22.05.09
Slovenia. I have so many great things to say about this small country. I call it the gem of the European Union. Slovenia has a population of only 2 million and it is only 20,000 square kilometers in size, but they have it all. In Slovenia you can go skiing in the Alps in the morning, spelunking in the caves in the afternoon, relax on the beach for sunset, then party in the college city of Ljubljana that night. The economy seems to be thriving since they declared their independence from former Socialist Yugoslavia in 1991, and it seemed as if the tough economic times in the world right now aren’t affecting tourism in Slovenia.
On a side note: It was very interesting hearing the opinions and views of the different generations of Slovenians. All the younger generation (my age) that I spoke with was extremely happy about Slovenia’s independence from Yugoslavia and happy to be a part of the European Union (since 2003). They were hungry for opportunity and excited to talk to an American to share ideas. The older generation was not so happy with their economy today. In fact I heard on more than one occasion from several people that they felt better off under Yugoslavian rule and Tito (1945-1980). They say Tito took care of the working man, industrialized Slovenia, and was responsible for economic development in the early 50’s thru the late 70’s (until he died in 1980). He rewarded hard work with good wages and everyone I spoke with said their families were better off financially under the rule of Tito. They all felt as if they are working a lot harder now for less money. They are unhappy about being a part of the European Union, and would prefer to be back in the good old days in the Republic of Socialist Yugoslavia. Socialism is an entirely different way of thinking, and you would be surprised how many Eastern Europeans prefer a socialist economy. I just listened to what they had to say, and in theory Socialism is a decent idea for some places. I’m not quite sure how to digest this, but I will keep you posted.
I arrived in Ljubljana (the capital of Slovenia) after a grueling 15 hour commute from Poland so I went strait to bed (its hard sleeping on the train because you have to keep a close eye on your belongings. Sometimes your stuff gets off at a different train station than you do, if you’re not careful) and didn’t wake up for 12 hours.
My first Day in Ljubljana I set out to explore with a young traveler named Erin, from Canada (who spoke great English). I met her in my Hostel (she was traveling alone too). We both wanted to see the castle so that was the first stop; one thing I have noticed is that castles are usually much more impressive from the outside. The castle was originally a twelfth century construction (yea… it’s really old). After the earthquake in 1511 it was remodeled so it resembles more of 16th century construction now, and it was pretty cool. We visited the museum, climbed the clock tower and skipped the funicular railway because the views from the walk were the best part. We took some great photos at the castle and headed back to town.
In town I found a guided walking tour to explain the history of Ljubljana and the culture as we explored the city on foot and by boat. It was neat learning about the architecture, why the three bridges were built instead of one large bridge, and the baker’s bridge was cool too. They named it the baker’s bridge because way back when, bread was always sold in the same size square for the same price. The easiest way to explain it is to compare it to gas. When we have more oil the price goes down, when we have less oil the price goes up. Well the same theory applies with grain. But bakers all sold the same size squares for the same price so they used a different method to adapt the fluctuating prices of grain. When the price of grain went up they baked the bread less dense (so it would still be the same size) and when the price of grain went down they made the bread more dense. Well any baker caught cheating the people and not baking the bread the right density was lowered up and down into the river off “Bakers Bridge”. They were dipped over and over into the rancid water. Supposedly it was really disgusting water from all the dead fish, rotten meat and feces that ran off the bank, so this was a horrible punishment. We saw the library where the windows all resemble books and there isn’t one repeating brick pattern on the entire building. Ljubljana still has 126 libraries’ that are used frequently by the locals. I guess they haven’t caught onto Google yet. Then on the way to the college we passed over Dragon Bridge (the city’s symbol). Supposedly the four dragons wag their tails every time a virgin walks over the bridge. Our guide told us there must not be any virgins left in Slovenia because the stone statues of dragons never wag their tails. I didn’t see them wag their tails once and I watch hundreds pass over the bridge. We walked by the college campus and I learned something interesting about Slovenian educational system. College is free for all Slovenians. Not only is school free, but as a student you don’t pay taxes and just about every cost associated with living is ½ priced for students, from food to lodging. It’s not unusual for students to study into their late 20’s while working (no taxes). We also learned about a Slovenian poet, his forbidden love, and the statue of him that stares into her window down the street. The last stop was St Nicholas cathedral. The building was impressive to say the least. I was told it is the best preserved of the city’s ecclesiastical buildings. One last interesting point about Ljubljana is that in 2003 the oldest wooden wheel in the world was discovered there. The wheel is over 5000 years old and dates back to 2000 BC! After exploring the city I sat down to have a couple Slovenian beers with a local guy that I met in passing. We shared some stories about our lives and it was amazing how much we had in common.
The next day I headed to Postojna. It’s about an hour by bus and cost 6 Euro to get there. Once I arrived at the bus station I was really excited to get to the caves. I followed the signs and shortly after I started my brisk walk (about 1 ½ kilometers) I arrived at the entrance. There was no way to mistake the huge dark abyss in the side of the mountain that was surrounded by ivy, as the entrance. I boarded a railcar and whizzed thru a preliminary system of caves before the 1.5 kilometer walking tour started, I was in awe. The caves of stalagmites were breathtaking. The air is a consistent 8 degrees Celsius (about 44 Fahrenheit) and the humidity is around 95%, it’s quite chilly so bring a jacket when you go. I wanted to leave the group and go exploring so badly, but I didn’t. My mother would have killed me if I got lost in a cave in Slovenia. Instead I just took lots of pictures and didn’t venture to far away from the group. The 40 meter (roughly 130 feet) high concert hall at the end of the tour was the coolest part. The acoustics are amazing in the concert hall. They use to have concerts and events all the time, but the humidity of the cave ruins the equipment so they stopped having events.
After all this I needed a vacation from my vacation so I reserved a room in Piran on the beach and packed my bags for yet another journey. After another 90 minute bus ride I was on the coast of Slovenia in Piran. I learned that Slovenia only has about 45 kilometers of coast (the same distance from moms to dad’s house). Once I learned that I had to walk from Croatia to Italy. I walked for about 7 hours and saw the entire coast of Slovenia, and I was walked thru 3 countries in one day. Most people can never say they have done that, and a lot of locals I have spoken with have always wanted to walk the coast but never have. I took several dips in the Adriatic Sea on the way and saw some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. I took it easy Friday; after all that walking I rented a scooter and decided that would be the best form of transportation for the rest of my stay in Piran. I scheduled my spa day at the Terme and Wellness Palace (a 1000 square meter sauna park) and played a little black jack at the casino in Portoroz with a group of Italian guys (one of which was Eli Ellesera and that’s spelled wrong). They were in town for a big poker tournament that starts 26.5.09 (I am really bummed that I am not going to be here to play).
This morning I got up, had a great traditional Slovenian breakfast (cream filled doughnuts), and went to the sauna park. This sauna park was like no other complete with an ice cave (it’s exactly what it sounds like). They had every sauna you could imagine; saunas with aroma therapy for every ailment, saunas with mood lighting to enhance the body and mind, saunas with an exfoliating salt you apply to your entire body before exiting into the carwash style rinse off, several gradual saunas designed to slowly increase your body temperature which is good for the circulatory system just to name a few options available. After I got over the fact that the sauna was a fully nude facility, I entered into the sauna jungle full of people you don’t want to see naked. The Turkish spa on the first floor was by far my favorite. The Turkish spa had the salt sauna and a series of rock ponds to walk thru for stress on your feet. I spent an hour just massaging my feet in the various sized and shaped rocks, and I can’t describe how good that felt, you have to experience it for yourself to know. After about four hours in the spa park I had a 40 minute deep tissue massage and I felt like a million bucks again. Tonight I am going to have a few drinks with my friend Kasspar, Jernaj (Jeremy) and Mitch (real name is Mitsuh or something like that but everyone calls him Mitch. He loves America so his friends Americanized his name, which is great for me). They are great guys and I promised Mitch if he ever makes it to America (his dream) he can stay with me for a few days and I will show him around. Mitch is one of the most genuine people I have ever come in contact with. He would literally give you the shirt off his back if he is your friend, and he took me under his wing as if I was his brother. He is very ambitious and if given the opportunity to make a better life, I have no doubt he would succeed. I will stay in touch with him for years to come. He even invited me to his birthday (but I will not share the date of his birthday, that is up to him), and as you will read below it is a big deal in Slovenia to be included in a Birthday celebration. We became very close in a short time and it will be difficult to leave these guys behind. I will see him again, I am sure of it.
