Thursday, June 29, 2006

Spain: Toledo and train stations

Yesterday Roz and I went to a very cool little town otuside Madrid called Toledo, that was kinda in desert and was all historic... home of Don Quixote and all that. It was funny cos we got a token book when we bought the rain ticket and I insisted upon us using it at the art gallery and Roz and I each ended up with an Art History book for free... trouble is that it is entirely in Spanish!

when we got back to Madrid last night we went for a walk and managed to stumble upon Spaniards going crazy over the football in the centre of Madrid, it was nuts, red and gold everywhere.. Im just glad we got back to the hostel before they lost!

Today we didnt do much except try and organize accomodation for Italy which was very frustrating and expensive (we are actualy staying at a camping ground in Florence haha a two bed tent) and sit at the train station in a queue for an hour to buy train tickets to Valencia for tomorrow. O well, these things have to be done!

I love the fact that in spain it is impossible to buy anything without ham in it, and that nearly all the shops shut for Siesta at 2pm in the afternoon... Im surprised this tradition survived the introduction of capitalism, but hey!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Madrid, Spain: Brokenhearted

In the words of John Howard, Honorable Prime Minster, "I'm brokenhearted".

No more world cup madness. No more Aussie Aussie Aussies. No more Oi Oi Ois.

Its very sad.

But on the bright side, I'm in Spain.

Roz says hello and she is speechless after the loss also.

Ola! Just saw a headline about the football on the SMH website... "Goodbye cruel world"... woah, now thats a big reaction. Balanced reporting?

Monday, June 26, 2006

Madrid, Spain: Mucho Madness!

Roz arrived in Madrid today! Yay! It was so good to see a familiar face and I know we will have lots of fun.

It was a bit of a mess though, I was running late, the airport was confusing, and it took us a long time to find one another. Poor Roz is of course rather tired and jetlagged and the long metro journey in to Madrid and then waiting to check in at the hostel wasn´t great for her.

We did manage to have a gossip and chat though which was cool, and then we went out to get food... except both of our cash cards wouldn´t work. Thankyou Commonwealth Bank. The network must have been down for maintenance. I hadnt eaten all day, Roz was more interested in sleep than food though so she went back to the hostel to sleep and I went on a scavenger hunt for food and money. I realized my mastercard also wouldnt work, so I walked to the centre of Madrid and exchanged the five pound note I had still sitting in my wallet from those wonderful London times. I managed to buy some chips for this vegetarian takeout that had an amazing range of salads that I couldn´t afford. Then on the way home to rescue my laundry from the hostel dryers, I decided to try one more ATM... and it worked, yay. Problem solved. Still it caused a little bit of concern.

Hopefully we will get to check out the city tomorrow, and we have to cheer for the football at 5pm. I hope Aussie beats some Italian behind!!!

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Spain: Ola!

I have made it to Spain despite both my train and my plane running late, and then part of the Madrid metro system being suspended! Havent seen very much, am well tired after catching the overnight train, but so far I like the vibe, and the evening is a beautiful balmy temperature. Going out to meet Roz at the airport tomorrow which is exciting!

I got to spend a couple of hours in Geneva today while waiting for my plane and it was a very pretty city. Didn´t get to see it all, but the lake was amazing and it was really nice. I´ve gone through three different languages in the past 24 hours... German in Austria and Zurich, then French in Geneva, now Spanish (duh) in Spain. A little bit nuts!

Other than that I havent done much except sit around on planes and trains, and sit around in train stations and airports waiting for the things to arrive... both my plane and train were nearly an hour late today. Very annoying.

Oh and you will be pleaed to note that this is the first blog entry in a while with no Sound of Music references, Im moving on you see. I still desperately would love to play The Sound of Music drinking game. Just reading it is a laugh!

Friday, June 23, 2006

Austria: Go Aussie!

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/06/23/1150845342932.html

Very exciting! Im so in to the football now its insane. I swear at the TV and scream and yell just like the lads. Which was possibly slightly embarassing last night when we were trapped in the hostel due to rain and I had only two Melbourne boys joining me in the cheering. We did recruit a couple of friendly Mexicans, some Austrians, and American schoolchildren to help us though!

Austria: How do you solve a problem like a hostel full of American schoolkids?

