4 posts tagged “europe”

After a very long drive through the Polish countryside, we are in our last city - Warsaw. We haven't made it to the city center yet, but will do that tomorrow. We'll end our trip at a Chopin concert and then it's back to the States.

Our group has been great. I was telling my new friends that there's usually one person who is terribly obnoxious, but since I haven't noticed that person - maybe it's me. Ha!

It's hard to remember everything we saw and did since we began our trip. I can say it's been fun. I could have spent more time in Krakow. So Cranky - if you want to come here and do the salt mines, let me know!

If I had to sum it up, I would characterize the cities so far like this:

Budapest - the girl who is still gangly and growing, soon to shed the nerd glasses and become something beautiful. Approachable and friendly, but awkward.

Vienna - the supermodel who is polite and kind to you, but you know she is too glamorous to have you as a friend.

Prague - the popular girl who is friendly and bubbly to everyone, who is nice to you but she flits off before you can really get to know her.

Krakow - your best pal, the one around whom you are always comfortable and want to share beers.

Warsaw - we shall see.

That's my impression and my feeling. But then again, I'm used to traveling in developing countries and cities that haven't been glossed over or Westernized into generic places yet. Maybe that's why Poland has been appealing. I'm told they are 10 years behind the other formerly Communist countries because they were late in joining the EU. The towns look run down and you can really get a feel for what it was like and where they are going.

I almost wish I spent time here back in 1991 when I did the backpacker thing for that summer. These countries were two years out of the fall of Communism and I would have been able to see how they have changed. At the time, it was enough to visit Berlin and much of East Germany. I guess I didn't trust what kind of accomodations I would have found considering I was traveling alone and sleeping on trains. Maybe I was too chicken. But no sense in coulda, woulda, shouldas at this point in my life.

I'm a bit worn down from all the get ups and goes. I'm looking forward to being home, chilling with Mr. Elv and catching up with my world again.  

For those of you getting postcards - I finally got around to mailing them this morning. I left them on the bus when we were in Prague and didn't see them for a few days until we left for Krakow.

I hope all is well and I look forward to catching up with everyone!

At an internet cafe, MomH is waiting for me so I have to keep this short.

Poland = cheap, good beer.

Finally.

There's a couple on our tour not too much older than I so I have some beer hall buddies. We went to a famous one in Prague (U Flecku) for the 14% home brew. That must be in metric percents, because I had four and didn't get more than a slight buzz. And I KNOW I'm not that much of a drinker. Plus, I could stand upright the next day. Which is a good thing, but there's some false advertising going on.

Krakow is great. I wish we had more time here. So far it's my favorite place on the trip. It hasn't been overrun and turned into a Euro-Disney full of tourist schlock. Yet.

I feel a little guilty because MomH and I went shopping instead of the optional excursion to Auschwitz. I didn't think I could handle it anymore and MomH didn't want to go for the same reason. I've done Dachau and we went to a Holocost museum in Budapest that was powerful, so I think we're good.

But we did almost go on Crazy Mike's Communism Tour. If we had more time, we would have signed up to take a Trabant and check out the nearby suburb built just for the workers of the Lenin Works steel plant. That would have been cool. Instead, we sat out on the main square, listened to strolling musicians, watched the beautiful horse-drawn carriages go by and people watch.

And I had a great, cheap beer.

Ah, Krakow.

Auf wiedersehen, Wien!

The opera was fantastic last night. I never thought I would care to sit through five hours of Wagner, but the story was great (Siegfried) and the music amazing. The time flew by.

We're having a great time.

Someone just asked me at breakfast what there was unique to see or do in Prague.

Beer.

Czech beer on tap.

I'm so excited.

Ciao!

Before I get into my real post - has anyone noticed their comment options are getting automatically/mistakenly shut off? In my ohsogreat Napkin Chicken post, I noticed no one was saying anything other than under the nekkid chicken picture. Then I saw there was no option for commenting on the post and upon further discovery "nobody" was allowed to comment. Huh. This is the third time that's happened to me in the last week. Because I KNOW everyone wants to say something about everything I write.

Moving on - to Eastern Europe! Apparently no one but Mom and me want to visit Croatia in March or early May. Screw those lame people. Now we're going to Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw and Krakow (Krakow! Krakow! Two direct hits!).

I've already been to Vienna but only spent a day there, back during my college days. I had just spent a week in Berlin, where I was accosted in the women's shower room by a guy off the street, pickpocketed and generally sick of the big cities. The best part of Vienna was hanging around with a hot guy from Pitt and running into a group of Australians.

Leo was their leader and convinced me to meet up with his group, a group of college kids on a pilgramage to see the pope up in Poland. Not to go with them, but to be their German translator so they could have some fun at a local Biergarten. Later that evening I waited for them in the lobby of their hotel until they snuck out from under the watchful eyes of their priest. We hit the town and tore it up. Good times! I should find those pictures.

I crashed that night in the girls' room but they had to be up and out by 5:00 a.m. They gave me the name of the priest in case the hotel questioned me (security always on the lookout for sneaky backpackers) and I went back to bed. If you've ever spent time backpacking through Europe, sleeping on trains and staying in youth hostels, you know that a hotel bed and a real shower are wonderful treats.

After freshening up, I tried to leave but security was watching me pretty closely when I stepped out of the elevator. Since I didn't want to just walk out, I plopped down in the lobby, looked at my watch and read a magazine until Herr Guard was called away. Then I walked calmly out of the hotel and straight to the train stop across the road and I was on my way to Salzburg.

Where I partied with a crazy group of Tasmanians. Those Down Under types are teh bomb.