Things to know:
In Slovenia never tell anyone it’s your birthday unless you are prepared. It’s customary for the birthday boy/ girl to buy drinks for everyone on their birthday (opposite of America) so they always celebrate in private with a small group of extremely close friends. Mitch told me about his friend Zeekie’s birthday and I made the mistake of wishing him a happy birthday, at the bar, in front of a large group of his friends/ acquaintances. Zeekie was put in an awkward position and I couldn’t help but feel responsible. Luckily he was really understanding of the cultural differences and accepted my apology (with some translation from Mitch).
Reiterate from previous posts: never trust a taxi driver that approaches you. And..FYI.. All countries have some form of identification for taxi drivers and real taxi drivers will not be offended of you ask them for identification.
If I could live anywhere in the world I have been thus far, Slovenia would be the place. I know it’s surprising but this place truly is special to me now.
Personal Note: After I spoke with mom last night it occurred to me that I might even be part Slovenian (or at least from somewhere in this region of Europe). A lot of the local people had similar dark skin tone, dark hair color and similar features. A few times I passed guys and girls that looked like they could have been my siblings. Food for thought…
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
18.05.09
18.05.2009
My journey continues with a 16 hour train ride from Krakow Poland to Ljubljana Slovenia. The first leg of my journey was a night train from Krakow back thru Vienna (a bit of backtracking, but that’s what happens when unplanned stops arise). I met two young travelers from Canada and they were on their first overnight train. Ann Marie and Carly were traveling to Munich and had the same connecting train. I am now on the second leg of my trip to Ljubljana (a six hour train from Vienna).
Poland was one of my favorite stops thus far (even though I had a bit of a scare). I arrived at 6am Krakow time after an 8 hour night train. The train ride was not the smoothest. Poland is not part of my rail pass; I had to but a connecting ticket for the portion of the ride that was not covered. The conductor only spoke Polish and hated Americans (I guess a polish traveler he knew lost his life due to negligence in North America so he hated us all). Fortunately for me I was in a sleeping compartment with two Polish Canadian travelers that came to my rescue. They had 40 Zloty (polish money, about 12 American dollars) to cover me until we arrived in Poland and I could access an ATM. Once we arrived and I paid them back. I then set off on my way to find my Hostel in old town square.
I started to walk thru town and got some amazing pictures of the sunrise and some great shots of the Rynek (the largest square in medieval Europe) virtually empty. I heard the Hejnal at 7am. Legend has it that during one of the 13th century Tatar raids a guard watching from the tower of the Mariacki church was the invaders approaching and blew his trumpet, only for his alarm to be cut short by an arrow thru the throat. Every hour 7 firemen now play the sombre melody (hejnal) from the same tower, halting abruptly at the point when the guard was supposed to have been hit.
When I arrived at my Hostel my room was not quite ready so I checked my huge backpack at the desk and scheduled a guided tour to Auschwitz and Birkenau for 8am. I have to admit I didn’t know what to expect in Auschwitz but after spending some time with the Roman, Juliette and their travel group I was eager to take the tour.
After another 90 minute bus ride we arrived in Auschwitz. As we were driving up the guide explained why Hitler and the Nazi’s had picked this location for their extermination camps. The area was surrounded by two rivers (which made escape more difficult) and it was a central location in Europe with existing train tracks that lead right to Birkenau, former training ground for the Polish army. All the residents in the area were forced to leave their homes and the Nazi’s began to dismantle their homes to use the bricks to build the concentration camps. The few houses they did not dismantle were used to house Hitler’s SS high officials that were stationed there. The first sign that I saw when arriving to the gates of Auschwitz was written in German and it translated to “with work comes freedom.” People arriving at Auschwitz were all promised a better life once arriving. Many even paid the Nazi’s for a plot of land and a new beginning. They were all allowed to bring 25 kilos of valuables and nothing more (that’s the same weight I brought with me) which isn’t much to start a new life with your family. The first sign something was terribly wrong had to be their travel conditions. Many of them spent two weeks on the train waiting to arrive in Auschwitz with no food or water and an estimated 15-20% died in transit. Once arriving they were all stripped of their possessions (I have pictures of rooms of suitcases, dishes, glasses, shoes and other valuable possessions that were recovered for the museum) and greeted by a Nazi doctor who separated them into groups. The first group was that of only able bodied men that were strong and fit enough to work (these men lasted a maximum of 4 months before they were sent to the gas chamber and new fresh workers were brought in), the next group was women who were set to experimentation facility (Stalin had an entire laboratory devoted to engineering a chemical that could sterilize the women (which they did discover), this laboratory had all the windows covered so no one knew what was going on in there, and the last group was shuffled right into the gas chambers. At first they buried the dead, but it wasn’t long before they realized this would not be a practical solution for disposing of this many bodies (plus they didn’t want the evidence) so a proto type stove were constructed at Auschwitz.. Stalin figured they could burn down the bodies of 6 people every 20 minutes per stove (which I have photos of). When the first testing were done the screams were so loud Stalin had to bring in several army vehicles to block the area. SS officers stood ringing large bells to block out the screams (they didn’t want any resistance, and didn’t want to frighten new arrivals). Shortly after the exterminations begun they realized that the Auschwitz facility wasn’t big enough to complete the task so Birkenau was born. Birkenau was about 10 minute bus rides (which workers were forced to walk in all weather conditions (and was one of the only chances of escape). Of the estimated 1,500,000 people from 26 European countries exterminated in Auschwitz and Birkenau only 134 people managed to escape (which meant it was virtually impossible). Anyone caught attempting to escape hung in the gallows. Not only were they hung, but everyone living in the bunk with them hung as well (sometimes this consisted of several hundred). Everyone in the camp was forced to watch them hang one by one. This took several hours and the longest demonstration was over 27 hours, in frigid winter conditions. Birkenau was the most gut wrenching place I have ever visited. Just before liberation (January 1959) Hitler and the Nazi’s knew they were loosing the war. They began to destroy evidence of the camps. For some reason they left the chimneys of the smoke stacks from the ovens. The oven chimneys stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions (and to think 6 people every 20 minutes in each). It was a beautiful day with clear skies when I was visiting, but no one during WWII ever saw day light. Dense smoke created 24 hour darkness over Auschwitz and Birkenau from all the burning bodies. One of the stories that were told was that of a survivor. He searched for months for his wife and asked everyone he came across if they had seen her. One prisoner replied, “Taste that sweet taste in the air… that’s your wife.”
We all learn about Auschwitz in school, but Birkenau was the real extermination camp and the place where the most terrible things happened. The scariest part of the tour was the brutal realization of how extremely efficient the Nazi’s were at exterminating people. They killed over 1,500,000 in less than 5 years (and I did not know nearly 1/3 of the people executed were Hungarian). Another disturbing fact is that 90% of the SS officers responsible for these horrific crimes were never prosecuted. They fled to Central and South America after the war and everr faced any consequences. I also learned that the United States and UK were informed of what was going on at Auschwitz and Birkenau during the War and did nothing to stop it. There was never one attempt to rescue the people or stop the extermination camps. We decided since it was not a military facility it wasn’t our responsibility to do anything. After experiencing the tour I didn’t feel like doing much so I went back to my room and took a nap.