How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

Sorry... Sound of Music mania. The hostel I am staying at here in Salzburg is hosting literally hundreds of American schoolchildren here for some sort of choral festival, so when you go to use the bathroom it is full of 15 year old girls staightening their hair, applying glitter mascara and squealing "oh my god" a lot and giggling. Argh. They also talk really loudly in the corridors... and that includes the teachers. One of the parent helpers was fussing about going "apparently someone complained about the noise last night... I didnt hear any noise"... she said this so loudly I could hear her from across the common area.

At least the included breakfast is good. It even has eggs, which is immensely exciting. I ate so much breakfast today I wasnt hungry until 4pm. Gotta save when you can save!

I went for a really long walk this morning and did my Sound of Music tour this arvo. The tour was OK, the scenery was really beautiful but some of the other people on the tour were annoying. Like the Southern Dames who didnt get off the bus at most of the stops and were whinging about alamony money and the heat (hello, dont come on holiday in summer if you cant take it, the weather is fairly mild at the moment!)... there were also the overenthusiastic middle ages Australians who loudly went "ah ha" "mm hmm" "oh really" everytime the guide said something as if he was talking to them personally rather than a whole coach load of people. There were a few cool cats though, and I talked to the randoms anyway. A Californian woman couldnt believe "a little baby like me" had been away from home for so long and was travelling on my own. At first I didnt know whether to be offended... like, had I acted like a baby at any stage of the Sound of Music tour? I thought I had maintained my cynical aloofness in true university arts student style. I mean, yes, I may have mouthed a few of the words to So Long Farewell and Do Re Mi, but everyone else on the bus was singing outright... I thought I had maintained my maturity and dignity. Then I realized it was probably only an expression and I didnt need to feel so defensive... I think it was because of the naff-ness of the tour that my independent traveller status felt slightly dented by the remark.

But I know why I chose to go it alone this time in Europe and why I never considered Contiki or Busabout or any of the other run of the mill Australians travelling Europe things. Four hours in a tour bus was enough for me, I could never do Contiki (as a certain Scottish lad at the hostel in Cesky Krumlov put it "Contiki and Busabout are for people who want to pretend to be backpackers. Its travel for pussies"). I agree in some respects...

But anyway, a more pressing issue is where to watch the football tonight. It seems most places are showing the Japan Brazil match rather than Australia Croatia. And Salzburg doesnt have many pub options, and it is currently pouring down with rain. Ah well, I will have to continue investigations, I have a couple of hours until kick off.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Salzburg, Austria: The hills are alive!

Ive arrived in Salzburg after saying farewell to my travel buddy Dave and its a really really beautiful place. I am still not sure how I am getting to Madrid, but Salzburg is a great stop. It is surrounded by green hills and is full of beautiful buildings. Tomorrow Im planning on doing something very cheesy... a Sound of Music tour. I also have to be back at the hostel by 8pm because they screen the movie every night haha!

But before then I have to try and make some kind of plans for how I am going to get from here to Madrid in the few days before my buddy ol pal Roz arrives there.

Toodles.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Bye Bye Budapest (again!)

Today Im saying goodbye to Budapest again as I am heading to Salzburg to get a good old Sound of Music fix before heading somehow to Madrid to meet my friend Roz. Dave and I have had lots of fun travelling (and a few arguments haha) and he is going back to London today. Im sure we will end up visiting each other in Australia though!

The weather is really warming up and its quite humid here in Budapest, I think its going to be very warm in Italy and Spain this summer, hopefully a tolerable heat and not one that just makes you want to swim or sleep.

And does anyone have any new feet I can borrow? Mine are covered in blisters and cuts and ache constantly, anyone want to swap?

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Czech Republic: Cesky Krumlov Photos

Here are a couple of photos of the backpacker haven that is Cesky Krumlov (in the Czech Republic)... photos can't capture the vibe however. There is something about sitting up at the castle, or even just the hostel terrace, at night time that is just amazing.







Back in Budapest?

Yes, I'm back in Budapest... I am taking a most illogical route through Europe but its all fun. My friend Dave wanted to come down to Budapest for a couple of days, so I said ok haha.

