10 June, 2011

CMV Study trip to Poland, day 3

The castle of ‘Grodziec’ in Poland
By special guest writer: Jolinda Kijne

During the last night of our trip to Poland we stayed in a real castle. After we had travelled over rough roads with hairpin bends, we arrived at this foggy area on a mountain. We walked up till we reached our destination: the castle. It was an overwhelming experience.

The castle was in its original state, but part of it had been refurnished and renovated for visitors. The owner of the castle showed us around, and almost everything we saw was in the same state as it must have been centuries ago.
There were poster beds, there was a fireplace and there was even a hole in a corner that used to be a toilet. The castle had a cosy atmosphere that made us feel comfortable and seemed to draw us closer together as group. I asked the owner, who had dressed up in medieval style, about the age this castle was built and he told me it dated back to the 11th century. Just when we started to feel hungry our delicious dinner was served: soup, meat and more.. Even the vegetarians among us had plenty to eat.
There was a small shop where you could buy wooden swords, daggers and other medieval weapons made out of wood. Some of us bought a sword or a dagger and we began to duel in the great hall. Some of the swords broke, but the owner was so enthusiastic about our game that he gave us real swords and allowed us to use these for the rest of the time. He also had some medieval clothes for us to wear.

The castle is the perfect place to stay with a group as you really get to know each other better. No doubt you’ll have a lot of fun, as long as you’re willing to share and be creative since there are just a few bathrooms, and the water is cold most of the times. Go and find out what your life might have looked like in the 11th century!!

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