Days 17 and 18
I wanted to finish up the trip and give some second and third thoughts on the trip.
On our last day Friday, we had a half a day to kill before we left for the airport. We could not find that archiology site the person told us about, so we just meandered around the old town, revisited the castle for some better picturess (today the weather was really nice, clear skies but alittle chilly (58 degrees). We went all around areas that we missed before and visited at least 3 new churches to smap more pics and see the different designs of church in the city. After we left for the Krakow airport and a flight to Berlin. A small plane but nice and at Berlin we just went straight to an airport hotel around 9:00 PM and because we could not get the TV to work, we just read an hour and to bed.
On Sat. we got to sleep in and left for the airport for our flight at 1:00 PM. The plane was the exact same plane we had coming (I recognized the missing rubber stopper on the toilet seat. It was very crowded but very very few Americans coming home....so the Germans are spending some of the Deutsch Euro here in FL. heheheheh
We arrived an hour late due to very heavy head winds, got our car and headed back across Alligator Alley to home....we got home exactly at 10 PM. Forget the bags for now.......
Now some 2nd and 3rd thoughts:
The food. I had the opportunity to eat most the the eastern Europe favorites. I had goulash, pork schnizal (sp) and veal schnizal, piorogies cheese, meat and sour kraut, pork knuckle (wow you can see some pictures of them I took), dumplings....several kinds, I had at least 8 or so different kinds of sausage, at least 10-15 kinds of beer, several different veal meals, several different pork cuts including......pork belly (it was really one of the best meals), for fish, salmon and fresh water perch (the perch being one of the best meals...it was huge), several kinds of strudel, several different sweets including gelatos. Even Polish vodka!!! So, food wise, I definitely tasted the true eastern European fare.
The people. Wow, is all I can say. Everyone and I mean everyone was so nice to us (we must of looked like lost souls a few times). Strangers, police, street maintanence, waiters, sales people, EVERYONE, helped us out when we needed it. And, at least from my experience, 98% of the people speak English. I was totally blown away at the % of people who speak at least 2 langauges.....and very well. Of course the young, but strangers we met on the street, or tram or subway, or anywhere would answer us in English. And I told you alrady about the restaurant owner who helped D out with here upset stomach (by the way it went away the next day).....yes, Phil it probably was the sour kraut......and all that meat.
I was also extremely surprised at the modernization of all the countries. I expected it in Germany but in Poland and CZ Repblic.....the cities where a combination of old and new, with the old being renewed and restored. Most buildings were clean and looked new even though they were hundreds of years old. Also, there is a huge building boom in all the countries. We saw many cranes and towers all over the cities. In Berlin, it was glass and metal. It seemed that most of the new buildings were all glass or a combo of glass and metal.....everywhere, in extreme contrast with the older styles. In Prague it was the roofs, many had gorgeous metal towers and domes and many were tiled with red or orange roofs.....gorgeous in the sun light. In Vienna it was the magnificent 14th and up century buildings built by the royalty....wow. In Budapest, old contrasted with new all over. Many buildings had gorgeous wall decorations both painted and sculpted, the craftsmanship was fabulous. And finally in Krakow our real surprised, thinking of the old Poland it was a stark contrast. It was a vibrant, gorgeous new city surrounding this magnificent old city with its castle and churches standing out all over.....churches that went back to the 9th century!!!!! God we are so non understanding about the word "OLD" in America.
The cars. The biggest thing I noticed about the cars is that they are much bigger than in the past. Because of the countries' prosperity, people are buying new and larger cars. Many were station wagons and small SUVs. Of course there were many many small micro cars like the Smart but it was surprising to so many bigger models. But not many US brands...a few, but mostly VW, Audi, Mercedes and some Japanese....and of course several models that we cannot get here....again mostly station wagon styles. Gas ranged about $4.50 to $5 per gallon in all countries.