We had a nice time in Vienna with the exception of being dissapointed over Australia's loss to Brazil, despite the Aussies putting in a good effort. In a rather surreal moment after the match, a man dressed up as a clown with those long balloons approached is and we were worried he was going to try and sell us a balloon flower or something naff but he just wanted to know the result of the match (Dave was wearing his Australia shirt). Vienna was really nice and we stumbled upon some interesting things such as monuments to Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, Mozart, Mozart and Mozart, and a really big fun fair which even had a ride called "Rock me Armadeus Mozart". Hell yeah. But seriously it was very pretty, and we were lucky cos even though our hostel was in suburbia it was on a large hill with a big hotel and estate, and the hill had the most amazing view over Vienna, especially at nightime. Plus there was a ping pong table. What more could you want?

I think I am heading to Salzburg (yes, back to Austria) next, though don't quote me on it. Somehow I have to make my way from there to Madrid in Spain. Tis a mess, but tis good.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Austria: Waltzing on

After spending a couple of days checking out the sights of Prague (and watching several football matches along the way!) Dave and I are now in Vienna hich has some amazingly good buildings and is a very pretty city.

Both of us are a bit rough though as Dave has hurt his knee and I have feet covered in blisters that are starting to cramp up all the time. We are still battling on though despite this, and will definately be well enough to scream loudly for Australia at the football match tomorrow against Brazil. We found an Australian bar today on our wanders and will probably watch it there.

Though one immediately notices the price difference on entering the Eurozone and I feel I will have to adjust after being able to live pretty well for cheap in most of the Eastern European countries I have visited so far. We have been using a few tactics though, like managing not to pay for public transport and buying bread and a jar of peanut butter to make our own sandwiches.

Anyway, time to rest.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Czech Republic: In Prague

I'm in Prague now with my mate Dave and it's very cool to see a familiar face. It's a nice city, but nothing on the small town bliss that was Cesky Krumlov ;)

I'll update more later, but we had a hilarious breakfast this morning in the hostel where it took so much confusion just to get a stale bagette to eat that I don't think we will bother tomorrow.

Anyway, might go. Should actually see sights at some stage.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Budapest: Photos

Here are a couple of photos from Budapest, I took so many there, it's a beautiful city. You can see the rest at My Flickr account.







Czech Republic: C'mon Aussie!

I watched the Australia vs Japan world cup match yesterday and I was so in to it! And it was such an awesome game. I was watching with a small group of people in this little garden cafe tucked in to an alleyway in Cesky Krumlov and we went totally nuts every time a goal was scored... and every time the referee made a poor call... like when Japan scored, one of their players fouled our goalkeeper, it was bollocks! And the Japanese would fall over at the drop of a hat!

After going nuts when we won and scaring half of the Cesky Krumlov, we decided to go back to the hostel and throw a barbeque. It proved to be very difficult due to some members of the group being very drunk, very bossy and rather illogical... we all got fed in the end after much drama. Then we just spent the night at the hostel bar with whoever was there, as the sun set on another lovely Cesky Krumlov day. It also helped that the Czechs won their match against the USA, so there was much jubilation.

Which would explain how some of us ended up at the top of the Cesky Krumlov castle at 1am singing... beautiful view though! Couldn't go rafting unfortunately today because it was way too difficult to organize, you really needed to have a group and depite rallying around the hostel my roommate and I couldn't find any other takers, so it was a no go. But the weather is perfect, so I'm heading out to enjoy it. Tomorrow it's onward to Prague.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Czech Republic: Hype 'twas justified.

I immediately knew the hype about Cesky Krumlov was justified. The train ride from Cesky Budejovice was when I knew. In a train that consisted of the engine and one carriage on hard proletarian red seats, we bumped through the stunning Czech countryside. The train hosted locals, and a couple of folk with big backpacks. The backpacked ones exchanged glances, knowing we were all on the same pilgrammage. The train stopped every five minutes, it seems that three houses clumped together is enough to constitute a town. The "train stations" ranged from nothing at all, to buildings resembling the cubby house I played in as a child, to one that looked like a Sydney Buses stop that had been transplanted in to South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, and another that resembled a portaloo with the station name stuck on the front. The hills were green and rolling and largely untouched except for the farmhouses and the occasional power line, and there was always something to look at, from a pub in someone's backyard to a school which consisted of a small house and a playground of colourful play equipment that looked like fun but would never pass public liability tests in most countries. The speed of the train could best be described as "scenic", since Cesky Krumlov is only 25km from Cesky Budejovice, but it took an hour to reach it.

