Eastern Europe 2019
It started in 1995. Shawna, my oldest, was graduating high school. I thought a one-on-one trip together someplace would be a more memorable graduating gift than anything I could buy her. So that's what we did. Same deal for the other two kids, and then two college graduation trips followed as well.
The years flew by and now my
grandson, Nathan just graduated high school.
So I proposed the same deal with him, offering a few options of trips to
take. He liked the idea and chose Eastern
Europe. Having traveled all the more
beaten tracks of Europe before, I didn’t offer the more conventional
destinations.
I’d initially hoped to do most of
it by train, but distances, schedules and visa requirements made flying most
legs more appropriate. Nathan didn’t
care too much where we visited as it was all new to him. I particularly wanted to hit Krakow, Poland
and Ukraine.
Lots of research followed on air
fares and figuring out where to go, how to get there and how long to stay. In 2003, Eric and I did Europe by rail on a
very aggressive schedule to see many countries.
Most people would not like that, but it worked out well for us. This time, I backed off a little but we were
still doing seven cities in 17 days.
Nathan flew up here a day early
from his home in Oregon. We’d both
packed light and were only using carry-on bags.
We departed Sunday evening, June 9 non-stop to Dublin, Ireland. This was the best option for getting to and
from the continent. Plus, in all my
travels, I’d never made it to Ireland, so wanted to see a bit of it.
Aer Lingus is now a budget
airline and I wasn’t expecting much. I
paid a small amount extra to get decent seats, but other than that they didn’t
feel like they were trying to squeeze every last euro out of me. We were fed, the service was fine, free movies
and the seat was reasonably comfortable.
I guess it was a bit better than expected.
One observation though was that
almost all the flight attendants were male, and not small men either. If the airlines would just go back to hiring
only young slender females for that job, they could save a lot of money on fuel
not burned hauling that extra weight around.
I’m just thinking of the environment here.
We arrived Dublin in the morning
after barely sleeping at all en route. A
little confusion and wandering followed, but we found the bus that would take
us to the city center. We weren’t sure
exactly where to get off, but got a clue from another passenger and it worked
out. After walking just a few blocks, we
were at the Celtic Lodge Guesthouse. Despite its name, it was just a hotel…. though
a quirky one. Dublin is not cheap and
this would be our most expensive, though not the nicest room. The tiny bathroom seemed to be inspired by a
camping trailer.
It was still early, but we were
allowed to check in. Our room was up two
separate stairways, around numerous corners and through at least one extra
door. Despite not having left bread
crumbs, we were able to find our way back out.
One thing that surprised me was
that Ireland is officially bi-lingual.
Yes, the Irish language is still alive.
Well… on life-support.
Announcements on our flight were given in both languages and signs all over
the place were in both. We never heard
anyone actually speaking Irish though.
Seem like a colossal waste of effort and money to me.
The weather was cool, but
nice. Some sun, some clouds and a
breeze. Off we went to explore the city.
We crossed the River Liffey which
bisects the city, then through Trinity College and an adjacent park. After a little more wandering, it was time to
quench our thirsts.
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| River Liffy |
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| Gary and Nathan at Trinity College |
The drinking age pretty much
throughout Europe is 18. I’d told Nathan
I’d indulge a very moderate amount of alcohol for him. So, what could be more appropriate than a
beer in an Irish pub? The one we ended
up in was not exactly your classic wood paneled old pub, but the bartender was
friendly and a good source of information.
Nathan’s first travel lesson…. chat up some locals when you can.
Anyway, I bought him his first
(legal) beer. It was appropriately a Guinness. Which brings me to a joke. This, coincidentally was sent to me by a friend
just a day or two later: As told by a typical
Irishman, Seamus:
“Ay, I took me son Michael out
for his first drink the other day. We
went to the local pub and I bought him a Guinness. But he didn’t like it, so I drank it. Then I got him a Killians. He didn’t like that either, so I drank it. Then we tried a Harp. Same ting.
Maybe he’ll prefer whiskey, I thought, so bought him a shot of
Jameson. He didn’t like that either, so
I drank it. Two other whiskies had the
same result. By the time we were done, I
was so shitfaced I could barely push the stroller home.”
But Nathan liked the Guinness OK
and handled it just fine. We continued
our walking tour. We saw St. Patrick’s
cathedral, the Dublin Castle and some neat bridges. We passed through Temple Bar, which is the
restaurant and night life area of town.