After napping I felt a little better so I had some traditional Polish food (perogi & soup), then went to drink some polish Vodka. I sampled a lot of Vodka and I have to say… I love Polish vodka! Tutonka has to be my favorite polish drink (cinnamon vodka and apple juice, tastes like apple pie). I was bored of the bar so I took of walking the streets of Poland at 2am (not wise). I ventured all over the outskirts of Krakow and probably walked about 12 kilometers taking some great photos and talking to a few interesting characters. I was a bit tired and wouldn’t you know a taxi driver approached me and asked if I needed a ride (never trust a taxi that comes to you). The second bad decision I made was taking him up on his offer. Right after I got in the vehicle I knew something was not right, we were traveling in the wrong direction… away from town. He drove about 4 blocks and said, “You get out here.” I thought to myself oh shit… this isn’t good. As I exited the vehicle I saw a man rapidly approaching. Before I knew it, out came an industrial sized can of Bear mace (strong ass pepper spray) and he shot it right in my face. I lunged at him and started to wrestle the can away. The taxi driver was behind me at this point and I felt a burn in my arm. My instincts were to run so I ran into the woods (hardly able to see), and came across a giant drain pipe. I hid in the drain pipe for over an hour splashing the running stream of water in my face. It took roughly an hour before I could see again. I figured they would be gone so I ventured out of the storm drain. A few steps out of the pipe and I sunk to my thighs (just great) in a creek hidden by foliage. I climbed out of the swamp and looked for a main highway. I came across a policija (polish police) and explained what happened. Since I could not identify the guy, and didn’t have any info on the taxi, a report was not filed. I got back to my room around sunrise and slept most of the day.
I wasn’t going to let a little something like that ruin my trip (I escaped without injury and didn’t get robbed of anything) even thought admittedly I was a little shaken up. After all it was the first time I had the pleasure of being pepper sprayed (I wouldn’t recommend it). I remember worse things happening in Atlanta than a little bear spray in the face. In fact my Aflac clients of All Connect were shot at robbed at gun point while visiting headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. This type of thing happens all the time in every country. We all have our good and bad citizens. I wont judge a country or its people by one isolated incident. My opinion is if you live your life afraid, you’re not really living (and you will stress yourself to death). I also believe you can be cautious and avoid a lot of the situations I find myself in (learn from my mistakes, I am).
After waking and showering again I set off to visit the Wawel castle (within city limits) early that evening. The only part I was really excited to see was Smok- the dragon of Krakow. On the west side of the castle is the former den of the Dragon Smok. I took a spiral staircase leading down from the castle into a dark cavern. This was reputedly once the home of Smok, a dragon whose diet consisted of children, cattle, and unsuccessful knights. Krak, the legendary founder of Krakow, tricked him into eating a sheep stuffed with sulfur; to quench the burning, smok drank half the Wisla causing him to explode. Despite his unfortunate end the dragon is now the symbol of the city. I got some great pictures in his lair and it definitely looked like a place that I would live if I were a dragon.
That night I went out again with a group of polish doctors. I met a group that was all graduating from medical school in Poland. Several were coming to the states for residency, some were staying in Europe and some were headed to Canada. They showed me Poland from a local perspective, and it was much more fun than the previous night. I drank Wsciekty pies with them (that translates to dog with rabies). It’s a shot where the bottom is a red juice, the top is Polish vodka and the two layers are separated by Tabasco sauce (it resembles a polish flag), it was actually quite good and the Tabasco killed the vodka burn. After some shots at the bar we headed to frantic (a night club) and sampled a few more kinds of vodka. Frantic was literally a stones throw from my Hostel so I said my goodbyes and headed home somewhat early. I had another travel day approaching and I wanted to visit the Wieliczka Salt mines before leaving Krakow. The mines are composed of over 300 km of subterranean tunnels. We explored less that one percent of the caves, but the things we saw were breathtaking. As explained to me, salt was once more valuable than silver. It was used in food preservation and during ancient wars those armies with salt faired much better than those without. Lots of debts were paid with salt (similar to the way we use a credit card today). The salt miners were some of the wealthiest people of their time, but it was also a very dangerous job. At time of the year the mines were extremely hot and wet (and you can imagine how difficult it would be to climb a slippery salt staircase carrying blocks of salt) and if one miner slipped often times several would be taken out and plummet to their death with him. There are several preserved carvings done by the simple people of the mines and many are very impressive. They have constructed a banquet hall for parties and events in the mines as well as the deepest underground church in the world (completely made of salt from the floor to the alter) that holds roughly 12 weddings a year and a service every sunday. It would be a great place to get married. The mine is also home to the first indoor bungee jump and underground children’s hospital. The salt mine has healing powers. Our guide use to suffer from severe allergies and was a heavily medicated asthmatic. After 6 months of working in the caves his allergies were gone and he no longer requires any type of asthma medication. In fact several children with extreme asthma problems temporarily live in an underground hospital in the mine. I also went pee in the furthest underground bathroom in the world and ate chocolate from the deepest store in the world (200 km underground)… whoo hoo! One thing we didn’t get to see were the crystal caves. You have to have a special permit only granted by the president of Poland to enter. It was explained that even your breathe destroys the crystals, so special breathing gear is required to enter. Lots of famous people have visited the salt caves including 3 former popes, George Bush Sr, and Hillary Clinton just to name a few. They are the oldest operational salt mines on the world. My camera ran out of batteries about 2/3 thru the tour so I don’t have pictures of the underground salt lake, but I have lots of great pictures in the mines.
Overall it was a great experience in Krakow and I liked Poland a lot (in fact I saw a tunnel in the salt mines that was spelled similar to Drowatzky… I wonder if there is any connection to you dad).
Things to remember:
I love the bread in Europe… it’s always so fresh and good.
Don’t take free refills for granted in the states... I love free refills and Europe does not!
Never trust a taxi driver that approaches you... its trouble.
Now I’m off to Slovenia and I can’t wait for some really tropical weather!
My journey continues with a 16 hour train ride from Krakow Poland to Ljubljana Slovenia. The first leg of my journey was a night train from Krakow back thru Vienna (a bit of backtracking, but that’s what happens when unplanned stops arise). I met two young travelers from Canada and they were on their first overnight train. Ann Marie and Carly were traveling to Munich and had the same connecting train. I am now on the second leg of my trip to Ljubljana (a six hour train from Vienna).
Poland was one of my favorite stops thus far (even though I had a bit of a scare). I arrived at 6am Krakow time after an 8 hour night train. The train ride was not the smoothest. Poland is not part of my rail pass; I had to but a connecting ticket for the portion of the ride that was not covered. The conductor only spoke Polish and hated Americans (I guess a polish traveler he knew lost his life due to negligence in North America so he hated us all). Fortunately for me I was in a sleeping compartment with two Polish Canadian travelers that came to my rescue. They had 40 Zloty (polish money, about 12 American dollars) to cover me until we arrived in Poland and I could access an ATM. Once we arrived and I paid them back. I then set off on my way to find my Hostel in old town square.
I started to walk thru town and got some amazing pictures of the sunrise and some great shots of the Rynek (the largest square in medieval Europe) virtually empty. I heard the Hejnal at 7am. Legend has it that during one of the 13th century Tatar raids a guard watching from the tower of the Mariacki church was the invaders approaching and blew his trumpet, only for his alarm to be cut short by an arrow thru the throat. Every hour 7 firemen now play the sombre melody (hejnal) from the same tower, halting abruptly at the point when the guard was supposed to have been hit.
When I arrived at my Hostel my room was not quite ready so I checked my huge backpack at the desk and scheduled a guided tour to Auschwitz and Birkenau for 8am. I have to admit I didn’t know what to expect in Auschwitz but after spending some time with the Roman, Juliette and their travel group I was eager to take the tour.