Finally we arrived, and the backpacked ones stumbled out of the train looking disoriented. I talked with a cute Bostonian who was still wearing the dazed look of someone who had just arrived overseas. He told me he had just arrived in Prague days earlier, and would be travelling for two and a half months. He will soon lose that look of confusion, after a while you just get used to being lost and the more interesting place the better. We decided to follow an old local man down the steep hill. We finally sighted the medievil town, and as we walked through the ancient town gate, I was delighted to discover that the town gate was actually my hostel. The Bostonian and I parted ways, and I checked in... climbing up into an attic room was not easy with my pack, but worth it. Exposed beams and ancient door fastenings that make a loud thud when closed awaited me.

I decided to Czech out (hehe, nice pun) the town, and it is stunningly beautiful. Tiny, and overlorded by the rather gaudy coloured castle which is one of the largest in Europe, Cesky Krumlov is encircled by a river with a good current. The river carves a horseshoe shape around the town, so you can float around the town, jump out of the river, haul your floatation device of choice for five minutes across town, and then do it all over again... which I shall be tomorrow. It's really relaxed here, the perfect place to chill for a few days.

In fact the only thing wrong with Cesky is that there are currently a lot of Australian and British yobbos and lager lads around on one of those Busabout trips. So glad I didn't do the Contiki thing or anything like that, much prefer being an independent traveller. Oh well, at least there will be people to watch the World Cup game with this arvo, even if some of them (not all, I met a few nice ones too) are bogans!

But Cesky Krumlov is the ideal place to celebrate a special anniversary... the one month relationship between my backpack and I :) It's been one month since I left London, and it's gone very quickly. Only 6 more weeks to go before it's back to reality...

But for now, it's back to Cesky for me to chill, wander and forget about the world. Until some dumb yank starts talking politics in the hostel bar again.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

in transit: To the Czech Republic, via Austria

After having a great evening yesterday walking around Budapest and even stumbling upon some sort of cultural festival where I got to see real Hungarian folk dancing for free, and then dodging the loutish England fans who were happy about winning despite the other team actually scoring the goal, I finally decided to check out what trains I actually had to catch to get to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Since this is a rather illogical route I am taking, the trains I have to catch are a bit of a mess, so I am sitting in the Linz train station in Austria (which is very nice) being extraordinarily overcharged for the internet. I am coming back to see Austria later, with my friend Dave, my routing makes no sense, but oh well. The countryside on the train was very beautiful though.

One major problem when you are travelling on your own with a backpack thats almost as big as ones self is what to do when you need the loo. Even though my pack contains mostly shabby clothes, in this age of terror it is not an option to just dump it outside the toilet door or the bomb squad may be called. So I have to either leave it at a luggage desk if they have one, and it doesnt fit inside the lockers that they have here. There was no left luggage desk at this station, so through a series of interesting miming and spoken queries, I finally got a security guard to watch it for 5 minutes so I could go to the loo. Ah, the joys of solo travel!

Hopefully I will get to Cesky Krumlov sometime this evening. Im keen to see the place as I have heard so many good things, and my desire to go there started when I read an article on UTS Reportage about it, so I hope it is as good as the hype. It is in South Bohemia though, so it can't be too bad.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Hungary: Washing, whinging, dodging hail

The cheapest place to access the net in Hungary is at Burger King but the keyboards are unbelievably bad. Anyway today I had some laundry that had to be done so I toddled off to the self service laundry which wasnt really self service. It was controlled by a powerful woman that in a Seinfeld esque referance we shall call the washing nazi. It cost me 10 euro to have my laundry done which was unbelivable. I struck up a conversation with a local woman who was very friendly and we nattered on for ages about anything and everything. The washing Nazi did not like this though and told the Hungarian woman not to talk to me because they had earlier had a fight about prices. The washing Nazi was not happy with us fraternizing even though we tried to include her in the conversation through translating to be polite. The woman was having a bit of a bitch though about the prices and the totalitarian way in which the laundry was run. Ah women... despite having a language barrier, we can still bitch, be control freaks and be jealous. Universal traits! I love the chances that you get to meet the locals though, a laundry can sometimes be more interesting than a museum.

