You might have already seen a lot of posts from the amazing Hivers who attended the first HiveBeeCon in Krakow, Poland 2023. The meetup event was amazing, I got to know many new faces behind the Hive accounts once again. Before going to the deep and main event, I will write a little bit extra about my personal experience at KBK (@krolestwo) and in Krakow.
I already wrote about my journey to Poland and you can read it here if you haven't.
I came to know about KBK (@krolestwo) when I was in Katowice, Poland after fleeing from the Ukraine war. I even remember, @jocieprosza told me to visit Krakow and to spend some time at KBK, the "kingdom without limits". In my opinion, that was not the right time for me to visit Krakow but in my mind, I always told myself that I would visit Krakow, KBK one day. I even started following Dawid (@hallmann) but we didn't have a chat. I even don't know if he noticed me or not because I was a silent reader and admirer of his photography.
So, my connection with Poland, my desire to visit KBK (the kingdom), and to meet my Hive family once again all together inspired me to go to Poland once again. After reaching Krakow on 6th October, I asked @blind-spot about our next destination while standing at John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice because I had no plans for 6th October. When he told me that we were directly going to KBK, I was excited (I didn't express my excitement in front of him). Blind has a long connection with KBK, Dawid, and Aga, and KBK is like family to him but KBK was a mystery to me until then. I have heard a lot of stories and experiences about Kingdom from Blind but that's it. Even we played the Briscott game together which he learned from KBK as well. Anyway, after reaching KBK directly from the airport, Dawid welcomed us with an open heart.
Królestwo Bez Kresu (KBK)
I was astonished to see the kingdom itself in front of me where all the magic happens. I knew about KBK but at that moment, the kingdom was beyond my expectations. I don't know where to start because every inch of KBK is full of detailed stories. Every wall has a meaning, every corner was holding a story. I told Dawid directly that I wouldn't be able to explore the entire KBK just in one or two days because this is huge. My architect mindset came alive at that time and started exploring all at once. My only regret is I didn't take many photos of KBK.
The first thing that came to my mind was who organized and always cleaned this place because I know maintaining such an enriched space is challenging. Pieces of Furniture, shelves, corners, walls, books, decorations everything was so unique and different, you cannot find those vintage, historical, and unique pieces easily.
Famous wall with paintings, photographs, and books. This is a working space also.
As I said, I didn't have enough time to see all the photographs in detail. This is just one wall of the entire space.
Natalia is from Ukraine and currently staying in Poland with her young son. She often comes to KBK to take her Polish lesson along with other Ukrainians. Her son plays with Lorenzo (@helicoptermoney). Natalia is a soft-spoken lady who speaks English a little bit (if I am not wrong) and works in Poland with an organization.
This was the first time I met Lorenzo at KBK, a simple well-spoken Italian guy who offered me his place to stay while I was in Krakow. We started talking while Lorenzo was playing with the Ukrainian kid.
Such moments happen in KBK, I am one of those who was fortunate enough to experience the world of KBK. KBK is not just confined within the Hive community, it has a connection with the outside world as well. It's a creative place based on the Hive blockchain and world.
I was sleepy, I barely could keep my eyes open but I tried. I met @justynao that day for the first time. Like I said, I was tired so I was lying/sitting on the sofa and was hearing all the conversation. Justynao is really sweet and her knowledge and explanation about a topic I really admire.
KBK is a kingdom for a reason I am sure. Dawid explained to me a lot of things about KBK. I will share them in my next post.
HiveBeeCon, 7th October 2023
Finally, the day arrived, 7th October HiveBeeCon day. We stayed somewhere 20 minutes away from the center of Krakow and our destination was Salt Mine. Our day started with an excursion (will write a separate post focusing on the salt mine). We took the train from Krakow Bronowice, the nearest train to our location, and on our way we gonna met other Hivers who would be catching the same train from Krakow Glowny Station (Kraków Main Station). So, on the train, I have met @delishtreats, @mipiano, Stefan, @ph1102, @livinguktaiwan, and her husband and @zirochka. Together we were going to the salt mine. And greet - meet happened on the train. I met Zirochka, Martina, PH, Pauline, and Stefan before in Hivefest Amsterdam but I met Mipiano on the train for the first time. Interesting isn't it...
After our exploration of Salt Mine, we directly went to KBK. Well, @asia-pl and @jocieprosza were already waiting for me there along with Bombel. I consider them my Polish family and I can't explain how happy I was seeing them after a long time (after 1 and a half years). Bombel has grown up a lot since then because I saw him when he was a little baby (well he is still a baby).
I had a chat with @mipiano when we were in Salt Mine and I told her how much I admire her posts. I am also her silent follower :D. It was lovely meeting you Mipiano and I would love to increase our connection in the near future. I am sorry I missed the concert due to my dinner plan.
This time I got time to chat/talk with @livinguktaiwan, our discussion was personal mostly based on Ukraine and my Netherlands lifestyle. She gave me some good advice and I am gonna follow them. I wanna thank her for the delicious cookies. That's a really thoughtful gift and I am thankful for the time we spent together talking to each other while walking on the street of Krakow.
It was nice seeing you again @m31 and @lemony-cricket; hopefully, next time we can chat a little bit more. Thank you for the cute Hive pin, it is so cute.
Whenever I meet @zirochka, I feel like I am meeting someone from my family because we are close to each other and have a connection. We talk a lot and share our feelings with each other about Ukraine and life. Our bonding is not limited to the blockchain, it is much more. She is such a brave person who is still living in Ukraine and traveled from Ukraine to Poland just to meet us.
The best part was meeting @phortun for the first time, I knew his real name somehow but I didn't know he was Phortun, the same person. He mentioned in his post what we discussed and I really appreciate his concerns for us, for the Ukrainians. I am really grateful for what he did for us and how he was involved in finding shelter for us in Poland when we fled from Ukraine.
I also appreciate the conversation with @deepresearch, in person this was our first meet-up but we talked a lot on Hive blockchain. I am not gonna write what we discussed but all I can say is I really appreciate our conversation, he is really a wise person and knows a lot.
This photo is a real memory and shows the power of friendship and community.
This is one of the nice moments with Pauline, Mipiano, me, and HiveBeeCon.
It was nice to meet you guys once again @llunasoul, @growandbow, @edje, @mynewlife, @evelynchacin (advance congratulation). I was more of a listener of all the conversations. I hope to see @evelynchacin again when I will be in Katowice.
It was nice to meet you guys once again @llunasoul, @growandbow, @edje, @mynewlife. I was more of a listener of all the conversations.
Many people joined outside of the blockchain as well. Unfortunately, I couldn't talk to everyone because I was tired a little bit. More than 10 people joined HiveBeeCon. I was more focused on interaction rather than taking photos.
I wanna thank you once again @gtg and @krolestwo for organizing this meet-up. You guys are an awesome host. You guys have managed everything perfectly. Thank you for inviting us and thanks for delivering us some great moments.
Thank you...
Love
Priyan...
I am @priyanarc.... An architect, a dreamer, and a passionate writer who loves to write about life. I try to present my own perspective and experiences. Please leave your feedback and criticism because it's the only way I can know and reach your mind and thoughts easily...