After another 90 minute bus ride we arrived in Auschwitz. As we were driving up the guide explained why Hitler and the Nazi’s had picked this location for their extermination camps. The area was surrounded by two rivers (which made escape more difficult) and it was a central location in Europe with existing train tracks that lead right to Birkenau, former training ground for the Polish army. All the residents in the area were forced to leave their homes and the Nazi’s began to dismantle their homes to use the bricks to build the concentration camps. The few houses they did not dismantle were used to house Hitler’s SS high officials that were stationed there. The first sign that I saw when arriving to the gates of Auschwitz was written in German and it translated to “with work comes freedom.” People arriving at Auschwitz were all promised a better life once arriving. Many even paid the Nazi’s for a plot of land and a new beginning. They were all allowed to bring 25 kilos of valuables and nothing more (that’s the same weight I brought with me) which isn’t much to start a new life with your family. The first sign something was terribly wrong had to be their travel conditions. Many of them spent two weeks on the train waiting to arrive in Auschwitz with no food or water and an estimated 15-20% died in transit. Once arriving they were all stripped of their possessions (I have pictures of rooms of suitcases, dishes, glasses, shoes and other valuable possessions that were recovered for the museum) and greeted by a Nazi doctor who separated them into groups. The first group was that of only able bodied men that were strong and fit enough to work (these men lasted a maximum of 4 months before they were sent to the gas chamber and new fresh workers were brought in), the next group was women who were set to experimentation facility (Stalin had an entire laboratory devoted to engineering a chemical that could sterilize the women (which they did discover), this laboratory had all the windows covered so no one knew what was going on in there, and the last group was shuffled right into the gas chambers. At first they buried the dead, but it wasn’t long before they realized this would not be a practical solution for disposing of this many bodies (plus they didn’t want the evidence) so a proto type stove were constructed at Auschwitz.. Stalin figured they could burn down the bodies of 6 people every 20 minutes per stove (which I have photos of). When the first testing were done the screams were so loud Stalin had to bring in several army vehicles to block the area. SS officers stood ringing large bells to block out the screams (they didn’t want any resistance, and didn’t want to frighten new arrivals). Shortly after the exterminations begun they realized that the Auschwitz facility wasn’t big enough to complete the task so Birkenau was born. Birkenau was about 10 minute bus rides (which workers were forced to walk in all weather conditions (and was one of the only chances of escape). Of the estimated 1,500,000 people from 26 European countries exterminated in Auschwitz and Birkenau only 134 people managed to escape (which meant it was virtually impossible). Anyone caught attempting to escape hung in the gallows. Not only were they hung, but everyone living in the bunk with them hung as well (sometimes this consisted of several hundred). Everyone in the camp was forced to watch them hang one by one. This took several hours and the longest demonstration was over 27 hours, in frigid winter conditions. Birkenau was the most gut wrenching place I have ever visited. Just before liberation (January 1959) Hitler and the Nazi’s knew they were loosing the war. They began to destroy evidence of the camps. For some reason they left the chimneys of the smoke stacks from the ovens. The oven chimneys stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions (and to think 6 people every 20 minutes in each). It was a beautiful day with clear skies when I was visiting, but no one during WWII ever saw day light. Dense smoke created 24 hour darkness over Auschwitz and Birkenau from all the burning bodies. One of the stories that were told was that of a survivor. He searched for months for his wife and asked everyone he came across if they had seen her. One prisoner replied, “Taste that sweet taste in the air… that’s your wife.”
We all learn about Auschwitz in school, but Birkenau was the real extermination camp and the place where the most terrible things happened. The scariest part of the tour was the brutal realization of how extremely efficient the Nazi’s were at exterminating people. They killed over 1,500,000 in less than 5 years (and I did not know nearly 1/3 of the people executed were Hungarian). Another disturbing fact is that 90% of the SS officers responsible for these horrific crimes were never prosecuted. They fled to Central and South America after the war and everr faced any consequences. I also learned that the United States and UK were informed of what was going on at Auschwitz and Birkenau during the War and did nothing to stop it. There was never one attempt to rescue the people or stop the extermination camps. We decided since it was not a military facility it wasn’t our responsibility to do anything. After experiencing the tour I didn’t feel like doing much so I went back to my room and took a nap.
After napping I felt a little better so I had some traditional Polish food (perogi & soup), then went to drink some polish Vodka. I sampled a lot of Vodka and I have to say… I love Polish vodka! Tutonka has to be my favorite polish drink (cinnamon vodka and apple juice, tastes like apple pie). I was bored of the bar so I took of walking the streets of Poland at 2am (not wise). I ventured all over the outskirts of Krakow and probably walked about 12 kilometers taking some great photos and talking to a few interesting characters. I was a bit tired and wouldn’t you know a taxi driver approached me and asked if I needed a ride (never trust a taxi that comes to you). The second bad decision I made was taking him up on his offer. Right after I got in the vehicle I knew something was not right, we were traveling in the wrong direction… away from town. He drove about 4 blocks and said, “You get out here.” I thought to myself oh shit… this isn’t good. As I exited the vehicle I saw a man rapidly approaching. Before I knew it, out came an industrial sized can of Bear mace (strong ass pepper spray) and he shot it right in my face. I lunged at him and started to wrestle the can away. The taxi driver was behind me at this point and I felt a burn in my arm. My instincts were to run so I ran into the woods (hardly able to see), and came across a giant drain pipe. I hid in the drain pipe for over an hour splashing the running stream of water in my face. It took roughly an hour before I could see again. I figured they would be gone so I ventured out of the storm drain. A few steps out of the pipe and I sunk to my thighs (just great) in a creek hidden by foliage. I climbed out of the swamp and looked for a main highway. I came across a policija (polish police) and explained what happened. Since I could not identify the guy, and didn’t have any info on the taxi, a report was not filed. I got back to my room around sunrise and slept most of the day.
I wasn’t going to let a little something like that ruin my trip (I escaped without injury and didn’t get robbed of anything) even thought admittedly I was a little shaken up. After all it was the first time I had the pleasure of being pepper sprayed (I wouldn’t recommend it). I remember worse things happening in Atlanta than a little bear spray in the face. In fact my Aflac clients of All Connect were shot at robbed at gun point while visiting headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. This type of thing happens all the time in every country. We all have our good and bad citizens. I wont judge a country or its people by one isolated incident. My opinion is if you live your life afraid, you’re not really living (and you will stress yourself to death). I also believe you can be cautious and avoid a lot of the situations I find myself in (learn from my mistakes, I am).
After waking and showering again I set off to visit the Wawel castle (within city limits) early that evening. The only part I was really excited to see was Smok- the dragon of Krakow. On the west side of the castle is the former den of the Dragon Smok. I took a spiral staircase leading down from the castle into a dark cavern. This was reputedly once the home of Smok, a dragon whose diet consisted of children, cattle, and unsuccessful knights. Krak, the legendary founder of Krakow, tricked him into eating a sheep stuffed with sulfur; to quench the burning, smok drank half the Wisla causing him to explode. Despite his unfortunate end the dragon is now the symbol of the city. I got some great pictures in his lair and it definitely looked like a place that I would live if I were a dragon.
That night I went out again with a group of polish doctors. I met a group that was all graduating from medical school in Poland. Several were coming to the states for residency, some were staying in Europe and some were headed to Canada. They showed me Poland from a local perspective, and it was much more fun than the previous night. I drank Wsciekty pies with them (that translates to dog with rabies). It’s a shot where the bottom is a red juice, the top is Polish vodka and the two layers are separated by Tabasco sauce (it resembles a polish flag), it was actually quite good and the Tabasco killed the vodka burn. After some shots at the bar we headed to frantic (a night club) and sampled a few more kinds of vodka. Frantic was literally a stones throw from my Hostel so I said my goodbyes and headed home somewhat early. I had another travel day approaching and I wanted to visit the Wieliczka Salt mines before leaving Krakow. The mines are composed of over 300 km of subterranean tunnels. We explored less that one percent of the caves, but the things we saw were breathtaking. As explained to me, salt was once more valuable than silver. It was used in food preservation and during ancient wars those armies with salt faired much better than those without. Lots of debts were paid with salt (similar to the way we use a credit card today). The salt miners were some of the wealthiest people of their time, but it was also a very dangerous job. At time of the year the mines were extremely hot and wet (and you can imagine how difficult it would be to climb a slippery salt staircase carrying blocks of salt) and if one miner slipped often times several would be taken out and plummet to their death with him. There are several preserved carvings done by the simple people of the mines and many are very impressive. They have constructed a banquet hall for parties and events in the mines as well as the deepest underground church in the world (completely made of salt from the floor to the alter) that holds roughly 12 weddings a year and a service every sunday. It would be a great place to get married. The mine is also home to the first indoor bungee jump and underground children’s hospital. The salt mine has healing powers. Our guide use to suffer from severe allergies and was a heavily medicated asthmatic. After 6 months of working in the caves his allergies were gone and he no longer requires any type of asthma medication. In fact several children with extreme asthma problems temporarily live in an underground hospital in the mine. I also went pee in the furthest underground bathroom in the world and ate chocolate from the deepest store in the world (200 km underground)… whoo hoo! One thing we didn’t get to see were the crystal caves. You have to have a special permit only granted by the president of Poland to enter. It was explained that even your breathe destroys the crystals, so special breathing gear is required to enter. Lots of famous people have visited the salt caves including 3 former popes, George Bush Sr, and Hillary Clinton just to name a few. They are the oldest operational salt mines on the world. My camera ran out of batteries about 2/3 thru the tour so I don’t have pictures of the underground salt lake, but I have lots of great pictures in the mines.