So my laundry was clean so I started walking back to the hostel... and it started to hail, despite the last two days being gorgeously sunny.

Then a new American at the hostel told me that Australia could make a lot of money by dumping nuclear waste in the outback. He wouldn't hear a word about land rights, he wondered why the Aboriginals hadn't opened casinos like the Indians.

Ah, people really are so entertaining... and sometimes infuriating!

Friday, June 09, 2006

Hungary: Is this the lesson?

The more you learn, the main thing that you learn is that you don't really know much at all.

Went to the House of Terror museum this morning, and it was very interesting. A lot of the story here is similar to the other former Soviet countries I have visited, but every country's story does differ and the way they choose to present it in each place is also very different. Here, the House of Terror was very multimedia based and also quite artistic in presentation. The story though was compelling and thought provoking.

I always find myself leaving these museums with a head full of questions though... I'd probably wikipedia some stuff right now if it wasn't for the fact I am paying to access the net, and the sun is shining outside and I wish to bask in it.

Unfortunately, I have to do my laundry at some stage today, and since the laundromat closes at 6pm, I will have to sacrfice some sun basking and sightseeing to do it, because I do try to not be a smelly backpacker if at all possible, but sometimes it can't be helped.

But it's funny what you miss on the road... even a fairly low maintenance girl like myself can befin to crave a few simple indulgences. A suitable mirror for one to pluck their eyebrows isn't something you would immediately think of as a necessity, but after a few weeks on the road it can become a dire situation. I'm also thinking I should have got my hair trimmed before leaving London because it is in a pretty sorry state after surviving half an Australian summer, the brunt of an English winter, and now the backpacker lifestyle where you are lucky to get a decent shower, let alone access to a bathroom where you can properly attend to the state of your split ends.

Ah well, tis life. How did this entry turn from commentary on my personal ignorance and the terrible knock on effects of the Soviet era in Eastern Europe to shallow observations on the lack of luxury in hostels. We truly are living in a material world...

Budapest, Hungary: Blissful Budapest

The sun finally decided to shine yesterday, so I took the opportunity to climb to the top of the Buda Hill and take in the amazing view of Budapest. It truly is a spectacular city, and with the heady smells of nature in my head, the gentle sunshine on my back and this amazing city sprawled in front of me to explore, plus a good nights sleep to raise my spirits the day was looking good.

And it was good. After wandering around the castle district, I went to the Turkish baths which combined amazing architecture, sunshine (which has been sadly lacking for a lot of my trip) and warm mineral baths to give me a gooey, relaxed, isnt the world great kind of feeling. Sitting back and letting the water spouts pummel my sore shoulders that are used to bearing the weight of my pack and people watching outside while bobbing happily in the water was a perfect way to while away such a lovely afternoon.

In the evening, I took to wandering through City Park and down Andressy Avenue, taking in the view of the beautiful Heroes Square and watching children topple off their rollerblades as teenagers zoomed by on skateboards as the sun slowly started to set.

A nice dinner, a glance at the city lights, and home to the hostel to relax.

Its amazing what a hot bath, a good sleep and a bit of sunshine can do for a person. Plus having a great new place to explore always helps... I am very taken with Budapest, and glad my unplanned journey led me here.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Hello Hungary: Perspectives

I've finally arrived in Hungary, after catching a train from Wroclaw to Krakow, which took 4 hours, then catching a train from Krakow to Budapest, which took more than 11 hours. Because I was in a rush and I was running out of Polish zloty, that meant I didn't eat for about 16 hours and all I had was one bottle of water. I am also totally sleep deprived as every time I would get to sleep someone would either wake me up to check my ticket or the call of "passport control" would be heard down the corridor as we had crossed another border. Any sleep I did get was uncomfortable and restless and I feel pretty yucky but have to wait until the afternoon to check in to my hostel. It looked pretty cute though, nice and cosy, which is the kind of hostel I am finding that I prefer, opposed to large and impersonal party hostels which are becoming so common these days.

