is surely Sarajevo. However, today I would like to describe another unique town. 

MOSTAR is one of the places where time passes slowly and as you can immagine I was really impressed by it, even if there are still visible the signs of the war, for example buildings in ruins. At the same time, those war remnants are mixed with some charming views.

 

It's a town with a famous bridge called „Stari Most '' - the Old Bridge, Ottoman bridge which was built in the 16th century and completely destroyed during the tragic war in the 1990’s, but then fully reconstructed. It crosses the river Neretva and connects two parts of the city.

Moreover, it is a symbol of Mostar and it is a part of UNESCO world heritage.

It is also a part of the Old City of Mostar, where you can find characteristic, multicultural architectural features and unique atmosphere. 

You can also visit the Mosque (built in 1552) which is open to visitors. This mosque was the first I had ever entered. It was really interesting experience. For me, it was also a kind of learning something about a little-known culture.

 

Počitelj, another town which is really worth visiting, is located 30 km from Mostar. It's a fortified complex, where you can see some remnants of medieval and ottoman times. It is also an example of cultural and religious diversity. This place was named as one of the world's 100 most endangered cultural heritage site.

 

Postcrossing

Have you ever heard of postcrossing?

It's an online project which allows to receive postcards from all over the world. It was a few years ago, when I started my adventure with it. I have had a long break from postcrossing, nevertheless this project is still important to me. In some sense, it gave me the opportunity to ''travel'', without leaving home.

I received many cards from all around the world and I was able to know some interesting information about diffenet cultures and customs.

As it is written on the project's website : ''the main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you will receive one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world''.

For me, it is always a surprise. One day it might be a view from Germany, the next day for example … Brazil.

I remember that my first received postcard came from one of the states in United States – North Carolina.

It is also so great to get unusual messages from other people.

There is one particular message which I still remember. A man from Netherlands, who is concerned with folk medicine, described me his job, explained where in the Netherlands you can find the appropriate herbs to prepare some medicine. At the end of his story, he even wrote me a special recipe. As you can imagine, I was really surprised. :)

For more detalis visit: http://www.postcrossing.com/

Polignano a Mare

From Bari (capital city of the Apulia) it takes only 20 minutes by train to get to Polignano which is called ''Pearl of the Adriatic sea'' ( and there’s a reason for that!). In my opinion it's one of the most bewitching places in the world, and one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

The town beach is lovely, the water super-clear, people really friendly.

 

There aren't a lot of historical or cultural sites to visit in Polignano. The historic center is rather small. You can see some remains of the Roman domination ( for example the bridge on the Via Traiana) or some churches. The seascape of Polignano is characterised by many, partially submerged and small caves.

 It is a place where you can spend a lot of time just relaxing on the beach and admiring the views.

It's good to know that it's a hometown of Domenico Modugno, italian composer and singer, well known for his four victories at the Festival of San Remo and song ''Volare”. There is his mmemorial in the area outside the historical center.