Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014--Lviv
Lviv ended up surprising me today. It was alive. I didn't realize it until I had returned at the end of the day from my adventures on the edge of the city. When I walked through the center of town, people were everywhere, stores were open, everyone seemed happy, etc.
Today was finally the day for me to be in the outdoors away from town. There are two attractions here that appealed to me and that are in the same general neighborhood on the eastern edge of the city. I knew that it was a long walk and that I could take the tram for the equivalent of 30 cents US, but I walked anyway just so I could see the areas I passed. I used different route out and back.
The first destination was the Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life--an open-air museum where homes, churches, and other buildings have been brought from around Ukraine to show what life was like 100-300 years ago. I got lost getting there, though. What really happened is that I knew from my map that the street car line turned at the point where I needed to turn the opposite direction, but the map did not show that another line continued going straight. So rather than watch the street signs, I just kept walking as long as I was seeing tram rails. But then I noticed the configuration of intersections wasn't matching those on the edge of my map. I turned the direction I knew I should go. Along the way, I showed my map, and people kept pointing for me to continue. One old gentlemen made sure I understood to take the "alley" and not the street curving to the right and that I should eventually turn right. A woman at the alley confirmed that. After I turned, I was told to go straight, straight and then to the left. The street ended and a path began. I turned back, but another person confirmed I should go straight and to the left. I went down the path only to find a locked gate to the left of the railroad tracks. I turned back again and asked. A man who spoke English said he would go with me and turn back. When I explained that the gate was locked, he said he would show me another way. When we got to the locked gate, he said to walk to the left along the tracks and pointed to a trail on the other side. He said that would take me to the entrance, and it did.
The museum was in a very wooded area. It was nice walking among the trees. The air was fresh and felt a little damp. The buildings were very interesting to see. Most had a host or hostess in local costume. Sometimes it was a person selling things they had made, but most of the time, it was just volunteers. Only one spoke English--a young woman demonstrating the making of soap from the ashes of the fireplace.
There was a common characteristic to the design of all of the homes. The entrance went to a storage area; from there, another door led into the living quarters (which often consisted of just one room). A couple of homes of wealthier people had a living quarter off both sides of the entrance. One building which was a school house had the school room on one side of the entrance area and the teacher's living quarters on the other side.
There were at least 5 churches among the buildings. All were elaborate wooden construction. Some were simple inside, but two were rather elaborate with hand-painted alters. There were two water mills represented and one wind mill. Barns of various types were located next to the homes.
The next outdoor attraction I visited is a bit unusual for a "museum." It is a cemetery--the Lychakiv Cemetery Museum. According to something I read, cemeteries were banned inside the city. (My guess is that it related to the time of the plague.) Anyway, this cemetery is on the edge of town and is filled with graves from long ago up the the present. One reason it is a "museum," is that there are a number of elaborate gravestones as well as several large, private mausoleums. (Unfortunately, some of the most interesting gravestones are not shown on the link above. Most photographers seem to concentrate on the "religious" ones, I guess.) I just wandered up and down the lanes and over the hills watching for what was different and unusual.
Walking back into the city, I passed the campus of the medical university here. There were benches, so I stopped and read for a while from my present novel. By the time I got back uphill to my apartment, I was tired. I had been walking about 5 1/2 hours (not counting the time I was resting on the bench).
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Delightful and Charming Lviv
Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014--Lviv
I had read that Lviv is a wonderful city--probably the most charming in Ukraine. Well, I imagine that is true after a day of sightseeing here. It's not a city that is almost completely restored like the others I have visited on this trip. In fact, many of the elaborate buildings in the city are NOT restored. But they aren't crumbling masses either. They have a patina of faded, intact elegance.
I spent about 6 hours today just wandering throughout the center of the city and some of the areas just beyond it. My apartment is only about 3 blocks from the edge of Old Town. I started photographing there--at the long park that was the location of the city walls at one time. I houses the Monument to Taras Shevchenko and the Ivano-Franco Opera and Ballet Theater.
From there, I just started wandering up and down streets. The center of town has only narrow streets with lots of atmosphere no matter where you go. I visited at least 8 churches, all masterpieces in great condition--Transfiguration Church, Armenian Cathedral, S.S. Peter and Paul Church, St. Andrew Church, Assumption Church, St. Michael's Church, etc. I saw sections of the ancient walls around the city which still have the wooden catwalks on the side and above them. I saw wonderful shop signs indicating the products being sold--one especially cute one of a sofa shop. I wandered the main square of old town where every building is listed as a World Heritage Site and buildings were allowed to be only 3 windows wide unless an exception was obtained (by persons with connections). I wandered by the Ivan Franco Lviv National University and through Ivano Franco Park which brought me back to my apartment one block away. In all these areas of town were magnificent buildings to be seen.
There are certain observations I made as I wandered also. There is no concentrated shopping district in the center of town. Stores are scattered here, there, and everywhere. I found only one fast-food franchise--a too small McDonald's having trouble handing the crowds. Supermarkets are not a part of normal life here; people shop in small stores that still have the wares behind the counter and at street markets. (I did find one supermarket, small and rather expensive, after asking at the tourist office. Since I did not know how to communicate via language, it would have been difficult to have tried to shop in one of the small stores where you name what you want and the owner retrieves it from the shelves.) Lovers go to the parks to be together; almost every bench is occupied by a man and a woman being quite intimate considering the circumstances.
Another observation was the patriotism being shown apparently due to the war with Russia on the southeastern border of Ukraine. Flower arrangements in the blue and yellow colors of the flag were everywhere. Flags were flying from windows, balconies, cars (like the Spurs banners in San Antonio during the playoffs). I saw a great t-shirt for sale: "Hasta la Vista, Separatistas!" (I forgot to mention yesterday that there was a troup train in the station on the adjacent platform when I arrived, and there was another station we passed where tanks were lined up apparently to be shipped to the border area with Russia.)
Brides and their grooms were also everywhere I went today. They were being married in churches as I peeked inside. They were being photographed at different locations throughout the city. What was most interesting was seeing the different forms of dress for the supporting cast--the groomsmen and the bride's maids. I think my favorite was the couple who had their ensemble dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes--the men in white shirts with colorful embroidery, and the women in bright blouses and skirts with embroidery.
The day was sunny and warm, so it was a perfect time to be out and about. Unfortunately, it is now the weekend. I find it frustrating to be in a nice city on a Saturday afternoon and Sunday, since everything closes and the city becomes quiet. Still, tomorrow I will get out and do more in this interesting and beautiful city.
My other big accomplishments of the day related to travel planning. I got approval to stay in my apartment rough Monday evening. I bought my train ticket to go to my next destination, Ivano-Frankovsk, on Tuesday. I reserved a hotel room there in I-F. I reserved an apartment in Odesa where I will go after that. And I reserved an apartment in Kiev, my last stop in Ukraine. That means that everything related to housing is arranged to get me all the way to Armenia now. Whew!
I had read that Lviv is a wonderful city--probably the most charming in Ukraine. Well, I imagine that is true after a day of sightseeing here. It's not a city that is almost completely restored like the others I have visited on this trip. In fact, many of the elaborate buildings in the city are NOT restored. But they aren't crumbling masses either. They have a patina of faded, intact elegance.
I spent about 6 hours today just wandering throughout the center of the city and some of the areas just beyond it. My apartment is only about 3 blocks from the edge of Old Town. I started photographing there--at the long park that was the location of the city walls at one time. I houses the Monument to Taras Shevchenko and the Ivano-Franco Opera and Ballet Theater.
From there, I just started wandering up and down streets. The center of town has only narrow streets with lots of atmosphere no matter where you go. I visited at least 8 churches, all masterpieces in great condition--Transfiguration Church, Armenian Cathedral, S.S. Peter and Paul Church, St. Andrew Church, Assumption Church, St. Michael's Church, etc. I saw sections of the ancient walls around the city which still have the wooden catwalks on the side and above them. I saw wonderful shop signs indicating the products being sold--one especially cute one of a sofa shop. I wandered the main square of old town where every building is listed as a World Heritage Site and buildings were allowed to be only 3 windows wide unless an exception was obtained (by persons with connections). I wandered by the Ivan Franco Lviv National University and through Ivano Franco Park which brought me back to my apartment one block away. In all these areas of town were magnificent buildings to be seen.
There are certain observations I made as I wandered also. There is no concentrated shopping district in the center of town. Stores are scattered here, there, and everywhere. I found only one fast-food franchise--a too small McDonald's having trouble handing the crowds. Supermarkets are not a part of normal life here; people shop in small stores that still have the wares behind the counter and at street markets. (I did find one supermarket, small and rather expensive, after asking at the tourist office. Since I did not know how to communicate via language, it would have been difficult to have tried to shop in one of the small stores where you name what you want and the owner retrieves it from the shelves.) Lovers go to the parks to be together; almost every bench is occupied by a man and a woman being quite intimate considering the circumstances.
Another observation was the patriotism being shown apparently due to the war with Russia on the southeastern border of Ukraine. Flower arrangements in the blue and yellow colors of the flag were everywhere. Flags were flying from windows, balconies, cars (like the Spurs banners in San Antonio during the playoffs). I saw a great t-shirt for sale: "Hasta la Vista, Separatistas!" (I forgot to mention yesterday that there was a troup train in the station on the adjacent platform when I arrived, and there was another station we passed where tanks were lined up apparently to be shipped to the border area with Russia.)
Brides and their grooms were also everywhere I went today. They were being married in churches as I peeked inside. They were being photographed at different locations throughout the city. What was most interesting was seeing the different forms of dress for the supporting cast--the groomsmen and the bride's maids. I think my favorite was the couple who had their ensemble dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes--the men in white shirts with colorful embroidery, and the women in bright blouses and skirts with embroidery.
The day was sunny and warm, so it was a perfect time to be out and about. Unfortunately, it is now the weekend. I find it frustrating to be in a nice city on a Saturday afternoon and Sunday, since everything closes and the city becomes quiet. Still, tomorrow I will get out and do more in this interesting and beautiful city.
My other big accomplishments of the day related to travel planning. I got approval to stay in my apartment rough Monday evening. I bought my train ticket to go to my next destination, Ivano-Frankovsk, on Tuesday. I reserved a hotel room there in I-F. I reserved an apartment in Odesa where I will go after that. And I reserved an apartment in Kiev, my last stop in Ukraine. That means that everything related to housing is arranged to get me all the way to Armenia now. Whew!
Friday, August 29, 2014
Travel Planning and a Long Train Ride
Friday, Aug. 29, 2014--Uzhhorod to Lviv
My train didn't depart from Uzhhorod until 15:40. And it didn't arrive in Lviv until 21:45. Fortunately, check-out from my hotel wasn't until noon. Therefore, I spent the morning doing more travel planning. I've now more or less decided on my schedule. I hope to add one extra day to my stay in Lviv which is supposed to be the loveliest city in Ukraine. And I hope to stop for one night in Ivano-Frankovsk on my way between Lviv and Odessa. That should put me back on schedule to have the original number of days that I had planned for Lviv (I cut one when trying to accommodate Wes' travel interests), and it avoids having too many days in either Odessa or Kiev. (It also makes up for the two days I "saved" because of the bad weather in the Tatra Mountains region of Slovakia.)
This morning, I was prepared for breakfast. I used Google Translate to write on a piece of paper: fried eggs, toast with jam, and coffee with cream. I had photographed the menu yesterday, but then I realized I couldn't type in the Ukrainian characters for an English translation, so the photograph did no good. I use a similar plan when I buy a train or bus ticket. On paper, I write the date, the departure city with an arrow pointing to the arrival city (both written in local characters), the departure time under the departure city with an arrow pointing to the arrival time written under the arrival city, a stick figure with an equal sign followed by the numeral 1, and my name. They've understood that so far everywhere I have gone. And I think they appreciate it, since so few people speak any English.
After checking out, I walked to the train station to await my departure. I finished reading another book--On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. It's interesting that this book had a similar theme to the previous one I finished two days ago--the idea that two people in love can be greatly misinterpreting the actions/feelings of each other and, therefore, making decisions based on false assumptions. This is the third book I've read by McEwan whom I consider to be one of the best writers alive today. I gave the book 4 stars out of 4.
It was a nice train ride even though it was 6 hours long. Much of the way, we were in wooded hills with occasional small villages passing by. When the area would broaden to small valleys, there would be haystacks on the fields. As evening approached many people were outside working in their gardens or cutting and stacking hay. (They stack hay here on a vertical wooden spit so that the stacks are tall and slender. They reminded me of the spits of meat found in kebab places.)
The train itself was old. It's from the communist era. I've ridden similar ones in Moldova and other countries. At one end of the car is a huge samovar with boiling water for making tea or coffee. I was in a sleeper car for some reason. I was the only one there until the last stop before Lviv, then two women came into the car. I could tell they didn't like me being there, because they wanted to go to bed and try to sleep. They, like most others on the train, were headed all the way to Kiev.
The train ride was a bit noisy. Occasionally, we would have a nice, smooth section of rail, but, for the most part, Ukraine does not have continuous seamless rails. Instead, there was the constant clickity-clack repetition about every 1 1/2 seconds as we went over seams.
I caught a tram about 20 minutes after arriving at the station. I knew that the owner of the apartment I had rented was waiting for me. If we had been on time, I would have been here at the 22:00 appointment we had made. Instead, it was 22:15 when I arrived.
My apartment here in Lviv--One Bedroom Apartment - City Center--is small, but cute and very clean and tidy. It will be fine for me, but it would be a bit crowded if Wes were still with me. At only $31 a night, it is a good value.