Overall it was a great experience in Krakow and I liked Poland a lot (in fact I saw a tunnel in the salt mines that was spelled similar to Drowatzky… I wonder if there is any connection to you dad).
Things to remember:
I love the bread in Europe… it’s always so fresh and good.
Don’t take free refills for granted in the states... I love free refills and Europe does not!
Never trust a taxi driver that approaches you... its trouble.
Now I’m off to Slovenia and I can’t wait for some really tropical weather!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
12.5.2009
12.5.09
Today is a rainy travel day in Vienna for me. I’m glad to have a day to relax my walking legs. Vienna is the place where they appreciate the finer things in life. Vienna is the city that houses the Albertina Museum, home of one of the largest collections of graphic art in the world housing originals from Rembrandt to Michelangelo. Also the Leopold Museum (which I visited and got some great photos… shhhhh) is very well known world wide. The exhibits by Klimt and Egon Schiele were the most impressive. Vienna is also home to the Staats Opera House (which I got to see a performance from spectacular seats and was able to get a short video clip of the opening act) and was performing the drama Tosca while I was in town. Everything from Guess to Gucci lined the main shopping street of Karntnestrasse which ran from the Center of Vienna (Stephansplatz) to the original Ringstrasse.
The reason I started my first day at stephensplatz is because everything stems from its central location. As soon as I came up the stairs from the subway I was staring at the hoary gothic bulk (I really like gothic architecture) of the Stephensdom and its early 16th century carved stone (amazingly preserved in certain areas). It’s truly a masterpiece of late gothic art. The first thing I went to see once I got inside was the tomb of the Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III.
Next I went to the catacombs underneath (it’s so cool to me to see rooms of bones and sculls). At one point the smell was so bad in the church above no one would come to mass. I don’t think they were thinking about that initially. As we got deeper into the catacombs the eerier it got. Some of the tunnels haven’t been refurbished ever (and remember were talking early 16th century). I snapped several photos (even though I wasn’t really supposed to) and one room of bones that had to be stacked neatly. The walls are all bones and go at least 8 feet high with more bones and skulls piled on the middle. During and shortly after the plague there were so many dead people that the bones were spilling into the hallways so they had to organize them to get them to all fit.
‘
From the catacombs I started the torturous climb to the 177 meter spire nicknamed Steffl (or little Stephen). The views were amazing but a little over promoted. The only place to catch a glimpse was 5 or 6 windows in a gift shop at the top (no outdoor deck). I don’t know how long it took me to reach the summit of the spire but I know I was exhausted. Worst of all it’s a spiral staircase all the way to the top. Someone said it’s like 373 stairs total. It took me 3 minutes to tape the entire walk down and I was hauling ass. It was the longest 3 minutes because the whole time you are going in circles and the scenery never changes, eerie staircase the whole way). I was quite tired so I stopped for some traditional Vienna cuisine and I ordered boiled beef & vegetables, it was good, I grabbed some coffee and off I went. I came across this beautiful park so I sat in the grass people watching for a bit, then headed to the Museum Quarters.
The Museum Quarters was a very cool place to visit. It’s set in the former imperial stables and has several odd shaped objects in the courtyard. They were all shaped ergonomically and people were lounging around enjoying the weather and each other. I started off at the Leopold museum. I had about 3 hours before I was to meet with Ivan (a cool traveler I met from Portugal that spoke a little English). I was blown away by some of the art at the Leopold and couldn’t resist snapping a few photos. I met with Ivan we took some pictures by a Mozart Monument and walked around the park for a bit. We heard about an Opera performance at the Staats Opera House and found out you could get standing room only tickets if you stood in line and got there early. That’s what we did. We stood in line for hours to get rejected at the door for wearing shorts! I was bummed out… and at dinner everything came together. I met someone that had vouchers for the best standing room area for the following performance (the next day). Her friends had them but weren’t going to use them so lucky me… I got go see Tosca!
Before the Opera I got up early to see the Schloss Schonbrunn. A palace designed on a model of Versailles. Hundreds of Greek statues, and gardens as far as the eye could see. There is a grand tour all forty rooms including the Millions Room but I didn’t go. I had too much fun outside. They had a great little area to view the entire property from atop a huge hill, a zoo with animals, and a labyrinth/ hedge maze. Yes, strait out of Alice in Wonderland I went navigating thru a 8 foot high hedge maze. It was so cool. The reward at the end was being able to take a picture from a platform above the maze. I checked out the skate park at Stadtpark (and Jesse you would have dominated this park) and got lost for a while in the neighborhoods outside the city. I took some great pictures of people being people, sidewalk art, and all sorts of cool stuff. I also have videos of a great football player (soccer) just playing around with his football, a drum circle, some sidewalk performers, among various others videos and photos.
All in all I had a great time in Vienna but I’m ready to move on to Krakow, Poland. I am a little nervous about visiting Auschwitz but I think it has to be done. My train leaves tonight at 22.17 (10:17pm) and I arrive in Poland at 6.33 tomorrow. I have already booked my next stop. I want to get to Slovenia to see the stalactite caves. It’s the over night train (the sleeping compartments sell out fast) that departs Krakow, Poland on Sunday 17.5.09 (May 17th) and arrives the following morning back into Austria and I transfer for a short train into Slovenia.
Bring back to the states from abroad:
1. Coke in glass bottles…. Ahhh, so refreshing
2. Austria’s excellent public transportation system leaves no reason for a car.
3. Recycling bins everywhere (glass, paper, plastic) and people use them.
4. Europeans are much more respectful to others. Example: stepping to right on trams & escalators if you plan to stand (respectful). It makes an isle way for people in a rush (you can always tell us Americans, they are oblivious to others and don’t seem to care).
5. Awareness of natural resource consumption
-Water- they all are conscious about water waste and everything is set to sensors in the countries I have visited thus far.
-Paper- there is no paper towels in bathrooms except in very nice hotels and restaurants. There are blowers, or the rotating paper that I hate.
-Electricity- efficiency is amazing. Your room key activates the power in your room. Once you leave you must take your key and the power shuts down.
Today is a rainy travel day in Vienna for me. I’m glad to have a day to relax my walking legs. Vienna is the place where they appreciate the finer things in life. Vienna is the city that houses the Albertina Museum, home of one of the largest collections of graphic art in the world housing originals from Rembrandt to Michelangelo. Also the Leopold Museum (which I visited and got some great photos… shhhhh) is very well known world wide. The exhibits by Klimt and Egon Schiele were the most impressive. Vienna is also home to the Staats Opera House (which I got to see a performance from spectacular seats and was able to get a short video clip of the opening act) and was performing the drama Tosca while I was in town. Everything from Guess to Gucci lined the main shopping street of Karntnestrasse which ran from the Center of Vienna (Stephansplatz) to the original Ringstrasse.
The reason I started my first day at stephensplatz is because everything stems from its central location. As soon as I came up the stairs from the subway I was staring at the hoary gothic bulk (I really like gothic architecture) of the Stephensdom and its early 16th century carved stone (amazingly preserved in certain areas). It’s truly a masterpiece of late gothic art. The first thing I went to see once I got inside was the tomb of the Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III.
Next I went to the catacombs underneath (it’s so cool to me to see rooms of bones and sculls). At one point the smell was so bad in the church above no one would come to mass. I don’t think they were thinking about that initially. As we got deeper into the catacombs the eerier it got. Some of the tunnels haven’t been refurbished ever (and remember were talking early 16th century). I snapped several photos (even though I wasn’t really supposed to) and one room of bones that had to be stacked neatly. The walls are all bones and go at least 8 feet high with more bones and skulls piled on the middle. During and shortly after the plague there were so many dead people that the bones were spilling into the hallways so they had to organize them to get them to all fit.