Music. Well one can safely say IT IS EVERYWHERE. They all love thier music, especially the serious and classical music. We must have see 50 street musicians all over, even on quiet side streets and of course at the tour sites. Serious, very good musicians....trumpet, accordian, guitar, base, violin, cello, piano, sax. Two extremes were one that I mentioned already about the guy playing the piano in the middle of the square in Krakow. We were standing with about 50 others watching him and all of a sudden a small group of teens walk by. They stop and start pushing this one young man about 16 to the piano. He and the player talk for a minute and then the kid sits down and plays an entire Chopin song. Then just gets up, and walks away with his girlfriend and small group of friends....no bow, just walked away. The extreme was an older man on another day with a little girl about 3 years old singing Polish songs. He was not very good and he stood there and made the little girl stand there for at least an hour and sing (she was awful)......exploiting the little girl to get change from people....it was not very nice. We also, as mentioned before, got to attend 2 concerts, one in Prague and one in Vienna......incredible, especially the one in Vienna....full orchestra with singers and dancers....wow. But we were so lucky to also get some free concerts, one in a large church in Budapest where the choir and organ were practicing. the piano show in the town square, and a fabulous Hungarian trio that played for hours at one of our restaurant.....and finally the surprise pianist at a very small restaurant in Krakow. So lets say we DEFINITELY got to experience music in eastern Europe.
Money. We expected the Euro countires (Germany and Austia) to be expensive, but surprisingly because the value dipped 6-8 cents that week, we got a little deal, but we were really surprised on how expensive Hungery was. CZ Republic was not too bad but higher than we thought, but Budapest was quite expensive. For example a nice meal was around $60-80 for 2. The beers (large) were $6-7 and etc. But Krakow was very very reasonable where our meals were mor like $28-30 and beers were $3 for a large one. One somewhat confusing issue was the values....they were all over from one that was valued at 1.27/$ to 229/$ to 29/$....so we had use our math brains alot. ATMs are everywhere so getting cash is no problem...also there are exchanges EVERYWHERE, but they can take you pretty well, with their fees.
Fashions. Every time I go someplace I always have to check out the young girls....heheehhheheheh.......for fashion of course. This time it there was really only one. Tight (very tight) blue geans. In many colors but blue was the most popular. They absolutely have to stretch because otherwise I have not clue how they get them on. But look out in America after about 6 months and we will begin to see them here. That comes to phones.....I told Diana that Apple should just travel all over these countries and just take pictures of young people and their phones. It was like 70% of EVERYONE, was using or taking pictures with an Iphone. Ipads were present but in in huge numbers...it was the iphones that dominated the scenes. Also, these countries have must have a large % of younger aged people. They were by far the most dominate age group.....16-30 aged. And if you go out at night it is about 95%. Related to that, we also saw many many young people touring. We could not tell exactly what countries, but they were everywhere we were, nice clean cut in small and very large groups. We did see many young people on tour in Krakow who were from Israel.....many.
Weather. We were soooooo lucky. The weather was fabulous both for touring and picture taking. The temps averaged around 65-70 mostly but we did a a couple days where the temp was in the low 60s. We had rain only one day and it stopped after just one hour in the morning. So we actually walked in the rain for about 15 minutes. We did have a couple cloudy days with cooler weather but not enough to even both us. And being cloudy at Auschwitz made it evern more dramatic. Only the last half daybefore we left for Berlin was it uncomfortably cool.....in the low 50s.....but sunny.
The trip. It was and was not what I expected. We expected the older buildings and churches but not the vibrant, bustling Newer cities that we visited. I never expected 90% of the cars being less than 2-3 years old. And most of all I did not expect the people speaking so much English and the language being EVERYWHERE. On signs, on billboards, on cars, people....people would speak a few words in Hungarian for example and then a couple in English....TO THEIR COMPANIONS. Also, I did not expect to see the oppulant palaces and have them be sooo different from one another and to other famous palaces we have seen. I did expect not to see many Americans and it was true.....there simply were not many American tourists ANYWHERE. And finally I never never expected to be caught up and experience so much recent history of these countries from just prior to Nazi occupation up to 1991 when the Soviet empire collapsed. The museums they have built to describe and teach were all not just good but absolutely outstanding to give such a portrait of their history. And of course Auschwitz.....truly an expereince that neither Diana and I will EVER FORGET. The way that they presented the real place with actual pictures of the horror gave us tingles down our back. To actually touch the same beds they used and to stand in the exact same spot that litterly thousands of people were shot to death.....to imagine just the blood that would have been on the ground.....it will be something that everyone should expereince!!!! And finally FINALLY, I must say 19 days was a long time with 6 hotels, 5 plane flights, and 3 train rides. But grouping these cities together.....Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Krakow went very very well....a nice circle with no more than a few hours of travel each time. The time of year.....well I can say from our experience, it was perfect...cool and very little rain.