My train didn't depart from Uzhhorod until 15:40. And it didn't arrive in Lviv until 21:45. Fortunately, check-out from my hotel wasn't until noon. Therefore, I spent the morning doing more travel planning. I've now more or less decided on my schedule. I hope to add one extra day to my stay in Lviv which is supposed to be the loveliest city in Ukraine. And I hope to stop for one night in Ivano-Frankovsk on my way between Lviv and Odessa. That should put me back on schedule to have the original number of days that I had planned for Lviv (I cut one when trying to accommodate Wes' travel interests), and it avoids having too many days in either Odessa or Kiev. (It also makes up for the two days I "saved" because of the bad weather in the Tatra Mountains region of Slovakia.)
This morning, I was prepared for breakfast. I used Google Translate to write on a piece of paper: fried eggs, toast with jam, and coffee with cream. I had photographed the menu yesterday, but then I realized I couldn't type in the Ukrainian characters for an English translation, so the photograph did no good. I use a similar plan when I buy a train or bus ticket. On paper, I write the date, the departure city with an arrow pointing to the arrival city (both written in local characters), the departure time under the departure city with an arrow pointing to the arrival time written under the arrival city, a stick figure with an equal sign followed by the numeral 1, and my name. They've understood that so far everywhere I have gone. And I think they appreciate it, since so few people speak any English.
After checking out, I walked to the train station to await my departure. I finished reading another book--On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. It's interesting that this book had a similar theme to the previous one I finished two days ago--the idea that two people in love can be greatly misinterpreting the actions/feelings of each other and, therefore, making decisions based on false assumptions. This is the third book I've read by McEwan whom I consider to be one of the best writers alive today. I gave the book 4 stars out of 4.
It was a nice train ride even though it was 6 hours long. Much of the way, we were in wooded hills with occasional small villages passing by. When the area would broaden to small valleys, there would be haystacks on the fields. As evening approached many people were outside working in their gardens or cutting and stacking hay. (They stack hay here on a vertical wooden spit so that the stacks are tall and slender. They reminded me of the spits of meat found in kebab places.)
The train itself was old. It's from the communist era. I've ridden similar ones in Moldova and other countries. At one end of the car is a huge samovar with boiling water for making tea or coffee. I was in a sleeper car for some reason. I was the only one there until the last stop before Lviv, then two women came into the car. I could tell they didn't like me being there, because they wanted to go to bed and try to sleep. They, like most others on the train, were headed all the way to Kiev.
The train ride was a bit noisy. Occasionally, we would have a nice, smooth section of rail, but, for the most part, Ukraine does not have continuous seamless rails. Instead, there was the constant clickity-clack repetition about every 1 1/2 seconds as we went over seams.
I caught a tram about 20 minutes after arriving at the station. I knew that the owner of the apartment I had rented was waiting for me. If we had been on time, I would have been here at the 22:00 appointment we had made. Instead, it was 22:15 when I arrived.
My apartment here in Lviv--One Bedroom Apartment - City Center--is small, but cute and very clean and tidy. It will be fine for me, but it would be a bit crowded if Wes were still with me. At only $31 a night, it is a good value.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Exploring Uzhhorod
Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014--Uzhhorod
The breakfast menu at my hotel is entirely in Ukrainian, and the staff do not speak English. I looked at what others were having and decided to have blinis for breakfast. It was a plate of two crepes filled with a sweet, soft cheese and raisins, and sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with strawberry preserves on the outside. They were good, but not very filling.
I found a bank and exchanged 50 Euros. That's probably more than I should have exchanged considering the news today that Russia has sent two convoys of troops into eastern Ukraine, but it is only the equivalent of about $65 US. I've already spent about 20% of it today.
I had chores to complete and sights to investigate, so I combined the two by seeing places and taking photos as I went from place to place. On the way to the train station, I passed the massive Orthodox Church. Then the train station itself proved to be a beautiful (and well restored) building. I bought my ticket there for the trip to Lviv tomorrow. After that, I passed the Cathedral as I headed to the local castle which is a museum. It's not much. The grounds were nice, and the exhibits inside were worth a quick glance.
I spent part of the afternoon sitting on the main square of Uzhhorod in the sunshine and reading while also watching the local people. Around 16:00, I went to the Hospoda Restaurant recommended in many sources. I had bograch, a local soup with beef, shaved noodles, vegetables, etc., along with both black bread and white bread.
Back in the room, I am still doing lots of travel planning in the evenings. It just takes a long time to make reservations for each stop. I need to work on reservations for Odessa tonight still. I have "saved" a few web pages and need to return to them to see if one appeals to me. Tied to that, though, I really need to adjust my itinerary. I have a couple of days that need to be allocated to somewhere else here in Ukraine. I had thought about using them to go to Kharkiv, but it is an overnight train trip from anywhere else I am going. That just seems to far to go to spend 2 days somewhere. Now I am searching for places where I might stop BETWEEN the cities I already had planned to visit.
The breakfast menu at my hotel is entirely in Ukrainian, and the staff do not speak English. I looked at what others were having and decided to have blinis for breakfast. It was a plate of two crepes filled with a sweet, soft cheese and raisins, and sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with strawberry preserves on the outside. They were good, but not very filling.
I found a bank and exchanged 50 Euros. That's probably more than I should have exchanged considering the news today that Russia has sent two convoys of troops into eastern Ukraine, but it is only the equivalent of about $65 US. I've already spent about 20% of it today.
I had chores to complete and sights to investigate, so I combined the two by seeing places and taking photos as I went from place to place. On the way to the train station, I passed the massive Orthodox Church. Then the train station itself proved to be a beautiful (and well restored) building. I bought my ticket there for the trip to Lviv tomorrow. After that, I passed the Cathedral as I headed to the local castle which is a museum. It's not much. The grounds were nice, and the exhibits inside were worth a quick glance.
I spent part of the afternoon sitting on the main square of Uzhhorod in the sunshine and reading while also watching the local people. Around 16:00, I went to the Hospoda Restaurant recommended in many sources. I had bograch, a local soup with beef, shaved noodles, vegetables, etc., along with both black bread and white bread.
Back in the room, I am still doing lots of travel planning in the evenings. It just takes a long time to make reservations for each stop. I need to work on reservations for Odessa tonight still. I have "saved" a few web pages and need to return to them to see if one appeals to me. Tied to that, though, I really need to adjust my itinerary. I have a couple of days that need to be allocated to somewhere else here in Ukraine. I had thought about using them to go to Kharkiv, but it is an overnight train trip from anywhere else I am going. That just seems to far to go to spend 2 days somewhere. Now I am searching for places where I might stop BETWEEN the cities I already had planned to visit.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Sunny Ukraine
Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014--Kosice, Slovakia to Uzhhorod, Ukraine
It was still cold and rainy when I got up this morning. I didn't mind, since it was a travel day. That way, I would be accomplishing something in spite of the weather and without being out into it much.
My bus wasn't until 12:40, so stayed in my room until almost checkout time at 10:00. By that time, the rain had stopped. It was still cloudy, cold, and windy. I walked across the street to the mall where I exchanged some Polish money I had left. I had been watching the exchange rates for 3 days, and they were unchanged. Furthermore, I wasn't sure if I could exchange Polish money in Ukraine. I switched it for more Euros there at the mall.
I then sat on a bench inside the mall and finished reading March by Geraldine Brooks. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. "Fan fiction" is a term that became popular in recent years as people who read the Harry Potter series write side stories about individual characters or wrote stories to fill in gaps left in the original series. March is a type of fan fiction. Ms. Brooks wrote a story about what happened during the year that the father was absent from the family in the Little Women book. It is set toward the beginning of the Civil War and the first part of it. I enjoyed the book.
It's not a long ride from Kosice to Uzhhorod. First, we passed some some cities in Slovakia and one large one that was filled with factories of world brands: Bosch, Siemens, Kia, etc. The town was not attractive, but it apparently has lots of skilled labor willing to work for a lower price than if the factory were located elsewhere. Then we started climbing into the Carpathian Mountains. Eventually, we came to the border crossing. On both sides, passports had to be collected and taken to an officer inside as we all sat on the bus. In both cases, eventually the passports came back stamped and we were able to continue.
Throughout the bus ride, I sat beside a man from Uzhhorod who has been living and working in London. He is well educated as an economist, but in London he works as a manual laborer in construction. His family remains here in Ukraine, so he returns for brief visits to see them. It was interesting visiting with him, although I felt sorry that such a well educated man cannot find a job suited to his background. His English is good, but he said none of the jobs that he has qualifications to do--marketing, finance, etc.--were available to him because of lack of experience IN LONDON. He's in a Catch 22 situation.
Just was we crossed the border from the Slovakian side to the Ukraine side, the sun came out. It was so nice to see it. And then just a very short distance from the border station, we were entering the outskirts of Uzhhorod. The city itself was in Yugoslavia before communist times, was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before that, and is now just barely inside Ukraine.
Uzhhorod is not a pretty town. Ukraine has not had the money from the EU that Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, etc., have had to rebuilt infrastructure, to restore old buildings, etc. My first impression is that it reminded me of the towns I visited in Czechoslovakia and Hungary during the communist period. Buildings are crumbling, pavements are uneven, sidewalks are sometimes absent, people seem poorer, etc. But it is in a beautiful setting along a river in the mountains.
After checking into my hotel, I went out exploring and to check out the exchange rates. I knew it was probably too late in the day to exchange money today, but I wanted to find where I could do it tomorrow. Mostly, exchange is available only inside banks here. I'm wanting to exchange currency rather than make an ATM withdrawal, because the local currency has been losing value due to the conflict with Russia. They are in a spiral of currency devaluation and inflation. Therefore, it is bad to get money for a long period of time. It is better to exchange a bit every day or two. Therefore, I brought lots of Euros in small bills to allow me to get just 10-20 Euros worth at a time. If I tried to do that at an ATM, the ATM charges for such small exchanges would negate any advantage and would actually cost more.
Because I knew I would probably have to wait until tomorrow to get local currency, I had sandwiches, chips, a plum, and an apple in my bag for dinner tonight--results of leftovers from the apartment. And tomorrow I will have breakfast included as a part of my stay at the hotel. So I won't need any money until sometime during the day tomorrow. I can shop and around and do my first exchange without feeling rushed.
The U Anity Hotel looks a lot like a bordello. It's just the Russian influence, I think. But the bed is red with a mirrored headboard. The walls are in a patterned red and cream colored wallpaper. The curtains are in solid-color panels matching the wallpaper colors. It's clean and roomy and comfortable. And it only costs $20 per night including taxes and breakfast. That's not bad.
It was still cold and rainy when I got up this morning. I didn't mind, since it was a travel day. That way, I would be accomplishing something in spite of the weather and without being out into it much.
My bus wasn't until 12:40, so stayed in my room until almost checkout time at 10:00. By that time, the rain had stopped. It was still cloudy, cold, and windy. I walked across the street to the mall where I exchanged some Polish money I had left. I had been watching the exchange rates for 3 days, and they were unchanged. Furthermore, I wasn't sure if I could exchange Polish money in Ukraine. I switched it for more Euros there at the mall.
I then sat on a bench inside the mall and finished reading March by Geraldine Brooks. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. "Fan fiction" is a term that became popular in recent years as people who read the Harry Potter series write side stories about individual characters or wrote stories to fill in gaps left in the original series. March is a type of fan fiction. Ms. Brooks wrote a story about what happened during the year that the father was absent from the family in the Little Women book. It is set toward the beginning of the Civil War and the first part of it. I enjoyed the book.
It's not a long ride from Kosice to Uzhhorod. First, we passed some some cities in Slovakia and one large one that was filled with factories of world brands: Bosch, Siemens, Kia, etc. The town was not attractive, but it apparently has lots of skilled labor willing to work for a lower price than if the factory were located elsewhere. Then we started climbing into the Carpathian Mountains. Eventually, we came to the border crossing. On both sides, passports had to be collected and taken to an officer inside as we all sat on the bus. In both cases, eventually the passports came back stamped and we were able to continue.
Throughout the bus ride, I sat beside a man from Uzhhorod who has been living and working in London. He is well educated as an economist, but in London he works as a manual laborer in construction. His family remains here in Ukraine, so he returns for brief visits to see them. It was interesting visiting with him, although I felt sorry that such a well educated man cannot find a job suited to his background. His English is good, but he said none of the jobs that he has qualifications to do--marketing, finance, etc.--were available to him because of lack of experience IN LONDON. He's in a Catch 22 situation.
Just was we crossed the border from the Slovakian side to the Ukraine side, the sun came out. It was so nice to see it. And then just a very short distance from the border station, we were entering the outskirts of Uzhhorod. The city itself was in Yugoslavia before communist times, was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before that, and is now just barely inside Ukraine.
Uzhhorod is not a pretty town. Ukraine has not had the money from the EU that Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, etc., have had to rebuilt infrastructure, to restore old buildings, etc. My first impression is that it reminded me of the towns I visited in Czechoslovakia and Hungary during the communist period. Buildings are crumbling, pavements are uneven, sidewalks are sometimes absent, people seem poorer, etc. But it is in a beautiful setting along a river in the mountains.
After checking into my hotel, I went out exploring and to check out the exchange rates. I knew it was probably too late in the day to exchange money today, but I wanted to find where I could do it tomorrow. Mostly, exchange is available only inside banks here. I'm wanting to exchange currency rather than make an ATM withdrawal, because the local currency has been losing value due to the conflict with Russia. They are in a spiral of currency devaluation and inflation. Therefore, it is bad to get money for a long period of time. It is better to exchange a bit every day or two. Therefore, I brought lots of Euros in small bills to allow me to get just 10-20 Euros worth at a time. If I tried to do that at an ATM, the ATM charges for such small exchanges would negate any advantage and would actually cost more.
