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Published: September 26th 2010
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Its been awhile since I last updated the blog and I've been busy exploring Poland and Slovakia!
Started my Poland experience by taking a train from Olomoucs, CZ to Krakow, Poland. I learned during that trip that not everyone in CZ speaks English and that if you get on the slow train you get to see alot more of the countryside! You also get to miss your connections, spend hours waiting in train stations, and wish you could speak Czech!
After an overly long journey, I reached my hostel in Krakow just in time for a free home cooked dinner! (every Thursday night at the Travelller's Inn, Krakow). That and some good conversation with fellow travellers really made everything OK!
The next day I wondered around the old city square of Krakow before coming back to the hostel for a much needed haircut. t turned out pretty good considering it only cost about $7 US and the lady couldn't speak English. The hostel staff had a friend who cuts hair and she came over. How cool (and cheap)
The next day I did some additional city walks including a free guided tour of the old Jewish quarter. Throughout some of the
big cities in Europe thay have free tours and the guides work for tips. Very informative. I went to sleep early that night and woe up at midnight to watch the Vols play Oregon on the internet. The first half was exciting, but the Vols went cold in the third quarter and I went to sleep (at 5am local time). It was pretty starnge to watch the game on the computer by myself in the dark trying not to scream out loud when we did something good (or bad)
The next day I slept in a bit and then took a day trip to Auschwitz. You read about it in school but seeing how big the place is as well as the photos and movies and artifacts really makes it sink in. How an entire group of people went absolutely insanely evil to do what they did is beyond me. Its amazing that the Polish people were able to maintain their spirits after the hard time they had in the 20th century.
After city living for awhile, it was off to the mountains. Took the bus south to Zakopane in the High Tatra mountains. It reminded me a bit
of Gatlinburg, TN....a little too touristy for me, but once you get inot the National Park its great. In fact, I was looking for the HillBilly Goofy Golf to complete the picture!
Hiking in the mountains was awesome. The top was pretty foggy, but would clear from time to time for some incredible views. Hiked through snow and used chains bolted to the rocks to climb some pretty vertical sections. Maybe not being able to see the sheer drop to my death was a good thing!
After a great day in the Polish mtns, I headed to the Slovakian side. Same mtns, but slightly better weather, and a really cool hostel in the town of Zdiar - The Ginger Monkey. Really laid back, great people staffing and visiting the place. Really easy to stay there for awhile. I booked 2 nights and stayed 4. The night I got there, they organized a paint ball excursion. How cool it was to be running around in German cammos, shooting a bunch of English and Aussies in the Slovakian mtns! We celebrated our "victory" with pizza and beer afterwards.
The next day I went on a fantastic hike through the mtns. Saw
some wildlife which has been rare on the trip: Kazmiks at the top of the peak. The weather was perfect: I haven't gotten to hike in Sunshine much this trip so it was a real treat!
Let the legs rest the next day by taking a bus trip to a castle. Spissky Hrad. Kind of a bust as it was raining and the view of the castle was obscured by fog and when I hiked to the top, I found out that I had picked the one day that the castle was closed for "technical reasons". Stopped in a cool little town Levoca on the way back so all was not lost.
Time for one more hike in the mtns before heading on.....I was going to take the cable car to the top peak, but didn't feel like spending the money to sail into a fog bank. Instead hiked around to a peak with a spectacular view of a chata (mtn restaurant/shelter) nestled against a crystal clear lake and jagged peaks. Rewarded myself with a lunch of goulash and Budvar with an incredible view. The Europeans make hiking very civilized!
Next stop was Slovensky Raj National Park. After a
frustrating travel day and a mix up at my hostel which left me stranded in the cold for awhile (no phone, no wifi, no understanding of Slovakian.....not a good mix), I woke up the next morning to chilly sunshine. The Polish couple staying at the hostel with me offered to give me a ride to hike with them and I'm glad they did. The northern section of the park was amazing. Wooden walkways, and metal ladders and platforms give acces to hiking up gorges and waterfalls. It was an absolute blast! One of my favorite places on the trip. After a nice dinner in town, we sat by the fire at the hostel drinking beer and wine and enjoying the company.
Another long bus travel day took me to Bratislave, the capital of Slovakia. After some exploring the next morning, I headed to Croatia, by way of Vienna. The Bratislava to Vienna leg was accomplished by taking a ferry up the Danube. What a great way to spend a couple of hours, sitting in the sun, watching the castles go by!
Croatia is the next adventure and I get a special treat, as my Mom is here to
explore it with me!
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Curry
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Ironworker
Discovered the extra photos....great. The way you like to overhang cliffs, high places and rocks...maybe you should have been an iron worker. Take good care of your momma...see if you can get a picture of here hanging on to a cliff !!!!! Enjoyed the last write up. Did you get my text? Dan O'Connor is visiting Huntsville tonite and tomorrow nite.....guess I will be having a few beers with an old friend.