Caution Wet Floor

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - Monday, August 18, 2008

“One minute we were traversing dignified eighteenth and nineteenth century streets, enlivened here and there by a burst of art-nouveau fantasy or a tremendous old tree. The next minute we were in sight of the Danube. It was enormous. I hadn’t been prepared for it’s grandeur, with three great bridges spanning it. On our side of the river rose the incredible neo-Gothic spires and dome of the Parliament Buildings, and on the opposite side rose the immense tree-cushioned flanks of the royal palace and the spires of medieval churches. In the midst of everything was that expanse of the river, gray-green, it’s surface finely scaled by wind and glinting with sunlight. A huge blue sky arched over the domes and monuments and churches, and touched the water with shifting colors. I had expected to be intrigued …; I had not expected to be awed.” - Elizabeth Kostova

Budapest is the city to which Ms. Kostova refers to in her book, The Historian, and although she was talking about it though the eyes of her main character seeing it for the first time in the 1950’s, I can assure you that the view has not changed that much and that it could have been me writing those words. The only difference is I arrived at night and did not see it till the next day but the sentiment and the feeling are the same. But I am getting ahead of myself that is not how the day began;

Back in Krakow, yet again we arrived at the train station, in this case Dworzec Główny, way too early. So there we were yet again having lunch at yet another train station. This time the lunch was not sandwiches but kielbasa baked in pastries. Really good, a whole new way of way eating a hot dog. As we waited for our train we noticed a few students with backpacks. I remarked that with our luck, they would be in our cabin on the train. Sure enough when we got on the trail, there they were. The students or rather I should say the recent graduates, were 3 from Derby, England (pronounced Darby) and 1 from Canada. 3 guys and 1 girl. They were really nice and we had a great time. Well I should say I did as we talked football and all things British. For those of you who have not known me for a while, accents is totally something I do, it’s not really forced it just happens, like I absorb it. So while we were talking I starting moving over to my English twang and although it did not seem to mind the Brits, since they went out of their way to help me with some of my phrases and pronunciations, it bothered Layne a great deal. Don’t ask, I don’t understand myself.

When we crossed into Slovakia, two soldiers came on the train to check passports. Mine and the 3 from Derby were European Union Passports and were glanced at and returned, for Layne and our Canadian friend, each and every page of their passports was scrutinized and though the Canadian did not blink an eye, Layne decided to bury her foot in the seat across from her. That seat was mine of course, and I did my best to not react and just keep smiling. Nothing happened and the trip continued. We dropped them off in the town of Plaveč where, they planned to continue their trip by doing some hiking in the mountains.

As we arrived in Budapest, given my two last arrivals at a city with Layne, I decided to take point on where we were going and how we were going to get there. I’d like to point out that I did not get us lost but rather walked to the map and just figured out how to get where we were going. Once we got to our hostel, we saw down with the owner, a Magyar named Adam. I say Magyar and not Hungarian, because when I asked him he told me that those who are half Gypsy and half Hungarian still to this day call themselves Magyars. It’s interesting to point out that Hungarian for Hungary is Magyarország. The night we got there I met Patrick and Alison from Dublin, who were doing as I was seeing as much of Europe as they could. While talking with them I still had the English accent and until Layne came outside, they actually believed me to be someone who lived in the UK (I had not told them that but once Layne told them where we were from Alison did a double take and the next day both her and Patrick remarked on the fact that I did not act or sound like an American) The hospitality we received was top notch, I would totally stay there again if I am ever back in Budapest. The only problem was no towels, but solved with a trip to TESCO.

Budapest is a contrast of sides. The Buda side is still a medieval city, a few modern style buildings mind you but still for the most part retaining it’s old charm. The Pest side, although it still has some old buildings and streets is a more even mix of old and new. Both sides as a whole make the city was it is with the Danube as the ultimate dividing line. The Danube, the first time you see up close with your own eyes is truly a sight to behold. I did not get to see it the night we got there, but I did get to see it in all it’s splendor the next day. After being in both Prague and Krakow, the sight of a larger river was both amazing and breathtaking and no I am not exaggerating.

Day 1: Pest, Great Market Hall, the Danube River

This was a mostly lazy day. It started with an adventure to TESCO to get towels and other supplies. I say adventure because on the way there, which by the way was near the train station we arrived at the day before, we misunderstood the policy for using tickets on the Budapest Metro (BKV) and were promptly nabbed and fined 6000 Forints each (roughly $38) for our trouble. So for anyone who is planning to visit Budapest, please know that switching from one color line (Red, Blue or Yellow) to another you need a whole new ticket.

Trust me it will save you $36 bucks on that day and a huge headache of having to control a hysterical person who wanted to argue with the Metro Police. After that we headed to the Mall where the TESCO was. There I found a beautiful Samsonite rolling duffel bag for 9100 Forints. (roughly $60 or $17 less than what we just paid for our total fine) It’s a beauty too. Now with fresh towels we headed back to the hostel, where we proceeded to take much needed showers. After a quick visit to the market to get some sustenance, we headed out to spend the rest of the day on the banks of the Danube. It was nice, it was peaceful.