Because I knew I would probably have to wait until tomorrow to get local currency, I had sandwiches, chips, a plum, and an apple in my bag for dinner tonight--results of leftovers from the apartment. And tomorrow I will have breakfast included as a part of my stay at the hotel. So I won't need any money until sometime during the day tomorrow. I can shop and around and do my first exchange without feeling rushed.
The U Anity Hotel looks a lot like a bordello. It's just the Russian influence, I think. But the bed is red with a mirrored headboard. The walls are in a patterned red and cream colored wallpaper. The curtains are in solid-color panels matching the wallpaper colors. It's clean and roomy and comfortable. And it only costs $20 per night including taxes and breakfast. That's not bad.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Cold and Wet Day
Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014--Kosice
Unfortunately, today proved to be a cold and wet day. I had planned to go to the area where the botanical gardens and the zoo are located on the outer edge of the city. I had also planned to go to an outdoor dance performance tonight. I threw all of those plans out when I arose.
I could tell it was cooler than usual during the night. The comforter, as thick as most of the others I've had on this trip felt good rather than too warm. I was up late doing some planning/reservations on the computer, so I didn't awaken until 9:00. When I looked outside, I saw clouds and drizzle. Inside, the place seemed a bit cool. I decided not to leave the apartment. I've stayed inside all day long.
I spent most of the morning doing more planning. I am searching for places to stay in my next few cities. It eats a lot of time doing this, so having a lazy, rainy day was helpful in this respect. I made reservations in Lviv and Odessa. I requested a reservation in Batumi and am awaiting a reply. I made lists of possible places in Kiev. I still have to follow up and complete the process. Within the next few days, I hope to have reservations in all the cities I will be visiting for the rest of the trip.
I also spent part of the day reading. And I made a few phone calls. The day still passed too fast. There are so many other things I could do if it were longer.
Tomorrow, I leave Kosice and enter Ukraine. I'll take an afternoon bus to Uzhgorod in the mountains just across the border. I already have a reservation at a hotel there. The weather forecast is for the same weather as today, so it is good that it is a travel day.
It will be more of a challenge for me starting tomorrow than the past portion of this trip has been due to the use of the Cyrillic alphabet in Ukraine. For the entire next month, none of the places I will visit will use our Roman western-style alphabet. Georgia and Armenia have their own alphabets. So communicating will become a bit more difficult.
Unfortunately, today proved to be a cold and wet day. I had planned to go to the area where the botanical gardens and the zoo are located on the outer edge of the city. I had also planned to go to an outdoor dance performance tonight. I threw all of those plans out when I arose.
I could tell it was cooler than usual during the night. The comforter, as thick as most of the others I've had on this trip felt good rather than too warm. I was up late doing some planning/reservations on the computer, so I didn't awaken until 9:00. When I looked outside, I saw clouds and drizzle. Inside, the place seemed a bit cool. I decided not to leave the apartment. I've stayed inside all day long.
I spent most of the morning doing more planning. I am searching for places to stay in my next few cities. It eats a lot of time doing this, so having a lazy, rainy day was helpful in this respect. I made reservations in Lviv and Odessa. I requested a reservation in Batumi and am awaiting a reply. I made lists of possible places in Kiev. I still have to follow up and complete the process. Within the next few days, I hope to have reservations in all the cities I will be visiting for the rest of the trip.
I also spent part of the day reading. And I made a few phone calls. The day still passed too fast. There are so many other things I could do if it were longer.
Tomorrow, I leave Kosice and enter Ukraine. I'll take an afternoon bus to Uzhgorod in the mountains just across the border. I already have a reservation at a hotel there. The weather forecast is for the same weather as today, so it is good that it is a travel day.
It will be more of a challenge for me starting tomorrow than the past portion of this trip has been due to the use of the Cyrillic alphabet in Ukraine. For the entire next month, none of the places I will visit will use our Roman western-style alphabet. Georgia and Armenia have their own alphabets. So communicating will become a bit more difficult.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Beautiful Day in a Very Nice City
Monday, Aug. 25, 2015--Kosice
It was sunny all day today, and I took advantage of it. I had to leave my hotel by 10:00, but my new place, the Colosseo Residence, stored my luggage while I went out and about.
I walked back up and down the main street that runs the entire length of the Old Town. I then wandered up and down the side streets including the wonderful narrow street named Hrnciarska. I took photos of the St. Elizabeth's Cathedral and its adjoining St. Michael's Chapel. I sat with many others to listen to the music and watch the water fountains in front of the State Theater that danced to the music. I studied to plague column from 1723 wondering why it showed only angels and did not show any agony.
For some time, I sat in the sunshine and read from the novel I am now reading. Then I headed for the outer fringes of the Old Town where the museums, the Philharmonic Hall, and the colosseums (and older one and a newer one) are located. I thought the name, Steel Colosseum seemed appropriate for the newer one because of the materials used in the design. Then I noticed the USS symbol on the building. I had seen a mine in the outer areas of the city, so I guess that US Steel has a mine here, since it is the named sponsor of the facility.
At 14:00, I went to my new apartment at the Colosseo Residence Apartments. The old hotel room was brighter, but this is an entire apartment with a bedroom loft. It is much bigger and is actually located in the loft level of the building with slanted ceilings. I can look out one of my skylights to see the stone detail that serves as special decor for the outer facade of the building. Furthermore, the apartment is 10 Euros cheaper per night than the hotel room was and has hundreds of international channels on its cable TV.
I had thought of going to see Circus Ales tonight. I had seen its posters around town. I walked out to the suburbs to where it was located, but I was hungry and the entrance price posted at the circus was 3 times the price they had published on their posters. If I could have spoken the language, I would have asked for the lower price. Instead, I realized it is just a one-ring circus and probably no better than the Mexican one-ring circus which is located several weeks a year just 1 mile (2 km) from my apartment in San Antonio. I walked back into the city and bought groceries to have a quiet evening inside the apartment.
It was sunny all day today, and I took advantage of it. I had to leave my hotel by 10:00, but my new place, the Colosseo Residence, stored my luggage while I went out and about.
I walked back up and down the main street that runs the entire length of the Old Town. I then wandered up and down the side streets including the wonderful narrow street named Hrnciarska. I took photos of the St. Elizabeth's Cathedral and its adjoining St. Michael's Chapel. I sat with many others to listen to the music and watch the water fountains in front of the State Theater that danced to the music. I studied to plague column from 1723 wondering why it showed only angels and did not show any agony.
For some time, I sat in the sunshine and read from the novel I am now reading. Then I headed for the outer fringes of the Old Town where the museums, the Philharmonic Hall, and the colosseums (and older one and a newer one) are located. I thought the name, Steel Colosseum seemed appropriate for the newer one because of the materials used in the design. Then I noticed the USS symbol on the building. I had seen a mine in the outer areas of the city, so I guess that US Steel has a mine here, since it is the named sponsor of the facility.
At 14:00, I went to my new apartment at the Colosseo Residence Apartments. The old hotel room was brighter, but this is an entire apartment with a bedroom loft. It is much bigger and is actually located in the loft level of the building with slanted ceilings. I can look out one of my skylights to see the stone detail that serves as special decor for the outer facade of the building. Furthermore, the apartment is 10 Euros cheaper per night than the hotel room was and has hundreds of international channels on its cable TV.
I had thought of going to see Circus Ales tonight. I had seen its posters around town. I walked out to the suburbs to where it was located, but I was hungry and the entrance price posted at the circus was 3 times the price they had published on their posters. If I could have spoken the language, I would have asked for the lower price. Instead, I realized it is just a one-ring circus and probably no better than the Mexican one-ring circus which is located several weeks a year just 1 mile (2 km) from my apartment in San Antonio. I walked back into the city and bought groceries to have a quiet evening inside the apartment.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Asked to Go Dancing!
Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014--Bardejov to Kosice
There are supposed to be 9 buses a day between Bardejov and Kosice, the second largest city in Slovakia, so I checked out of my hotel at 9:30 and headed to the bus station in the light drizzle that was falling expecting a bus within a fairly short period of time. It looked on the schedule posted at the station as if there was a bus at 10:30 and another at 10:57, although the information made me think maybe the one at 10:30 wouldn't run on Sunday (due to a 6 probably indicating six days a week).
Both 10:30 and 10:57 arrived without buses coming. I went inside the station and asked. The next bus wouldn't be until 13:45!!! All I could do was wait. I read a magazine I had packed from home and started reading one of the novels I had brought. Slowly, but surely, the time passed.
I had made reservations at two places here--one for tonight at the Horse Inn because the other place had a vacancy only for tomorrow and Tuesday. I walked from the station in a light rain and had no problem finding the place. It is modern, quiet, and nice. Maybe I should have stayed here all three nights, but the other place is about 30% cheaper and includes a small kitchen.
By the time I was settled in the room, the clouds were breaking up and I went out to explore the town. Kosice is so nice. It puts the capital of Bratislava to shame. My hotel is on the edge of the Old Town, and I can be on he main street within 2 blocks. Instead of a square, that main street widens to have a linear park in the middle along with a church, a performance hall, and other impressive structures.
Exploring that main street, I found a poster telling of a concert today at 17:00 in a park 3 blocks from my hotel and about 5 blocks from where I was reading the poster. I rushed there to find Slovak Tango playing on a small gazebo-style bandstand. They are great. They were playing peppy music when I arrived, but they also play somewhat nostalgic sounding slow pieces. The crowd especially liked this one (click on link) which may be the song that gave them their name. They are a very talented group.
As the concert was ending, a woman walked up and started talking to me in the Slovac language. I said I was sorry, but I speak only English. She knew some words in English and continued talking. She's the one who told me the name of the band. Then she asked if I was interested in going dancing. I guess she had noticed me moving to the music (partially because their songs had a good beat and partially because I was getting cold and trying to stay warm as the sun was setting). I might have been a good experience to go out with her, but I was too tired to commit myself to something that might go late into the evening. I excused myself and returned to the hotel for the night.
As I entered the hotel, the receptionist approached me. Apparently she had been thinking about my plans to go to Ukraine since she helped me look up bus schedules. She said, "I wish you wouldn't go to Ukraine. I don't think it's safe." How sweet of her. I told her I wasn't going anywhere near where the problems are occurring--that I was staying in cities in the western part of the country.
There are supposed to be 9 buses a day between Bardejov and Kosice, the second largest city in Slovakia, so I checked out of my hotel at 9:30 and headed to the bus station in the light drizzle that was falling expecting a bus within a fairly short period of time. It looked on the schedule posted at the station as if there was a bus at 10:30 and another at 10:57, although the information made me think maybe the one at 10:30 wouldn't run on Sunday (due to a 6 probably indicating six days a week).
Both 10:30 and 10:57 arrived without buses coming. I went inside the station and asked. The next bus wouldn't be until 13:45!!! All I could do was wait. I read a magazine I had packed from home and started reading one of the novels I had brought. Slowly, but surely, the time passed.
I had made reservations at two places here--one for tonight at the Horse Inn because the other place had a vacancy only for tomorrow and Tuesday. I walked from the station in a light rain and had no problem finding the place. It is modern, quiet, and nice. Maybe I should have stayed here all three nights, but the other place is about 30% cheaper and includes a small kitchen.
By the time I was settled in the room, the clouds were breaking up and I went out to explore the town. Kosice is so nice. It puts the capital of Bratislava to shame. My hotel is on the edge of the Old Town, and I can be on he main street within 2 blocks. Instead of a square, that main street widens to have a linear park in the middle along with a church, a performance hall, and other impressive structures.
Exploring that main street, I found a poster telling of a concert today at 17:00 in a park 3 blocks from my hotel and about 5 blocks from where I was reading the poster. I rushed there to find Slovak Tango playing on a small gazebo-style bandstand. They are great. They were playing peppy music when I arrived, but they also play somewhat nostalgic sounding slow pieces. The crowd especially liked this one (click on link) which may be the song that gave them their name. They are a very talented group.
As the concert was ending, a woman walked up and started talking to me in the Slovac language. I said I was sorry, but I speak only English. She knew some words in English and continued talking. She's the one who told me the name of the band. Then she asked if I was interested in going dancing. I guess she had noticed me moving to the music (partially because their songs had a good beat and partially because I was getting cold and trying to stay warm as the sun was setting). I might have been a good experience to go out with her, but I was too tired to commit myself to something that might go late into the evening. I excused myself and returned to the hotel for the night.
As I entered the hotel, the receptionist approached me. Apparently she had been thinking about my plans to go to Ukraine since she helped me look up bus schedules. She said, "I wish you wouldn't go to Ukraine. I don't think it's safe." How sweet of her. I told her I wasn't going anywhere near where the problems are occurring--that I was staying in cities in the western part of the country.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
A Tense and Long Day Crossing the Tatras!
Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014--Krakow to Zakapane to Poprad to Bardejov
As I wrote yesterday, the forecast for the Tatra Mountains was for rain for 2-3 days, so I altered my travel plans. I decided to try to make it all the way to Bardejov today--a town I had cancelled from my original travel plans due to time constraints, but one that I really wanted to see. I had already done the research for connections earlier, I just hadn't planned to make them all in one day.
When I bought my ticket for Zakapane two days ago, I was told it was a 2-hour trip. I bought the ticket for an 8:45 departure figuring that would give me about 30 minutes to make the connection to the 11:17 bus (the last one until late in the afternoon) from there to Poprad. Well, who knew that ALL of Krakow seems to go to Zakapane for the weekend even when rain is in the forecast? The first hour of the trip went fine, but then we were in LONG traffic lines that were sometimes stop-and-go. As more and more time passed, I became aware that it was likely I would not make the bus connection. I knew of an alternative of taking a different bus to the border in the mountains, crossing the border by foot, and taking a Slovakian bus to Poprad, but I had no Euros to pay for that second bus and would have to try exchange my remaining Zlotys in that remote area.