So, in summary, it was a fabulous trip. It was very leisurely done, no pressure, no language problem, good food, very easy to get around, excellent public transportation, helpfull people and lots and lots to see and do. And a nonstop flight to Berlin from Miami. I would strongly recommend this exact trip to anyone, even the less experienced traveler.....a very nice, very informative and very doable trip.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Day16 continued............
I had to had one more thing to this day..........we just got back from dinner and it was just an absolute hit. As I mentioned we wanted a restaurant that had so mething other than Polish fare and we saw one several days ago that fit the bill and it was close to the hotel (walking is getting much harder at the end of a trip).
It was a very small place, like someone's house. We sat in a small room with 2 other tables and a piano. D was not feeling well all day, with her stomach and so when she only ordered some soup, the owner came out and asked what was the problem. When told she left and came back with a home remedy that she promised would help. And....SHE GAVE IT TO D TO KEEP. So, Di took some and it really helped. So I had my nice pasta meal and she finished off her soup AND FELT MUCH BETTER. Then half way through the meal a man walks in and sits down at teh piiano and begins to play classical and show songs on the piano......just picture this....small room, 3 tables and a nice piano music. Andthe meal turned out great and very reasonalble. The owner was sooo nice to us.
Then a nice walk home and our trip home.
Short walk home.
I had to had one more thing to this day..........we just got back from dinner and it was just an absolute hit. As I mentioned we wanted a restaurant that had so mething other than Polish fare and we saw one several days ago that fit the bill and it was close to the hotel (walking is getting much harder at the end of a trip).
It was a very small place, like someone's house. We sat in a small room with 2 other tables and a piano. D was not feeling well all day, with her stomach and so when she only ordered some soup, the owner came out and asked what was the problem. When told she left and came back with a home remedy that she promised would help. And....SHE GAVE IT TO D TO KEEP. So, Di took some and it really helped. So I had my nice pasta meal and she finished off her soup AND FELT MUCH BETTER. Then half way through the meal a man walks in and sits down at teh piiano and begins to play classical and show songs on the piano......just picture this....small room, 3 tables and a nice piano music. Andthe meal turned out great and very reasonalble. The owner was sooo nice to us.
Then a nice walk home and our trip home.
Short walk home.
Day 16
Up and got a good breakfast because we were off to the salt mine.....as we went I could not help but keep singing the Sam Cook song......going the the salt mine, going down......down.
This time it took us about 20 minutes to get to the place, a small village just outside the city. It is famous for the mine which has been there for many centuries. First to get down to the bottom we walked down about 500 steips down, down down and down to about 350 meters.....which is about 1000 feet. Then we walked all through many tunnels all made of salt. This mine minded black salt which was made mostly to eat. WE learned how they mined it many centuries before machines....very very interesting.....(I will hold offon thde details until we get home.....easier) but it was so very interesting. There were huge openings or pockets that they had dug out and in their place them made rooms with sculptures and wall designs all of salt. But the best was the cathedrial....an actual church which was carved out and all the walls covered wiht the most goreous sculptures and statues.....unbeleivavle. You can go online to see them....just type in Krakow salt mine and it will come up (I cannot remember the name....it is in Polish). It was so interesting and so different, I have never been to a tour like it. Thanks Ela and Phil for the recommendation!!!
Alos, absolutely fantastic was that I found an insect inthe souvenir shop that was made of salt!!!!! One definitely for my colection.
Back to hotel around 1 and so we dumped our stuff and headed out for lunch in the nearby park and off to the old city to enjoy the aftternoon. Oh the weather.....sun and aboout 70.....gorgeous, so we just walked arouond, did some shop looking and sat for a while and listened to a fantastic musician who was PLAYING A PIANO IN THE CITY MARKET SQUARE!!! It was soooo neat.
WE stopped arouond 4 and I had my afternoon beer while D splurged wiht a really great looking ice cream sundae.....mmmMMM. Slowly walked back to the hotel for a rest and we plan to go to a nearby restaurant NOT POLISH FOOD. It is great food, but we just have to have a break, meat meat and more meat and pirogies......so we may lookd for an Itilian restaurant.
Tomorrow is our last day and we met British couple who lives here in Krakow (they retired here...can you imagine) and they recommended a new archiologic sight that is now open to the public....right under the main market square....so we plan to investigate. Then around 2:00 we planto leave for the airport and a flight to Berlin. Then the day after tomorrow we will head home from Berlin to Miami and Naples......so wish us luck with no delays now.
