Writing from Krakow, Poland.
The weather has been very unfriendly. Just yesterday, I saw a sign that says 41 deg.
I guess that is the highest of a range. The lower limit you wonder? 35 deg.
Yes, not good at all. In fact, from what I had gathered, this has been the hottest summer the regions have seen.
So much for my vacation!
I have been walking so much under the sun that I have grown slightly (or so, I hope) tanner. My feet are especially of a darker skin tone (because I wear slippers).
Today is the second day I am in Krakow, and I have already done three walking tours. Two yesterday and one today.
So far, I kind of like Poland. The communist history has left me very much intrigued. In fact, just today, I was in a neighbourhood supposed modeled after the communist-socialist ideology.
It was a different experience. We concluded the tour by a meal in a restaurant that used to be popular with communist leaders. That wasn't the highlight though. The highlight was learning about the compromised yet not marginalised role the Church played.
In the morning, I visited the site that used to house the Nazi Concentration Camp. That was a bit too heavy. I find it difficult to imagine the immense number of people killed in the site. I also find it difficult to imagine the humiliation and pain the Poles, Jews, Gypsies and even the Soviet soldiers had to gone through.
I must say this trip has been more of an eye-opener to history than a fun and laughter trip. I was never that good with history but after this trip, I dare say I would have known twice more than I knew.
One more week and I will be going home. Sometimes I do miss home, but it is probably more of my father's food than the place per se.
And frankly, I think I will miss a few places in Europe. I really like Budapest, Olomounc and Krakow. (I don't know about Vienna-that is my next stop but one thing is for sure, my wallet won't like it.) And not to mention a few Hungarian pastries.
But I definitely won't miss one thing about the whole trip:
The sun.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
All in an entry
Right now, I am writing from the hostel in the Czech Republic's capital city, Prague. I must say this is one of the better ones we have been to so far. I like the room. It is spacious and comfortable (R said it is because I am claustrophic, hence big rooms appeal to me. Well, maybe.) The only bad thing is that there is no kitchen. There is a kettle though, and I am really thankful for that. For the past two hotels we were at, there was no kettle (and hence, no hot water when I needed it!) Anyhow, we were hoping for a kitchen (as most hostels would have kitchens) because we were hoping to cook sunny-side ups for breakfast! I guess hard-boiled eggs will do just fine.
In contrast, the previous hostel was the worst we have been. We were in Cesky Kumlov, a town south of Prague which is also an UNESCO site. Hostel M*** housed us in the attic and I knocked my head twice in a night because of the slanting roofs. Plus the staff wasn't especially friendly. That is not it! The worst is, the room (and the bathroom!) smelt of sewage. R said it was from the river outside. I don't know-rivers aren't supposed to stink, are they? Well, I guess we can't complain much since we only paid 9E per person, the cheapest so far. Although if you ask me, I will say this experience will make me think twice about a cheap deal-I definitely don't want to risk a concussion over some savings.
We managed to attend Mass for the past weeks that we have been here but apart from one young Hungarian priest who could muster "The body of Christ" in clear English amidst the whole jargon of Hungarian, all other Masses have not been in English. Apparently, English Masses are only for tourists, so for example in Salzburg, there are only two English Masses in the whole month. It is rather amazing though-75% of the population is Catholic in the cities that we have visited and churches can be located as closely as 50m to each other! Just imagine the bells that ring continuously one after another!
Apart for all these happenings, the weather has been weirdly unpredictable. I have always imagined that Summer is just about sunny days! Guess I was wrong. A few of our travel plans were thwarted because of the rain. For example, when we were travelling from Salzburg to Hallstatt, we were told that the railway lines connecting a few stations were closed because of some mudslides and we had to take a bus connector instead. That stalled up all the plans. When we were leaving, the railways were amazingly restored and we didn't even know! (Of course, neither of us spoke or understood German!) So we ended up missing a pre-booked vehicle and arriving at our destination four hours later.
The thing about Eastern Europe, if you ask me, is that it is really very authentic and exciting. I enjoy the thrill of gesturing and muttering bits of Hungarian and Czech (and trying to sound like one) and finding my way around the unfamiliar surroundings. But that in itself can be frustrating sometimes-I think I finally can emphatise with the Amazing Race participants who lost their cool at their teammates.
In contrast, the previous hostel was the worst we have been. We were in Cesky Kumlov, a town south of Prague which is also an UNESCO site. Hostel M*** housed us in the attic and I knocked my head twice in a night because of the slanting roofs. Plus the staff wasn't especially friendly. That is not it! The worst is, the room (and the bathroom!) smelt of sewage. R said it was from the river outside. I don't know-rivers aren't supposed to stink, are they? Well, I guess we can't complain much since we only paid 9E per person, the cheapest so far. Although if you ask me, I will say this experience will make me think twice about a cheap deal-I definitely don't want to risk a concussion over some savings.
We managed to attend Mass for the past weeks that we have been here but apart from one young Hungarian priest who could muster "The body of Christ" in clear English amidst the whole jargon of Hungarian, all other Masses have not been in English. Apparently, English Masses are only for tourists, so for example in Salzburg, there are only two English Masses in the whole month. It is rather amazing though-75% of the population is Catholic in the cities that we have visited and churches can be located as closely as 50m to each other! Just imagine the bells that ring continuously one after another!
Apart for all these happenings, the weather has been weirdly unpredictable. I have always imagined that Summer is just about sunny days! Guess I was wrong. A few of our travel plans were thwarted because of the rain. For example, when we were travelling from Salzburg to Hallstatt, we were told that the railway lines connecting a few stations were closed because of some mudslides and we had to take a bus connector instead. That stalled up all the plans. When we were leaving, the railways were amazingly restored and we didn't even know! (Of course, neither of us spoke or understood German!) So we ended up missing a pre-booked vehicle and arriving at our destination four hours later.
The thing about Eastern Europe, if you ask me, is that it is really very authentic and exciting. I enjoy the thrill of gesturing and muttering bits of Hungarian and Czech (and trying to sound like one) and finding my way around the unfamiliar surroundings. But that in itself can be frustrating sometimes-I think I finally can emphatise with the Amazing Race participants who lost their cool at their teammates.
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