The view of the sunset, from Pest, let’s just say I have not seen a sunset like that since I lived in Curaçao or the few summers I spent on Edisto Island, SC. It’s the kind of sunset you find on postcards and screen savers. I love those sunsets they remind me of home. I sat there writing for what felt like hours but was only 45 minutes. These are the moments I live for.

Day 2: Great Market Hall, Gellért Hill, The Funicular, Buda Palace, Királyi Borház (House of Royal Wines and Cellar Museum), Labyrinth of Buda Castle

First of allow me to apologize for not talking about the Great Market Hall in the previous day set of notes. It is quite the marvel. Two floors of both food and shops selling local and imported goods. They have just about any fruit and any other Hungarian food products you want. On this day we went and got supplies for the day. Meats, cheese and bread with some fruits The walk across to Buda was partially obscured by the construction on the Pest side of the Szabadság híd (Liberty Bridge) Walking across the way to the famous Gellért Hill is supposed to picturesque sight but with all that construction it just looked like a regular bridge walk. The façade of Gellért Hill features a slight waterfall which cascades more like a series of huge faucets than a proper waterfall. It is nonetheless a beautiful sight as the backdrop to it all is a quite green.

The walk from there to where you grab the Funicular is like taking a step through both the forgettable present and the past. I say forgettable present because like most of Eastern Europe, Budapest is still trying to atone for the sins of it’s Communist past. For most of these nations, it is a huge factor in their entrance to the European Union. That they apologize for the past’s is usually the first step in getting in. Buda Palace is built on a large hill and there really are two ways up. One is to walk around the hill, round and round till you get to the top. The other is to get on board a chair lift contraption called The Funicular. Now for someone afraid of heights like me, this way is a non starter. Not gonna happen, no way you get me on that thing. This much I told both Layne and Alison the night before. You see it was Alison (herself afraid of heights) who first approached the idea of us taking this way. She went on and on about how it was great view of the city and well worth it. Well she was right. The view as you go up is breathtaking. You see all of the Pest side of the Danube. I took a video even.

Once on top of I took some pictures. We did not go inside the palace, a fact that now I do regret knowing that it is the home of the Országos Széchényi Könyvtár (The National Library) I am forced to admit at this point, since this was a last minute trip that I did not properly research Budapest to see what there was to see and that my facination was mostly with with Ms. Kostova’s book and her descriptions. That and I figured when was I gonna get this chance again. The House of Royal Wines was not as exciting as it sounded but rather a dull attempt at trying to get people to care about Hungary’s wine history. It’s a shame really because it was a great idea just poorly executed.

The Budapest Labyrinths on the other hand are well worth the trip. A underground maze below the Buda Castle, originally set as an underground city. It was a place for both the Royal Family to hide and be protected as well as being a good escape route. The layout is broken into 7 different areas. Once a giant maze, that obviously changed with the times, they now show the various styles of Labyrinths from different eras. Each one showing a different style of both layout and decor. In the middle of this maze, perhaps as an homage to the history of the region there is are a group of old fountains dispersing what appears to be wine. Great idea right? Well it would be save for the sign that’s right there as you go to fill up your cup which says quite clearly “This wine is not suitable for consumption.”

Day 3: Széchenyi Medicinal Bath, Hősök tere, Andrássy út, House of Terror

The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath is located in Városliget (the City Park). Városliget is in the North Eastern Quadrant of Pest. The Bath itself is one of the best places to visit in the city. With a series of both hot and cold pools it attracts thousands of visitors daily both for it’s therapeutic and relaxing properties. Its water is supplied by two thermal springs, their temperature is 74°F/23°C and 77°F/25°C, respectively. The price is incredibly reasonable for less than $20 you can get an all day pass and a private closet to store your valuables where they can be watched by a security guard. In fact the only way they will guarantee the safety of your valuables is if you take this option. Because of this, you actually can enjoy yourself literally running around and jumping from pool to pool or bath to bath.

The Baths is actually comprised of two areas, inside and outside. The outside area is three large pools, two of which are cold water pools and one hot one. Of the two cold water pools, one has a small whirlpool in the middle. Very cool it’s run by a series of jets which shoot out the side to propel you around and around. You can’t control it but it is one heck of a ride. The inside area contains saunas, heated pools of varying temperatures. There was also, one very and I mean very cold pool. So cold that normal techniques for warming up, rubbing you arms and whatnot, yeah don’t work.

The walk from the Baths to Hősök tere (Heroes Square) is through a series of parks which are a beautiful shade of green. Part of this walk leads you across the Városliget tó (Városliget lake) which has actually been dammed up in two areas to create an open air skating rink. One of things this affords you, is a long walk along the water. Literally one step in front of the other as you walk across. If you fall, though it may be embarrassing it’s only a four foot drop, so you will be very wet as well.