So this will proably be the last blog.....but I may do one more to describe tomorrrow's activities if they are worth mentioning.....bye bye!!!
Up and got a good breakfast because we were off to the salt mine.....as we went I could not help but keep singing the Sam Cook song......going the the salt mine, going down......down.
This time it took us about 20 minutes to get to the place, a small village just outside the city. It is famous for the mine which has been there for many centuries. First to get down to the bottom we walked down about 500 steips down, down down and down to about 350 meters.....which is about 1000 feet. Then we walked all through many tunnels all made of salt. This mine minded black salt which was made mostly to eat. WE learned how they mined it many centuries before machines....very very interesting.....(I will hold offon thde details until we get home.....easier) but it was so very interesting. There were huge openings or pockets that they had dug out and in their place them made rooms with sculptures and wall designs all of salt. But the best was the cathedrial....an actual church which was carved out and all the walls covered wiht the most goreous sculptures and statues.....unbeleivavle. You can go online to see them....just type in Krakow salt mine and it will come up (I cannot remember the name....it is in Polish). It was so interesting and so different, I have never been to a tour like it. Thanks Ela and Phil for the recommendation!!!
Alos, absolutely fantastic was that I found an insect inthe souvenir shop that was made of salt!!!!! One definitely for my colection.
Back to hotel around 1 and so we dumped our stuff and headed out for lunch in the nearby park and off to the old city to enjoy the aftternoon. Oh the weather.....sun and aboout 70.....gorgeous, so we just walked arouond, did some shop looking and sat for a while and listened to a fantastic musician who was PLAYING A PIANO IN THE CITY MARKET SQUARE!!! It was soooo neat.
WE stopped arouond 4 and I had my afternoon beer while D splurged wiht a really great looking ice cream sundae.....mmmMMM. Slowly walked back to the hotel for a rest and we plan to go to a nearby restaurant NOT POLISH FOOD. It is great food, but we just have to have a break, meat meat and more meat and pirogies......so we may lookd for an Itilian restaurant.
Tomorrow is our last day and we met British couple who lives here in Krakow (they retired here...can you imagine) and they recommended a new archiologic sight that is now open to the public....right under the main market square....so we plan to investigate. Then around 2:00 we planto leave for the airport and a flight to Berlin. Then the day after tomorrow we will head home from Berlin to Miami and Naples......so wish us luck with no delays now.
So this will proably be the last blog.....but I may do one more to describe tomorrrow's activities if they are worth mentioning.....bye bye!!!
Day 15
Ok today is one of the most important days of the trip. We were off to Auschwitz to tour. It turned outy to be one of the most dramatic, unbelievable days I have ever experienced. The area is about a 70 minute drive from Krakow. First of all, Auschwitz is an area making up 3 camps.....but we infer that they were all one, even though they were several miles apart. We first toured the one camp that was called Auschwitz. It was the first camp and was initially used for labor for factories built nearby to support the war. But as we know it turned into a horrific place. Same goes for the others which we toured Birkenau later in the day and it was even worse in the death count and German efficiency in death. But it was the idea that we were actually walking and looked at the EXACT same spots where litterly millions of people were murdered. We stood right where they all stepped off the trains, we stood exactly where thousands were shot, we stood exactly where thousands lived in horrific conditions. But doing this at least gave D and I the tie that was neede to really understand what went on on this land. Also, we could see how totally efficient and totally perfect planning in the extermination of not just people of a religion but people who the Germans thought were just not worth of life. The tour was really well done and our guide was a Pole who had a family member die there....so it was quite moving as she spoke. I think what I kept repeating over and over as we left was...............WHY......WHY!!!!! Also, there was a large group of Israeli students carrying the flag all over the area and we would see groups of people holding hands and praying....it was really quite moving. And I immediately thought that the horrible Germans if they could see that flag being waved all over the camp would be such a powerful message to them. Besides the horrible events that occurred, we learned that only a very small fraction of the thousands of soldiers who killed so many people were prosecuted. Also, interesting was hhow the Germans actually made money from the murder of all these people.....they sold their hair back in Germay to factories that made fabric for socks and coats that were more weather proof and water proof becaue they were made of human hair.....IT WAS SO UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
WE got back around 4:00 so it was time for a more relaxing moment with a beer and to discuss the tour in more detail.
