BLOG 4 Poland and the Czech Republic
Hi all. It's 6pm in the evening where we are, early morning in Melbourne. We've been on a train all day, probably the last train for a while. Thought I'd make a start on catching up on the last couple of countries we've been to since the last blog (yeah, that doesn't sound weird at all!)
We left completely satisfied with Berlin, fairly well rested, got some runs in, ate and drank more than we should etc. Kids even did some homework!!!! On the train to Warsaw we sat with a German guy and we spoke for about an hour completely in German! It was probably exasperating for him, and exhausting for me, but at least a realisation that six years of schooling wasn't completely wasted!
Warsaw was the hardest place we've encountered so far and the least English language-friendly place (I feel like such a snob saying that). Signs were rarely in English, people were often (not always though) well intentioned. Taxi driver took us to our accommodation. It was the cheapest AirBNB we've used so far...only a few tram stops from the old city, but really basic - oven had dirty dishes, no wifi though promised, beds like concrete, but the guy who owned it was so well meaning and told us of his life through the hard times in Warsaw, we kind of just sucked it up. In the morning, Renae went for a run and got lost, I caught a bus...and got lost...
But ALL that aside, the Stare Miasto (old city) was beautiful and we spent every night there eating, drinking, enjoying the music, drinking, shopping and drinking. We even had a drink or two...
I stole away for an afternoon to the Polish Poster Museum (no, don't switch off, polish art and design is incredible - check out the pictures!), we took the kids to the Copernicus Museum, which as Renae put it, was Scienceworks on Steroids. Very hands on, kids loved it despite the hour queue initially. Saw a really basic planetarium show and if we'd looked carefully we could have seen one probably written by a friend of ours (sorry Tanya!).
Polish food was a highlight: pierogi (Billies favourite), hunter stew, Sour sausage and egg soup, potato...everything!
Polish poster museum
After Warsaw we went south to Krakow. Walking into the sunshine, having a sandwich in the park at the outer wall of the old city, we agreed that we preferred Krakow in the first 30mins than the whole three days in Warsaw. Me with a front and back pack and the girls wheeling their packs, we looked like a mother duck and their ducklings! We wheeled to our accommodation (again AirBNB, similar price, same issues...I felt I would never get more than two hours uninterrupted sleep again, with all of the sirens, screaming, trams...)
Krakow is beautiful, and knows it too. Tourists know it as well, because they were everywhere. The main square in the old city is amazing. Quite big, the architecture, statues and churches were stunning. It was nice just to sit on a chair with a coffee and watch the people. Girls did a horse ride around the sites while absorbed free wifi and applied for jobs in the UK.
We did two outings. One was a trip to the salt mines in Wielicska We did this over two days as Billie was sick on day one and she and renae went the following day. It was an unusual place to see. You travelled a long way underground and the guide (who was hilarious...a bit like Natasha from Boris and Natasha) told you about the history of the salt mine and how they mined it, but they had also created these amazing sculptures and whole rooms, including two chapels!
The other outing (for want of a better word) was Auschwitz and Birkenau. It was a stunning day when we went and the countryside we passed on the hour it took to get there was lush and tranquil. It seemed almost ironic as we walked through the camps - seeing the Arbeit Macht Frei sign, standing in the chambers, seeing the piles and piles and piles and PILES of suitcases, shoes, shaving brushes...all the hair.
Our guide left us with the words "do not forget this place" and it is something I know I will never forget. It was hard to gauge the girls reactions. I think a lot of it simply was beyond their scope of reasoning. I guess they're not alone with that.
So in the desire to get a good nights sleep, we decided on a sleeper car from Krakow to Prague. Best we could do was a midnight change of trains in Katowice, and then on from there. Jessie got a blood nose in the middle of the night...and the we were in Prague!!!
Breakfast overlooking the George Bridge up to the castle, watching the swans, all very quiet. Prague rivals maybe Paris as the most beautiful city in the world. No question. None...
We checked into our hostel (that Jessie chose, so she knew it was riding on her!) in a family room...and immediately booked another two days. It was an unreal place to stay. There was a guitar and piano (ahhhh), there were activities every night and the kids were part of them all (making soup, spaghetti, there was Czech beer tasting...okay they didn't do that!). We made some great Facebook friends and it was nice for Renae and I to talk to adult human beings that weren't each other.
Another walking tour, again split over two days due to general exhaustion. Our guide was the lovely Andrea, who had a Czech mother and Slovak father, from Czechoslovakian grandparents, so understood the conflicting history and gave a great factual (how the hell do they remember those DATES) and personal details. We are remembering to give feedback to Trip Advisor, Hostels International and airBNB about our experiences - anyone who travels should do the same.
The main square was again amazing, not that you could see it through the vendors, horses and tourists (bloody tourists!!). And walking along the George Bridge was a bit like leaving the MCG just after the siren. So it's not too surprising that my highlights were my 7am run through the city, when I had it to myself - just me, the other runners, guys with tripods (no way you can use a tripod during the day)...and brides getting their photos done...yup, that's normal! That, and the time in the hostel, and just walking around a timeless, magical, majestic city...oh, and the Jewish cemetery (see comparison of Jewish cemetery and Berlin memorial below)...and definitely the cheap beer!!! Jessie and Renae would say the Segway tour...why walk when you can Segway!!
Okay, so now we are in...Vienna (insert Ultravox boom boom-boom, pow-pow reference there). It's Friday night, we pick up a car Sunday and HIT THE ROAD!!!!! The EuropeanCaravans are going Thelma and Louise! But first, there's a "Third Man" museum to see ( you've never seen the film? Hire it straight away - Orson Welles, best final scene in a film ever) and free wifi to exploit.
I'll stop here as Im noticing that my blogs are becoming Rowling-esque and getting bigger with each one. We are missing you all. Any contact is good contact. Wish us luck as we navigate the wrong side of the road.
Love from the EuropeanCaravans!!!
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