Week 6

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Andrea Still in Budapest. Wandered the city with Kobi, Bec and Emma. Got lost in Pest ended up in Buda. Ate so much it was almost like Italy all over again. Went to the Buda Castle Labyrinth and got ourselves lost. It was interesting. Walking around in these tunnels built years and years ago originally for shelters and such. There was a calender of sorts down there. A room where wine ran into these mazzive bowls, strange statues and paintings on the walls. Just a strange place in general. Very dark, half the time you didn't know which way to go and turned back because you just ran into a dead end. One room was completely dark - you just held onto the rope rail and walked around hoping you didn't fall into some vast abyss. We all made it out. Heard voices from another room - I listened - hey they speak English - turns out it was other people that we knew.

Headed to the markets and shops. Found the best hat in the world. In spring it wasn't that useful - in Canadian winter it will be for sure for sure. Can't wait to wear it again. It's fuzzy and blue and has dangly pom poms that also tie at the top. Where is that picture...

Went out for dinner that night. Had Paprika Chicken with Hungarian Dumplings. Best meal since...Italy.

Drove through Slovakia the next day stopping in Bratislava for enough time to tour around and shop at the markets. Then into Vienna.

I was in Vienna once. Wasn't a good time - was just getting lost in the airport so was excited to actually see the city and hopefully not get lost at all. We stopped at the palace and wandered. Had a beer. As you do when you're in a Palace?

Spent the next day wandering the sights. Vienna was pretty great. Massive squares with statues and parks and palaces and and and...too much to see in so little time.

I put my hair in two braids as everyone said I looked like someone from Austria in them...Sound of Music style or something...

We went to the Schnaps Musuem did some tasting. Half way through the guide's spiel one of the guys from the bus, who hadn't been feeling all that well all day, took that time to spew in his mouth. It was impressive how long he held it in. It was running out his nose before someone pointed him in the direction of the toilets. We were all trying to listen as the guy went on but most of us lost our shit and couldn't look up from laughing so hard. He made a few jokes at Juddy's expense and finished. We practically ran to the tasting area. Creme schnaps, fire schnaps, absinthe, everything imaginable really. Absinthe, now that's interesting...the little green fairy...anyone seen Moulin Rouge? Not a good tasting drink...it was like swallowing...poison? Not that I have swallowed poison before but what I would imagine it might be like.

That night we headed to Prater Park, an amusment park in Vienna. What fun! I found some people who love roller coasters as much as I do and we headed out. There was one that was like Laura Croft in Wonderland, Toronto. I was excited. The girls I went with had no idea what it would be like - I knew what was coming - in the picture that is taken I was laughing so hard my face was bright red and they are screaming their faces off. It was great. We rode it twice. Also went on the sling shot bungy thingy. We asked for a deal so instead of €15 each person we got €20 for the both of us as it was a two seater. Again I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. It was really cool being shot into the sky and seeing the city from way up there. Not quite as good as bungy jumping itself but great in a different way. When we got back to land the guy was like who wants to go again? Sarah let me go as she had done it before and some dodgy stranger got in with me. He spoke no English and I didn't speak whatever he spoke but he thought we could have a full conversation anyway. The guy running the thing asked me where I was from and they both 'ahhh Canadian...' What does that mean? Anyway was shot into the air with a random stranger who chatted to me...was it the weather? the sky? the ride? no idea. The second time I actually saw more of the world as I wasn't laughing so hard. Then to the bumper cars. These aren't the rubber lined ones either. These are pure metal and lots of it. During the first turn I got smashed the wrong way and then I decided that I had to pick up the pace a little bit. I smashed everyone as hard as I could. Good times. I did get me teeth smashed together at one point that kinda hurt. Smashed Sarah straight on (sorry) and then smashed into a guy so hard his hat flew off (sorry Jono) good times had by all. I think we all walked away a little sore after that. Got all the anger out at the people we were annoyed with or what?

Prague was next. Did a bit of a walking tour at night and then headed to the biggest night club in central Europe, I think someone pointed out. Fun times. Ordinarily it has five floors of music but it wasn't a busy Monday so they only had three open. That was enough for us. Had a few shots of absinthe - this time with sugar and on fire - only a little better than drinking it straight. Good times - at one point I got pushed onto the floor in a puddle of broken glass, broke my new bracelet from Italy and then got my foot stepped on by a nice skinny stiletto heel. She said sorry I said no worries and laughed it off. Headed home after awhile. Goodnight.

Woke up the next morning and slid on my flip flops - one foot barely fit. Turns out my foot was so swollen and bruised I couldn't walk on it all that well. Great. So not cool. Headed into Prague to do some sight seeing. I gave up and missed out. Pretty disappointed at that. Will have to go back at some point to see what I missed. It was rainy and I could barely walk, just not worth the pain? It took about two weeks for my foot to finally go back to it's original size. Not fun at all. Couldn't wear shoes for that whole time, well I could have worn one on the other foot but it might have looked a little funny.
That was Prague. 😞.

Now to POLAND! This is the county that I was looking most forward to and here we were. Woo hoo. First stop Krakow.

In the morning Bec (my tent buddy) and I got up really early and headed to the cook tent with our sleeping bags. We crawled in and pretended to be asleep on the ground. When Dani the cook came in - there were a few swears - what are you doing in here? you didn't sleep in here last night? The look on her face was priceless. I may have laughed about it all day...things to do when camping...after six weeks you have to make your own amusements I suppose...

Did a short walking tour and ended up Wawel Hill. Toured around had a look at Wawel castle and then back into the city square. There were tons of firetrucks and firemen wandering around. It was like a holiday to celebrate the rescue workers or something. If that had been Canada I think I may have parked myself in the square all day but in Poland the men in uniform just don't have the same...quality?

Headed out on a Schindler's List Tour. It was fasinating. I've always been interested in all that war time history and really enjoyed it. We started in the Jewish Quarter and headed through the streets across the river and into the Jewish ghetto. It was incredible. The guide was really good - she pointed out random bits from the movie and we would all nod - There was a staircase that one scene was from that I remember a little kid hiding under. A back alley of sorts where another scene was from. They were scenes that actually happened there too, that was the eerie part of it all, it was a movie but it was real and it happened there. In some places there were bullet holes and such. One square held a monument to the Jewish. A bunch of chairs. They looked like they were abandoned in a school room or something. There weren't many people about so it was strange, goosebump like. We passed the hill that Schindler stands atop and sees the little girl in the red jacket. No one actually knows if he did see that little girl or not. There are two women alive today in Krakow who say they were that girl. We ended up in Schindler's factory, just like it was back then. We had a look in his office and everything. There was a book in his office where you could sign your name, many people did myself included, but there was one page that got to me. One guy signed it saying thank you for my life Schindler, you saved my parents at this factory and because of that I am alive - not the exact words but to that effect. Too real. Now the main factory part houses art shows and such - we didn't see these buildings as you had to pay to see the exhibits and we had no idea what they were of - nothing related to Schindler or the war.

That ends week six.

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Photos

Labyrinth in Budapest
My new Friend

New toque
so hot right now

Trying to be a serious guard
I'm from Syria!

Bec with a hotdog
Best ones ever and cheap! Made a hole in the bun instead of slicing it so the ketchup didn't run out! Amazing! It's even got a hat!

Where's Waldo
I'm in this picture somewhere...

Schindler
remember the little kid hiding under the stairs...