Dinner was at one of the best places yet (we saw it a couple days ago and asked for reservations). It was in the old part of the city and was very crowded and fun. We truly pigged out this time. D had a beautiful salad with several types of cheese and a huge dish of pirogies (sour kraut). Me I had mushroom soup which was served in a large loaf of bread and followed with a gorgeos lamb medalions with a mushrooms sauce and a side dish of Russian pirogies ((cheese filled), A great bottle of wine and for dessert the famous Polish cheese cake....mmmMMM. We woddled all the way home.
Tomorrow anothr big day.....the salt mine.
Weather....we were really scared because we woke up to a dismal day.....rain, fog and very cool. But tthe rain stopped after about an hour and our day touring Aschwitz was rainless but the clowds were dark which made touring the area even more moving.
Ok today is one of the most important days of the trip. We were off to Auschwitz to tour. It turned outy to be one of the most dramatic, unbelievable days I have ever experienced. The area is about a 70 minute drive from Krakow. First of all, Auschwitz is an area making up 3 camps.....but we infer that they were all one, even though they were several miles apart. We first toured the one camp that was called Auschwitz. It was the first camp and was initially used for labor for factories built nearby to support the war. But as we know it turned into a horrific place. Same goes for the others which we toured Birkenau later in the day and it was even worse in the death count and German efficiency in death. But it was the idea that we were actually walking and looked at the EXACT same spots where litterly millions of people were murdered. We stood right where they all stepped off the trains, we stood exactly where thousands were shot, we stood exactly where thousands lived in horrific conditions. But doing this at least gave D and I the tie that was neede to really understand what went on on this land. Also, we could see how totally efficient and totally perfect planning in the extermination of not just people of a religion but people who the Germans thought were just not worth of life. The tour was really well done and our guide was a Pole who had a family member die there....so it was quite moving as she spoke. I think what I kept repeating over and over as we left was...............WHY......WHY!!!!! Also, there was a large group of Israeli students carrying the flag all over the area and we would see groups of people holding hands and praying....it was really quite moving. And I immediately thought that the horrible Germans if they could see that flag being waved all over the camp would be such a powerful message to them. Besides the horrible events that occurred, we learned that only a very small fraction of the thousands of soldiers who killed so many people were prosecuted. Also, interesting was hhow the Germans actually made money from the murder of all these people.....they sold their hair back in Germay to factories that made fabric for socks and coats that were more weather proof and water proof becaue they were made of human hair.....IT WAS SO UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
WE got back around 4:00 so it was time for a more relaxing moment with a beer and to discuss the tour in more detail.
Dinner was at one of the best places yet (we saw it a couple days ago and asked for reservations). It was in the old part of the city and was very crowded and fun. We truly pigged out this time. D had a beautiful salad with several types of cheese and a huge dish of pirogies (sour kraut). Me I had mushroom soup which was served in a large loaf of bread and followed with a gorgeos lamb medalions with a mushrooms sauce and a side dish of Russian pirogies ((cheese filled), A great bottle of wine and for dessert the famous Polish cheese cake....mmmMMM. We woddled all the way home.
Tomorrow anothr big day.....the salt mine.
Weather....we were really scared because we woke up to a dismal day.....rain, fog and very cool. But tthe rain stopped after about an hour and our day touring Aschwitz was rainless but the clowds were dark which made touring the area even more moving.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Day 14
Wow, double wow, what an incredible day.