It was so frustrating as the bus would pull out of the long lines of traffic to make stops in small towns and then would have to wait in line to turn back into the long lines on the main road. It was 11:20 as we entered Zakapane. I figured I had missed my bus, but I looked out the window for it. As we turned a corner at a circle to drive in front of the bus station, I saw the Strama bus to Poprad ALSO pulling up!! It stops in front of the station, and I had no idea how long it would be there. I grabbed my backpack and rushed to the front of our bus to be among the first to get off. Then I rushed to the side of the bus to open the compartment to get my suitcase. We were in back of the building, so I RAN to the front as fast as I could with a backpack and a suitcase. The Poprad bus was loading its last 2 passengers as I got there. I became the last, and we pulled out of the station at 11:25. Whew!!!
When that bus arrived at the station in Poprad, I had no idea when the next bus would leave for Bardejov, but I knew I would need Euros to pay for it. I went down the street searching for a bank with an ATM. I had to go about 6 blocks. I got my money, and I hid in the bushes on the side of the bank to pee. I hadn't used a toilet in 5 1/2 hours!
I rushed back to the bus station and checked the schedule. There was a bus scheduled in 1 minute for Bardejov, but I couldn't see it!! Had it left early? I asked a man about it, and he said it hadn't arrived yet. Whew, again! In fact, it came 20 minutes late probably because it was coming all the way from Bratislava and also faced Saturday traffic problems.
The Tatra Mountains are beautiful. I think they are nicer on the Slovakian side. There are just fewer people, and the villages are quaint and small. It would have been so nice to stop in Tatranska Lominica or in Stary Smokovec. By the time we were in Poprad around 13:20, however, I could see that the mountains were already overcast and that showers were falling there.
The rain caught up with us on the Bardejov bus, but when we turned northward, we left them behind. When I arrived here at 16:00, it was sunny and remained so for the rest of the day.
My troubles weren't over yet, however. I had decided on possible places to stay. Well, I couldn't find my first choice; the street wasn't where Google showed it to be. My second choice was a small guest house, and no one answered the door. My third choice was full. My fourth choice was the most expense and does not have wi-fi in the rooms, but it did have rooms available. And the young lady put me in a room close to the lobby so I could use wi-fi in the room rather than having to be in the lobby (which smells of smoke). The Hotel Saris is a communist-period box hotel. It's nothing special, but it is fine. And it has the benefit of a free breakfast.
By 16:30, I was on my way to explore Bardejov. It's a walled city with a HUGE square surrounded by high-pitched roofed buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries. That square is perfect. There isn't a modern building to be seen. And in the middle of the square is the old Town Hall (now a museum) and the huge St. Egidius Cathedral.
I walked around the square admiring all the wonderful buildings. I walked down all the small side streets within the walls. I walked outside the walls to see them from there and to see the old gated main entrance to the city. I sat outside the cathedral listening to the organ music as a wedding was taking place. I went inside the cathedral briefly as they changed it from the wedding venue into a baptismal venue.
As a small town, Bardejov seems mostly dead tonight. But it is a very beautiful small town as are others I passed in this park of Slovakia on the way to here, especially Levoca (another walled city) and Spisske Podhradie (with a wonderful castle on the hill above it). I wrote earlier about Bratislava being a rather horrible place. Well, the Tatra Mountains and the towns of eastern Slovakia (including my next stop Kovice) seem to be the places to visit in this country.
I will leave here tomorrow, so I need to get online and try to make a reservation for a place to stay in Kovice. It's a more expensive city due to being the second largest in the country. I found somewhat of a bargain last night for a place, so I need to see if it is still available.
As I wrote yesterday, the forecast for the Tatra Mountains was for rain for 2-3 days, so I altered my travel plans. I decided to try to make it all the way to Bardejov today--a town I had cancelled from my original travel plans due to time constraints, but one that I really wanted to see. I had already done the research for connections earlier, I just hadn't planned to make them all in one day.
When I bought my ticket for Zakapane two days ago, I was told it was a 2-hour trip. I bought the ticket for an 8:45 departure figuring that would give me about 30 minutes to make the connection to the 11:17 bus (the last one until late in the afternoon) from there to Poprad. Well, who knew that ALL of Krakow seems to go to Zakapane for the weekend even when rain is in the forecast? The first hour of the trip went fine, but then we were in LONG traffic lines that were sometimes stop-and-go. As more and more time passed, I became aware that it was likely I would not make the bus connection. I knew of an alternative of taking a different bus to the border in the mountains, crossing the border by foot, and taking a Slovakian bus to Poprad, but I had no Euros to pay for that second bus and would have to try exchange my remaining Zlotys in that remote area.
It was so frustrating as the bus would pull out of the long lines of traffic to make stops in small towns and then would have to wait in line to turn back into the long lines on the main road. It was 11:20 as we entered Zakapane. I figured I had missed my bus, but I looked out the window for it. As we turned a corner at a circle to drive in front of the bus station, I saw the Strama bus to Poprad ALSO pulling up!! It stops in front of the station, and I had no idea how long it would be there. I grabbed my backpack and rushed to the front of our bus to be among the first to get off. Then I rushed to the side of the bus to open the compartment to get my suitcase. We were in back of the building, so I RAN to the front as fast as I could with a backpack and a suitcase. The Poprad bus was loading its last 2 passengers as I got there. I became the last, and we pulled out of the station at 11:25. Whew!!!
When that bus arrived at the station in Poprad, I had no idea when the next bus would leave for Bardejov, but I knew I would need Euros to pay for it. I went down the street searching for a bank with an ATM. I had to go about 6 blocks. I got my money, and I hid in the bushes on the side of the bank to pee. I hadn't used a toilet in 5 1/2 hours!
I rushed back to the bus station and checked the schedule. There was a bus scheduled in 1 minute for Bardejov, but I couldn't see it!! Had it left early? I asked a man about it, and he said it hadn't arrived yet. Whew, again! In fact, it came 20 minutes late probably because it was coming all the way from Bratislava and also faced Saturday traffic problems.
The Tatra Mountains are beautiful. I think they are nicer on the Slovakian side. There are just fewer people, and the villages are quaint and small. It would have been so nice to stop in Tatranska Lominica or in Stary Smokovec. By the time we were in Poprad around 13:20, however, I could see that the mountains were already overcast and that showers were falling there.
The rain caught up with us on the Bardejov bus, but when we turned northward, we left them behind. When I arrived here at 16:00, it was sunny and remained so for the rest of the day.
My troubles weren't over yet, however. I had decided on possible places to stay. Well, I couldn't find my first choice; the street wasn't where Google showed it to be. My second choice was a small guest house, and no one answered the door. My third choice was full. My fourth choice was the most expense and does not have wi-fi in the rooms, but it did have rooms available. And the young lady put me in a room close to the lobby so I could use wi-fi in the room rather than having to be in the lobby (which smells of smoke). The Hotel Saris is a communist-period box hotel. It's nothing special, but it is fine. And it has the benefit of a free breakfast.
By 16:30, I was on my way to explore Bardejov. It's a walled city with a HUGE square surrounded by high-pitched roofed buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries. That square is perfect. There isn't a modern building to be seen. And in the middle of the square is the old Town Hall (now a museum) and the huge St. Egidius Cathedral.
I walked around the square admiring all the wonderful buildings. I walked down all the small side streets within the walls. I walked outside the walls to see them from there and to see the old gated main entrance to the city. I sat outside the cathedral listening to the organ music as a wedding was taking place. I went inside the cathedral briefly as they changed it from the wedding venue into a baptismal venue.
As a small town, Bardejov seems mostly dead tonight. But it is a very beautiful small town as are others I passed in this park of Slovakia on the way to here, especially Levoca (another walled city) and Spisske Podhradie (with a wonderful castle on the hill above it). I wrote earlier about Bratislava being a rather horrible place. Well, the Tatra Mountains and the towns of eastern Slovakia (including my next stop Kovice) seem to be the places to visit in this country.
I will leave here tomorrow, so I need to get online and try to make a reservation for a place to stay in Kovice. It's a more expensive city due to being the second largest in the country. I found somewhat of a bargain last night for a place, so I need to see if it is still available.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Warm, Sunny Day in Krakow
Friday, Aug. 22, 2014--Krakow
It actually got rather warm today. The sun was shining for most of the day, although there was a period of clouds in the afternoon.
I limited my explorations today. I felt tired and unmotivated. I walked through town and beside the Wawel Castle questioning whether I wanted to deal with the lines for tours. I decided against it. I had enough lines and my fill of tours yesterday. So I continue onward to visit the Jewish quarter of town called Kazimierz.
The Jews were forced to move there into a walled-in conclave from Krakow in the 15th Century. Today, it is just a neighborhood in Krakow rather than a separate town. The 65,000 Jews living in Krakow (mostly still in Kazimierz) at the outbreak of WWII represented 30% of the population of the city. Today, the Jewish Quarter is somewhat quaint, consists of many buildings in need of repair, and seems to be an entertainment/dining destination in the city. One reason the area isn't nicer looking could be related to a story I was told: Poles were given the right to remain in the apartments where they were living when communism ended, but the apartments could be claimed by their former owners (before communism) as those residents died. I was told that those who have claims to ownership do not want to make any repairs until they own the properties again and that those living there do not want to make repairs which will belong to someone else rather than their family when they die.
Anyway, the quarter was interesting to see. Their market square was mostly dead. But the "downtown" square was alive with businesses, many of them catering to Jews again. Many Jewish tourists were in the area seeing the synagogues, the cemetery, and a Jewish museum. With all the restaurants and bars, I'm sure the area is very active in the evenings.
I also spent some time in the main square of the Old Town today. It is a HUGE square, so many activities occur around it. People sit and watch people. Tour groups pass through. Carriages come and go. And entertainment groups perform. There are three men playing classical music on accordions which are my favorite performers. They are very good. But I especially enjoyed watching a Swedish marching band perform today. It was a group of young people who were not great in terms of playing, but their enthusiasm, as shown in their movements, made them especially entertaining. I don't know the name of the group, but they had patches on their uniforms indicated they have either travelled lots of places or have won some competitions.
The last half of the afternoon, I did travel planning. I had intended to be in the mountains for 2-3 nights. But the forecast is not good for there. I don't want to be in a small mountain village with it raining for 2-3 days. Therefore, I have decided to go through the mountains and head westward tomorrow for Bardejov if I can get transportation. I already have a bus ticket to Zakapone on the Polish side of the mountains. It should allow me to connect with a bus to go over the mountains to Poprad in Slovakia. If that all works okay, I will try to catch a bus from Poprad to Bardejov. There is also an option of a train, but buses are faster. I'm not making a reservation in Bardejov, because I am unsure if I will get that far tomorrow. But I spent some of the afternoon researching all the hotels and pensions there and marking them on my map. If I get there, I have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th choices (since this is the tourism season) and other possibilities if those are full. If I don't get there, I will just search for a place to stay wherever I have to stop.
Note: It's possible I may have to stay somewhere without wi-fi or other forms of Internet connections. I'll be back online with posts as soon as I can.
It actually got rather warm today. The sun was shining for most of the day, although there was a period of clouds in the afternoon.
I limited my explorations today. I felt tired and unmotivated. I walked through town and beside the Wawel Castle questioning whether I wanted to deal with the lines for tours. I decided against it. I had enough lines and my fill of tours yesterday. So I continue onward to visit the Jewish quarter of town called Kazimierz.
The Jews were forced to move there into a walled-in conclave from Krakow in the 15th Century. Today, it is just a neighborhood in Krakow rather than a separate town. The 65,000 Jews living in Krakow (mostly still in Kazimierz) at the outbreak of WWII represented 30% of the population of the city. Today, the Jewish Quarter is somewhat quaint, consists of many buildings in need of repair, and seems to be an entertainment/dining destination in the city. One reason the area isn't nicer looking could be related to a story I was told: Poles were given the right to remain in the apartments where they were living when communism ended, but the apartments could be claimed by their former owners (before communism) as those residents died. I was told that those who have claims to ownership do not want to make any repairs until they own the properties again and that those living there do not want to make repairs which will belong to someone else rather than their family when they die.
Anyway, the quarter was interesting to see. Their market square was mostly dead. But the "downtown" square was alive with businesses, many of them catering to Jews again. Many Jewish tourists were in the area seeing the synagogues, the cemetery, and a Jewish museum. With all the restaurants and bars, I'm sure the area is very active in the evenings.
I also spent some time in the main square of the Old Town today. It is a HUGE square, so many activities occur around it. People sit and watch people. Tour groups pass through. Carriages come and go. And entertainment groups perform. There are three men playing classical music on accordions which are my favorite performers. They are very good. But I especially enjoyed watching a Swedish marching band perform today. It was a group of young people who were not great in terms of playing, but their enthusiasm, as shown in their movements, made them especially entertaining. I don't know the name of the group, but they had patches on their uniforms indicated they have either travelled lots of places or have won some competitions.
The last half of the afternoon, I did travel planning. I had intended to be in the mountains for 2-3 nights. But the forecast is not good for there. I don't want to be in a small mountain village with it raining for 2-3 days. Therefore, I have decided to go through the mountains and head westward tomorrow for Bardejov if I can get transportation. I already have a bus ticket to Zakapone on the Polish side of the mountains. It should allow me to connect with a bus to go over the mountains to Poprad in Slovakia. If that all works okay, I will try to catch a bus from Poprad to Bardejov. There is also an option of a train, but buses are faster. I'm not making a reservation in Bardejov, because I am unsure if I will get that far tomorrow. But I spent some of the afternoon researching all the hotels and pensions there and marking them on my map. If I get there, I have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th choices (since this is the tourism season) and other possibilities if those are full. If I don't get there, I will just search for a place to stay wherever I have to stop.
