Częstochowa: The Pilgrim’s Town of Poland

Last August, I went to a gathering organized by the Filipino community in Poland. This is an annual gathering and it was my first time to attend such an event. Sunny, never-ending barbeque and lots of fun.

This year’s event was held in Częstochowa, a town south of Warsaw. For tourists, Częstochowa is not a well-known destination. From what I’ve seen, there’s nothing really interesting reason for a typical tourist to be there. I went there alone and to be honest, I was a bit nervous to take the bus because of the said reason and besides, I don’t speak Polish. Ale, wiem troche słow. There was a little misunderstanding in the bus (obviously) but it was sorted out.

I only had few hours of exploring the area and found out that this is a pilgrim’s town. Every year, thousands of devotees from all around Poland go on a pilgrimage to Częstochowa. This town reminds me of Lourdes in France.

Aside from the religious sights around, one thing caught my attention while I’m on my way to the bus station. There was this massive detailed work of art painted on the building near the train station. I had no idea what the theme was all about but it’s a mix of past and future technologies. It was amazing!

Taking the bus to an unfamiliar place was a little success for me, especially going alone. Another story added to my book of Things to Try. 😉