Hősök tere (Heroes Square) is at one end of the famous Andrássy út, the other end being Erzsébet tér. In the square are monuments to some of Hungary’s most famous statesmen. They are set up in a semi-circle, as listed below, I’ve included a brief description of each;

▪ Stephen I of Hungary - St. Stephen receives the crown from an emissary of the Pope

▪ Ladislaus I of Hungary - St. Ladislaus slays the Cumanian abductor

▪ Coloman of Hungary - Coloman prohibits the burning of witches

▪ Andrew II of Hungary - Andrew leads a crusade

▪ Béla IV of Hungary - Béla rebuilds the country after the Mongol invasion

▪ Charles I of Hungary - Ladislaus IV defeats Ottogar at the battle of Marchfeld

▪ Louis I of Hungary - Louis the Great occupies Naples

▪ János Hunyadi - Hero of The battle of Nándorfehérvár

▪ Matthias Corvinus of Hungary - Matthias with his scholars

▪ István Bocskay - Hajdú soldiers defeat the imperial forces

▪ Gabriel Bethlen - Bethlen concludes a treaty with Bohemia

▪ Imre Thököly - Hero of the battle of Szikszó

▪ Francis II Rákóczi - Rákóczi returns from Poland

▪ Lajos Kossuth - Kossuth rallies the peasants of the Great Plain

The Square itself is surrounded by two important buildings, Museum of Fine Arts on the left and Palace of Art (or Art Exhibition Museum) on the right. Andrássy út is one of the most exclusive addresses in all of Pest. Towards the end of Andrássy út at no 60 is a building that once was the most feared place in all of Hungary. Home of the ÁVH or Hungary’s version of the KGB, no 60 Andrássy út was the sight of some real terrors. It has been compared to a Nazi Concentration Camp. Starting with those responsible with the 1956 Revolution, some of the most unspeakable crimes were committed here. It’s now a museum which not only depicts those horrors, but those of the holocaust as well. Now called the House of Terror, it is still an impressive and depressing sight.

Day 4: Margit-sziget, Hungarian Parliament Building, Chain Bridge Festival

Part of what makes Budapest unlike any other major city in Europe is not only the fact that it was once two cities Buda and Pest, but that it also has a series of seven islands on the Danube which are between the two halves of the cities. One of these is Margit-sziget or Margaret Island. Accessible by the Margit híd (Margaret Bridge) in the south and Árpád híd (Arpad Bridge named after an ancestor of the great Istvan) in the north.

Established in the 12th century as a sort of religious retreat of sorts, it had long been the home of various monasteries and nunneries throughout it’s existence. In the 1980’s Since the 1980’s, entry by cars has been limited to special cases in fact on the Southern Cars can only go a short way before being turned away. On the northern end of the island a car park houses the cars of hotel guests. What it has turned to is essentially an entertainment haven and country club like atmosphere. It’s Musical Fountain, which we did get to see albeit during the day, performs to both music and light shows at night in the summer time.

The Hungarian Parliament Building, is one of the oldest legislative buildings in Europe. It is the third oldest Parliamentary Building in the world and is the second largest Parliamentary Building in Europe. located in Kossuth Lajos tér it is an impressive sight. If you have ever seen the Parliament building in England, just imagine a building twice it’s height and width but not as long and you have an idea. Unfortunately due to its extensive surface and its detailed handiwork, The building is almost always under renovation. You used to be able to walk on to the grounds up until late 2001 as Budapest adopted the same security standards of most Western European governments. Just outside the perimeter you can see the famous Hungarian Flag of 1956.

On the afternoon of 23 October 1956, approximately 20,000 protesters convened next to the Parliament. Péter Veres, President of the Writers’ Union, read a manifesto to the crowd, the students read their proclamation, and the crowd then chanted the censored “Hungarian National Song” , the refrain of which states: “We vow, we vow, we will no longer remain slaves.” Someone in the crowd cut out the communist coat of arms from the Hungarian flag, leaving a distinctive hole and others quickly followed suit. The original is now a national treasure but another flag from that day now stands outside Parliament as a constant reminder. The Revolution was destroyed on November 4th when the Soviets invaded and took control.

Summer on the Chain Bridge is Budapest’s largest summer festival. Breathtaking view, wide-ranging programmes for free. Events are held on stages on both Pest and Buda side, between beginning of July-mid-August, every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 10 pm. It is the only time that cars are forbidden on the bridge.

During the festival you can walk across the bridge from the Danube Promenade to the Castle Hill, while enjoying the various cultural events and the wonderful vista. You can listen to wind orchestras, music performances and even jazz concerts. Craftsmen (woodcarvers, embroiderers, lacemakers, potters, leather workers) present their traditional, rare skills. They even teach you the basics of their trade if you’re adventureous enough. A good opportunity to get a glimpse of the culture, handicraft and folklore of Hungary’s different regions.

Here you can watch the making of the special Hungarian (Transylvanian, to be precise) pastry, kürtös kalács (hollow, cylinder-shaped pastry with different coatings: sugar, walnut) and taste it freshly. I especially liked it in it’s coconut version though.

