What Happened on My Winter Trip Through Western Europe?

I haven’t written in a while, kind of lost in another world. The pit and all that, it’s hard to talk about. But I guess everyone feels unsure about their life sometimes.

Slowly, I’m finding my way back. Meanwhile, some interesting things happened. I got involved in a science evening organized by my student group connected to Staszic and MIM.

Ambitious people, captivating talks, a villa near Warsaw, and delicious food. Embrace life!

I also embarked on a journey through parts of Europe. I wanted to feel the atmosphere on the streets, their scents, tidiness, and all the things you can’t find on the internet.

So, I explored Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. I’m genuinely excited, so I just have to share :)

During my travels, I encountered some intriguing situations (like being wrongly accused of stealing the equivalent of EUR 10,000 in rubles). But this isn’t the place to go into that.

Let’s focus on what I witnessed. I found myself in Dusseldorf.

I wandered around the city for an hour, then tried to get back to the station area, which proved a bit tricky.

How Did My Trip Start in Düsseldorf?

The Germans don’t seem to have a natural knack for navigation… So, I spent the next few hours strolling through the city. A friend lent me a camera, so I captured as much as I could.

Lamps adorned the streets, malls resembling temples of abundance, cheerful people, countless couples wandering about… At some point, I realized this was somewhat unproductive. It would be better if I could interact with more people.

I thought of posing as a journalist from a university magazine, working on a Christmas issue. And needing photos of happy people from various European cities. I figured this would help me gauge how everyday folks in the countries I visited treat foreigners and whether they’re open-minded.

Admittedly, this plan fell apart upon closer inspection. But I counted on the fact that cheerful locals wouldn’t scrutinize my story.

And it worked.

Since I’m naturally a bit shy, it’s always a good exercise in courage. Approaching strangers in Poland is somehow easier, as you can anticipate certain reactions. It might be quite different in Germany or Denmark…

As I began concocting my crafty plan, the day ran out. And I had to catch a train to Mulheim an der Rhein, where my father’s friends awaited me, unaware of my travels. They hosted me and shed light on contemporary Germany.

Well, they reside in the Ruhr region, known for its industrialization and supposed affluence, but, as I’ve observed, the streets are full of potholes, dirt, and everything seems quite old and rundown. There’s graffiti on building walls, too. Following the introduction of the euro, German society became notably poorer, a fact not widely discussed in the media or online, but it’s true.

What Did I Notice About the Cleanliness and Cost of Living?

In fact, it’s dirtier here than in Poland, by a fair margin.

Furthermore, ethnic minorities have surged, contributing to a demographic crisis faced by several Western European countries. Muslims pose a particular concern for at least two reasons. Firstly, due to religious differences, and secondly, they tend to have more children than the Germans, potentially impacting the future.

In Poland, things are entirely different. To attain citizenship, one must pass a rigorous language and history exam and work legally in the country for a few years. That’s why we’re quite a homogeneous nation, which is becoming an advantage in Europe.

What can be said about the mindset of a nation when there’s hardly a nation at all?

That’s what really struck me. It was rather disheartening.

To put it bluntly, only a few German universities can be considered high-class. Most are average at best, certainly not better than the University of Warsaw.

So, why leave if it won’t be an improvement?

What Was My Quick Sunday Jump to the Netherlands Like?

Sunday morning saw me taking a train via Viersen to Venlo in the Netherlands. And then to the larger city of Eindhoven. By noon, I reached my goal and strolled around the city, which fulfilled certain stereotypes one might associate with this country.

Like stands selling tulips and clogs or a sea of bicycles. To be honest, I knew about the bikes but didn’t realize they were so popular in the middle of December.

Despite being Sunday, I couldn’t find a single open church. Commercialism prevails, as it does throughout Western Europe. According to Norris and Inglehart (2004), Western Europe has undergone a pronounced secularization in daily public life even as religious identity persists in more private or cultural forms.

They open for mass, then hire guards to watch over the place. It was a lovely day, and I explored diligently. It was noticeably cleaner than Germany, yet I noticed a kind of sluggishness among the crowd on the streets.

According to Rychlowska et al. (2015), cultures with a history of heterogeneous migration tend to value emotional expressiveness more, which may explain why smiling norms differ so much from one European country to the next.

People weren’t exactly beaming; they just moved along. They didn’t appear as tall as the Dutch stereotype suggests, either.

What Was the Charming Stop in Venlo Like?

On my way back through Venlo, I made a stop because I’d heard it was a charming town. Indeed, I spent the entire afternoon there, initiating my sociological experiment. I approached people and asked for their assistance.

To ensure a consistent testing environment in each country, I focused on pairs: younger and older individuals. People generally agreed, although they often weren’t entirely sure. According to Levine, Norenzayan, and Philbrick (2001), field studies measuring how often strangers helped with small requests across many countries found willingness to help varies noticeably by country but is generally high overall.

At one point, I encountered a married couple who engaged me in conversation, even inviting me to their nearby apartment. They showed me around, let me take pictures, introduced me to their young daughter, Nicole, and then the father made tea while sharing insights about the Netherlands. Mostly, he was critical.

What Was That Dutch Family Like?

His wife was Russian, so they weren’t your typical Dutch family.

When they met, they first lived in Russia, then Spain, but returned to the Netherlands due to lack of work for his wife.

He expressed that the Dutch no longer constitute a united nation. Minorities make up 40% of the population and are multiplying faster than the rest, showing little ambition to learn the language.

