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Published: December 5th 2007
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Krakow, Poland
Licking the salt mine wall Hello my Darlings!
As you know I’ve seized every opportunity to travel extensively within Europe. Easter Break provided me with another opportunity to hop on a plane & discover a new region of Europe- namely the cities of Prague (Czech Republic), Krakow (Poland) and Budapest (Hungary).
Without a doubt, the highlight of the whole trip was how cheap everything was. McDonald’s cheeseburgers were less than a Euro ($1.65 AUS)! Now I know that $1.65 is more or less the price of a cheeseburger in Australia but after dealing in Euros for so long and paying over 6 euros ($9.90 AUS) for a medium cheeseburger meal in Holland Eastern Europe provided a sanctuary of cheap guilt-free greasy food. My spiteful relationship with the Euro led me to spend alot of Czech korunas, Polish zlotys & Hungarian forints in restaurants & fast food joints. Besides, my body needed a rest from the sandwiches & chicken schnitzels that it has been surviving off for the last 3 months.
Prague, Krakow & Budapest were all beautiful cities- all drenched in culture with charming cobblestone streets, exquisite architecture, quaint shops & homes, a crazy nightlife, beautiful rivers & bridges & breathtaking views &
sights to see. By far, Krakow was my favourite city. My time in Poland was spent in a funky hostel overlooking the main square in Poland, Rynek Glowny. We visited the Wieliczka Salt mines that form an underground town with churches, lakes and passages. At first I was sceptical about the beauty of an underground church in the Salt mines but I was astonished as to how well preserved and detailed the church was. The sculptures, carvings, engravings -everything in there- was painstakingly carved out of the mine- its beauty is so captivating that people even get married there!
We also visited Auschwitz- the infamous World War II Nazi concentration & extermination camp. After visiting the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam & balling my eyes out, I thought visiting Auschwitz would lead me into a state of depression or at least leave me in an emotional mess. Strangely, I didn’t cry. The reason is simple though: I was too shocked & shaken to feel anything. I remember walking around the camp dazed & not being able to comprehend any of the information that I had previously read or studied. I walked into the crematorium (the only one still standing
in Auschwitz) and I couldn’t grasp the fact that millions of people were systematically gassed & killed in the very spot I was standing. Interestingly, Auschwitz survivors & Sonderkommandos (death camp prisoners who were forced to aid the killing process) often commented on how they did not cry or feel anything in Auschwitz. To them, to be indifferent & emotionless was a coping mechanism. Even walking around the prisoner barracks, seeing the shoes & human hair of prisoners, standing in the very spot where selections took place, seeing the notorious train tracks & seeing the ruins of the four huge crematoria in Auschwitz-Birkenau left me numb. What made my visit to Auschwitz a lot more stimulating was the fact that I was reading a well-known book on Auschwitz. However, reading the book became a Catch-22 as it made me aware of explicit details and stories that happened around the camp. Thus, the worst part of the visit was walking around the lower floor of Block 11- the Death Block. The sickening smell together with the knowledge of the Block made me feel physically sick so much that I had to wait outside for my tour group.
We also went
on a Krakow city bike tour which left me grinning the whole time. It was sunny, I was wearing a t-shirt for the first time in 4 months, I was in a beautiful city visiting historical sights & riding a bike! The tour guide was from California who took every opportunity to ridicule Americans (much to my amusement) and showed us the many sights of Poland with the right combination of historical facts and humour. We visited Wawel Castle, the Old city walls & Krakow’s main Gate, Kazimierz- the old Jewish quarter of Krakow, the Jewish ghetto & the ghetto wall from WWII, Oscar Schindler’s factory & the many locations from “Schindler’s List”. Seeing Schindler’s factory and standing in the office where he actually wrote his list was pretty cool. The Jewish cemetery & the Jewish ghetto were spine-chilling - the Nazi’s deliberately made the ghetto wall to resemble Jewish tombstones. Sick bast*rds.
Budapest was also a charismatic city. We walked around Buda and then Pest visiting the many sights- St. Matthias Church, the Castle District, Parliament House, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the National Museum, Heroes Square, Vaci Street (shopping district) the famous Szechenyi Chain Bridge & the beautiful Danube River. Highlights of Budapest include the view atop Gellert Hill. After walking more than 250 meters up a hill we found ourselves overlooking Budapest & the Danube in both directions. The hike was so exhausting that we chilled on a ledge for an hour to recharge our batteries, soak up the scenery, sweat in the sun & devour our gelato. Another highlight of Budapest was relaxing in the Szechenyi Medicinal Baths. The water is supplied by thermal springs which reach up to 30 degrees. We relaxed, sun-baked, swam & I even got a massage by a burly Hungarian man in the hot Budapest sun.
To me, Prague was a beautiful city but mildly overrated and anti-climatic. Prague is just as charming as any other European city but it deserves neither praise nor critique. It is obvious that it prides itself as a bohemian town as it features the Arts extensively but it lost its artistic charm as the town is infested with tourists. Needless to say we did the tourist thing and walked until our feet hurt & visited the many sights- Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Tyn Church, St. Vitus Cathedral & the Church of Infant Jesus, the Old Town, the house of famous writer Franz Kafka & the district of Mala Strana. I went crazy over Swarovski Crystals and resolved to buying only one piece of jewellery. But I will not disclose how much it was as I do not want to cause any health problems for my parents. I was also dragged to a strip club by the boys I was travelling with. As one could imagine it wasn’t entirely ‘new’ or appealing for me. I did however enjoy the atmosphere, good music, cheap cocktails and entertaining dances.
Other notable mentions about the trip include the well-equipped sleeper trains that we took between the three countries. These trains are phenomenal- almost like mini-hotels within a train compartment. Our Prague hostel looked like it hadn’t been changed since communism. It was the typical depressing communal type building that connected with various rooms, had a wooden box as an elevator & had dreary drapes & furnishings. It made me laugh.
The next month or so I’ll be in lock-down mode as I need to study for my impending exams. I’ll be travelling within Holland more this month and won’t leave until early June to travel a little more and will eventually come back to Sydney in early August. In saying that, I desperately need to check my bank balance (and consult with my accountant, Mr. Dad) to see if I can stay that long! I hope everyone is having fun Down Under- I can’t wait to see everyone back in Sydney. Keep in Touch & take care.
Love Natalia, xox.
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