Note: It's possible I may have to stay somewhere without wi-fi or other forms of Internet connections. I'll be back online with posts as soon as I can.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Rainy Day; Went Underground
Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014--Krakow
This was the first rainy day since I left San Antonio a month ago. I know I've been incredibly lucky not to have rain for a month in Europe, but it was still a disappointment to see it falling this morning. And it wasn't just a drizzle. It was slightly blowing RAIN requiring an umbrella and cautious steps.
My solution was to do something totally different today. I went underground to tour the salt mine in nearby Wieliczka.
Getting there wasn't easy, though. I walked about 12 blocks to get to where my guidebooks said that the mini-buses for there would be leaving. There were no mini-buses. Two women there marked the new location for the mini-buses on my map--3 blocks from my apartment!!! So I had to walk all the way back again in the rain.
That was just the first hassle, though. When the mini-bus dropped me off, I was still a 10-minute walk in the rain from mines. And when I got to the mines, the lines of people to buy tickets were about 100 yards (100 m) long with no cover from the rain! After a moment, a woman walked up to her family behind me and said that we were in the wrong line. It was for Poles. There is another international line. I went with them only to find out that the international line was as long as the one for Poles!
I overheard the woman talking to her youngest son. I asked, "Are you Danish?" She was surprised that I recognized the language and wanted to know how I knew it. We visited for quite a while, because it took us 45 minutes in line before we got to the ticket window. She is Danish (from Viborg) and is married to a man from Croatia. They live in Croatia, but she takes the children back to Denmark every summer. I asked if they celebrated a Danish-style Christmas or a Croatian-style one. She said that it is a blend, then she added that his whole family loves the Danish rice-almond pudding and that it wouldn't be Christmas for any of them now without it. We all ended up in the same tour group, since they and their sons all speak and understand English.
Visiting the mines ended up being a major undertaking. Not only did it take long to find the bus to go there and to stand in line for the tickets, but the tour is THREE HOURS long!! Much of it involves walking down tunnels (after walking down about 50 flights of stairs) from one chamber to another. The attraction is that the miners have created carved figures in many of the chambers. What I (and probably everyone else) didn't understand in advance is that there is only one major chamber--the one you always see in photographs. Most of the other carvings are just single sculptures of a king here, a founder of modern Poland, there. The only other chamber that I thought was cute and interesting was one that had a series of gnomes carved in playful poses. The two sons of the Danish woman became tired and bored about halfway through the tour. I kept worrying that I might not make it back to Krakow for my 18:15 appointment. Anyway, I left the apartment at 9:45, I caught the mini-bus about 10:45, I was in line to buy my ticket from about 11:30-12:15, the tour lasted from 12:30 until 3:30, and I got back in town by mini-bus at 4:15. That's a lot of time for one attraction. And it was over-priced at $26 per person. Yet the salt mine gets 8000 visitors per day at this time of the year and a total of 1.2 million visitors each year.
After a short rest at the apartment, I went to the nearby shopping center. I had plans to meet Andro, the young Georgian man I met when I stayed in the apartment with him and his parents in 2008. He lives here in Krakow now and is engaged to marry a Polish woman. He works for Kenexa which is owned by IBM working with their clients in Ukraine and Russia. Even though he is now about 30 years old, he still looks like a student. He took me to a small student restaurant in town for inexpensive Polish food. We each had a soup--a noodle soup for him and a bowl of beet soup with a fried chicken croquette for me. Then we drank a beer as we continued talking. We were only together for 1 1/2 hours, but it seems as if we talked enough for 3 hours! His English is perfect, and we just rushed from one topic to another--his parents, their health, changes in Tbilisi, his job here, his fiance's job (she's an author), my trip, the problems in Ukraine, the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan, etc. His parents have done a great job of raising and educating him. He's a very sweet man.
This morning, I bought my bus ticket to get me to the mountains on Saturday. It will take me to Zakopane on the Polish side of the border and should arrive 30 minutes before the bus leaves for the Slovakian side of the border. Now I need to read my Slovakian guide to determine exactly where I want to stay overnight for the 2-3 nights I will be there. If any of you are looking back to my itinerary, you will see that I cut a day off the planned visit here in Krakow. After leaving the mountains, I hope to make an extra stop for just half a day/one night in Bardejov which is supposed to be a very nice town in Slovakia. I had wanted to go there, but cut it because of time constraints. Now I think it probably can be seen in half a day and have planned an extra day to try to go there.
This was the first rainy day since I left San Antonio a month ago. I know I've been incredibly lucky not to have rain for a month in Europe, but it was still a disappointment to see it falling this morning. And it wasn't just a drizzle. It was slightly blowing RAIN requiring an umbrella and cautious steps.
My solution was to do something totally different today. I went underground to tour the salt mine in nearby Wieliczka.
Getting there wasn't easy, though. I walked about 12 blocks to get to where my guidebooks said that the mini-buses for there would be leaving. There were no mini-buses. Two women there marked the new location for the mini-buses on my map--3 blocks from my apartment!!! So I had to walk all the way back again in the rain.
That was just the first hassle, though. When the mini-bus dropped me off, I was still a 10-minute walk in the rain from mines. And when I got to the mines, the lines of people to buy tickets were about 100 yards (100 m) long with no cover from the rain! After a moment, a woman walked up to her family behind me and said that we were in the wrong line. It was for Poles. There is another international line. I went with them only to find out that the international line was as long as the one for Poles!
I overheard the woman talking to her youngest son. I asked, "Are you Danish?" She was surprised that I recognized the language and wanted to know how I knew it. We visited for quite a while, because it took us 45 minutes in line before we got to the ticket window. She is Danish (from Viborg) and is married to a man from Croatia. They live in Croatia, but she takes the children back to Denmark every summer. I asked if they celebrated a Danish-style Christmas or a Croatian-style one. She said that it is a blend, then she added that his whole family loves the Danish rice-almond pudding and that it wouldn't be Christmas for any of them now without it. We all ended up in the same tour group, since they and their sons all speak and understand English.
Visiting the mines ended up being a major undertaking. Not only did it take long to find the bus to go there and to stand in line for the tickets, but the tour is THREE HOURS long!! Much of it involves walking down tunnels (after walking down about 50 flights of stairs) from one chamber to another. The attraction is that the miners have created carved figures in many of the chambers. What I (and probably everyone else) didn't understand in advance is that there is only one major chamber--the one you always see in photographs. Most of the other carvings are just single sculptures of a king here, a founder of modern Poland, there. The only other chamber that I thought was cute and interesting was one that had a series of gnomes carved in playful poses. The two sons of the Danish woman became tired and bored about halfway through the tour. I kept worrying that I might not make it back to Krakow for my 18:15 appointment. Anyway, I left the apartment at 9:45, I caught the mini-bus about 10:45, I was in line to buy my ticket from about 11:30-12:15, the tour lasted from 12:30 until 3:30, and I got back in town by mini-bus at 4:15. That's a lot of time for one attraction. And it was over-priced at $26 per person. Yet the salt mine gets 8000 visitors per day at this time of the year and a total of 1.2 million visitors each year.
After a short rest at the apartment, I went to the nearby shopping center. I had plans to meet Andro, the young Georgian man I met when I stayed in the apartment with him and his parents in 2008. He lives here in Krakow now and is engaged to marry a Polish woman. He works for Kenexa which is owned by IBM working with their clients in Ukraine and Russia. Even though he is now about 30 years old, he still looks like a student. He took me to a small student restaurant in town for inexpensive Polish food. We each had a soup--a noodle soup for him and a bowl of beet soup with a fried chicken croquette for me. Then we drank a beer as we continued talking. We were only together for 1 1/2 hours, but it seems as if we talked enough for 3 hours! His English is perfect, and we just rushed from one topic to another--his parents, their health, changes in Tbilisi, his job here, his fiance's job (she's an author), my trip, the problems in Ukraine, the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan, etc. His parents have done a great job of raising and educating him. He's a very sweet man.
This morning, I bought my bus ticket to get me to the mountains on Saturday. It will take me to Zakopane on the Polish side of the border and should arrive 30 minutes before the bus leaves for the Slovakian side of the border. Now I need to read my Slovakian guide to determine exactly where I want to stay overnight for the 2-3 nights I will be there. If any of you are looking back to my itinerary, you will see that I cut a day off the planned visit here in Krakow. After leaving the mountains, I hope to make an extra stop for just half a day/one night in Bardejov which is supposed to be a very nice town in Slovakia. I had wanted to go there, but cut it because of time constraints. Now I think it probably can be seen in half a day and have planned an extra day to try to go there.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
50% Chance of Rain Forecast Changed to Sun for Me!
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014--Warsaw to Krakow
I can see why it was easy for the Germans to overrun Poland in one night at the beginning of WWII; it's mostly a flat country. How they moved fast enough to do it, however, is another question. Wes' bus trip to Berlin was 9 hours long!! And my train trip which covered about 1/3 of the distance across Poland (going north to south) took 3 1/2 hours.
My apartment here in Krakow is very conveniently located. It is just 2 1/2 blocks from the train station/bus station/shopping complex, and it is a quick walk to the Old Town (just on the other side of that complex). When I arrived, the host had just finished washing the floors and they were drying. She had a renter for a month who moved out this morning.
The forecast had called for a 50% chance of precipitation today here. When I arrived at 13:45, it was sunny and warm, and it stayed that way for the rest of the day. As soon as I put things away, I headed for town. I explored all the streets of the Old Town and its central square which is the largest in Europe. I walked into a few of the churches. I hiked up to Wawel Castle to see its grounds and exterior. I watched people everywhere. I heard some entertainment (bands, singers, etc.) both on stages and performing for tips on the square. It was a pleasant afternoon.
My impression of Krakow is that the Old Town is nice. However, it is not as impressive in LOOKS as other old towns I have seen. What makes it special is that it is almost completely in tact and that it was never destroyed and rebuilt in recent times; it's original from hundreds of years ago.
Among my thoughts today as I wandered around town was that it is better for me to take an around-the-world trip than it is for me to take a long holiday within one region. Everything is looking similar everywhere. I am tired of European churches, European art, European city museums, European town squares, etc. With an around-the-world trip, I may stay 6 weeks in Asia, 6 weeks in Europe, 6 weeks in South America, etc. And the areas within those continents that I visit may vary quite a bit. Today, however, I kept thinking: Do I really want to go to the trouble to try to go inside Wawel Castle? To do so requires studying about 7 separate areas to determine which interest me the most. Then tickets must be bought in advance that require visiting at a certain hour during the day. So a whole day could be wasted waiting in line for tickets and then waiting for visiting times. And then it would be ANOTHER European castle!
I'm going to sleep on it.
I can see why it was easy for the Germans to overrun Poland in one night at the beginning of WWII; it's mostly a flat country. How they moved fast enough to do it, however, is another question. Wes' bus trip to Berlin was 9 hours long!! And my train trip which covered about 1/3 of the distance across Poland (going north to south) took 3 1/2 hours.
My apartment here in Krakow is very conveniently located. It is just 2 1/2 blocks from the train station/bus station/shopping complex, and it is a quick walk to the Old Town (just on the other side of that complex). When I arrived, the host had just finished washing the floors and they were drying. She had a renter for a month who moved out this morning.
The forecast had called for a 50% chance of precipitation today here. When I arrived at 13:45, it was sunny and warm, and it stayed that way for the rest of the day. As soon as I put things away, I headed for town. I explored all the streets of the Old Town and its central square which is the largest in Europe. I walked into a few of the churches. I hiked up to Wawel Castle to see its grounds and exterior. I watched people everywhere. I heard some entertainment (bands, singers, etc.) both on stages and performing for tips on the square. It was a pleasant afternoon.
My impression of Krakow is that the Old Town is nice. However, it is not as impressive in LOOKS as other old towns I have seen. What makes it special is that it is almost completely in tact and that it was never destroyed and rebuilt in recent times; it's original from hundreds of years ago.
Among my thoughts today as I wandered around town was that it is better for me to take an around-the-world trip than it is for me to take a long holiday within one region. Everything is looking similar everywhere. I am tired of European churches, European art, European city museums, European town squares, etc. With an around-the-world trip, I may stay 6 weeks in Asia, 6 weeks in Europe, 6 weeks in South America, etc. And the areas within those continents that I visit may vary quite a bit. Today, however, I kept thinking: Do I really want to go to the trouble to try to go inside Wawel Castle? To do so requires studying about 7 separate areas to determine which interest me the most. Then tickets must be bought in advance that require visiting at a certain hour during the day. So a whole day could be wasted waiting in line for tickets and then waiting for visiting times. And then it would be ANOTHER European castle!
I'm going to sleep on it.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Rooftop Gardens
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014--Warsaw
This has been our last full day together as travellers and our last day to explore Warsaw. Wes will leave tomorrow morning VERY early (5:40) for Berlin and I will leave at 10:15 for Krakow.
It was business first today. I bought my train ticket for tomorrow and communicated with the owner of the apartment I have rented in Krakow. Then we headed to the Museum of Modern Art which is near the train station. Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet. It doesn't open until noon, and it was only 10:30 when we were there. We scratched that off our list and headed to our next destination which proved to be a highlight of our visit here.
The library at the university here in Warsaw is a new building that is quite unique in design. It was built to have gardens on top of the building and angling all the way down to the ground level on one side. We entered the gardens via a side gate and began to climb stairs. Eventually we were on top and could look through porthole windows to the floor of the library about 3 stories below where people were walking, others were on computers, etc. The gardens included flowers, small trees, bushes, etc. As with most special garden places, a bride and groom were there having portraits made. But many people were there enjoying the sunny day, the unique atmosphere, and the nice views over the city.