Day 5: Szent István-bazilika, Deák Ferenc tér, Chain Bridge Festival

In just about every city I visit on this trip, I have promised myself that I will attend Mass. I am doing this for a number of reasons, one my Grandmother, well actually both of them have always been devout Catholics. Though I was raised that way, I have in the last few years fallen off the wagon as it were. Funny thing is that every service I attend it’s like I have been going all these years. I know the songs, I know the format and it’s almost like I can do the service myself. It’s something that does come in handy when you are attending Mass in another language. Another thing I have noticed in going to all these different services in all the places I have been to is that tourists (mostly of the non Catholics) tend to disrespect the services by taking pictures during the service. Szent István-bazilika is indeed an sight to behold. The third largest basilica in Europe, it’s just down the road from one of Budapest’s most famous squares Deák Ferenc tér.

After service, went back to the Chain Bridge Festival and listened to the music. It was very relaxing, right there overlooking the Danube and getting more of the kürtös kalács and an interesting Magyar meat dish (whose name I cannot remember) There I got to see yet another amazing sunset. Perfect way to end the trip.

chandelier made of crystalized rock salt

one of the few remaining walls of the Krakow Ghetto

Thursday, August 7, 2008 - Tuesday, August 12, 2008

“In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”
Martin Niemöller (English translation)

The day started out with a bang, as normal thing for me but a rarity for this trip, I overslept. A brilliant plan to get breakfast and then pick up items to make gorp (trail mix) fell by the wayside and a miscalculation on my part had us at Praha Hlavní Nádraží an hour and change too early. So there we are in the train station having a quick lunch and waiting. Once we got on the train, we had the pleasant surprise of private cabin like seats, which we had for the whole trip to ourselves.

There was a moment there, when we had one person who sat with us. Phllip, was an interesting guy. A Czech national, who dabbles in everything from computers, to employee training, he entertained us for some of the trip. (more me than Layne as I joined him in the dining car for some drinks) Phillip was an avid Fútbol fan, unfortunately he is a Manchester United fan. (a card carrying one in fact) For those of you who do not know I am avid Arsenal fan. I have been for many many years now. To put it in terms you can understand it’s almost like the Yankees vs. the Red Sox only on a smaller scale. The rivalry was once a great one but lately one or the other has had a good season while the other has floundered. This is what we talked about about over drinks.

As we were sitting there and he ordered drink after drink, each drink taking about 15-20 to get a hold of our waiter who seemed to not like our side of the dining car as it seemed to be the only one not getting any service. At one point while we were waiting two Polish co-eds came in and needed a place to sit. Phillip in his best Polish and ignoring my protests invited them to sit with us. When the introductions began he introduced me as a professor from Massachusetts. After they had left he justified the comment to me. It seems to young Phillip thought with my abundance of grey hair and thick beard and sunglasses (it was sunny in the dining car) that I looked like a professor. This became a thing as he kept pointing me out as “the Professor from Massachusetts” to anyone and everyone. He got a great kick out of it and after a while so did I.

Once we got to Dworzec Główny (the main train station in Krakow), I found myself for a moment reliving my first night in Prague. This time, I must say in Layne’s defense she did not get us lost but rather grossly underestimated how long it would take to walk with our bags from the train station to the hostel we were staying at. Something I don’t think she fully appreciated until the day we left and took the tram back to the station and found it was just 3 stops. All that walking for three stops on the tram. A theme that did continue, but this was really the only time it really bothered me. Anyway once we got to hostel, the night got better.

Our hostel, Momotown was split into two parts one part the dormitory section and the other was private apartments. The private apartments were on Szeroka Street which resembles more of a square in the historical neighborhood of Kazimierz. This neighborhood, was named after King Casimir III of Poland and for much of it’s existence has been the home of Jewish population of Krakow. This is where we stayed, it was a lovely place. As we got into our room, we realized we had not eaten for hours, the time was nearly 11pm and we headed out hoping to find something. What we found was a few places on Szeroka that were still open at this late hour. The one place we chose, was for it’s menu. It was Pierogies, The problem was we sat down and they told us that the kitchen was closing, Luckily we looked exhausted and kitchen staff took pity on us and allowed us to order quickly. So at the very least my first night in Poland ended far better than my first night in the Czech Republic.

The next day was better. We went to have breakfast in the main hostel building. Layne went with the understanding that she could get full breakfast there. I’m not sure who gave her the idea but I let her think it mostly cause I wanted to see her reaction. We walked in and there were people behind the sink and some bread cheese and tomatoes on the counter. There were also two pitchers of milk, one warm (for tea) and the other cold (for drinking and cereal) So I made myself some breakfast, and sat down but I could tell something was bothering her. Later she asked me how could I have sat there and ate my cereal with warm milk. I stopped dead in my tracks and just started laughing. Oh yeah you could not make this stuff up.

Day 1: Wawel Castle, Wawel Cathedral, Zygmunt Bell, Royal Road, The Cave of the Dragon

Wawel is a symbolic place of great significance for all Polish people. The Royal Castle and the Cathedral are situated on the Hill. Polish Royalty and many distinguished Poles are interred in the Basilica. Royal coronations have taken place there since 1320. They had a very nice exhibit of the old castle ruins, no cameras allowed unfortunately and yes they had people standing everywhere just to make sure you followed that. The cave of the dragon was an awesome sight as you walked down this narrow spiral staircase in to the depths below the hill. You knew you had gone far down when you finally got to the cave as the air and cave walls all around were rather moist.