We’d been advised not to eat there though and had a recommendation for a
good place to get some authentic Irish food.
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| Streets of Dublin |
The Hairy Lemon was in a very
interesting building with lots of stuff on the walls. The place was crowded and the menu boasted of
being voted the best Irish food in Dublin or some such thing. That was probably so. And the food was fine. But best Irish food is a little like
prettiest bulldog. Not that impressive. But we got to experience the cuisine.
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| The Hairy Lemon Dublin |
We wandered along the river, back
to our neighborhood and were hoping to find some place doing live music. Nathan was not familiar with traditional
Irish music, which I happen to really like.
We saw signs and inquired, but it seems nothing started until at least
9:00. With our jet-lag, we were hoping
to be in bed about then.
When asking one bartender about
music, a customer started drumming the bar with his hands. He seemed proud to be providing what we
sought. He then followed us out to
provide further guidance as to where to find music. He’d obviously had several pints by then and
was quite animated. We heard all about
how he loved America (but not Trump). He
repeated directions to another bar about four times. His instructions included such things as
“when you hear such and such music, just keep going. And when the beggar comes up to you, tell him
to piss off.”
I assured him that we had it and
were about to escape when he decided to lead us himself just to be sure. Down the block he marched keeping up the
constant chatter. As we passed a church
he complained about the “focking Muslims” that went there. A cross was clearly in front of it. Finally, he pointed the way and headed back
to his barstool. What a character. Nathan was amused.
We did, indeed find the bar, but
just like the others, their music wouldn’t start until later. So we went back to our room for a brief
rest. And hard as it was, made ourselves
get back up for our only chance at hearing live Irish music in Ireland.
We’d already bought drinks when
the guy started. Unfortunately, he was
more modern Irish pop with some old American tunes thrown in. But he did do Danny Boy and another classic
to at least give us the flavor. We
didn’t stay long before crashing for the night.
We slept well and seemed to
adjust easily to the eight hour time change.
After finding breakfast, we headed out on foot again. A museum was somewhat interesting. Passing by a park after that we saw a few
homeless people camping. Dublin has a
bit of a problem there, but not as bad as some of our cities. Their derelicts seem to be more studious
though. One in this park was reading a
book. And the previous night, we’d
passed what looked like a clean-cut college student bedded down in a doorway
absorbed in a good book before he turned out the light, I guess.
Our main stop of the day would be
the Guinness Storehouse. This sits in
the middle of their large brewery. It
was originally the main part of it, but has since been converted into the visitor
center. It was a pricey tour, but very
popular and well done.
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| Guinness Storehouse |
The seven-story structure allows
you to wander through the various displays that tell about the process of
making the beer and the history of Guinness.
At one point we were trained in exactly how to pull the perfect draft of
Guinness. We both have certificates of
graduation in that fine art. It
culminated in one free beer each which we enjoyed on the top floor with a view
of the city.
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| Nathan learning a skill |
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| View of Dublin |
I can’t comment on Ireland in
general, as we didn’t get out of the city.
But I certainly liked Dublin. It
doesn’t have any real spectacular sights, but it is an attractive city and very
enjoyable. The people were remarkably
friendly. In addition to our drunk
friend, many strangers offered help whenever we’d pause to look at the
map.
We stopped back at the hotel to
grab our bags, then found lunch nearby.
It was a kebab and pizza joint so we tried both. The bus back to the airport was, like almost
all there, a double decker. So we
grabbed the front upstairs seats for the view.
At one bus stop, a woman came running.
As she flopped nearer, it was obvious that she had neglected to put on
one of her undergarments. Perhaps it was
intentional to keep the driver’s attention so he wouldn’t drive off without
her.
Our flight that afternoon was to
Prague on Ryan Air. That is the Dublin-based
low-cost airline for Europe. The tickets
are indeed cheap, but like its American imitator, Spirit, it is bargain
basement. And it seems like the process
and rules are just designed to trip you up and obligate you to extra fees.
Our tickets allowed no baggage
that wouldn’t fit under the seat, and I’d been unable to fix that before
leaving. So once through the troublesome
security checkpoint, I reported to the counter to see what trouble I was
in. Surprisingly, the bag fee was less
than expected and no hassle at all.
