Kicking it up Polish Style!
It has happened again. It has been a few days so I thought it wouldn't again, but today, at exactly 4:02pm, while walking through the Main Market Square, listening to my Mp3 player, it hit me. 'Holy crap...I'm in Poland'. These 'Holy Crap' moments tend to happen at least once a city, but I didn't have one in Prague, and I didn't have one yesterday while walking around in Krakow, so I thought perhaps the magic of traveling Europe had worn off. Boy was I wrong. It is still completely alive and well in me. Oh yeah...I'm in Poland now!
I arrived on Monday night with Josh, Rich, and Lisa, after spending 9 hours on trains, and we were all a little tired and hungry. The train ride was pretty funny though. It is rumoured (and Josh has actually met people that its happened to) that on the night trains between Krakow and Prague or Vienna, people sleeping in compartments have gas pumped into their cabins and then are robbed. So clearly we decided not to take a night train. But Josh and Rich thought it would be funny to get a gas mask to wear on the train during the day. Yes, you can actually get gas masks in Prague. I'm sure you can get them other places, but the thought has never occured to me to try and buy one, so I'm not sure how readily available they really are. Anyway, so there we were, coming to the end of our journey, and Rich pulls out the mask. We were sitting in a 6 person compartment with two random women who were napping, but the curtain was open and everyone walking by did a double take at us. Absolutely hilarious.
Our Hostel here is amazing. There is free internet (only one computer though so you need to share it and be conscious of other people waiting to use it), free laundry (too bad I just paid to have it done in Prague!), free breakfast, a bar in the basement, and a kitchen. The staff are really great, and the interior was just renovated so its all really new. Our first night here we had a few drinks in the bar, then Lisa and I went out to get some dinner at a 24 hour dinner that does all Polish food. It was amazing. We had Breaded Chicken Filets, with fries and salade (which is pickled beets, cabage, and carrots...soo yummy). We loved it. After that we went back and had a few more drinks, but I was wipped so went to bed around 1am. Yesterday we all slept in, then Lisa and I went to walk around the Jewish Quarter. It was really amazing. Krakow is actually where Schindler lived and made his list. We saw a few different synagogues, and in one they had an exhibit displaying different pictures taken in the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto durnig WWII. They were also showing a film that was a compelation of video shot by the Nazis to use as propaganda. It was so moving and both of us ended up in tears. After the video we decided we had see enough and were cold (because its friggin winter over here!) so went back to the same dinner, just to make sure that the food was as good as we remembered it. It was, maybe even better.
In the evening, Josh, Rich, and Lisa feel asleep, so I went out for a wander around the Market Square, and ended up having dinner in this really cute little restaurant. When I arrived there was a group from England/Ireland waiting for a table, so I started to chat with them. There were 6 and no room for me at their table, so I ended up sitting with a Dutchman here in Krakow on business. It was a great dinner. Afterwards I went and was chatting with the group I had originally met, and when I told them I was moving to Ireland they started to recommend tones of places to live, but the two big winners seemed to be Galway or in County Mayo. So its looking like its going to be Galway, at least for the next 6 months or so.
After dinner I decided to go to a movie, then headed back to the hostel. I was up late on the internet and the phone, and didn't get to sleep till around 2am. Today I slept in again, then went up to see Wawel castle, then walked around the Main Market Square again, checking out the churches. So beautiful.
Tomorrow Lisa and I are going to get a bus out to Auschwitz for the day, then on friday we are flying to Berlin. I can't believe how fast its going!
I hope everyone at home is doing great! If you haven't heard yet, we sold the house in Burlington, and Mom & Dad have bought one in Thunder Bay. They will be moving on the 4th of January...right in time for blizzard season! So if anyone wants a picture of the house for memory sake, ride by now and take it, because we don't want to creep out the new owners in the New Year. Apparently they are very nice people!
love to you all!
I arrived on Monday night with Josh, Rich, and Lisa, after spending 9 hours on trains, and we were all a little tired and hungry. The train ride was pretty funny though. It is rumoured (and Josh has actually met people that its happened to) that on the night trains between Krakow and Prague or Vienna, people sleeping in compartments have gas pumped into their cabins and then are robbed. So clearly we decided not to take a night train. But Josh and Rich thought it would be funny to get a gas mask to wear on the train during the day. Yes, you can actually get gas masks in Prague. I'm sure you can get them other places, but the thought has never occured to me to try and buy one, so I'm not sure how readily available they really are. Anyway, so there we were, coming to the end of our journey, and Rich pulls out the mask. We were sitting in a 6 person compartment with two random women who were napping, but the curtain was open and everyone walking by did a double take at us. Absolutely hilarious.
Our Hostel here is amazing. There is free internet (only one computer though so you need to share it and be conscious of other people waiting to use it), free laundry (too bad I just paid to have it done in Prague!), free breakfast, a bar in the basement, and a kitchen. The staff are really great, and the interior was just renovated so its all really new. Our first night here we had a few drinks in the bar, then Lisa and I went out to get some dinner at a 24 hour dinner that does all Polish food. It was amazing. We had Breaded Chicken Filets, with fries and salade (which is pickled beets, cabage, and carrots...soo yummy). We loved it. After that we went back and had a few more drinks, but I was wipped so went to bed around 1am. Yesterday we all slept in, then Lisa and I went to walk around the Jewish Quarter. It was really amazing. Krakow is actually where Schindler lived and made his list. We saw a few different synagogues, and in one they had an exhibit displaying different pictures taken in the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto durnig WWII. They were also showing a film that was a compelation of video shot by the Nazis to use as propaganda. It was so moving and both of us ended up in tears. After the video we decided we had see enough and were cold (because its friggin winter over here!) so went back to the same dinner, just to make sure that the food was as good as we remembered it. It was, maybe even better.
In the evening, Josh, Rich, and Lisa feel asleep, so I went out for a wander around the Market Square, and ended up having dinner in this really cute little restaurant. When I arrived there was a group from England/Ireland waiting for a table, so I started to chat with them. There were 6 and no room for me at their table, so I ended up sitting with a Dutchman here in Krakow on business. It was a great dinner. Afterwards I went and was chatting with the group I had originally met, and when I told them I was moving to Ireland they started to recommend tones of places to live, but the two big winners seemed to be Galway or in County Mayo. So its looking like its going to be Galway, at least for the next 6 months or so.
After dinner I decided to go to a movie, then headed back to the hostel. I was up late on the internet and the phone, and didn't get to sleep till around 2am. Today I slept in again, then went up to see Wawel castle, then walked around the Main Market Square again, checking out the churches. So beautiful.
Tomorrow Lisa and I are going to get a bus out to Auschwitz for the day, then on friday we are flying to Berlin. I can't believe how fast its going!
I hope everyone at home is doing great! If you haven't heard yet, we sold the house in Burlington, and Mom & Dad have bought one in Thunder Bay. They will be moving on the 4th of January...right in time for blizzard season! So if anyone wants a picture of the house for memory sake, ride by now and take it, because we don't want to creep out the new owners in the New Year. Apparently they are very nice people!
love to you all!
posted by Traveling Amanda @ 7:41 AM
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