Etap Krakow

... it was much better than that. We had to knock on the door to get the attendant to open up, so I guess it’s not too popular of a place, but I definitely recommend it.

Buying train tickets to the Czech Republic was the longest I’ve ever had to wait in Europe to buy tickets, and it was a very involved process in which the worker had to look up schedules in a book and write out each ticket manually. It made me wonder how they could ever ...

Last night it was really cold in my room and the had an old heating unit....a service guy came up to look at it and told me it was on...i was still cold. He told me that a room this big should have two space heaters. I was thinking....this BIG!? He must be joking...this is the smallest hotel room i ever been in!! so i took a tyenol PM and i was out cold...the phone rang and i was like who the heck was calling me this ...

... Seeing where all of these things actually took place, along with the enormity of their scope has significance and importance in itself. While we cannot fully appreciate the magnitude of the damage and pain inflicted there it is important to visit sights such as Auschwitz and Birchenau to increase our understanding and to give tangibility to stories and facts that we have heard. I am very glad that I visited.

... the comp. The hostel that we've been staying at for the last week is really great though, really helpful, spacious and clean. . . . except for the french man that was in our room for the first two nights . . he was spacious, but not clean. Let me paint the picture. A Scruffy, middle-aged man, dressed in tatty clothing, with an unusually deep and audible breathing pattern. We meet this guy at around 4 in the arvo as he comes into the room, mashing berries ...

... paved by the headstones of their ancestors). Headstones that could not be adequately returned to their burial spot were instead used to build these monuments. We next walked (and it was a walk) to the factory where Oscar Schindler saved thousands, as chronicled by "Schindler's List." The factory is run down and dilapidated, although signs do indicate it is under renovation. It was interesting to see it, to get a historical perspective related to the movie. However ...

... also the common room, early one morning eating breakfast. Four hours later a group of younger people come in to eat breakfast, and after they finish eating, light up their cigarettes. This room is the only designated area in the hostel for smoking. Anyway this old fool goes off on these kids. It gets so bad that I, a non smoker, except apparently when I am in Amsterdam, jumped in. I went up to the idiot, and told him, "you have ...

... front-desk-girl at the hostel invited me to go to a house party here in Krakow. Everyone there was polish except this Australian guy that also works at the hostel. It was pretty cool hanging out with poles at a polish house party. They smoke a lot. We got pretty drunk. Pretty good night. I forgot my camera which kind of sucks.

Tonight is going to be the final night train we take, from Warsaw to Berlin. I like night trains, there's something quite soothing about having a bed on a train. Last night we went to the Jazz Club where some Polish jazz guys were doing their thing. The double bassist was all over the place, in that good jazz way, I enjoyed it. Today we've been to Auschwitz, it was interesting but so sad, I didn't quite realise the ...

... across the playground (a few funky monkey bars and a hoopless basketball backboard) to School. It was warm inside, had the broad open stairway, leading to knowledge, lots of cleaning and mopping, quiet, thick chocolate brown enamel paint, and mint green walls, plentiful murals, warped wedges of parquet floors ... quiet during classes, and lively and happy between classes. As you promised, we were the "zoo animals" ... the "Americans". It was fun ...

... a headache..I don't know what will. On our first full day in Krakow, we visited the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Berkinau. (this was the main reason we came to Poland) Early that morning, Dev, myself, and an American Matt we met at our hostel that day, caught a bus and took a 90min ride to Oswiecim, the town where Auschwitz is located. We started our visit by watching a 20 min film about the camp. After that, we took a 3 and a half hour tour of both Auschwitz and ...