Day 2: Auschwitz and Birkenau Memorial Museum, various exhibitions

I would love to write something witty and long here, but to be honest there is nothing witty to say. It’s one of those things in life that if you did not see it for yourself you would not believe it ever happened. It’s also one of those things that you cannot put into words. You have to experience it for yourself. Many great authors have tried and failed, so I am not even going to attempt it. All I will say, is that you have never and probably will never see anything like Auschwitz and Birkenau, except of course Treblinka, Chełmo,   Bełżec, and Sobibór. But if you have never seen any of those or walked through them, then the Holocaust is just something you learned in history class.

The most telling thing about what I saw at Auschwitz, that day were three things; One a room that was filled with women’s hair, the hair was in various shades of gray but there were some that still had a little color. I was not really talking, as I just could not bring myself to, but one of the other people in our tour asked why. The answer was so simple, I am not sure why it did not occur to us. You see the hair that still had color was that of little girls. There were other rooms with various things, collected by the Nazis. Stuff like kitchen wares, prosthetic devices, suitcases, toys, but nothing got to us quite like the room with womens hair. I gotta tell you honestly not one person in our group walked out of that particular room with dry eyes. Another thing, generally when we think of the holocaust we think of older people being gassed and tortured, there was a hallway with pictures on it of Polish Jews who had died in the camp and each and everyone of them looked college age, that took a lot of people by surprise. The third thing that really got me and I took a picture of it, was this memorial glass urn, that held the ashes scraped out of the crematorium.

Birkenau was a different scene though. Whereas Auschwitz was still mostly intact, Birkenau does not look the same as it did back then. It was at the time, the largest Concentration Camp in WWII. More people died there than in any other camp in WWII. The railroad entrance to the camp is most photographed and seen picture of the holocaust. It appeared in Schindler’s List and pretty much every major movie about the holocaust. The view from the tower above the entrance of the largest Concentration Camp in WWII is both breathtaking and surreal. It’s even more amazing when you consider the fact that now it largely overlooks on the right side of the camp the ruins of hundreds of barracks. Of those barracks that still remain, the insides had either rooms with more beds that made impossible to it to be even remotely suitable for living. The bathrooms, which they were allowed to use only 3 times a day for a total of 10 minutes (5 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon and 3 right before bed) were as unsanitary as one imagines they would have been.

The whole scene was an impressive sight, one I will not forget for as long as I live and on top of that it was raining. You could not have written a more somber sight if you had tried.

Day 3: St. Peter and St. Paul Church (where I went to Mass in Polish), Rynek Główny, McDonalds (oh yeah this was very very cool), Sukiennice, Oskar Schindler’s Factory, Concentration Camp at Płaszów, Amon Göth’s House, Jewish Ghetto, Apteka Pod Orłem, Old Synagogue.

I like to call this day my examining of my religious past and present. For those of you who are confused, let me explain. We began the day going to Mass at St. Peter and St. Paul Church. It’s a Catholic Church and we ended it standing in front of one of the oldest synagogues in Poland. That’s actually traveling from my religious present to my past but who’s counting. After Mass we went to Rynek Głowny (Main Market Square) which is the largest medieval square in Europe. For Lunch we ate at McDonalds. Now before you roll your eyes and scoff, let me tell you about this McDonalds. When they were building it they decided as most first floor establishments in Europe do, to build below instead of above. In this case when they were excavating to a larger dining room downstairs they found 13th century ruins. Instead of building around the ruins or knocking them down, they decided to incorporate them into the dining room, therefore it’s the only McDonalds in the world where you can eat under the medieval arches, so we did. After that we went to the Sukiennice (Silk Hall) which is a giant marketplace.

In the afternoon, we took a tour of the sites featured in the movie Schindler’s List. On this tour we got to see where Schindler’s factory was, not actually go into the factory it was closed, in preparation for it’s conversion into a museum sometime in 2009. We also got to see the last remaining wall in the Jewish Ghetto. To me there were two poignant moments in the tour. The first was the actual Camp at Płaszów. It’s now a open grassy field with hills. Quite a beautiful site actually for a place that was the site of so much horror. In what once was the building where people were tortured and murdered, the last remaining building standing of the old camp is now a private housing area. That’s right people actually live there. It must be a sight for them, everyday as people come to take pictures of their house. During our time there one of the people living there actually came outside to walk her dog in the camp itself. Our guide told us that by decree of the state of Poland, that no building would ever occur on that land. It was to remain as it is now for the rest of time.

The second was the Plac Zgody (formerly a market square) in the Podgórze suburb which was the heart of the old Jewish Ghetto in Krakow. This square has one striking object, a memorial to the victims of ghetto. It is a series of chairs scattered in different styles and shapes. When Jews were rounded up to be sent to Płaszów, they were made to wait. They were made to wait in the rain for days on end. They used to bring chairs to wait, when they were taken away the chairs remained. At the end of the day we ended back in Szeroka Street in Kazimierz, which just happens to have both the Old Synagogue and the New Synagogue. The Old Synagogue is also unique because of a law in Krakow that stated that no religious building could be taller than the tallest church. As a result they sunk the building by lowering the ground the synagogue was to be built, so it is actually taller than it looks.

