Musings from a train...

Europe » Poland » Lesser Poland » Kraków
October 18th 2007

Published: October 18th 2007

Aimlessly Wandering1982

OK, so I know I really haven’t blogged as much as I normally do….well with my computer crashed, I’m using Kassie’s but I am trying my best not to hog her fancy-shmancy alienware laptop.  Right now, we are on our train to Warsaw. This is almost the end of the road. We’ll be flying home in about 2 days.  ya know, I seem to fall in love with every place I travel to but I really have to say, as far as European Cities go, Krakow has been the best for me thus far. Granted I have only been to a few. I really just felt so comfortable there. Much like Rio, actually. I do wish I could understand more Polish though. At least in Brazil and other countries I’ve been to, I can understand more of the language, not necessarily speak it, but I can read the language book and actually come out kinda right. But Polish…Not a chance. Seriously. I really am trying, but the only thing I’ve been able to master is “thank you” and “toilet.” LOL. And “Coffee.” Ya know, the important ones.

This trip so far, has been great. on The train from Frankfurt to Prague, we had a great train-guy. He was this funny Bavarian guy. He explained what makes a man in Bavaria (it’s the beer belly. just so ya know.) I don’t remember his name but damn he was hella cool. WE were squished in to 3 little seats with our TON of luggage (note: do NOT bring more than one medium sized suitcase per person on euro-rails.). He was talking to us, joking with us and saying how the only time he went to the states it wasn’t that great. THEN we learned that he came to TEXAS IN AUGUST! Seriously. No one would like that as a tourist! No one! He was kind enough to come back after checking everyone else’s tickets, and switch our reservation for us. WE ended up with a private car and a real place for our luggage. It was SWEEEET.

Prague, as I said in my Prague blog, was really fantastic. We had a blast. Next time we come I really want to spend a few days there, rather than just 2 nights in each place. The gothic castle/cathedral was just too cool. The people were really cool, except a couple really snobbish people at our hotel. They can just get over that though. The first dinner we had in Prague was really awesome. We just found an outside restaurant with Czech food (which was harder than you’d think. Italian was all around…) and under an awning, with heaters. The goulash was great! And I don’t like goulash normally. AND…AND…OH…the Tiramasu. OK, well it’s not Czech, but their traditional desserts all had apples. So, for me: Tiramisu and amaretto coffee. 

If only I had more money I’d have bought a TON of crystal for everyone. It was hella cheap. Well, Cheaper than the states anyway…Prague is NOT cheap! Swarovski is all around, of course, BUT local Bohemian crystal, to me….is much cooler. I bought myself something! I got this gorgeous Garnet and silver ring. And just so ya know, Garnet is my birthstone, and apparently something abundant in Prague. It’s EVERYWHERE. This made me all sorts of happy.

Well, Prague was great, but Krakow was better, in some ways. I wish I would have scheduled one more day in Krakow. We only really got to see Auschwitz and walk around the center square with the market and some other ghttp://picasaweb.google.com/Razorblade.romance82/Warsaw/photo#5122784516004720370orgeous buildings. We only got to walk up to the castle, but not around the grounds, as they were closed by the time we got there to walk around. Mom LOVED Krakow. She’s ready to go back, but next time we’re going to know more Polish.

The restaurant the first night in Krakow was the best! It was this quaint little place, I know I already mentioned it, but the musicians were just so cool. The rabbit was yummy! Last night we had dinner at the hotel, which was good. Nothing spectacular, of course it took more than an hour to get our food, but when we did, it was well worth the wait! I had Wiener schnitzel and fries but Kassie and I split some cottage cheese and potato pierogies. Seriously, you think I’d come all the way to Poland and NOT have them!??!?! Pffffft! After dinner, like I said, we walked around town.
I still really don’t have much to say about Auschwitz. And to be honest, I’m not sure I ever will. It just makes it all so very real. We were waiting for our tour bus to come and one (Quite obviously) American lady asked which tour we were on. I told her we were going to Auschwitz and she had the audacity to say “Oh, well I’ve already been to Dachau, so if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all, right?” And CHUCKLED….I just looked at her and said “no. I’ve been to Dachau, and it’s NOTHING alike. Can people really be that lame!? I didn’t tell her she should go to Auschwitz; I just said that’s where we’re going. I would have been more accepting of an answer such as “Let me tell you…I’ve been to Dachau already, and if this is the first camp you’re going to, good luck….It’s pretty tough. I don’t think I’d be able to get through another one…” Because honestly, they’re DEATH CAMPS. Yea, if you go to one like Dachau that doesn’t have nearly the sordid past as Auschwitz and you had an exceptionally rough time, then I wouldn’t go to another, especially that one! But to just say “if you’ve been to one, you’re good because they’re all the same…” That’s just ignorance!

OK—rant over. If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know that I for some sick reason really get into studying Holocaust history. Not WWII details, just the Nazi cruelty. IDK, it’s just me. Auschwitz was tough. Our guide, Marta, was cool. She was really into it. For anyone to be a tour guide through there has to be difficult, but over hearing other guides, ours was the one that was seriously emotional over it all. She was calm and collected most of the time, but getting to parts about the children and Dr. Mengele, her face contorted to total anger and she actually raised her voice, ever so slightly. I’d just really like to know her back story, ya know? I really think that if I learned enough Polish in the next year or 2, and kept up my Japanese, I could go there and be a tour guide for a year. I think it’d be (for a lack of better words) great! I can’t even explain that. But yea.

Well, Right now we’re on our way to Warsaw for (sadly) just the night. I really REALLY want to come back to Poland and spend a week just between Krakow and Warsaw. Ther’s so much to do and see! And the people are fantastic! We met this wonderful woman in the train Station this morning! She was just sitting, sharing her pretzel with the flock of pigeons. She was too cute! Mom started taking pix of the birds, cuz it’s what she does, and the lady tried to speak to us, and THIS IS WHY I SPOKE POLISH! Eventually we realized she was asking Mom to send the pix to her. I really hope I can end up reading her writing. I’d like to write back to her and try out a little pit of Polish. I think it’d be great. AND we did find out that her son lives in Chicago  Anyway, Until I have something to say about Warsaw, y’all are caught up on our travels. And let me just say, travelling with Kassie and Mom is just too fun! They’re both goofy as hell and just fun to be with! I’m glad I brought them. Most importantly, I am really glad my Momma got to come on this trip. I think going to Poland was the perfect first time out of the countrytrip for her! Yep. She LOVES it and asked me the other night “so, where we going next?” I told her we’d work on that one.  Anyway, I’m going to continue listening to Queen and exercise my logic by solving a logic puzzle. Plus, we only have about 30 minutes left on the train until Warsaw. So yay! Wee and wahoo!
Adios! Tchau! Sayonara! Ciao! Hasta Luego! Laterz!

1. People dancing with fire in the market square.
2. Me walking around. it's just a cool pic, I think.
3. A church on the way to the castle.
4. Tower at Castle.
5. Mom and Me on our balcony.

MORE PIX OF KRAKOW AND US BEING SILLY!

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