I’d paid the small fee to select
seats. I picked a window and aisle in
the same row hoping for the unlikely event that the middle seat might remain
vacant. Nathan opted for the aisle
seat. An old lady was already in the
middle when we got to our row. She got
up and I took the window. But then she
noticed Nathan and I talking and caught on that we were traveling
together. She was quick to offer him her
middle seat in exchange for taking the aisle herself…. How generous. We didn’t bite, but she was quite
persistent. The flight attendant was
just telling her to take her assigned seat when Nathan gave in and sat down in
the middle.
And to add just a little insult
to that injury, when it came time to deplane, she put her tray table down in
his way. Nasty old biddy.
The flight wasn’t bad, though the
airplane felt like a school bus. The
seats didn’t recline at all. There were
no seat back pockets so nothing to read.
The emergency card info was a sticker staring at you from the seat
back. Nothing was offered for free, but
the attendants were up and down the aisle frequently trying to sell all sorts
of stuff. You get what you pay for.
At Prague, we encountered a long
line at immigration. With losing an
hour, it was already after 9:00 p.m.
Getting through that I found lousy exchange rates for cash so used an
ATM for local currency. That had about a
$12 fee, which I’m hoping my bank covers.
The machine, however, spit out only big bills which is very inconvenient
when your immediate need is to buy a bus ticket.
We could have used a taxi, or
course, but I wanted to show Nathan the beauty of using public
transportation. I wasn’t just being
cheap, you understand. While getting
cash, I encountered a Brit with the biggest nose I’d ever seen. He reported that he’d learned which number
bus to take to the city center. I took
note of that, then went to try and buy bus tickets.
The infernal ticket machine tortured
me some before finally giving up two tickets.
We went out to the bus area only to be confronted with more uncertainty
about which bus to take. I asked the
driver of one soon to depart if it went to city center. He grunted that it went to the metro center
which sounded close enough. So off we
went. I’d tasked Nathan with downloading
city maps of our destinations to his phone.
He had those and it was a good thing.
He could follow our progress on the bus and hopefully know when we had
reached a close enough point to jump off and walk.
But it turned out that the metro
center was only the closest metro station and not in the city at all. So that is where we were dumped. Hmmm?
We followed the crowd down to the subway and bought a couple more
tickets. Finally made a good guess as to
which train to get on, and then at what station to get off. It all worked out. An elevator took us to the surface only about
three blocks from our destination.
Nathan was able to GPS us right to the door.
Hotel Melantrich, like most that
I’d picked, was in a great location. But
this place too, was a little odd.
Through a dark hallway we reached a door and had to push a button for
entry. We were quickly buzzed in. Then it was up a long stairway and down
another hall to the front desk.
The temperature was considerably
warmer than in Dublin and despite it being nighttime, I was quite warm. Our room had no A/C and this was the first
time I considered that that heat might be an issue on this trip. Why hadn’t that occurred to me? A quick check of our other hotels and I
didn’t see any guarantee of air conditioning anywhere. Will have to pay more attention to that in
the future.
It was just past 11:00 and we
were hungry. After checking in, we
headed back out in search of food. The
area was still lively with bars still doing business, but kitchens were all
closed by then. We at last found
something open. It was again a pizza and
kebab stand. No problem, we both switched
from our lunch choice and enjoyed the meal.
After sleep and the hotel buffet
breakfast, both of which were not bad, we set out to see the sights. I’d been to Prague twice before and wouldn’t
have bothered going again, but it was conveniently on the way and certainly
worthwhile for Nathan to see. My last
visit there was about 12 years previously, but I still felt I knew what to show
him.
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| Streets of Prague |
We wandered off through the
crooked streets and came to the Charles bridge.
It was still early enough that few tourists were about. We crossed over and made the long hike up to
the castle. Despite the early hour, it
was getting warm and I worked up a dripping sweat. This was to become a common thing. I’d be in shorts sweating profusely. Nathan in jeans and a black shirt not
sweating at all. And I’d have to carry a
big bottle of water. He didn’t bother
and could go half a day without anything to drink. Oh, to be young and skinny again.
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| Charles Bridge |
I’d been to the castle on both
previous trips, but don’t think I’d ever purchased tickets to see inside of
anything. So, I decided not to cheap out
this time and we bought tickets to see it all.
It was pleasantly surprising to find that here, as well as at several
places that followed, we qualified for much reduced senior and student tickets.
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| Prague Castle |
We therefore got to see inside
some fancy rooms, and through museum displays.
It was all worthwhile. But the
crowds of tourists were arriving. We
were going to go back into the cathedral for a further look but the line was
too long.