Day 4: Wieliczka Salt Mine

The Wieliczka Salt Mine features a 3.5-km. tour for visitors (The mine reaches down to a depth of 327 meters and is over 300 km long, so the tour only covers about 1%) that includes statues of historic and mythic figures. Active mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding. My tour guide (I say my because Layne and I were in two different groups) really brought the funny in his delivery. He was a former guide at the actual park itself and now was working for a private tour group. He told jokes the whole way down including continuing to tell me and another person in our group afraid of heights that since we were going down it was not as dangerous. The tour begins with a statue of Mikołaj Kopernik (Nicolaus Copernicus), it was here where our tour guide first told us to feel free to go ahead and try the salt, but to please not try the statues as they will disintegrate and then no one else will get to see them and wouldn’t we feel bad. Of and of course we could be arrested for destroying a World Heritage Site. Like I said he was funny. Another funny story he told was from his first trip to the mine. There is a group of statues made of salt that resemble the Seven Dwarfs, he asked his father where Snow White was and his father told him in the kitchen. Then he watched as his mother proceeded to slap his father silly, sure enough a few guys in our group started laughing and their wives proceeded to slap them silly as well.

The most impressive part of our tour was the main church. Known as “the Underground Cathedral” it is an impressive sight that doesn’t even look like salt but rather unpolished granite. The crystals of the chandeliers are made from rock salt that has been dissolved and reconstituted to achieve a clear, glass-like appearance. The carvings, which depict various religious scenes including a copy of DaVinci’s The Last Supper are amazing, especially when you consider the fact that the oldest ones were actually done by the miners and not by artists. The trip ended with a a speedy lift that brought us back to the surface. There were a few people who were very claustrophobic and me with my fear of heights, of course we were all in the same lift. It worked out okay as keeping them calm, helped to keep me calm.

The day ended with a search for an all night Pierogies place and watching the fire eaters and throwers in Rynek Główny. I have been asked what was my favorite city or place to visit by everybody I have run into on my travels, hands down it was Kraków.

Thursday, July 31, 2008 - Thursday, August 7, 2008

“Prague never lets you go… this dear little mother has sharp claws.” -  Franz Kafka

Church of Our Lady in front of Tyn

Letiště Ruzyně is the aerial gateway to the city Kafka refers to and although it is not a magnificent sight, I was quite happy to see it even though it was shortly after Midnight. Mind you I did travel first class. (a big thank you to TIAA-CREF and those airline miles and upgrades) As I cleared customs, my European Union passport made the task quite easy. Just a quick line in fact. My next act is to walk out where I run into my friend Layne. She had been living in Prague for a year at that point teaching English to Pre-School students. This is something that will be important later, I assure you. Another thing to point out is that for the past few years, I do not sleep well before a flight so I just don’t sleep. It’s much easier when I fly at the end of a long day but if flying is all I am doing, yeah it does not work.

So here I am outside with Layne waiting for transportation, she thought the Bus would be the best option given price and what not. Now it’s important to point out that a Taxi Driver was offering me a 15 kilometer (6 miles and change) ride for 300-350 czk (Czech Koruna) To put this in perspective about $20 give or take depending on the exchange rate. A bus & tram ticket costs about $2 give or take. The next bus came at 12:45 just 40 minutes after I got out. So to recap 15 kilometers for $20 or wait 40 then take 25 minutes on buses and trams for $2. Normally I would just have paid the $20 and been in bed in no time but this is not my city and I left it to Layne who as previously mentioned had been there for a year. We get on the bus and we’re off.

Astrological Clock in Staré Město

Two stops in to the trip, we get to a stop called Divorká Šárka where EVERYBODY got off. We stayed on. As the bus kept going, She was beginning to realize that the trip was taking too long and the route was unfamiliar to her. Now in her defense I should say that this was the first time she took the night bus from Letiště Ruzyně, however if that is the case shouldn’t she have checked the map before we left?

Normally in this case one would ask the driver right. Well that would require some knowledge of Czech. To put it mildly I understood more Czech than she did and that’s not good. Anyways we get to Sídliště Stodůlky which is in South West Prague, we were trying to get to Dejvicka which in North West Prague. Oh yeah WRONG side of the city. The bus driver tried to explain to us how to get to where we want to go and tries quite hard not to laugh at us. We called a Czech friend of hers who tells us that nope we really don’t want to go where we are already. Perfect, all I could do was laugh at that point cause I was so tired.

Now you would think this would be the end of the ride, nope we get another bus which takes us to a tram stop. Here we catch a tram with a bunch of people heading home from drinking and whatnot. So now were are off. The tram stops and we get off to run (oh yes run with my bag and everything) to catch another one. Three stops in, She realizes we are going the wrong way. When we finally get off at the stop and yours truly is dying having been up for about 48 hours and then the next obstacle presents itself. You see if we had gone the right route this would have a down hill walk but since we went so far out of the way this became a yup you guessed it up hill walk. Normally not a daunting task but for a tired person a hill, with a duffle bag slung over your shoulder, is your worst enemy. At the end of this long trip we saved $18 and took more than THREE hours to go 15 kilometers.