We started out with a nice breakfast (must have our energy)....and off to the castle. It was absolutely incredible. It was built in the 11th century...yep, 11th. And was the home of the Polish (well at least what we call modern Poland) king. We toured the rooms, the armory and all the country's jewels and valuables.....quite a show. Of course no pictures were allowed. But it was so interesting how different their palace was from the French and German and English. Also, what was really interesting, that after some centuries, it was abandoned for 150 years....can you imagine and then becomethe home of the royalty again years later. It had to be completely redone after 150 years of neglect. We spent all morning touring and then after lunch we headed for the old city. Wow, it was gorgeous.....a walking street led to the main square and with all the flower stands and cafes and restaurants, it was soooo beautiful. I do wish that the sky was blue to get the good pics but it was not the case today.............very chilly, very very overcast and dark (with fog) all day. But at least not rain today. WE finished the day by walking (along way) to the Shindler Museum which really is the Krakow modern history museum. It describes the story of Krakow and its inhabitants from 1939 to 1946. The musuem (we think) was sponsored by Spielberg because it truly was incredible. It was the best modern style museum I have visited. It told the story of Krakow from 1939 through the occupation by the Nazis, the camps, the labor camps, the concentration camps, the tortures, the killings and finally the horrible "liberation" of the Russians where they went fromthe pan into the fire. It was truly an incredble story. We walked back home....another long long walk and finally made it to our Jewish neighborhood (near our hotel) for a well deserved beer. Then back home to rest for 15minutes and back out to dinner. Dinner we wanted a nearby place (no more walking) and found one that was truly incredible.....it was a Polish restaurant and we had porogies (sp), rye soup served in large round bread rolls....and finally pork and stuffed cabbage......wow, super wow. Then we ended the meal with a large shot of special Polish vodka.....honey flavored. What a day!!!!!
WE are near passing out from fatigue but the day was soooo great. Tomorrow it is Auschwitz....another downer.....but what an experience to see these places. Speaking of, we learned that there was another huge "labor"camp right outside the city....just a mile or so fromthe Schindler factory that housed 1500 Jews for work.....it also became a death camp late inthe war. We learned so much about Schindler and his personality and what he really did for the workers....he was quite a person.......like him or not....he was definitely not a saint, but a very very smart business man who was compassionate. We also learned abut other people who risked their lives to help the Jews during thwar.....again that museum was an incredible expereince!!!!
Tomorrow, early............off to Auschwitz!!!
Wow, double wow, what an incredible day.
We started out with a nice breakfast (must have our energy)....and off to the castle. It was absolutely incredible. It was built in the 11th century...yep, 11th. And was the home of the Polish (well at least what we call modern Poland) king. We toured the rooms, the armory and all the country's jewels and valuables.....quite a show. Of course no pictures were allowed. But it was so interesting how different their palace was from the French and German and English. Also, what was really interesting, that after some centuries, it was abandoned for 150 years....can you imagine and then becomethe home of the royalty again years later. It had to be completely redone after 150 years of neglect. We spent all morning touring and then after lunch we headed for the old city. Wow, it was gorgeous.....a walking street led to the main square and with all the flower stands and cafes and restaurants, it was soooo beautiful. I do wish that the sky was blue to get the good pics but it was not the case today.............very chilly, very very overcast and dark (with fog) all day. But at least not rain today. WE finished the day by walking (along way) to the Shindler Museum which really is the Krakow modern history museum. It describes the story of Krakow and its inhabitants from 1939 to 1946. The musuem (we think) was sponsored by Spielberg because it truly was incredible. It was the best modern style museum I have visited. It told the story of Krakow from 1939 through the occupation by the Nazis, the camps, the labor camps, the concentration camps, the tortures, the killings and finally the horrible "liberation" of the Russians where they went fromthe pan into the fire. It was truly an incredble story. We walked back home....another long long walk and finally made it to our Jewish neighborhood (near our hotel) for a well deserved beer. Then back home to rest for 15minutes and back out to dinner. Dinner we wanted a nearby place (no more walking) and found one that was truly incredible.....it was a Polish restaurant and we had porogies (sp), rye soup served in large round bread rolls....and finally pork and stuffed cabbage......wow, super wow. Then we ended the meal with a large shot of special Polish vodka.....honey flavored. What a day!!!!!
WE are near passing out from fatigue but the day was soooo great. Tomorrow it is Auschwitz....another downer.....but what an experience to see these places. Speaking of, we learned that there was another huge "labor"camp right outside the city....just a mile or so fromthe Schindler factory that housed 1500 Jews for work.....it also became a death camp late inthe war. We learned so much about Schindler and his personality and what he really did for the workers....he was quite a person.......like him or not....he was definitely not a saint, but a very very smart business man who was compassionate. We also learned abut other people who risked their lives to help the Jews during thwar.....again that museum was an incredible expereince!!!!
Tomorrow, early............off to Auschwitz!!!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Day 13
Krakow......
We were up early and off to the airport to catch our plane to first Warsaw and then Krakow....on Polich Air or LOT!!!