Back downstairs, we looked at the interesting panels on the outside walls of the library. One had a piece of music. Another had math/science formulas and computer programming. The others were texts in various languages--Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, Russian, and Polish.
Around the corner and down the street is another new building--the Copernicus Science Center. It is massive, and it had long lines of young people waiting to enter. I didn't find the exterior of the building to be very special. It, too, has some small roof gardens which we could see from the top of the library--probably demonstrating different types of landscaping such as xeriscapes vs. the usual green gardens, etc.
From there, we headed over the bridge crossing the Vistula River to the Praga district of Warsaw. It has been somewhat isolated from the rest of the city, and it probably looks more like Warsaw did during communist times than other parts of the city do today. It still has large outdoor markets with people selling whatever they have available that might make them some money. It still has buildings that are not just dull and dreary but are also crumbling. However, things are changing. There is a new metro line being built to there, so it will probably redevelop/develop fast due to its closeness to the center of the city once the convenience of taking the metro becomes available.
In the mid-afternoon, we finished walking the Royal Way. Then we stopped at a milk bar around 16:30 for dinner. We shared two dishes--roast pork in a mushroom sauce with potatoes and a plate of meat (chicken) pierogi (dumplings) served with chives and chunks of cracklings. Both were delicious.
Tonight we are dealing with business matters. Copying our photos from my camera memory to Wes' memory stick, updating our spending records, deciding who takes the Euros (Wes)/who takes the Zlotys (me), etc.
This has been our last full day together as travellers and our last day to explore Warsaw. Wes will leave tomorrow morning VERY early (5:40) for Berlin and I will leave at 10:15 for Krakow.
It was business first today. I bought my train ticket for tomorrow and communicated with the owner of the apartment I have rented in Krakow. Then we headed to the Museum of Modern Art which is near the train station. Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet. It doesn't open until noon, and it was only 10:30 when we were there. We scratched that off our list and headed to our next destination which proved to be a highlight of our visit here.
The library at the university here in Warsaw is a new building that is quite unique in design. It was built to have gardens on top of the building and angling all the way down to the ground level on one side. We entered the gardens via a side gate and began to climb stairs. Eventually we were on top and could look through porthole windows to the floor of the library about 3 stories below where people were walking, others were on computers, etc. The gardens included flowers, small trees, bushes, etc. As with most special garden places, a bride and groom were there having portraits made. But many people were there enjoying the sunny day, the unique atmosphere, and the nice views over the city.
Back downstairs, we looked at the interesting panels on the outside walls of the library. One had a piece of music. Another had math/science formulas and computer programming. The others were texts in various languages--Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, Russian, and Polish.
Around the corner and down the street is another new building--the Copernicus Science Center. It is massive, and it had long lines of young people waiting to enter. I didn't find the exterior of the building to be very special. It, too, has some small roof gardens which we could see from the top of the library--probably demonstrating different types of landscaping such as xeriscapes vs. the usual green gardens, etc.
From there, we headed over the bridge crossing the Vistula River to the Praga district of Warsaw. It has been somewhat isolated from the rest of the city, and it probably looks more like Warsaw did during communist times than other parts of the city do today. It still has large outdoor markets with people selling whatever they have available that might make them some money. It still has buildings that are not just dull and dreary but are also crumbling. However, things are changing. There is a new metro line being built to there, so it will probably redevelop/develop fast due to its closeness to the center of the city once the convenience of taking the metro becomes available.
In the mid-afternoon, we finished walking the Royal Way. Then we stopped at a milk bar around 16:30 for dinner. We shared two dishes--roast pork in a mushroom sauce with potatoes and a plate of meat (chicken) pierogi (dumplings) served with chives and chunks of cracklings. Both were delicious.
Tonight we are dealing with business matters. Copying our photos from my camera memory to Wes' memory stick, updating our spending records, deciding who takes the Euros (Wes)/who takes the Zlotys (me), etc.
Monday, August 18, 2014
More English than We Have Heard in a Month!
Monday, Aug. 18, 2014--Warsaw
We have heard more English spoken here in Warsaw than we have anywhere else on the trip. It's not all tourists, either. English seems to be a language with major usage for business and other purposes here.
Museums were closed today because it is a Monday, but we weren't really interested in visiting them due to having seen so many on Saturday in Poznan. Instead, we walked the streets. We explored the area around our hotel seeing mainly the Palace of Culture which is the famous Russian-built tower that is a symbol of Warsaw. Then we visited the Saxon Gardens, the first public park in Poland.
We were headed for the Old Town which was rebuilt after WWII and is a World Heritage Site. Although not very large, it seems almost completely as it must have looked before the war. It is different from the Old Towns in Wroclaw and Poznan--not having squares as large as those and not having buildings quite as fancy. But it as a nice feel to it. In the area, we extended our walk to include New Town which is also an old town but was new when it was built just outside the city walls hundreds of years ago. We saw a new statue (a gift of France which I cannot find on the Internet in a photo search) of Marie Curie who was Polish and a monument to those who led the Warsaw Uprising against the Germans in 1944.
After exploring all the streets of Old Town, we headed down the Royal Way, a street with a series of names that goes from Old Town to the Royal Lazienski Park where we attended the concert. It is lined with massive buildings and later with exclusive shops.
Warsaw likes to put up posters to tell its story, so it was like we were in outdoor museums most of the day. My favorites were a series telling the story of the Warsaw Uprising and a series showing the changes in the city since the fall of communism 25 years ago. The later had contrasting photos to show the differences in buildings/neighborhoods from 1989 to 2014.
Eventually, we left part of the Royal Way for tomorrow. It was getting late in the afternoon and we were tired and hungry. We went to a neighborhood milk bar hoping to eat there, but it wasn't the kind where you can see the food. They had a menu posted, and you have to know the dishes by name and pay a cashier first. Then you take the receipt to a window for service from the kitchen. An Asian man had given us a copy of his menu on our way there, so we returned to his place and had a bowl of very spicy noodle soup and a dish of chicken teriyaki with rice. I took photos of the menu at the other restaurant. If we have time to study and translate them, we may go there tomorrow.
We have heard more English spoken here in Warsaw than we have anywhere else on the trip. It's not all tourists, either. English seems to be a language with major usage for business and other purposes here.
Museums were closed today because it is a Monday, but we weren't really interested in visiting them due to having seen so many on Saturday in Poznan. Instead, we walked the streets. We explored the area around our hotel seeing mainly the Palace of Culture which is the famous Russian-built tower that is a symbol of Warsaw. Then we visited the Saxon Gardens, the first public park in Poland.
We were headed for the Old Town which was rebuilt after WWII and is a World Heritage Site. Although not very large, it seems almost completely as it must have looked before the war. It is different from the Old Towns in Wroclaw and Poznan--not having squares as large as those and not having buildings quite as fancy. But it as a nice feel to it. In the area, we extended our walk to include New Town which is also an old town but was new when it was built just outside the city walls hundreds of years ago. We saw a new statue (a gift of France which I cannot find on the Internet in a photo search) of Marie Curie who was Polish and a monument to those who led the Warsaw Uprising against the Germans in 1944.
After exploring all the streets of Old Town, we headed down the Royal Way, a street with a series of names that goes from Old Town to the Royal Lazienski Park where we attended the concert. It is lined with massive buildings and later with exclusive shops.
Warsaw likes to put up posters to tell its story, so it was like we were in outdoor museums most of the day. My favorites were a series telling the story of the Warsaw Uprising and a series showing the changes in the city since the fall of communism 25 years ago. The later had contrasting photos to show the differences in buildings/neighborhoods from 1989 to 2014.
Eventually, we left part of the Royal Way for tomorrow. It was getting late in the afternoon and we were tired and hungry. We went to a neighborhood milk bar hoping to eat there, but it wasn't the kind where you can see the food. They had a menu posted, and you have to know the dishes by name and pay a cashier first. Then you take the receipt to a window for service from the kitchen. An Asian man had given us a copy of his menu on our way there, so we returned to his place and had a bowl of very spicy noodle soup and a dish of chicken teriyaki with rice. I took photos of the menu at the other restaurant. If we have time to study and translate them, we may go there tomorrow.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Chopin in the Park
Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014--Poznan to Warsaw
Last night after posting to the blog, we heard drums pounding and people chanting. A little while later, we started hearing music. We decided to go out to investigate. We just followed the sound. It took us to a park about 4 blocks from our apartment. It was a rehearsal for a folklife performance called Integration that was to take place tonight. Wes had read about the performance and was sorry that we were leaving town and couldn't attend. Well, we stood there for about 1 1/2 hours seeing most of the performance as a rehearsal. It included groups from Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Japan, Cypress, and Mexico. They performed folk music and folk dances. It was fun to see and a surprise event we didn't expect to get to attend.
This morning, we didn't have to rush, because our train didn't leave until 11:27. We ate breakfast at the apartment--soft boiled eggs, bread, herb cheese, camembert cheese, and tea. I made sandwiches for us to have later in the day. Even though we left at 10:30, the couple who own the apartment were still asleep because of attending a wedding last night. We felt bad about waking them up, but we needed to give them the key and have them lock the door behind us.
We were in a full compartment in the train--5 guys (including the two of us) and 3 ladies. For the first 2 hours of the 3 1/2 hour trip Wes and I would occasionally said something to each other, but no one else talked. I saw that one of the guys, a young one who seemed a bit awkward socially was reading an English manual and had a copy of Newsweek with him. At one point, when Wes went for the second time to the walkway to stand by the window, the young man jumped up and went out to talk to him. Later, when one of the women was outside the compartment, I leaned toward the young man and talked to him, too. His English vocabulary and his structure of his sentences were both perfect, but he was very slow at talking. He had a more difficult time understanding what we said. He just seemed to be very slow at processing what he was to say and what he heard. Our conversation, however, caused others to become involved. Eventually all 5 of us guys were talking among each other. One was reading an American book entitled Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life by Larry Winget which he said was very funny. The other young man is a lawyer. We talked to him about the importance of English in his job. All were surprised that we are travelling so long. The lawyer was surprised that we walk so much--not the reputation for Americans that he had in mind. And he was very surprised that we already knew about a concert that we hoped to attend this afternoon.
Our hotel is only 3 blocks from the train station. Wes booked it, because we couldn't find any apartments except ones far from the center. It's a Hampton--apparently a new name being used for larger hotels now that Hampton Inns have been bought buy Hilton. The room is nice, but we could have used a refrigerator.
We arrived at 15:00 at the station and got checked in at the Hampton within 15 minutes. The weather was not promising for an outdoor concert, so we were just taking our time in the room. Suddenly, the skies cleared around 15:40, so we rushed to make it to the park taking the sandwiches I had made this morning. We arrived at 16:10 with piano music by Chopin in the air. A large crowd was enjoying the sunshine and the concert. The pianist, Masako Ezaki from Japan, was under a small arched tent cover just beside the beautiful statue of Chopin in the park. It is a series that occurs every Sunday and goes back to 1959. We sat on the ground and started eating. Half-way through our meal, some women left a bench in front of us and we grabbed it.
After the concert, we walked through the park. It has a former palace known as the Palace Upon the Water. And there was a special Chinese festival of lights with lighted lanterns along the walkways, lighted animal figures, lighted lotus blossoms floating in a lake, etc. People were in boats on the water, wandering through the park, having tea in the garden of a restaurant, singing folk songs, etc.
There are always business matters as part of traveling. Back in the room, I searched for a place to stay in Krckow and have tried to make a reservation. I will hear whether it is accepted within 24 hours. If the owner doesn't respond, I have start again trying to find a place to stay while I am there.
Note: My phone is working again. The solution was to update the app for my phone company after updating the software for the phone itself. I can now make calls and receive voice mails and sms messages again.
Last night after posting to the blog, we heard drums pounding and people chanting. A little while later, we started hearing music. We decided to go out to investigate. We just followed the sound. It took us to a park about 4 blocks from our apartment. It was a rehearsal for a folklife performance called Integration that was to take place tonight. Wes had read about the performance and was sorry that we were leaving town and couldn't attend. Well, we stood there for about 1 1/2 hours seeing most of the performance as a rehearsal. It included groups from Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Japan, Cypress, and Mexico. They performed folk music and folk dances. It was fun to see and a surprise event we didn't expect to get to attend.
This morning, we didn't have to rush, because our train didn't leave until 11:27. We ate breakfast at the apartment--soft boiled eggs, bread, herb cheese, camembert cheese, and tea. I made sandwiches for us to have later in the day. Even though we left at 10:30, the couple who own the apartment were still asleep because of attending a wedding last night. We felt bad about waking them up, but we needed to give them the key and have them lock the door behind us.
We were in a full compartment in the train--5 guys (including the two of us) and 3 ladies. For the first 2 hours of the 3 1/2 hour trip Wes and I would occasionally said something to each other, but no one else talked. I saw that one of the guys, a young one who seemed a bit awkward socially was reading an English manual and had a copy of Newsweek with him. At one point, when Wes went for the second time to the walkway to stand by the window, the young man jumped up and went out to talk to him. Later, when one of the women was outside the compartment, I leaned toward the young man and talked to him, too. His English vocabulary and his structure of his sentences were both perfect, but he was very slow at talking. He had a more difficult time understanding what we said. He just seemed to be very slow at processing what he was to say and what he heard. Our conversation, however, caused others to become involved. Eventually all 5 of us guys were talking among each other. One was reading an American book entitled Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life by Larry Winget which he said was very funny. The other young man is a lawyer. We talked to him about the importance of English in his job. All were surprised that we are travelling so long. The lawyer was surprised that we walk so much--not the reputation for Americans that he had in mind. And he was very surprised that we already knew about a concert that we hoped to attend this afternoon.