View from the Top of the Astrological Tower

Now with a start like this you might think I had a horrible trip. Not at all, it definitely got better and was one of the best trips of my life. Although the next day I stayed in bed as I attempted to recover. Once I started my actual trip though, it was AMAZING.

Staré Město (Old Town) - Prague Astronomical Clock & Tower, Church of Our Lady in front of Týn, Jan Hus Memorial and The Old Town Square - Wonderful and picturesque a place I have been waiting a very long time to see and it did not disappoint. The clock tower was great and every hour on the hour people gather to see it do it’s thing. Although I am afraid of heights, I climbed the tower not once but TWICE. The first time, I was not the only scared American up there and I took great comfort in that. The second time, I not only walked up the stairs but down them as well instead of taking the lift down.

Nové Město (New Town) - Wenceslas Square - Once a square whose transportation was dominated by cable cars like San Francisco, now has all the trappings of Capitalism including fast food restaurants and department stores from London, like Marks & Spencer and Debenhams.

Malá Strana (Lesser Town) - Prague Castle, Royal Gardens, Charles Bridge, Infant Jesus of Prague(where I went to Mass in Czech no less) - The view from the Royal Gardens is amazing as it overlooks the city.

View from the Charles Bridge

Josefov (Jewish Quarter) - Franz Kafka’s birthplace, High Synagogue, Jewish Town Hall, Klaus Synagogue, Maisel Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, Old Jewish Cemetery, Jewish Ceremonial Hall. - The most impressive part is the museum where all the people who died during the holocaust have their names inscribed on these white walls. It is sight you would not believe if you had not seen it yourself.

Other places I went to were Letna Park (where I got to see my first beer garden since my days in New England), Stromovka Park (big and beautiful, it was right next to where I was staying), and a little place out in Jiřího z Poděbrad (yes I can pronounce it thanks to Kamila and Marketa) or JZP as Layne calls it (she can’t pronounce it) named Bar and Books. It’s a quaint little American style Cigar bar in a part of Prague that does not get a lot of tourists (let me tell you these are few and far between).

Now one thing you will see as this journal continues that I will be splitting out each day not something I did in Prague. Something tells me like Kafka says this is a place I am going to keep going back to. So maybe when I go back I will do a better job with that.

So because I have taken a ton of photos (by my standards anyways) over the past year, I figured I would post some here. This will be a daily thing, corresponding with at least hopefully the Travel Journal entry of the week. As the first one is London, and I only took so many pictures there will only be two total so i will post them both today.

Me in Trafalgar Square

Christmas in London, Complete with Giant Snowmen on Carnaby Street

So because I have been promising this for a while to most of you, I am going to start telling the story of my trip last year from my journal entries. A lot of you will be jealous and some may hate me but this is my blog. For those of you who have been asking me, sorry this took so long and I hope you like it. Each Tuesday or TravelTuesday there will be a new entry.

The flight was very eventful as with all International Carriers, the alcohol was free. Let me tell you how great it is to not have to worry about that and to be asked if you want wine with your dinner. I saw a couple of movies. Dan in Real Life, about a widower who finally finds the next love of his life only to find out she is his brother’s new girlfriend. I also saw National Treasure 2, and Atonement. Having read the book for Atonement, I have to admit that I was disappointed in the movie version. I mean it was not bad but just not as great as people made it out to be. As far as National Treasure 2, I have seen it a few times but since I love those kinds of movies it hit the spot.

Upon arrival in the UK I tried to snap a photo of the welcome to Heathrow sign but I was told in quite the forceful tone NO CAMERAS allowed. So I scoured the net for this photo and that took a while. Since I have been to London a few times, I did not do the tourist stuff. I did try to go to the Reading Room in the British Museum, only to find that it is now the home of exhibitions in the museum. One thing I did do, that I do not normally do is to spend entire days in various parks and squares. I also got to see the Houses of Parliament. Something I plan on doing in this blog is to mention places I have been in each city I go to.

One day while walking in Trafalgar Square I ran into the Corona Girls who were in fact just trying to promote their beer and offering photos with them and some guys dressed as Corona Bottles. As I was approaching them to get my picture they were cited for not having a permit and later as they changed they were arrested for indecent exposure. I love London.

Berkeley Square - pronouced Barkley and not Berkeley like the University in California. In Mayfair, it’s a nice place to have lunch and just people watch and also to write. It also happens to be near my sister’s flat (they don’t say apartment here or on the mainland for that matter) so I went there a lot.

Grosvenor Square - Aside from the U.S. embassy in Japan, the Embassy of the United States of America to the Court of St. James’ (yes that is the OFFICIAL name) is the only U.S. embassy situated on land that is not owned by the U.S. government. The land is leased from the Duke of Westminster who, when asked if he would sell the land outright, responded that he would if the U.S. Government would return the land that belonged to his family in the U.S. before it was confiscated during the Revolutionary War. That just seems like a polite way of saying HELL NO. It’s also a very nice park with a few memorials to famous Americans, like FDR and the famous Eagle Squadron. These were the U.S. Airmen who fought for the British in WWII before the U.S. got involved officially.

