>>213614225
>i guess to a Pole it doesn't feel as exotic as it does to a German
In all fairness, Poland is a LOT closer to Germany than to Russia in terms of looks and development these days.

>I think a person from Germany must have experienced real culture shock there
Not really. I had been to lots of places in Eastern Europe before, and Russia is still a civilized country after all. Crossing the border, knowing your in motherfucking Russia, felt pretty incredible though.

This was all in 2019 though. Then gorona spawned, and now there's the fighting in Ukraine. Happy I did it when it was still relatively easy and safe to do so. I figure the experience would be vastly different today, if it's possible at all.