‘
From the catacombs I started the torturous climb to the 177 meter spire nicknamed Steffl (or little Stephen). The views were amazing but a little over promoted. The only place to catch a glimpse was 5 or 6 windows in a gift shop at the top (no outdoor deck). I don’t know how long it took me to reach the summit of the spire but I know I was exhausted. Worst of all it’s a spiral staircase all the way to the top. Someone said it’s like 373 stairs total. It took me 3 minutes to tape the entire walk down and I was hauling ass. It was the longest 3 minutes because the whole time you are going in circles and the scenery never changes, eerie staircase the whole way). I was quite tired so I stopped for some traditional Vienna cuisine and I ordered boiled beef & vegetables, it was good, I grabbed some coffee and off I went. I came across this beautiful park so I sat in the grass people watching for a bit, then headed to the Museum Quarters.
The Museum Quarters was a very cool place to visit. It’s set in the former imperial stables and has several odd shaped objects in the courtyard. They were all shaped ergonomically and people were lounging around enjoying the weather and each other. I started off at the Leopold museum. I had about 3 hours before I was to meet with Ivan (a cool traveler I met from Portugal that spoke a little English). I was blown away by some of the art at the Leopold and couldn’t resist snapping a few photos. I met with Ivan we took some pictures by a Mozart Monument and walked around the park for a bit. We heard about an Opera performance at the Staats Opera House and found out you could get standing room only tickets if you stood in line and got there early. That’s what we did. We stood in line for hours to get rejected at the door for wearing shorts! I was bummed out… and at dinner everything came together. I met someone that had vouchers for the best standing room area for the following performance (the next day). Her friends had them but weren’t going to use them so lucky me… I got go see Tosca!
Before the Opera I got up early to see the Schloss Schonbrunn. A palace designed on a model of Versailles. Hundreds of Greek statues, and gardens as far as the eye could see. There is a grand tour all forty rooms including the Millions Room but I didn’t go. I had too much fun outside. They had a great little area to view the entire property from atop a huge hill, a zoo with animals, and a labyrinth/ hedge maze. Yes, strait out of Alice in Wonderland I went navigating thru a 8 foot high hedge maze. It was so cool. The reward at the end was being able to take a picture from a platform above the maze. I checked out the skate park at Stadtpark (and Jesse you would have dominated this park) and got lost for a while in the neighborhoods outside the city. I took some great pictures of people being people, sidewalk art, and all sorts of cool stuff. I also have videos of a great football player (soccer) just playing around with his football, a drum circle, some sidewalk performers, among various others videos and photos.
All in all I had a great time in Vienna but I’m ready to move on to Krakow, Poland. I am a little nervous about visiting Auschwitz but I think it has to be done. My train leaves tonight at 22.17 (10:17pm) and I arrive in Poland at 6.33 tomorrow. I have already booked my next stop. I want to get to Slovenia to see the stalactite caves. It’s the over night train (the sleeping compartments sell out fast) that departs Krakow, Poland on Sunday 17.5.09 (May 17th) and arrives the following morning back into Austria and I transfer for a short train into Slovenia.
Bring back to the states from abroad:
1. Coke in glass bottles…. Ahhh, so refreshing
2. Austria’s excellent public transportation system leaves no reason for a car.
3. Recycling bins everywhere (glass, paper, plastic) and people use them.
4. Europeans are much more respectful to others. Example: stepping to right on trams & escalators if you plan to stand (respectful). It makes an isle way for people in a rush (you can always tell us Americans, they are oblivious to others and don’t seem to care).
5. Awareness of natural resource consumption
-Water- they all are conscious about water waste and everything is set to sensors in the countries I have visited thus far.
-Paper- there is no paper towels in bathrooms except in very nice hotels and restaurants. There are blowers, or the rotating paper that I hate.
-Electricity- efficiency is amazing. Your room key activates the power in your room. Once you leave you must take your key and the power shuts down.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The last update that I posted I was leaving Prague headed to southern Czech to see the limestone caves just outside of the city of Brno, Cz. I arrived in Brno 7.5.09 (thats how the date is written here, day. month. year) and was informed that the Hungarian labor union was preparing a strike and there would be no trains going in or coming out of Hungary. I did not know how long this strike would go on so I decided to cut my trip to Brno short & hop on a train to Budapest later that afternoon.
I spent the most of the day in Brno before catching the train to Budapest and I saw a lot in the amount of time I had. Brno is Czech’s second largest city next to Praha (Prague). When I exited the train station I set foot directly into the Zelny trh (cabbage market). It’s a huge vegetable market where the locals purchase food for their families. I walked up the hill and had my sights set on seeing Capuchin Crypt. The crypt houses a collection of mummified dead monks and dignitaries, some of which dated back to 1300 ad. The mummies were preserved quite well and housed in glass coffins (I have lots of pictures). I also visited the Moravian museum with lots of ancient and medieval artifacts on my way to the cathedral of SS Peter and Paul. It was worth the kilometer hike/ climb to relax on the balcony of the cathedral tower overlooking all of Brno. After relaxing and taking some time to reflect atop the tower I started my track back to the train station. My backpack felt heavier than ever. Its weighing in at about 26 kilo’s (roughly 60lbs) and it can get quite heavy at times… especially when hiking uphill. I ate some sandwiches from a local food stand on my way to the train station. In fact, I have no clue what was in them but they were addicting. I had four sandwiches and two cola’s (what Europeans call coke) for 100 crown.
Once on my train to Budapest I settled into my seat and started to read up on Hungarian culture and learn a few key phrases that would help me communicate. Mainly Batch-a-knot & be-sung-ang-a-lool. Which means Excuse me, do you speak English, and Kos-a-nomb which means thank you. I was excited about Budapest because of the cost of living. I was able to afford to stay in my own “hotel” room for a similar rate as the hostels I was staying at in Amsterdam & Berlin. I had my own shower and bedroom to look forward to (so sick of hearing people moving around and snoring) which was nice because I hadn’t had a good night sleep yet.
About half way thru our trip to Budapest I overheard some people in the cabin next to mine talking in English (which was refreshing). They said something about the DB (Dutch Bahn) train not going to Budapest because of the strike. I walked over and found out that we had to transfer trains in Sturovo. We all got off and waited for our train to arrive. While waiting I made some friends. Roman, Juliette and company were from Spain and Portugal. They were all studying medicine in Czech. They had a large group of travelers that left Czech most weekends to explore Europe, and their group was rather diverse with people from Lithuania to Portugal and the group spoke about 6 languages. I envied some of their stories and their general outlook on life. Juliette seemed to be the mother of the group taking care of all the planning and travel arrangements. Roman and I hit it off and they invited me to join them as they toured Budapest. We walked about 1.5 kilometers to their hostel and planned to meet at parliament the next morning.
I walked around with them exploring lower Buda and some of Pest. Parliament was the most impressive structure on the Pest side (Budapest is separated into Buda and Pest by the Danube River. From there we started to walk towards chain bridge so we could cross over to the Buda side of the river. On our way we came across hundreds of pairs of cast iron shoes welded to the shore of the Danube. None one in our group knew the explanation or the significance of these shoes but we all knew there had to be one. Just then a Jewish traveler and her husband walked up and told us the story. When Stalin and the Nazi’s invaded the country they did some unspeakable things to the people of Hungary. One of which was an execution style that brings tears to my eyes to think about. They lined the shore with the Jews and chained them together by two’s. They were then ordered to remove their shoes (because shoes were expensive and the Nazi’s didn’t want to waste them). Next each group of two was walked to the edge of the river. One was shot and killed then they were both tossed into the river. The live person was left to die by drowning. This saved the Nazi’s bullets (I also heard stories about Nazi’s lining up the heads of their victims to see how many they could kill with one bullet). There were countless stories just like this in Hungary. I visited the House of Horror on my last day. It’s a museum to honor those that died during World War II. I actually cried and had to leave one portion of the museum after reading about some of the realities these people had to endure. I have a new found respect for the Hungarian’s and I realized they are amazing people.