Our hotel is only 3 blocks from the train station. Wes booked it, because we couldn't find any apartments except ones far from the center. It's a Hampton--apparently a new name being used for larger hotels now that Hampton Inns have been bought buy Hilton. The room is nice, but we could have used a refrigerator.
We arrived at 15:00 at the station and got checked in at the Hampton within 15 minutes. The weather was not promising for an outdoor concert, so we were just taking our time in the room. Suddenly, the skies cleared around 15:40, so we rushed to make it to the park taking the sandwiches I had made this morning. We arrived at 16:10 with piano music by Chopin in the air. A large crowd was enjoying the sunshine and the concert. The pianist, Masako Ezaki from Japan, was under a small arched tent cover just beside the beautiful statue of Chopin in the park. It is a series that occurs every Sunday and goes back to 1959. We sat on the ground and started eating. Half-way through our meal, some women left a bench in front of us and we grabbed it.
After the concert, we walked through the park. It has a former palace known as the Palace Upon the Water. And there was a special Chinese festival of lights with lighted lanterns along the walkways, lighted animal figures, lighted lotus blossoms floating in a lake, etc. People were in boats on the water, wandering through the park, having tea in the garden of a restaurant, singing folk songs, etc.
There are always business matters as part of traveling. Back in the room, I searched for a place to stay in Krckow and have tried to make a reservation. I will hear whether it is accepted within 24 hours. If the owner doesn't respond, I have start again trying to find a place to stay while I am there.
Note: My phone is working again. The solution was to update the app for my phone company after updating the software for the phone itself. I can now make calls and receive voice mails and sms messages again.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Goat Fight
Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014--Poznan
We probably should have planned 3 days here in Poznan. It is a nice city with much to see and do. But since we only had the latter part of yesterday and all of today, we had to make the most of today.
After buying tickets for our train trip to Warsaw tomorrow, we headed back to the Old Town and toured the City Museum which includes rooms in the Town Hall. Then we went outdoors to wait for the 12:00 ringing of the clock on the Town Hall. Among a huge crowd, we waited. Afer the 12th ring of the bells, doors opened and two goats appeared above us. Finally they turned, and 12 times they butted their heads. It's based on an old story from here about two goats that escaped from the kitchen staff at the Town Hall. But instead of heading for their freedom, they ended up getting in a fight with each other and being found and returned to the kitchen. Now, every day at noon, the goats butt heads again above the assembled crowds. As Gypsy Rose Lee said, "Ya' gotta' have a gimmick!
We immediately headed to the Jesuit church we had toured yesterday for an organ concert that was scheduled to begin at 12:15. It was presented by a student at the local university who is completing his work for a doctorate. He played four pieces, three of which both Wes and I knew already. It as a good concert played before a full house.
We spent most of the remainder of the afternoon visiting two more museums--the Archeological Museum and the National Museum. Both were interesting with major concentrations on Poland. The Archeological Museum traced the early movement of people into Poland at the end of the ice ages and continued through the Bronze, Iron, etc., ages up to more recent times. The National Museum has four floors of art with 75% or more of it being by Polish artists.
Before the day closed, we headed to the Cathedral on an island to the east of town. It was nothing special to see except for a very nice golden alter, a nice golden chapel to the side, and the crypts for two of the Polish kings.
By the time we made it back to the apartment at 18:00, we were tired. Later in the evening, however, we went out to explore part of the nearby neighborhood we still had not seen including Woodrow Wilson Park.
We probably should have planned 3 days here in Poznan. It is a nice city with much to see and do. But since we only had the latter part of yesterday and all of today, we had to make the most of today.
After buying tickets for our train trip to Warsaw tomorrow, we headed back to the Old Town and toured the City Museum which includes rooms in the Town Hall. Then we went outdoors to wait for the 12:00 ringing of the clock on the Town Hall. Among a huge crowd, we waited. Afer the 12th ring of the bells, doors opened and two goats appeared above us. Finally they turned, and 12 times they butted their heads. It's based on an old story from here about two goats that escaped from the kitchen staff at the Town Hall. But instead of heading for their freedom, they ended up getting in a fight with each other and being found and returned to the kitchen. Now, every day at noon, the goats butt heads again above the assembled crowds. As Gypsy Rose Lee said, "Ya' gotta' have a gimmick!
We immediately headed to the Jesuit church we had toured yesterday for an organ concert that was scheduled to begin at 12:15. It was presented by a student at the local university who is completing his work for a doctorate. He played four pieces, three of which both Wes and I knew already. It as a good concert played before a full house.
We spent most of the remainder of the afternoon visiting two more museums--the Archeological Museum and the National Museum. Both were interesting with major concentrations on Poland. The Archeological Museum traced the early movement of people into Poland at the end of the ice ages and continued through the Bronze, Iron, etc., ages up to more recent times. The National Museum has four floors of art with 75% or more of it being by Polish artists.
Before the day closed, we headed to the Cathedral on an island to the east of town. It was nothing special to see except for a very nice golden alter, a nice golden chapel to the side, and the crypts for two of the Polish kings.
By the time we made it back to the apartment at 18:00, we were tired. Later in the evening, however, we went out to explore part of the nearby neighborhood we still had not seen including Woodrow Wilson Park.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Food Fair
Friday, Aug. 15, 2014 (Assumption Day)--Wroclaw to Poznan
Our train wasn't scheduled to leave until 11:38, so we took our time this morning. The tranquillity was marred somewhat by a message from AIRBNB that they are still having problems charging via my credit card. I thought I had that straightened out over a week ago. Apparently, I have to call the credit card company a THIRD time. I'm beginning to wonder about the competency of Capital One!!! The solution was to put our apartment here in Poznan on Wes' card.
On the way to the station, we detoured to have one last ice cream cone at the place we discovered yesterday. Today, we each had a dip of dark chocolate and a dip of peanut butter ice cream. UMMMMM! It's a wonderful place. I wish I had recipes for ice cream that delicious.
It was quiet as we were walking to the ice cream shop and then to the train station. I checked my guidebook and discovered that it is Assumption Day. Fortunately we had reserved seats on the train, so we didn't have to worry about not getting a seat. As expected once we realized it was a holiday, the train was jam-packed with people!
We had no problem finding our way to the Cozy Place Near City Park which is an apartment we had reserved for ourselves. We were met by Joanna who was so sweet and nice. Because it is a holiday, she had bought some eggs, bread, and other items that we might need for today/tomorrow morning. The apartment itself is my favorite of the ones we have rented on this trip.
We headed out to the city after getting settled. We only have two nights here which means the last half of this afternoon and all of tomorrow. And the city of Poznan is bigger than we expected. It is a university city and a city popular with trade fairs and conferences, but it is also an old city with a large town square in the old town. There is lots to see and do here.
This weekend, there is a food fair in the main square of the Old Town. We wandered around the square seeing the items offered at all the stalls. Many had either alcoholic drinks (wines, liquors, craft beers, etc.), cheeses, breads, etc. Several had prepared food for sale. We settled on one that had kiolbasa sausages and roasted small new potatoes with herbs. It was served with mustard. It made a delicious dinner for us.
As we wandered some of the back streets around the square, we came upon a wedding that was ending at the Parish Church of St. Stanislaus. A military guard rattled their sabres as the couple left the church. As the crowd cleared, we entered. It has a very elaborately decorated interior.
By about 18:30, rain was threatening, so we headed back to our apartment. We bought beer to drink on our balcony overlooking the gardens of this building and two others. The air is turning cooler these days, so we will probably be switching to long pants and pullovers. But tonight we were still able to sit outside and drink our first beer which we shared. Drizzle began, so we came inside to drink the second.
Note to friends about phone calls: I updated my phone software a few days ago, and I am having troubles with it. I should never had performed the upgrade. For some reason, it is not connecting properly to wi-fi for phone calls. It allows me to download data and do searches, but it won't let me do phone calls. I've contacted Republic Wireless. Until I either remove the update or find another solution, I won't be able to call US phone numbers or to receive voice mails on my mobile phone.
Our train wasn't scheduled to leave until 11:38, so we took our time this morning. The tranquillity was marred somewhat by a message from AIRBNB that they are still having problems charging via my credit card. I thought I had that straightened out over a week ago. Apparently, I have to call the credit card company a THIRD time. I'm beginning to wonder about the competency of Capital One!!! The solution was to put our apartment here in Poznan on Wes' card.
On the way to the station, we detoured to have one last ice cream cone at the place we discovered yesterday. Today, we each had a dip of dark chocolate and a dip of peanut butter ice cream. UMMMMM! It's a wonderful place. I wish I had recipes for ice cream that delicious.
It was quiet as we were walking to the ice cream shop and then to the train station. I checked my guidebook and discovered that it is Assumption Day. Fortunately we had reserved seats on the train, so we didn't have to worry about not getting a seat. As expected once we realized it was a holiday, the train was jam-packed with people!
We had no problem finding our way to the Cozy Place Near City Park which is an apartment we had reserved for ourselves. We were met by Joanna who was so sweet and nice. Because it is a holiday, she had bought some eggs, bread, and other items that we might need for today/tomorrow morning. The apartment itself is my favorite of the ones we have rented on this trip.
We headed out to the city after getting settled. We only have two nights here which means the last half of this afternoon and all of tomorrow. And the city of Poznan is bigger than we expected. It is a university city and a city popular with trade fairs and conferences, but it is also an old city with a large town square in the old town. There is lots to see and do here.
This weekend, there is a food fair in the main square of the Old Town. We wandered around the square seeing the items offered at all the stalls. Many had either alcoholic drinks (wines, liquors, craft beers, etc.), cheeses, breads, etc. Several had prepared food for sale. We settled on one that had kiolbasa sausages and roasted small new potatoes with herbs. It was served with mustard. It made a delicious dinner for us.
As we wandered some of the back streets around the square, we came upon a wedding that was ending at the Parish Church of St. Stanislaus. A military guard rattled their sabres as the couple left the church. As the crowd cleared, we entered. It has a very elaborately decorated interior.
By about 18:30, rain was threatening, so we headed back to our apartment. We bought beer to drink on our balcony overlooking the gardens of this building and two others. The air is turning cooler these days, so we will probably be switching to long pants and pullovers. But tonight we were still able to sit outside and drink our first beer which we shared. Drizzle began, so we came inside to drink the second.
Note to friends about phone calls: I updated my phone software a few days ago, and I am having troubles with it. I should never had performed the upgrade. For some reason, it is not connecting properly to wi-fi for phone calls. It allows me to download data and do searches, but it won't let me do phone calls. I've contacted Republic Wireless. Until I either remove the update or find another solution, I won't be able to call US phone numbers or to receive voice mails on my mobile phone.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Ummmm! RICH Ice Cream and More...
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014--Wroclaw
We were left with odds and ends to do today. We headed north of our apartment to check out a nearby park which was nice. Then we headed for the Market Hall building. It's an old market building that still has plenty of stalls selling a bit of everything. That's where we had our first special taste experience of the day. A woman had a stall with two trays of baked goods. It was obvious she had baked them herself at home. Among them were large pastries that looked like kolaches with two side-by-side fillings. One was a sweet cheese filling. The other was slices of fresh plums. Wow, the pastries were filling and wonderful.
On our way to the Botanical Gardens from there, we saw a long line of people outside a shop. It was an ice cream store named Lody Naturaine. We passed it up because we had just eaten our pastries. But when we returned later, the line was still just as long. (Facebook page.) We decided to join it. We each got two dips of ice cream. I had cinnamon and chocolate, and Wes had mango and chocolate. All 3 flavors were fresh and strong. The chocolate was a VERY dark chocolate flavor. It was probably the best ice cream I have ever eaten! About 20 people were in line when we left after eating ours. We have figured out that we can go by there again tomorrow on our way to the train station as we leave town.
Every day we have been here, we have noticed small (mini) statues of ghomes around town. We researched them today. They began as a protest during the Orange Revolution during communism, and now the city is known for them. Today there are more than 250 of them scattered around town. It is fun to find them, and they are all unique.
Most of the day, we just explored streets we had not walked before. We also sat on the main square watching people. On our way home, we stopped at the Mewa Milk Bar (starting at 1:33 in the video) where we ate our first meal here. Today, we got plate of chunks of pork in a thick sauce with mashed potatoes and we got a pork cutlet with mashed potatoes. We eat shared. They were both good dishes. The young man who helped us order the first time we were there came in again. He must get take-away food from there every evening. I would eat there often if I lived here, since the food is like homemade and the prices are cheap.
We were left with odds and ends to do today. We headed north of our apartment to check out a nearby park which was nice. Then we headed for the Market Hall building. It's an old market building that still has plenty of stalls selling a bit of everything. That's where we had our first special taste experience of the day. A woman had a stall with two trays of baked goods. It was obvious she had baked them herself at home. Among them were large pastries that looked like kolaches with two side-by-side fillings. One was a sweet cheese filling. The other was slices of fresh plums. Wow, the pastries were filling and wonderful.
On our way to the Botanical Gardens from there, we saw a long line of people outside a shop. It was an ice cream store named Lody Naturaine. We passed it up because we had just eaten our pastries. But when we returned later, the line was still just as long. (Facebook page.) We decided to join it. We each got two dips of ice cream. I had cinnamon and chocolate, and Wes had mango and chocolate. All 3 flavors were fresh and strong. The chocolate was a VERY dark chocolate flavor. It was probably the best ice cream I have ever eaten! About 20 people were in line when we left after eating ours. We have figured out that we can go by there again tomorrow on our way to the train station as we leave town.
Every day we have been here, we have noticed small (mini) statues of ghomes around town. We researched them today. They began as a protest during the Orange Revolution during communism, and now the city is known for them. Today there are more than 250 of them scattered around town. It is fun to find them, and they are all unique.
