6 moths abroad or challenge accepted! #1

While studying I had an opportunity to travel abroad and spent there one semester. Me and my course mate (my dear friend) decided to choose Ostrava city in Czech Republic. I think if I had the chance to go back I would definitely choose Ostrava again.

Ostrava – is the third biggest city in Czech Republic based in the north-east. It used to be nicknamed the country’s "steel heart" thanks to its status as a coal-mining and metallurgical centre. Ostrava has been transformed into a modern cultural city, with numerous theatres, galleries and other cultural facilities. The best known music festival is the Colours of Ostrava.

Photo source: Cloverleaf.eu

It’s quite strange to write about something that happed three years ago but at the same time it’s a great opportunity for me to remember all the places I saw, all the parties I’ve been to and all the people I met during my stay in Ostrava.

So in September 2014 me and my friend packed our bags and went for Erasmus adventure. After 12 hours of travelling by car we reached our destination - new home in dormitory.

We both had a buddy (a local student that helps foreigners to settle down in a city, shows you around, help you to communicate with locals etc.) so our first interaction with a local wasn’t as scary as we thought. Long story short these guys escorted us to our room where we unpacked our belongings and that's where our adventure starts.

Well, the first thing we did next day was to shop in a supermarket and afterwards we went to look around in the city centre which is really colourful.

My top attractions in Ostrava:

1. Ostrava’s New City Hall. It has the tallest tower of any city hall in the Czech Republic. New City Hall viewing platform is 73 metres above the ground and gives you a panoramic view of the city.

2. The Miniuni World of Miniatures. There you can travel around the world in just a few hours or maybe even quicker: Eiffel Tower, Pyramids, Tower of Pisa and so on. (Sorry guys couldn'd find any photos of my own I think my friend lost them before giving it to me)

3. Stodolní Street. The street were all the parties happen. Over 60 bars, clubs and restaurants. This street never sleeps, you can party there every single day! Almost every party happened in this street during my Erasmus stay here. 🍻

4. Masaryk Square.

5. Ostrava's zoo. The second largest zoo in the Czech Republic.

6. Lower Vítkovice. This is a unique place in the middle of the modern city. (You can see it in the first photos background) There you can take a guided tour and learn everything about Vitkovice history.

I am sure that there are more places worth visiting and maybe I haven't seen them all because sometimes it's impossible to visit everything even if you have a lot of time. During this period we visited Prague, Olomouc, Brno, Štramberk, Lednice–Valtice Cultural region. We even managed to travel outside Czech Republic and went to Zagreb, Croatia. But all about this a bit later! 😊

Till the next time. I hope it will be soon enough! 👍