We went back down the hill and
across the now very busy bridge. We
found the main square and the famous clock there. Loads of people milled about. It was then that I realized that it wasn’t
even noon yet and we’d seen all the main sights of Prague. Sometimes I’m too fast a tourist.
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| Main Square |
We wandered down through the
Jewish quarter. It seemed that last
time, this was all free. But now they
wanted you to pay to see a synagogue and the Jewish cemetery. We didn’t.
This area was full of tourist services.
One that was familiar was the big open-top classic cars that were used to
give guided tours. A closer look
revealed that most were modern vehicles with fiberglass bodies.
Lunch we found a little off the
beaten path where we seemed to be eating with local workers. The food was typical Czech, good and
inexpensive. I liked the purple cooked
cabbage.
We walked around a little more
before going back to the hotel for a rest.
I went out to buy an outlet adapter and find a convenience store. Water was surprisingly expensive. In fact, I found beer cheaper at one
location.
This was to be our only day in
Prague, so we ventured back out in search of more to see. But not far from the hotel, the dark sky
started spitting water. Thunder rumbled
and we dodged some quick downpours and even a little hail. The cooling rain was welcome enough, but
without the proper gear, we couldn’t get our phones wet. Fortunately, the rain let up and the
threatening skies never opened up on us again.
We walked across a different bridge and through a nice park on the
river.
There are loads of restaurants,
of course, in the old section of town.
We checked many menus that didn’t seem all that appealing. We finally settled on one but eventually
realized that many of these places are apparently jointly owned. Menus had a different look but identical
choices and prices. The food was fine,
but it felt very much geared to tourists.
That night was again warm and
humid. In the morning we had some time
so walked back to the square to see the operation of the clock. A huge crowd was gathered for the 10:00 a.m.
ringing, but it was rather anti-climactic.
We walked back, checked out of our hotel and hiked the several blocks to
the train station.
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| Clock |
Prague is a beautiful city and I
hope Nathan appreciated it. But I guess
third time is not a charm for me. I
remember it from years ago with smaller crowds and friendlier prices.
The European train system is
usually simple, and easy to navigate.
I’d bought our tickets on-line and they were not so
straightforward. I had to ask around to
determine what car we were seated in.
Then the track numbering system left me unsure of where to catch our
train. But we got it all sorted out and
boarded on time. Train travel is
normally so much nicer than going by air.
And that was the case here. The
car was modern, seating comfortable and it was fast and smooth. Two and a half relaxing hours later, we were
in Brno.
In all my room reservations, I
opted for conventional hotels where possible.
But in Brno and the following stop, Krakow, that didn’t work out. We would be staying in rooms/apartments where
there was no front desk. This meant
arranging to meet up and get keys etc.
That would be fine in the states with cell phones. But we wouldn’t have service in all these
countries, so it made things more challenging.
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| Prague train station |
I’d been e-mailing with the two
owners but couldn’t give precise meeting times.
In any case, these two properties had similar sounding names and I ended
up confusing the two. My e-mails
therefore confused them too. But I got
it straightened out.
We got off the train in Brno and
tried to get oriented for the short walk to meet up with our short-term
landlord. But our location didn’t jive
with the streets that were supposed to be nearby. Nathan checked the GPS and it showed us 1.6
miles away. Arghh. I blew it again with not confirming the train
station. We were not at the main
one. I later learned that it wasn’t
totally my fault. The main station was
closed for renovations so we were left at a nearby alternate.
I looked for taxis but prospects
seemed dim that any would be coming by. We
took off on foot. Fortunately, the GPS
could lead us to where we needed to go.
We hustled in the heat through some unattractive areas. We got there only a little later than
expected.
Walter, our very friendly host
was there waiting. The apartment was
much nicer than expected with a full kitchen and tourist info left for us. My bed was in a loft and Nathan had a futon. It had air conditioning, but it wasn’t really
cooling.
Brno was really only a stop of
convenience. Prague to Krakow would have
been difficult to do in one day. Adding
this stop worked out well and it did appear to have something to offer.
With map in hand we set out to
see what there was there. The apartment
was in the heart of old town which in contrast to our hike there was
splendid. The huge main square was a
block away. It was lined with
restaurants, statues and interesting buildings.
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| Main square Brno |
As usual, was did a lot of
walking and stopped in every place of interest.
There was an ossuary under one church, then the big cathedral on the
hill. We climbed to the tower of the
town hall for a great view of the city.