Green Park - One of the Royal Parks this one between Mayfair and Buckingham Palace, great place to have a picnic.

Borders in Oxford St - It gave me a place that reminded me of home. Lots of fiction and non fiction books, and a Starbucks on the upper level make this an ideal place to read on a rainy day (this is London after all). Also the large travel books and maps section made planning my next trip very very easy. I got to know the staff very well as the would always pass me as I was spread out on either the floor or a table with research, and they were always very helpful.

British Library - The Reading Rooms are amazing and the staff was very friendly. They even introduced me to a visiting Professor of Medieval History from Holland who sat with me for a few hours to talk about a subject I was looking to research.

Starbucks - Yes I went to Starbucks, it’s hard not to in London. This one I am referring too however had a library like atmosphere in it’s basement and was the ideal place to sit down and just write, catch up on tv shows or read on a rainy day and it was closer to home than the Borders was.

British Museum - During earlier trips to London, this was my home away from home. The Round Reading Room in it’s center was a great place to kick back and relax on a rainy day. Imagine my surprise however when I found out that it was now where they house the rotating exhibitions. No more reading room. My first question, though nobody could answer it was where did all those great volumes of books go?

National Portrait Gallery - Admittedly I am not a museum lover, that’s more my sister’s love. That being said however the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square is one of my favorite places in London. A great place to just sit and watch people stare at paintings or try to impress others with their knowledge of obscure facts.

Parliament - As a Political Science major and a history nut, a visit to the English Parliament, has always been on my to-do list. Finally I got my opportunity and it did not disappoint.

Selfridges Department Store - My sister’s current place of employment (she actually works in the Tiffany’s shop in the store) is like a small mall. Founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge, an American who once worked for the famed Marshall Fields in Chicago, it has everything, and I mean everything, including a spa and men’s grooming area.

Liberty’s Department Store - One of the oldest department stores in London, people come to see it’s unique architecture and of course to shop. It’s clientele is a little more high end than the other stores, but it is definitely a place to visit, even if you can’t afford to.

Marks and Spencer - A British institution, the Macy’s of Europe, and yes they are EVERYWHERE. Even in Prague in the middle St. Wenceslas Square (which is a bit deceiving since that particular square looks just like London)

Victoria and Albert - This Museum was so damaged during WWII, that it is still to this day in constant repair. The outside however still shows the scars that war have taken on it’s façade. The collection inside however is well worth the trip to Kensington, and it you disagree then remember Harrod’s at Knightsbridge is near by.

Tate Modern - I have never been here before, but on the advice of my sister’s landlord, we went to see the Francis Bacon exhibition. Now admittedly again, I am not a huge art lover and really only the old masters have ever appealed to me. The art of Francis Bacon is twisted and demented and in a morbid way, quite interesting. Three of his works, not to be missed;

Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944) Bacon’s first acknowledged masterpiece shudders with unbearable despair.

Study After Velazquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1953) The greatest of the “screaming popes” is a remarkably delicate bit of painting.

Triptych, May-June 1973 Bacon at his best, remembering George Dyer, his dead lover.

As this was my home base for the trip, I did not take a ton of pictures here. London is indeed one of my favorite places though. So much to do, to see and to enjoy.

It seems everywhere we look these days, people are starting blogs. From what their day is like to the traveling they have done, there is a blog on just about everything. Still though, the first thing I have learned about writing a blog is that though despite the fact that you want to make it a daily thing, if you don’t stick to that it can very easily get away from you. I have found in previous attempts at starting a blog that when that happens I overcompensate with extra long posts. Whereas this does give one the sense of accomplishment, it is a false sense as posts are then sporadic.

Back in my College days and for a little while after, I, like many of my friends started using LiveJournal. In many cases some of the oldest blogs out there came from people doing the same thing. But as blogging exploded, I becamed less eager to write something everyday. Today I was re-reading an article by a “friend” of mine Chris Guillebeau. Although we have never met, we have corresponded and his The Art of Nonconformity was really one of the catalysts to my taking my trip to Europe. Anyway the article I was reading was called Creating a Legacy Project. It is a long article but definitely worth the read.

It got me to thinking about a few things, like what is it I want to do. No small task I assure you, just ask anyone that knows me. More importantly it made me think what do I want this blog to reflect, and who I am hoping to reach. Some you may like it, some you may not and that is ok. I think part of the reason I have been so hesitant to start writing this is because I was putting way too much thought into each post. So I tell you here and now, not every post is gonna be good, some will be longer than others.

It also got me to thinking about what kind of message I want to be spreading and how to properly convey this message. In the coming days, I will be fleshing out what I expect of this blog and what you can expect to see in the posts. I know because I have been following a few of the travel blogs myself both while I was traveling in Europe and now that I am back,  I jotted down notes of all my travels in Europe and will start posting them once a week with some pictures and things I learned along the way.

Thank You and bear with me as I find my footing and figure this blogging thing out.