Three Seas Iniciative and the Trip to Poland

Monument to St. John Paul II in Rzeszow

The purpose of this report is to present the Three Seas Initiative, also known as Trimarium, of which the final international exchange took place in Poland from 6th-12th December 2021. In this set the competition brought together representatives from twelve EU countries boarding the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Sea. I was one of the three representatives from team Slovenia at the conclusion of the project.

The purpose of the competition and the initiative

The purpose of the competition, which was organized by Jagiellonian Foundation, was similar to the goal of the political and economic union with the same name. The aim is to connect young people and their cultures and learn about each other through different activities and above all through conversations. The competition between the different national teams took place in three sets, of which each team had to win two sets to qualify for the next round. There were questions of multiple choice, open type and the big strategy game in which you tried to defeat opponents with the chosen country. After winning the quarterfinals and losing the semi-finals, the Slovene team won the final third place after a successful win in the game for the third place.

Sightseeing

The guides from the Foundation arranged visits to many cultural sight. Thus, we had the opportunity to see the interior of Krakow Castle, with all props that once belonged to the Polish kings and the salt mine in Wielizka, where we descended more than a hundred meters underground. A day later, in Rzeszow, we visited the Museum of eastern Polish history and saw exhibition dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. In Przemysl, which was our last visit of city landmarks, we visited the gallery and some abandoned castle dungeons.

Free time

During the free time, we played cards and chess with each other and talked about history and culture. In Rzeszow, we spent two evenings in a bar, where we experienced some of the most beautiful moments of our trip, for example we played videogame console and enjoyed socializing with some locals of our age. In Przemysl we could also swim in the pool and enjoyed the jacuzzi. With the exception of breakfast and dinner upon arrival in Krakow, we paid for and bought food and drinks ourselves. At first, all guests had quite a few problems with this, as restaurants and shops refused to accept euros and demanded payment in cash in zlotys. Having exchanged some money, there were no problems with this anymore and due to rather low prices we could afford more than we had planned at the beginning. In the restaurants where we had most of our lunch, we were served delicious Polish meat dishes and soups, and for snack we usually bought buns and Polish pretzels called krakowski obvarzanek at local bakeries. We also drank a glass of traditional Polish beer. As to accommodation, we first stayed at the Hotel Qubus in Krakow by the Vistula River. The room was fine, however, there was one thing that bothered me and that was the poor view from the room, which was certainly not a problem at our next location, the Rzescow Hotel. There we were accommodated on the seventh floor and had an exceptional view of the city streets and the square. The room was nicely decorated and spacious. At our last location, in Przemysl, we stayed in the Hostel Olivia, which was surprisingly well equipped, with a jacuzzi and swimming pool.

Conclusion

I was positively surprised by the quality and professional approach of everybody involved in the project, which makes me even more fascinated by the history and geography of this part of Europe. But I am even happier that I have established new contacts with so many wonderful and nice people in Poland, both the Poles and people from other countries. So, at least for me, the competition and the project have achieved their purpose as it has not only strengthened my knowledge but also created new friendships that are important for the future of our countries. I will definitely visit again these places in south-eastern Poland in the near future and enjoy its beauty with my friends. /Jošt Polc, year 4/