There were very few cars on the
streets and trolleys ran frequently.
Brno was delightful and just right for the duration we had there. Not quite as charming as Prague, but lower
prices and fewer tourists made up for it.
We’d had a burger lunch, then
Nathan opted for Vietnamese for dinner.
Not very authentic. For
breakfast, we couldn’t find anything else open in time, so had to settle for
McDonalds.
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| view of Brno |
Then it was on to Krakow. I’d have preferred the train again, but the
bus worked out better for our schedule.
We found the big bus stop a few blocks away. When the bus pulled up, it took a long time
for them to simply check our tickets and get us aboard. This despite the fact that there were three
men there to handle the task. And
interestingly, any of the three men could have easily played the part of Curly
of the Three Stooges. That reference
will no doubt be meaningless to you younger readers.
Finally ready to go, one Curly
stayed behind, one drove and the third road shotgun. Nathan and I got the front seat again for a
good view. The highway was good. The scenery nice but unremarkable.
At our only intermediate stop,
the two Curlies switched seats. Both
would mess with their phones while driving, which I found rather
unprofessional. One nearly rear-ended
someone. And the other got unaccountably
angry at another driver and took a photo of the license plate. We arrived safely in Krakow nevertheless. We were a few minutes late due to heavy
traffic.
My sister Karen and her husband
Emilio have lived in Madrid forever. Whenever I’m in Europe, I try to get together
with them. So, in planning this trip, I
suggested that they meet us in Krakow.
Neither of them had been there, so they thought that a great idea. They had reservations for the first night at
a hotel near ours and then the following three nights in our same hotel.
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| Karen and Emilio |
Well, not a hotel. As in Brno, the rental was through an
individual and there would be no front desk.
But this time I had instructions for getting the keys and accessing the
room. Karen and Emilio were due to be
there first, but without using international phone service, we didn’t have a
good way to be in touch.
We arrived at the Krakow bus
station which is large and located next to the also large train station. And both are situated adjacent to a very
large shopping galleria. We found our
way out through it all, and with Nathan’s GPS skills, walked the half mile or
so to our destination. And then without
much difficulty found Karen just outside.
We were staying right in the
heart of things, which would normally be a good thing. But Krakow has a reputation as a party town
for young people, as we would later learn, and in fact encountered a large
group of young people checking in the same time as us. The area we were in had few, if any, conventional
hotels. Perhaps that is the result of
conserving the old town. In any case, it
was why we were both in private rentals with the associated
inconveniences.
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| Our street in Krakow |
Our room was up three flights of
stairs with no elevator. Normally that’s
no problem, but it was hot and the stairway seemed to get more sweltering near
the top. More annoying was the door and
key situation. The front door to the
building was locked during late night hours.
We never had to figure out how to get through that one. Then inside at the bottom of the stairs was
another door which was sometimes closed.
That required getting buzzed in.
One floor up was an iron gate with another lock.
We had a key to this but I discovered that it
was much easier to just flex the door and jamb apart to get past it. At the top of the stairs was a door to the
two units that shared our common bath.
And finally, a door to our individual room. The unit Karen and Emilio would occupy was
also up there but had yet another door with a lock.
Signs on the doors asked us to
keep them all locked. But we only had
one set of keys. This made going out
separately problematic, especially since the top doors required keys to unlock
them even from the inside. Oh, well.
The room was large and pleasant
enough. Shared bath was not a
problem. It’s huge shortcoming though
was lack of air conditioning.
We were in the heart of the tourist
area, just a couple blocks from the main square. I noticed lots of currency exchange
places. I’d unfortunately made the mistake
again of getting local cash at the bus station with much worse rates. As in Brno, this area had almost no cars on
the road in the historic center. Must be
some severe taxing system that makes that work.
But it was nice for us, as all streets were essentially pedestrian
malls.
The four of us had a well needed
refreshing drink before setting off to explore a little. And a word on that. Beer is very popular in this part of
Europe. It’s quite reasonable and the
standard serving is a half liter. So
staying refreshed is not a problem. Nathan,
despite his temporary emancipation, still preferred soft drinks most of the time. They, however, were no bargain and generally
came in much smaller servings.
A trip such as this requires lots
of planning. Both logistically and
planning of what to see and do at each location. Fortunately, Emilio was willing to take on
that job for our time in Krakow. I was
happy to just be the follower in whatever his plan was.
We were all hungry so agreed to
walk around a little and find an early dinner.