Budapest seems like a pretty cool place so far, not that I have seen much, but I have already sighted some pretty impressive buildings, and the Danube River is quite nice too. These Eastern European countries are quite bizarre... the cities can be so cosmopolitan and bustling, yet once you get out of the city it is positively third world. For example, most of the train stations that we stopped at in Hungary and Slovakia didn't even have platforms. People just walked across the tracks and got on. Freaky. In Wroclaw, the last place I was in Poland, there was a great historic town square and stuff but once you got out of that the buildings were crumbling, dilapidated and the streets are full of people who have every hard knock they have ever faced etched into their features.

I know I have been waxing lyrical about how wonderful this trip is and how great these countries are, but I think sometimes both myself and travel guides tend to forget to pass on the other side of the story. The streets here are full of beggars... that speak much better English than anyone working at a train station ticket counter. When I walked out of Krakow station, there was a drunk passed out on the concrete and nobody even stopped to check he was ok. There was nothing I could do with no Polish language skills, but you do see a lot of drunks around. The alcohol and smokes are so cheap, even compared to the cost of food in Poland which is also cheap, so it's little wonder. You see children playing on train tracks, and you wonder why they aren't at school. Walls are covered with graffiti, messages I can't understand, but sometimes symbols that I can. The miserable neighbourhoods of former Soviet apartment blocks stand as a monument to imposed conformity that never quite worked, and now they also stand testament to a different system, capitalism, that isn't perfect either. Little old ladies with scarves tied around their heads have no qualms about approaching you, hunched and grovelling, for money while you are sitting in a restaurant, waiting for a train, or trying to read a map. Even though they want your money, they simultaneously hate you. In many parts, foreigners are looked at with suspicion and scorn. While some of the big centres, like Budapest and Krakow, are very touristy, most of the places lack glitz and glam and are shabby and tired. Life, war and conflict have left their stains, and the only reason these countries are still great places is because the people themselves have a deep love for their country and culture, and when things go bad, they have just turned around and begun picking up the pieces. And they still do. Look at Warsaw. Completely destroyed during the war, but people quickly returned and begun clearing the rubble and rebuilding and now the city thrives once more. They could have so easily walked away, it probably would have been easier to start from scratch.

So basically what all this rambling (driven by sleep deprivation) is about is that the good thing about Eastern Europe is that it is nowhere near perfect, and it teaches you lessons at every turn.

And that is why when the strap on my daypack broke today, I didn't know if I was on the right train last night because nobody could tell me, I was sold the wrong ticket to catch a train to Krakow and then had to pay double once on board, I was given the wrong change by my cab driver in Budapest and ripped off, I tore my most comfortable and best travelling pants (blue 3/4 combats that would dry really quickly) beyond repair, and the stairs leading up to my last hostel smelled of piss and had no lights even though it was three floors up, I have tried to keep my cool and just keep plodding on.

Cos I'm loving travelling, and if you love something you can't give up on it. Even if sometimes it's starting to look like a graffiti ridden pile of rubble that smells bad.

OK, hopefully I can check in soon... I want to have a nap and then go to the famous Turkish thermal baths and chill out!!! Sounds good to me...

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Poland: Wroclaw and Krakow PHOTOS


Sculptures in the salt mines near Krakow



The Old Town Square (Rynek) in Wroclaw



Which flag shall I wave?



This is one for dad and my brother... don't get any ideas. Pizza Hut is everywhere, unfortunately they don't make their staff where such a humiliating pizza costume everywhere. He sure looks like he is enjoying it as well haha!

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Krakow, Poland: Stag parties and too much wodka

(w is v in Polish, that's not a typo!)

The last two nights at this hostel there has been a group of 42 poms on a stag night... they have seriously not stopped drinking all weekend. They have been vomiting in toilets, passing out, running around dressed as schoolboys... and running around dressed in not much at all. It's been crazy and loud.

So because sleep is not really an option, I went out last night clubbing with some people from the hostel. It was quite fun, wasn't majorly keen on the house music playing at the club, but the drinks were cheap (particularly the Polish vodka Zubrowski which you mix with apple juice) and I scored many freebies from random people from all over the world who we chatted to... perhaps too many. It was very much an expat bar though, mostly foreigners. You could almost forget you were in a foreign country. I was quite trashed by the end of the night, and after a dodgy Polish kebab I crashed into bed at 6am... shocking! I didn't do anything naughty though really, my behavior was tame but drunken.