We really had no trouble at all. The flights were great, not crowded at all and we arrived in Krakow around 1:30. We did have some trouble getting into town. We finally found the center city bus and got downtown but it left us off at the bus station.....god knows where it is in the city.. We then had to take a cab to the hotel.
The hotel is locatedright next to the Jewish area of the city, so we immediately explored that area and found some really neat buildings, restaurants and a place where we had a beer and listened to some Jewish music. We continued to just walk around trying to select what restaurant we wanted to tyry. One the way, we stopped for a beer and some Baba Kinoush (sp) which was absolutely super. We found a small quaint restaurant that had all kinds of meat and several kinds of pourogie(sp). So we had to get an assortment to try them all. I had meat and D had some fish. So far, one day and I have had 4 brands of beer!!!! Oh yea.
We are now back at our hotel and listening to kids outside drinking and partying....we will see if we will have to move rooms....time will tell. Now it is only 8:30 and so we don't care....but at 11 tonight it all may change.
Tomorrow we get serious and hit the old city and castle and especially Shindler's factory....yes, the same as the movie!!!
Night all.
Krakow......
We were up early and off to the airport to catch our plane to first Warsaw and then Krakow....on Polich Air or LOT!!!
We really had no trouble at all. The flights were great, not crowded at all and we arrived in Krakow around 1:30. We did have some trouble getting into town. We finally found the center city bus and got downtown but it left us off at the bus station.....god knows where it is in the city.. We then had to take a cab to the hotel.
The hotel is locatedright next to the Jewish area of the city, so we immediately explored that area and found some really neat buildings, restaurants and a place where we had a beer and listened to some Jewish music. We continued to just walk around trying to select what restaurant we wanted to tyry. One the way, we stopped for a beer and some Baba Kinoush (sp) which was absolutely super. We found a small quaint restaurant that had all kinds of meat and several kinds of pourogie(sp). So we had to get an assortment to try them all. I had meat and D had some fish. So far, one day and I have had 4 brands of beer!!!! Oh yea.
We are now back at our hotel and listening to kids outside drinking and partying....we will see if we will have to move rooms....time will tell. Now it is only 8:30 and so we don't care....but at 11 tonight it all may change.
Tomorrow we get serious and hit the old city and castle and especially Shindler's factory....yes, the same as the movie!!!
Night all.
Day12
We had another great day in Budapest. We had a somewhatt plan this Sunday and it started with a toour of the largest synogogue in the city.....very crowded and a touching story of the torture and extermination of the Jews under the Nazis. Our guide was a little girl back then and remembered alot. The building was gorgeous too. Then we headed up town to the Parliment to see the Crown Jewels and a gorgeous building and when we arrived a sign told it all.......No more tickets for today.
So we ate a nice lunch in the nearby park and headed off to the House of Horror. Theaddress where the Secret Police was located during the Communist control of the country. It was a great exhibit telling an incredible story of Hungary under the Nazis and then the Russians.....we will fill you in on the details but in short.....they were between a rock and another rock!!!! They suffereed incredibly for 50 years!!!
We of course had to stop for a beer on the way home and dinner was at a nearby restaurant. It was recommended by our hotel person and it really was good. WE had more Hungarian food, each time different but fun. This time we stuck to beer and not wine (we had wine the night before and over did it as usual). Another great walk home and to bed early because AGAIN, we had to be up early for our flight to Krakow.
We had another great day in Budapest. We had a somewhatt plan this Sunday and it started with a toour of the largest synogogue in the city.....very crowded and a touching story of the torture and extermination of the Jews under the Nazis. Our guide was a little girl back then and remembered alot. The building was gorgeous too. Then we headed up town to the Parliment to see the Crown Jewels and a gorgeous building and when we arrived a sign told it all.......No more tickets for today.
So we ate a nice lunch in the nearby park and headed off to the House of Horror. Theaddress where the Secret Police was located during the Communist control of the country. It was a great exhibit telling an incredible story of Hungary under the Nazis and then the Russians.....we will fill you in on the details but in short.....they were between a rock and another rock!!!! They suffereed incredibly for 50 years!!!
We of course had to stop for a beer on the way home and dinner was at a nearby restaurant. It was recommended by our hotel person and it really was good. WE had more Hungarian food, each time different but fun. This time we stuck to beer and not wine (we had wine the night before and over did it as usual). Another great walk home and to bed early because AGAIN, we had to be up early for our flight to Krakow.
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