The old section of Krakow is beautiful.
Just like the postcards. Our
street had the old city gate at one end and the huge town square at the
other. In between were restaurants,
shops and a lot of nice architecture.
Our first dinner was to be at a
“milk bar”. Many of these were
established during the communist era as a cheap place for workers to get a meal. The one we ate at was a spartan cafeteria
serving traditional Polish dishes. We
bought and shared several for a very inexpensive meal. They served no alcohol and didn’t even have
ice for drinks.
We strolled some more, then bought
ice cream which was also a bargain.
Poland is generally cheaper than the rest of Europe, and the prices
there were remarkably reasonable considering how popular a tourist destination
it is.
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| View while eating ice cream |
Emilio went back to the room and
the three of us walked to a nearby park.
Karen asked Nathan lots of questions as she typically does. I learned more about his life during those
few days than during the rest of the trip.
I’d forgotten to pack some
laundry soap and had been unable to find any.
I had asked Karen to bring a little powder if she had it. She came through so that night Nathan and I
were able to wash out some clothes.
Traveling light requires doing laundry when able.
Taking a walk on my own after
this, I found a convenience store around the block. And across from that was a gathering of
people. A large marble building was
being used as a sort of movie screen.
Projected on it were spooky shadows and sometimes effects that made it
look like the building was crumbling and falling down. This was accompanied by scary music. I don’t know what the point was, but it was
interesting.
With the heat, we had to sleep
with the windows wide open. And this let
in the tremendous party noise from out on the street. Karen reported a night club right below their
room which made their night horribly noisy.
We heard music as well, but also revelers in the street until about 5:00
in the morning. Mostly Germans, it
seemed. Karen asked her management about
the noise and got pretty much a shrug.
It’s what you must expect there.
My only must-see for Krakow was
to visit Aushwitz. Karen and Emilio were
interested too so that was definitely planned.
Apparently, slots are limited though and we almost didn’t get to
go. But their niece found a way to get
tickets for our first full day there.
Thanks, Yoli.
We were up fairly early looking
for breakfast before joining our tour.
But as we found in the Czech Republic, restaurants don’t want to be
bothered serving breakfast until at least 9:00 a.m. Karen and Emilio were supposed to have
breakfast included with their room but somehow that didn’t happen. They hit a nearby coffee shop. Nathan and I used McDonalds again right next
door to it. Not proud of eating American
fast food overseas, but sometimes it’s all that’s available.
We met up and walked to the tour
meeting place outside the city gate.
Then eventually got on our way out of town. The bus ride was an hour or less over
pleasant rural roads. Our tour guide
unfortunately was not good at all. His
English was poor and his delivery flat and uninspiring.
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| Auschwitz |
We arrived outside the Aushwitz
concentration camp along with busloads of other tourists. They made us go through a security screening
for some reason on the way in. It was
hot in all the buildings we visited and hotter under the sun walking between them.
Most of the camp looked unchanged
since being emptied out 75 years ago. We
viewed rooms where people were held in horrible conditions, the crematorium,
and the shower room where many were gassed.
They had a display of hair that was taken from people before killing
them as it had value. Other displays held
piles of eyeglasses and prostheses. Many
tours were in progress at the same time, so we were often passing other groups
in narrow hallways.
We were given a chance to purchase a little
food and needed water before loading on the bus again for the short drive to
Birkenau. We got off there to blazing
sun and no shade. This was actually a
much bigger camp, though many of the barracks building are gone now. The thing here for me was the main gate. It’s the big doorway through the brick
building where the train cars delivered the prisoners. You’ve no doubt seen this in depictions of
the holocaust.
There was no security at this
camp. We were led through some
barracks. And they took us by the latrine
where apparently prisoners were filed by once a day, lined up over the many
holes and given 20 seconds to do their business.
 |
| Birkenau |
All of this would have been an
emotional and haunting tour under the right conditions. I imagine it being cold and lonely with a
guide that can make you feel the pain and desperation. But we had none of that. It was hot and crowded and our guide just
recited information blandly.
We got a few minutes to find
refreshment before loading up on the bus to go back. The driver hadn’t bothered to cool the bus
for us so we remained hot. The guide
promised that it would cool down once we got going. But it never did. That seemed to be a recurring thing in that
part of the world. Electricity must be
expensive as even those places with A/C seemed awfully stingy with it. We never found that nice blast of cool air
anywhere.
On the way back, we passed a
thermometer indicating 41 degrees (~106 F).