They’ve formed their own neighborhoods and world. With many Muslims, the indigenous Dutch lack joy in life and any empathy. He mentioned that even after five years of returning to the Netherlands, they still haven’t made a single friend (!).

Besides, everything is so expensive that Dutch people don’t eat out; they stay home, resulting in a non-existent nightlife. It wasn’t the most encouraging perspective… Truthfully, it was rather disheartening and made me appreciate Poles a bit more, even though they’re sometimes moody and as a woman, I don’t always feel treated fairly.

Nonetheless, the town retained an old-world charm with a lovely historic district that made my day quite fulfilling.

What Was the Christmas Market in Essen Like?

The following morning, I headed to Essen, taking my friends’ advice. Essen hosts a renowned Christmas market annually, which I naturally visited and photographed. The market stalls exuded a traditional Bavarian atmosphere, offering items like chocolate fountains made of flowers or even a bonsai shop.

I did the necessary part, which involved approaching people for photos. Some agreed, others declined, but the responses were more decisive than in the Netherlands.

By the way, I came across a perfume store and spent some time there treating myself to a Christmas gift. There was a certain scent I’d been drawn to for months, and it was a bit cheaper than in Poland. Sometimes, you just have to treat yourself.

I’m sharing this because I’ve read studies suggesting that artificial fragrances might contribute to increasing divorce rates in Western societies. Interesting, right? This time, my desire for aesthetics won over practicality.

Later that afternoon, I continued my journey and headed to Dusseldorf to catch a flight to Copenhagen. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since it was my first time flying with a low-cost airline, Air Berlin. But luckily, the flight was smooth, and the service was friendly.

It was a pleasant surprise to have an on-time flight for a change!

What Happened on My Way to Copenhagen?

In the evening, I arrived in Copenhagen. It’s funny because before this trip, I hadn’t really considered studying in Copenhagen or Denmark in general. This little country had escaped my attention, as I didn’t know much about it.

However, since I had an appointment with a friend in Sweden the next morning, I thought it was a great idea to explore the city in the meantime. These revelations often happen by chance…

And so, I found myself in the heart of Copenhagen, a city known as one of the most beautiful in the world. I quickly noticed that the people here were quite friendly. I was advised to visit the amusement park, Tivoli, which was the main Christmas attraction.

It was indeed a top-notch park. The entrance had a pair of burly security guards, a tough-looking woman.

And a gigantic man—perhaps the largest I’ve ever seen. This plays a role in the story that unfolds.

The park was expansive and beautifully illuminated for the season. People were joyful, polite, and seemingly happy. I hardly noticed any minorities, to be honest.

The park had a variety of attractions, including a Ferris wheel and charming food stalls. It was adorned with festive decorations, and there was even an area with distinctly Asian-themed ornaments.

Red lanterns and an illuminated dragon suspended overhead. Simply beautiful!

However, a problem arose—I realized my camera wasn’t functioning properly; the lens curtain had collapsed inward. I was dismayed, thinking it must have happened during the flight. I hurried over to the security guards at the entrance.

The massive guard from before tried to help, but couldn’t resolve the issue. He sent me to a technician named Razmus on the other side of the park. I dashed over and explained my predicament.

How Did the Repair Attempt Go?

Although he was a camera specialist, he struggled to fix it. He tried using a chisel, but to no avail.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I was eager to take photos, and now this! I was ready to give up, planning to take thousands of pictures on my next visit.

According to Grant and Gino (2010), expressions of gratitude from the person being helped make a stranger far more likely to go out of their way to help again, which matches how invested this technician became in solving my problem.

But then, a miracle occurred. The gentleman with the chisel tapped the lens, and the curtain snapped back into place. We stood there in disbelief for a moment.

This time, tears of joy filled my eyes. I rushed back to the security guards, purchasing baked apples on sticks for both of them as a token of gratitude.

“I really appreciate this!” exclaimed my favorite bodyguard with a toothy grin.

I continued to explore the park, my camera in hand, feeling overjoyed. It was a wonderful time! After the park closed, I ventured into the city and wandered around Copenhagen’s old town until two in the morning.

Truly, a beautiful city! People I encountered on the streets were also polite and had a great sense of humor. The thought occurred to me that spending more time in a place like this might be a good idea.

Why not? The only drawback was that Danish, a rather challenging Germanic language spoken by only a few million Danes worldwide, was the official language in Denmark.

What Was the Last Stop in Lund, Sweden Like?

After a day filled with experiences, I returned to the airport in the middle of the night, sleeping in those less-than-ideal conditions. Come morning, I had an overpriced breakfast, then took the first reasonably timed train to Lund, Sweden, heading toward my destination.

My friend met me at the station. I pulled out a route suggested by an online Lund tour guide from my pocket, and off we went. The city was overcast that day, which was quite common, as my colleague had mentioned.

Sad, really.

He also noted that Copenhagen is to the west of Lund, not south, so the weather isn’t any better there. Later, someone mentioned that Danes aren’t fond of each other, a fact I wasn’t aware of at the time. However, I quickly noticed that my friend was trying hard to convince me that Swedes had superior culinary tastes compared to the Danes.

I did grumble a bit about the prices, as they were high in Sweden, similar to Denmark. Some claim you pay for quality. But I wonder if Swedish cola is truly five times better than Polish cola, considering the price difference.