I also saw a lot of very nice positive things while in Budapest. Castle Hill, Chain Bridge (opened in 1849 and the first permanent bridge between Buda and Pest), Buda Palace, Watertown, National Museum, the Jewish quarter and St. Stephens Bascilla. I learned a ton about the culture while in Budapest, but my favorite part of their culture is bathing. They call pools baths, and they have some of the grandest places to take a swim that I have ever seen. I visited Szechenyi Spa Baths. The outdoor pools were surrounded by a breath taking palace. Also, over 50 pools of all kinds indoors. It was like a YMCA on more steroids than Mark McGuire. They had swirling water, bubbles that came from the ground in certain areas of pools, lap pools, current pools, sauna’s, steam rooms, and so many separate rooms I got lost for 45 minutes trying to find my locker.
I walked most all of Budapest in three days and never felt unsafe. I met some locals that spoke a little English and they insisted on taking me to a local bar for beers and whiskey. Man these guys in Europe train from a young age to handle their alcohol. I can drink my share but after a few hours at the bar with these guys I found myself hanging my head off the side of my bed praying to my trash can.
I am now on the train (strike was only a one day event) headed to Vienna, Austria. I decided against taking a hydrofoil up the Danube to Bratislava (ill leave that expedition for someone like Craig who likes that kind of thing). Bratislava is a 3 hour train ride and the Hydrofoil is over 6 hours. I saw the boats and that confirmed my decision to stay on the train. They reminded me of the boats Dad and I use to take out at Lake Trafford when I was a kid (not so sturdy). Slovakia is not a country that is part of my rail pass so I figured I could save money on a ticket to Bratislava by traveling into Vienna, then take a day trip to Bratislava (it’s a 15 minute train ride).
From Vienna I am headed to Krakow. Poland. It’s an addition to my itinerary. Roman said that I must fit it in my schedule so that’s what I am doing. He also suggested a few spots in Italy that I must see… but you will have to wait until my next post to see where they are.
A few random things:
Pocket Change is very important- in America you can’t buy anything with coins (unless you take your whole jar in to the store) but in Europe they have a 2 euro coin (which equals about 3 bucks). If you find yourself with a few of these in your pocket you start to have some cash you don’t want to drop by accident.
Coke is called Cola- I found myself drinking a lot of coke. 1. Its familiar. 2. They don’t have many options (I haven’t seen a mtn dew since I left the states) coke or sprite/ Pepsi or sierra mist is the only familiar option. I’ve taken a lot of chances on random foreign beverages (as you will see from my pictures) some are a pleasant surprise and some id like to forget I tried.
Coffee is a staple- almost every European culture drinks coffee and has coffee houses that are a big part of daily routine. It seems that a lot revolves around the consumption of kafe (as they call it in Budapest) all over Europe.
Europeans take Holiday- Every European I come across that speaks English isn’t surprised by my Month long trip. They call it taking a Holiday. Most Europeans take about 8 weeks holiday a year (not including major holidays) they have 4 times as much standard vacation time a year and aren’t afraid to use it all.
I speak broken English over here- I haven’t come across an American in over a week. The only way to communicate with people that have English as an additional language is to speak on their level. I find myself pausing (like im having trouble coming up with the correct words) because it mimics their style of speaking and makes communication easier. I have also learned how to say several phrases and ask a few important questions in Dutch, German, Czech, and Hungarian.
Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Brno, Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Krakow… now I am going to start to be a little more adventurous with my destinations. I’m getting comfortable traveling, using the rail system, and blending with the people. I plan to take several day trips over the next few weeks to small towns and villages but I fear communication will be an even bigger issue. Most of the population in Austria does speak English (so I’m excited about that), although I hear learning a few German phrases should go over well and I've got that down. So, Guten Tag Austria!
I spent the most of the day in Brno before catching the train to Budapest and I saw a lot in the amount of time I had. Brno is Czech’s second largest city next to Praha (Prague). When I exited the train station I set foot directly into the Zelny trh (cabbage market). It’s a huge vegetable market where the locals purchase food for their families. I walked up the hill and had my sights set on seeing Capuchin Crypt. The crypt houses a collection of mummified dead monks and dignitaries, some of which dated back to 1300 ad. The mummies were preserved quite well and housed in glass coffins (I have lots of pictures). I also visited the Moravian museum with lots of ancient and medieval artifacts on my way to the cathedral of SS Peter and Paul. It was worth the kilometer hike/ climb to relax on the balcony of the cathedral tower overlooking all of Brno. After relaxing and taking some time to reflect atop the tower I started my track back to the train station. My backpack felt heavier than ever. Its weighing in at about 26 kilo’s (roughly 60lbs) and it can get quite heavy at times… especially when hiking uphill. I ate some sandwiches from a local food stand on my way to the train station. In fact, I have no clue what was in them but they were addicting. I had four sandwiches and two cola’s (what Europeans call coke) for 100 crown.
Once on my train to Budapest I settled into my seat and started to read up on Hungarian culture and learn a few key phrases that would help me communicate. Mainly Batch-a-knot & be-sung-ang-a-lool. Which means Excuse me, do you speak English, and Kos-a-nomb which means thank you. I was excited about Budapest because of the cost of living. I was able to afford to stay in my own “hotel” room for a similar rate as the hostels I was staying at in Amsterdam & Berlin. I had my own shower and bedroom to look forward to (so sick of hearing people moving around and snoring) which was nice because I hadn’t had a good night sleep yet.
About half way thru our trip to Budapest I overheard some people in the cabin next to mine talking in English (which was refreshing). They said something about the DB (Dutch Bahn) train not going to Budapest because of the strike. I walked over and found out that we had to transfer trains in Sturovo. We all got off and waited for our train to arrive. While waiting I made some friends. Roman, Juliette and company were from Spain and Portugal. They were all studying medicine in Czech. They had a large group of travelers that left Czech most weekends to explore Europe, and their group was rather diverse with people from Lithuania to Portugal and the group spoke about 6 languages. I envied some of their stories and their general outlook on life. Juliette seemed to be the mother of the group taking care of all the planning and travel arrangements. Roman and I hit it off and they invited me to join them as they toured Budapest. We walked about 1.5 kilometers to their hostel and planned to meet at parliament the next morning.
I walked around with them exploring lower Buda and some of Pest. Parliament was the most impressive structure on the Pest side (Budapest is separated into Buda and Pest by the Danube River. From there we started to walk towards chain bridge so we could cross over to the Buda side of the river. On our way we came across hundreds of pairs of cast iron shoes welded to the shore of the Danube. None one in our group knew the explanation or the significance of these shoes but we all knew there had to be one. Just then a Jewish traveler and her husband walked up and told us the story. When Stalin and the Nazi’s invaded the country they did some unspeakable things to the people of Hungary. One of which was an execution style that brings tears to my eyes to think about. They lined the shore with the Jews and chained them together by two’s. They were then ordered to remove their shoes (because shoes were expensive and the Nazi’s didn’t want to waste them). Next each group of two was walked to the edge of the river. One was shot and killed then they were both tossed into the river. The live person was left to die by drowning. This saved the Nazi’s bullets (I also heard stories about Nazi’s lining up the heads of their victims to see how many they could kill with one bullet). There were countless stories just like this in Hungary. I visited the House of Horror on my last day. It’s a museum to honor those that died during World War II. I actually cried and had to leave one portion of the museum after reading about some of the realities these people had to endure. I have a new found respect for the Hungarian’s and I realized they are amazing people.
I also saw a lot of very nice positive things while in Budapest. Castle Hill, Chain Bridge (opened in 1849 and the first permanent bridge between Buda and Pest), Buda Palace, Watertown, National Museum, the Jewish quarter and St. Stephens Bascilla. I learned a ton about the culture while in Budapest, but my favorite part of their culture is bathing. They call pools baths, and they have some of the grandest places to take a swim that I have ever seen. I visited Szechenyi Spa Baths. The outdoor pools were surrounded by a breath taking palace. Also, over 50 pools of all kinds indoors. It was like a YMCA on more steroids than Mark McGuire. They had swirling water, bubbles that came from the ground in certain areas of pools, lap pools, current pools, sauna’s, steam rooms, and so many separate rooms I got lost for 45 minutes trying to find my locker.
I walked most all of Budapest in three days and never felt unsafe. I met some locals that spoke a little English and they insisted on taking me to a local bar for beers and whiskey. Man these guys in Europe train from a young age to handle their alcohol. I can drink my share but after a few hours at the bar with these guys I found myself hanging my head off the side of my bed praying to my trash can.