But unpleasant as it was, I don’t think that was accurate. During this time, the guide gave confusing
information about where we should get off the bus. He was suggesting that we all get off at the
south end of the old city. He repeated
that they’d take us all the way if we insisted, but that it would take an
additional 45 minutes or so due to construction and traffic. Clearly, he and the driver wanted the day to
be over as soon as possible. That worked
out OK for us so we departed early.
We walked back through some
different sights. I believe there was a
cold beer somewhere followed by a cool shower and a nap at the room.
I never bother to research
restaurants where I travel, but Emilio does.
And it pays off. We ate very well
in Krakow. It seems that traditional
Polish food comes from its poor past.
Bread, potatoes, and stuffed dumplings are the staples. The only food I associated with Poland was
sausage, but I never found them on any menu.
We did find a wide variety of good things though. Surprisingly we ate duck more than once and
salmon a couple of times. The service
was always slow, but then we weren’t in a hurry.
That night was a little
quieter. There was still party noise out
in the street, but without the head banging music. Again, it was back to the golden arches for
breakfast and ordering food through one of those impersonal kiosks.
Karen and Emilio were moving over
to our building so brought their bags to store in our room. Then we were off for the day of touring on
foot. We had a 10:20 appointment for a guided
tour of Schindler’s factory so walked the mile and a half or so.
Schindler was the business man
who owned the factory during WWII. It
was located in the Jewish part of town and he employed many Jews. As they were being rounded up and shipped off,
he rescued many and saved them from extermination. He was, of course, the subject of the movie
“Shindler’s List” made in the 90s. While the movie painted him as a hero, the
tour pointed out the he may have been doing what was in his best financial interest
as well. The museum was well done and
the tour interesting. But as with the
previous day, the abundance of tourists, crowding and confusion took away from
the experience. That’s the irony of
travel. You want to see all the good
stuff, but wish everyone else didn’t. I
suppose going off-season is the answer.
Our walk back took us through Kazimierz,
the Jewish quarter. which was worthwhile.
The area was nicely preserved and scenic. We toured a synagogue and walked the
streets. Located and walked to a
recommended restaurant only to find it full. We went to another place just down the street
for a very fine lunch.
 |
| Jewish quarter |
We walked back and hid out in the
room for the hottest part of the day.
Then met up again in the early evening.
We checked out the massive main cathedral before heading for dinner at
what was touted as the best restaurant in Krakow. And it was another good meal at a reasonable
price.
The next morning was Monday and
our final day in the city. Tired of
Micky D, we got coffee and pastry at the Costa Coffee place. On the agenda was the Wawel Castle at the
south end of the old city. It’s a very
imposing structure high on a small hill.
We soon learned that it is closed on Mondays, but this was less of an
issue than we feared. The grounds were
still open so we got a good look at it all.
 |
| Wawel Castle |
We were able to go up in the bell
tower of the cathedral, which I particularly liked. It had narrow, steep stairways and the
structure holding up the massive bell was all made of old timbers joined
together centuries ago using crude tools and pegs. Impressive construction. Great views were had of the old city, river
and beyond.
We viewed a crypt and tombs, then
found our way down the hill to the dragon.
This metal sculpture is symbolic of the city and a popular tourist
sight. Popular with the kids in
particular because it breathes fire.
Every once in a while, it belched out a big loud flame.
On the way back, we stopped at a
recommended museum called Krakow in 15 minutes.
But it was apparently so boring that neither Karen nor I can remember what
it was about. And Emilio nearly fell
asleep there. So, consider it no longer
recommended.
 |
| View of Krakow |
 |
| The Dragon |
We had fish for lunch followed by
our usual afternoon siesta. That evening
we decided to do a river cruise. Not as
impressive as it sounds. We piled into a
small boat for a half hour ride up and down the river a ways. Our driver never said a word, but it was a
pleasant trip.
At some point we went through the
cloth market. This is an old building located
in the middle of the main square used for centuries as a vendors’ hall. And there were many there selling tourist
trinkets and such. Dinner that night was
at a place called the Black Duck. And
Karen and I did split a whole roasted duck, which was delicious.
 |
| Main Cathedral? |
I’d noticed a place serving a
buffet breakfast starting at 7:00 so Nathan and I hit that in the morning. Wish I’d found that earlier. We said goodbye to Karen and Emilio as they
headed for a train to the airport and home.
We then packed up and headed out for the train station ourselves.