So now I have a killer hangover and I have to take a train this afternoon to a smallish Polish town called Wroclaw where I am spending the next couple of nights. Hopefully I will be able to catch up on much needed sleep there! Ugh dreading the train trip and the long walk to the station carrying my massive backpack.

Oh, yesterday I went to these salt mines just outside Krakow and they were AMAZING. They had underground churches carved out of salt and it was just really really interesting. Very worthwhile visiting.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Poland: Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau

Visiting the former Auzchwitz concetration camp today was quite possibly one of the most unsettling travel experiences I have had thusfar. To simply be at the place where approximately 1.5 million people were slaughtered for no good reason in such a calculated and devious way was moving enough. Let alone to walk through the buildings where people were stored like cattle in depraved and cruel conditions.

The two most shocking points for me were the rooms full of belongings that belonged to some of the condemned. There was a room full of suitcases, with the owners names on them. Piles and piles of children's shoes. A whole corridor with glass walls with pits of adults shoes on each side. Tangled messes of wire and glass that once were spectacles. Piles of hairbrushes, toothbrushes, saucepans. All these things once belonged to someone, someone who was killed meaninglessly.

Also, the gas chamber. Being in a place where thousands of jews were killed daily was just... upsetting.

It's the kind of place that makes you question humanity.

But one of the irritating things about the day was the complete lack of respect that most of the tourists visiting had... they were barging around with their cameras despite it saying not to take photos, talking loudly despite signs asking people to stay silent. I saw one guy walk up to get his photo taken next to the place where they hung prisoners, and then one lady was taking photos of the ovens where the bodies of the victims were burned. Their behavior was sickening, I couldn't believe how disrespectful some people were. And what for? "oh yes, that's a photo of John and I standing in a courtyard where the Germans executed 1000 prisoners by gunfire... see the bullet holes in the walls next to John's head?". Some people are... just ugh.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Krakow, Poland: Photos


Flags in the Market Square, the heart of Krakow Old Town


Mmm... pretzels. Apparently Poland is their true home. There are little stands like this everywhere in Krakow.


Chilling in the park


A young girl doing Romanie dances in Krakow


A little girl who looked about four or five who sang and did Romanie dances on a stage in the square. It was a cultural festival or something.


Children chasing pigeons in the square

Poland: Kool Krakow

Today I have just been wandering around Krakow old town, and I also went up to Wawel Hill where the old castle is. Krakow is a great place, I really love it. It's got a real buzz about it, and the buildings are very nice and historic. The streets are made for wandering, and the whole old town is encircled in an area of public gardens where the old town wall used to be. People watching has been one of my main passtimes today, it's been good, and the weather has cleared up a bit as well.

There was a cultural festival of some description in the main square today with dancers and musicians so I watched a bit of that and just walked around looking at stuff basically. A nice relaxed day. Tomorrow I think I will go to Auschwitz-Birkenau... the former Nazi concentration camps. It won't be fun, it won't be pretty, but I quite frankly couldn't come to Poland and not go. Some people at the hostel were saying "oh, why would you go, it will just be depressing". But the fact is, if you aren't willing to go outside your comfort zone you shouldn't even bother leaving home. And you can't ignore history, and proximity to it is one of the best reminders of our past mistakes.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Poland: Playing charades in Krakow

I've arrived in Krakow and I'm staying at a pretty chilled hostel that has a great common room with a big TV and DVD player and a massive bed in the common room for all to chill on. We bought some drinks at the local bottlo (everything is so cheap here!) and we have just been sitting around chatting and playing charades. Good times. The beds don't look overly comfortable though but hey, you win some you lose some!

I have been feeling a bit off colour today but I am starting to feel better. Went to the Warsaw Uprising Museum this morning before catching the train and it was very interesting. It was a really new museum, very good displays and a fantastic layout incorperating audio visual and written content. The train ride was pretty good, but boy the Warsaw train station is UGLY! The worst worst worst of Soviet design.

Anyway, Krakow seems pretty cool, I think I will be sticking here for a bit and doing lots of day trips and the like from here.