I am now on the train (strike was only a one day event) headed to Vienna, Austria. I decided against taking a hydrofoil up the Danube to Bratislava (ill leave that expedition for someone like Craig who likes that kind of thing). Bratislava is a 3 hour train ride and the Hydrofoil is over 6 hours. I saw the boats and that confirmed my decision to stay on the train. They reminded me of the boats Dad and I use to take out at Lake Trafford when I was a kid (not so sturdy). Slovakia is not a country that is part of my rail pass so I figured I could save money on a ticket to Bratislava by traveling into Vienna, then take a day trip to Bratislava (it’s a 15 minute train ride).
From Vienna I am headed to Krakow. Poland. It’s an addition to my itinerary. Roman said that I must fit it in my schedule so that’s what I am doing. He also suggested a few spots in Italy that I must see… but you will have to wait until my next post to see where they are.
A few random things:
Pocket Change is very important- in America you can’t buy anything with coins (unless you take your whole jar in to the store) but in Europe they have a 2 euro coin (which equals about 3 bucks). If you find yourself with a few of these in your pocket you start to have some cash you don’t want to drop by accident.
Coke is called Cola- I found myself drinking a lot of coke. 1. Its familiar. 2. They don’t have many options (I haven’t seen a mtn dew since I left the states) coke or sprite/ Pepsi or sierra mist is the only familiar option. I’ve taken a lot of chances on random foreign beverages (as you will see from my pictures) some are a pleasant surprise and some id like to forget I tried.
Coffee is a staple- almost every European culture drinks coffee and has coffee houses that are a big part of daily routine. It seems that a lot revolves around the consumption of kafe (as they call it in Budapest) all over Europe.
Europeans take Holiday- Every European I come across that speaks English isn’t surprised by my Month long trip. They call it taking a Holiday. Most Europeans take about 8 weeks holiday a year (not including major holidays) they have 4 times as much standard vacation time a year and aren’t afraid to use it all.
I speak broken English over here- I haven’t come across an American in over a week. The only way to communicate with people that have English as an additional language is to speak on their level. I find myself pausing (like im having trouble coming up with the correct words) because it mimics their style of speaking and makes communication easier. I have also learned how to say several phrases and ask a few important questions in Dutch, German, Czech, and Hungarian.
Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Brno, Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Krakow… now I am going to start to be a little more adventurous with my destinations. I’m getting comfortable traveling, using the rail system, and blending with the people. I plan to take several day trips over the next few weeks to small towns and villages but I fear communication will be an even bigger issue. Most of the population in Austria does speak English (so I’m excited about that), although I hear learning a few German phrases should go over well and I've got that down. So, Guten Tag Austria!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I am currently in Prague, Cz and this country has so much history. I have pictures of the entire city from the balcony of the Prague Castle. St Vitus' Cathedral was the most impressive site in the city. The architecture was extremely detailed to the last square inch and could not be duplicated at today's labor standards. The torture chamber and armor hallway were cool. I was the only one while i was in the shooting line to hit the target with the cross bow (i know.. im the man). St George's Bascilica was neat (mom will love the pics).
Starpmestske namesti is in old town square and has the coolest clock I have ever seen (puts back to the future to shame). I also had to check out Karlova lazne (Prague's biggest nightclub) because I had to see what all the Hype was about (pretty packed for a Monday). Its 5 stories with the craziest dance theme rooms. I felt like Q-Bert in one room because the entire floor was color changing tiles and the walls were painted flat white, you can imagine after a few Czech beers some people would have a hard time dancing.
Im headed to the All Colors Theatre (black light theater) for some traditional Czech theatrical genre performance tonight. Its a non verbal performance and is suppose to be the best show in Prague (and all for $250 crown (Czech money), or $12 euro (Amsterdam & Berlin thus far), $16 usd. I was nieve and didnt understand the currency before arriving so i got taken for about $25 usd from a cab. He charged me 400 crown and I didnt know any better (im new at this changing currency and crooked people combo) so I paid him. It seemed fair because when I made an ATM withdrawal the max on the screen was 10,000 crown. in usa and berlin the max withdrawal was $200 euro/ dollars on the prompt screen so i assumed the same applied. And with 10,000 beind 200 on my eyes it seemed about fair. And assume always makes an ass out of you and me (get it) so never assume.
My only complaint is the infrastructure. The city is built so if you make a wrong turn at one intersection you have to go all the way back to the beginning to correct it, or take a detour thats twice as long. its the most difficult place to navigate that i have been and without using a map (navigating by landmarks). Even with a map the street intersections are so abstract and poorly posted plus there are tunnels and streets with the same name that lead different directions. I have probably walked a total of 15 extra miles in detours (on cobble stone roads) so thank goodness for great shoes! I am currently at the laundry mat doing my first load of laundry on the trip and they have a computer for customers so I posted this update for whoever is watching and I planned my next few days.
Tomorrow I am off to the Moravian Karst Region of the Czech republic. I will more than likely be staying in Brno, Cz tomorrow night, then I take an early morning train to Blansko, Cz and a 8k hike to the entrance of the Skalnu Minz for a guided tour of limestone caves. They have eroded over thousands of years and are suppose to be dramatic caves. Besides, its right on my way to Slovakia (my next planned stop) and I figured I have no other set plans so I might as well be adventurous (i hear its really cheap in Brno, Cz too which means I might have my own Hotel room for the 1st time (its suppose to cost $140 crown.. ten bucks) ... Na Shiedanou for now!
Starpmestske namesti is in old town square and has the coolest clock I have ever seen (puts back to the future to shame). I also had to check out Karlova lazne (Prague's biggest nightclub) because I had to see what all the Hype was about (pretty packed for a Monday). Its 5 stories with the craziest dance theme rooms. I felt like Q-Bert in one room because the entire floor was color changing tiles and the walls were painted flat white, you can imagine after a few Czech beers some people would have a hard time dancing.
Im headed to the All Colors Theatre (black light theater) for some traditional Czech theatrical genre performance tonight. Its a non verbal performance and is suppose to be the best show in Prague (and all for $250 crown (Czech money), or $12 euro (Amsterdam & Berlin thus far), $16 usd. I was nieve and didnt understand the currency before arriving so i got taken for about $25 usd from a cab. He charged me 400 crown and I didnt know any better (im new at this changing currency and crooked people combo) so I paid him. It seemed fair because when I made an ATM withdrawal the max on the screen was 10,000 crown. in usa and berlin the max withdrawal was $200 euro/ dollars on the prompt screen so i assumed the same applied. And with 10,000 beind 200 on my eyes it seemed about fair. And assume always makes an ass out of you and me (get it) so never assume.
My only complaint is the infrastructure. The city is built so if you make a wrong turn at one intersection you have to go all the way back to the beginning to correct it, or take a detour thats twice as long. its the most difficult place to navigate that i have been and without using a map (navigating by landmarks). Even with a map the street intersections are so abstract and poorly posted plus there are tunnels and streets with the same name that lead different directions. I have probably walked a total of 15 extra miles in detours (on cobble stone roads) so thank goodness for great shoes! I am currently at the laundry mat doing my first load of laundry on the trip and they have a computer for customers so I posted this update for whoever is watching and I planned my next few days.
Tomorrow I am off to the Moravian Karst Region of the Czech republic. I will more than likely be staying in Brno, Cz tomorrow night, then I take an early morning train to Blansko, Cz and a 8k hike to the entrance of the Skalnu Minz for a guided tour of limestone caves. They have eroded over thousands of years and are suppose to be dramatic caves. Besides, its right on my way to Slovakia (my next planned stop) and I figured I have no other set plans so I might as well be adventurous (i hear its really cheap in Brno, Cz too which means I might have my own Hotel room for the 1st time (its suppose to cost $140 crown.. ten bucks) ... Na Shiedanou for now!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
My travels have begun and I am currently in Berlin, Germany and I started out in Amsterdam. Internet is more costly than I expected, the keys are located in different places on the keyboards, and I am not near the internet nearly as much as i anticipated. I was at the Brandenberg Gates today, went to several museums and took lots of pictures. My journal is the best way to log my experiences and photos to fit it all together. When I return to the states I will update everyone of my travels and post lots of pictures and videos. Im off to <prague tomorrow afternoon and the journey will continue.
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