Most of the day, we just explored streets we had not walked before. We also sat on the main square watching people. On our way home, we stopped at the Mewa Milk Bar (starting at 1:33 in the video) where we ate our first meal here. Today, we got plate of chunks of pork in a thick sauce with mashed potatoes and we got a pork cutlet with mashed potatoes. We eat shared. They were both good dishes. The young man who helped us order the first time we were there came in again. He must get take-away food from there every evening. I would eat there often if I lived here, since the food is like homemade and the prices are cheap.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Out and About in Wroclaw
Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014--Wroclaw
We had some chores to do today along with exploring the city. We put a load of laundry in the washing machine. Then we went to the nearby Tesco store to buy sandwich/breakfast supplies while the wash was being done. Back at the apartment, we hung our clothes on the line on our back patio to dry. Of to town, our remaining chore was to buy our train tickets to our next town so we could inform the apartment owner when we would arrive. On the way, however, we did some exploring.
Wroclaw has a river which splits and runs around several islands. We walked across the pedestrian bridge to Sand Island. Then we continued to Cathedral Island (which is no longer an island for some reason). It's a bit unusual for a city as old as this to have its cathedral off to the side rather than in the middle of town. But it is not just a cathedral. It is surrounded by many other church structures to create an old, beautiful complex of buildings. The cathedral itself was rather dark, but it has unbelievably bright, beautiful stained glass windows. It also has a copy of the Shroud of Turin which Pope John Paul II gave to them.
We walked across the river from there to the Panorama of Raclawice. It is the major tourist site in the city--a 360 degree painting that is 114 meters long and 15 meters high. It illustrates a battle in 194 when the Poles defeated the Russians. We arrived too late for the required tour, and the next tour that was not already sold out wasn't for 1 1/2 hours. We looked at pictures of the painting in the gift shop and decided it probably would be of interest mostly to Poles rather than foreigners.
Before heading elsewhere, we completed two more chores--buying our train tickets for Friday and exchanging some remaining Czech currency for Polish zloties. Then we were off to explore further.
We went to the Rynek, the main square of the city. It is a HUGE square that has a smaller square inside it housing the City Hall. We took photos of the nice buildings along the sides of the squares. We toured the City Museum which consisted of the older rooms of the City Hall from the 1300s to the 1500s. The best exhibit inside was a series of photographs of the city from 1961-63. It was amazing to see how much of the city was still destroyed from WWII with the ruins still in place or with large vacant areas of the city that had been cleared.
We sat on the square to watch people, including a man creating bubbles for children to chase and burst. We walked into an adjacent small square which houses a flower market. We walked down some of the side streets too see interesting arcitecture from the early 1900s.
We went into several churches during the day. The last one was St. Elizabeth's Church. As we entered, we could hear light organ music playing. We looked to the balcony, and there was no organ. We wandered trying to find the source of the music. Finally, we found it--an old coin-operated music player with requests for donations for reconstructing their church organ. Originally from 1500s, it miraculously survived WWII. But it was destroyed in a fire in th 1960s. The university took the pipes and restored it without giving it back to the church. So they hope to build a replica if they can raise enough money.
When we came out of the church, there was a light drizzle. It was already 17:00, so we rushed back to the apartment where I made dinner for us--pasta with a meat-tomato sauce. After eating it, we sat on our front balcony and watched people as they came and went--dog walkers, people coming home from the day, etc.
I forgot to mention our dinner yesterday. We found a neighborhood milk bar with a line of people in the late afternoon. Milk bars tend to close by 18:00. They have a cafeteria-style service, except in this one everything wasn't visible as it has been in similar places where I have eaten in Eastern Europe. (Milk bars were a common thing in all the former communist countries, I think.) Anyway, a young man in line behind me spoke English. I talked with him and got him to help me order. We had meatball with an onion gravy, mashed potatoes, and a plate of red cabbage. It was a delicious meal--just like homemade. We will go there again tomorrow or to a similar place.
We had some chores to do today along with exploring the city. We put a load of laundry in the washing machine. Then we went to the nearby Tesco store to buy sandwich/breakfast supplies while the wash was being done. Back at the apartment, we hung our clothes on the line on our back patio to dry. Of to town, our remaining chore was to buy our train tickets to our next town so we could inform the apartment owner when we would arrive. On the way, however, we did some exploring.
Wroclaw has a river which splits and runs around several islands. We walked across the pedestrian bridge to Sand Island. Then we continued to Cathedral Island (which is no longer an island for some reason). It's a bit unusual for a city as old as this to have its cathedral off to the side rather than in the middle of town. But it is not just a cathedral. It is surrounded by many other church structures to create an old, beautiful complex of buildings. The cathedral itself was rather dark, but it has unbelievably bright, beautiful stained glass windows. It also has a copy of the Shroud of Turin which Pope John Paul II gave to them.
We walked across the river from there to the Panorama of Raclawice. It is the major tourist site in the city--a 360 degree painting that is 114 meters long and 15 meters high. It illustrates a battle in 194 when the Poles defeated the Russians. We arrived too late for the required tour, and the next tour that was not already sold out wasn't for 1 1/2 hours. We looked at pictures of the painting in the gift shop and decided it probably would be of interest mostly to Poles rather than foreigners.
Before heading elsewhere, we completed two more chores--buying our train tickets for Friday and exchanging some remaining Czech currency for Polish zloties. Then we were off to explore further.
We went to the Rynek, the main square of the city. It is a HUGE square that has a smaller square inside it housing the City Hall. We took photos of the nice buildings along the sides of the squares. We toured the City Museum which consisted of the older rooms of the City Hall from the 1300s to the 1500s. The best exhibit inside was a series of photographs of the city from 1961-63. It was amazing to see how much of the city was still destroyed from WWII with the ruins still in place or with large vacant areas of the city that had been cleared.
We sat on the square to watch people, including a man creating bubbles for children to chase and burst. We walked into an adjacent small square which houses a flower market. We walked down some of the side streets too see interesting arcitecture from the early 1900s.
We went into several churches during the day. The last one was St. Elizabeth's Church. As we entered, we could hear light organ music playing. We looked to the balcony, and there was no organ. We wandered trying to find the source of the music. Finally, we found it--an old coin-operated music player with requests for donations for reconstructing their church organ. Originally from 1500s, it miraculously survived WWII. But it was destroyed in a fire in th 1960s. The university took the pipes and restored it without giving it back to the church. So they hope to build a replica if they can raise enough money.
When we came out of the church, there was a light drizzle. It was already 17:00, so we rushed back to the apartment where I made dinner for us--pasta with a meat-tomato sauce. After eating it, we sat on our front balcony and watched people as they came and went--dog walkers, people coming home from the day, etc.
I forgot to mention our dinner yesterday. We found a neighborhood milk bar with a line of people in the late afternoon. Milk bars tend to close by 18:00. They have a cafeteria-style service, except in this one everything wasn't visible as it has been in similar places where I have eaten in Eastern Europe. (Milk bars were a common thing in all the former communist countries, I think.) Anyway, a young man in line behind me spoke English. I talked with him and got him to help me order. We had meatball with an onion gravy, mashed potatoes, and a plate of red cabbage. It was a delicious meal--just like homemade. We will go there again tomorrow or to a similar place.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Tense Travel Day
Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2014--Dresden to Wroclaw
We have gotten some very nice apartments by renting through Wimdu and Airbnb on this trip, but there are negative aspects to using such services. One is that it can be very difficult to contact them and get action when a problem occurs. I wrote earlier about the difficulty of solving a problem with an Airbnb rental in Brno. Today was an example of another type of problem--arrangements for meeting to transfer the keys.
I made the reservation about two weeks ago for the Apartment in the Center of Wroclaw through Wimdu. I had pleasant communications with the host. I told him what train we would be taking, and he said others have taken the same train. I contacted him about 5 days ago to say we had bought our train tickets, would arrive at the station at 14:27, and would walk from there to the apartment. I commented that we didn't know if the train would be on time or late, and I estimated our arrival to be sometime between 15:15 and 16:00. He wrote back saying he would be going out of town and he would arrange for a friend to meet us at 15:15 and sent her phone number for us to call if the train was late. I wrote back saying that we do not have a phone that works in Europe. He responded that it was very inconvenient that we didn't have a phone that works in Europe (as if all travellers were expected to have one) and that his friend would be here at 15:15. He said that he had no idea whether the train would be on time or not and suggested that we should take a taxi to assure we would be here when his friend expected us. In other words, he was making our arrival very inconvenient for us with absolutely little leeway if the train ran late. I never heard back from him.
Last night, we researched and found that there is a tram that comes straight from the train station to here in about 12 minutes. Furthermore, it is possible to buy tickets from a machine on the tram using a credit card (meaning we didn't have to waste time trying to exchange money and buy a ticket before getting on it). That made me feel a bit better. There was a tram at 14:59 that would get us near the apartment at 15:13!
Well, as expected, something went wrong with the train today. For some reason, they ended up changing the engine. That put us behind schedule. Then, when we finally got to the edge of the station, we had to stop for about 4 minutes waiting for another train to leave. When we stepped onto the platform, it was already 14:52. We RUSHED out of the train station. We found the wrong tram stop and were sent to another. We rushed toward it. As we waited for a street light, we could see our 14:59 tram turning toward the station. We waited. Finally, the light changed, we ran to the tram which was parked behind a bus, and jumped on.
It wasn't obvious how to use the ticket machine, but a man on the bus helped us--two single tickets for us and two luggage tickets for our bags which had to be processed separately. I used the GPS on my phone to follow our program on an offline map I had downloaded earlier. We got off our stop two blocks from the apartment at 15:13 and rushed again. We arrived at the front door of the building at 15:16. Whew!! Fortunately, the lady was waiting for us and everything went smoothly after that. But what if our train had been another 15 minutes late or later? That's another kind of concern one must have when renting an apartment through one of these online agencies.
The apartment itself is very nice and large. See the link on the name in the second paragraph for photos. We had a bit of trouble getting onto the wi-fi, but it worked fine after I found their router/modem, unplugged the power for about a minute, and plugged it back in.
The train trip and getting to the apartment had eaten up much of the day. Around 16:00, we went out for 3 hours just to walk and explore without taking photos or concentrating on trying to find specific sights. My first impression of Wroclaw (pronounced vrots-wahf) is good. Not nearly as many of its buildings have been restored as in the cities we have visited before now, but there is a charm about the city even if many of the buildings are still dark and grimy from years of neglect during communism. Tomorrow, we will get out and explore with some goals in mind.
We have gotten some very nice apartments by renting through Wimdu and Airbnb on this trip, but there are negative aspects to using such services. One is that it can be very difficult to contact them and get action when a problem occurs. I wrote earlier about the difficulty of solving a problem with an Airbnb rental in Brno. Today was an example of another type of problem--arrangements for meeting to transfer the keys.
I made the reservation about two weeks ago for the Apartment in the Center of Wroclaw through Wimdu. I had pleasant communications with the host. I told him what train we would be taking, and he said others have taken the same train. I contacted him about 5 days ago to say we had bought our train tickets, would arrive at the station at 14:27, and would walk from there to the apartment. I commented that we didn't know if the train would be on time or late, and I estimated our arrival to be sometime between 15:15 and 16:00. He wrote back saying he would be going out of town and he would arrange for a friend to meet us at 15:15 and sent her phone number for us to call if the train was late. I wrote back saying that we do not have a phone that works in Europe. He responded that it was very inconvenient that we didn't have a phone that works in Europe (as if all travellers were expected to have one) and that his friend would be here at 15:15. He said that he had no idea whether the train would be on time or not and suggested that we should take a taxi to assure we would be here when his friend expected us. In other words, he was making our arrival very inconvenient for us with absolutely little leeway if the train ran late. I never heard back from him.
Last night, we researched and found that there is a tram that comes straight from the train station to here in about 12 minutes. Furthermore, it is possible to buy tickets from a machine on the tram using a credit card (meaning we didn't have to waste time trying to exchange money and buy a ticket before getting on it). That made me feel a bit better. There was a tram at 14:59 that would get us near the apartment at 15:13!
Well, as expected, something went wrong with the train today. For some reason, they ended up changing the engine. That put us behind schedule. Then, when we finally got to the edge of the station, we had to stop for about 4 minutes waiting for another train to leave. When we stepped onto the platform, it was already 14:52. We RUSHED out of the train station. We found the wrong tram stop and were sent to another. We rushed toward it. As we waited for a street light, we could see our 14:59 tram turning toward the station. We waited. Finally, the light changed, we ran to the tram which was parked behind a bus, and jumped on.
It wasn't obvious how to use the ticket machine, but a man on the bus helped us--two single tickets for us and two luggage tickets for our bags which had to be processed separately. I used the GPS on my phone to follow our program on an offline map I had downloaded earlier. We got off our stop two blocks from the apartment at 15:13 and rushed again. We arrived at the front door of the building at 15:16. Whew!! Fortunately, the lady was waiting for us and everything went smoothly after that. But what if our train had been another 15 minutes late or later? That's another kind of concern one must have when renting an apartment through one of these online agencies.
The apartment itself is very nice and large. See the link on the name in the second paragraph for photos. We had a bit of trouble getting onto the wi-fi, but it worked fine after I found their router/modem, unplugged the power for about a minute, and plugged it back in.
The train trip and getting to the apartment had eaten up much of the day. Around 16:00, we went out for 3 hours just to walk and explore without taking photos or concentrating on trying to find specific sights. My first impression of Wroclaw (pronounced vrots-wahf) is good. Not nearly as many of its buildings have been restored as in the cities we have visited before now, but there is a charm about the city even if many of the buildings are still dark and grimy from years of neglect during communism. Tomorrow, we will get out and explore with some goals in mind.
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