It’s always a good time meeting
up with Karen while traveling. We’ve
done it several places over the years.
This interlude in the middle of our trip worked out well to up the
conversation level for a while. Neither
Nathan nor I tend to gab much.
Krakow was the highlight of the
trip for me. It’s a lovely city with
much to see, yet it is tourist friendly with good food and everything is
reasonably priced.
This time, all goes easily at the
train station and we’re on board for a pleasant 2 hour, 20 minute ride to
Warsaw. And the walk to our hotel is
easier this time as well. I need only my
handy compass to know which direction to go, finding it just down the street.
Hotel Metropol is on perhaps the
busiest intersection in Poland. It’s a
modified traffic circle with four stoplights and trollies down the middle going
all directions. Under the intersection
are pedestrian passageways connecting all the corners and trolley stops as well
as containing a number of small shops.
It is reminiscent of the underground malls in Seoul, South Korea. And at another corner of our
mega-intersection is a metro station for their underground subway. Our location is a ways from the old town but
ideal for public transportation.
 |
| Our busy intersection |
At check-in, I’m offered an
upgrade to a mini-suite for about $40 extra per night. He mentioned air conditioning which reminded
me of my carelessness in not having checked that ahead of time. I declined the offer, not wanting to spoil
Nathan with such luxury. Our room was
fine on the sixth floor facing the big intersection.
The view was great as we could
see clear to the river and to the old city.
But of course, it was still very hot and we needed to leave the windows
open.
We looked over the tourist map provided
by the hotel and my notes on things to do in Warsaw. It was still early enough to go out. Nathan elected to go see the Warsaw Uprising
museum. That was just a Metro ride
away. So, I fought with the machine
until it finally gave up two tickets to ride the Metro. The system was typical and we were quickly at
our stop.
Arriving at the museum, I was
looking for the entrance when I obliviously stepped into the scene of a news
crew filming an interview there. That
amused Nathan. But we were to find that
the museum was closed… on Tuesdays!
What’s with that? I thought
museums only closed on Mondays.
We wandered the streets and
eventually stopped for something to drink and a snack for Nathan. I think the big beer, a Sprite and a nice
kebab came to only $6. Our walk back
took us by the impressive Palace of Culture and Science. The building was designed to resemble the
Empire State building but it’s much more sprawled out. It was reportedly a gift from Stalin to
Poland. We bought the ticket to go up to
the observatory on about the 38th floor. Great view.
And I must say that we had excellent visibility throughout this trip so
all of our views were great.
 |
| Palace of Culture and Science |
 |
| View of Warsaw |
Back at the room, we rested a
little before heading out to dinner.
Nathan had located a Thai place so we went there. Again, it was fine, but less than
authentic. We agreed that the U.S. tended
to have the best ethnic food as the people making it are usually from the place
it represents.
Our Polish waitress, however,
spoke excellent English. I asked how
many years of English they were taught in school. She said only high school. I was surprised. Throughout our time in the country, we had
very little trouble with language.
Back at our room for sleep, it
became apparent that we’d traded the party noise of Krakow for traffic
noise. In this case it was frequent
sirens. Closing the windows was out of
the question as it remained very warm.
In the morning I reconsidered the
upgrade to air conditioning. When I
asked at the desk, I got a better offer.
Not a mini-suite, but a better room with air for only about $15 more per
day. Sold! They would move us while we were out for the
day. Very good.
Off we went after enjoying the
breakfast buffet. I’d determined that we
could buy an all-day public transportation pass for hardly anything. So after fighting with the machine again, I
secured two of those.
We rode two stops north on the
subway headed for the old city. The
morning was cooler and even a little misty.
But it never really rained.
Warsaw’s old city is different in that it was almost entirely destroyed
during WWII. But then they used photos
and plans to rebuild it as closely as possible to how it had been. I’d say they did a good job. It was nice and looked similar to Krakow.
 |
| Old Town Warsaw |
We walked along part of the city
wall and wondered if that was original or rebuilt as well. Hard to tell.
The streets and squares were delightful, though not that extensive. That ended at a large square and the
castle. Really more of a palace. This,
too, had been bombed to destruction but rebuilt in its entirety at great
expense. We were lucky to hit it on “free
Wednesday” so got the full tour for free.
And there were no crowds to contend with. The place was huge, lavish and ornate. It reminded me of the several palaces of the
czars in St. Petersburg. It also had
beautiful gardens that looked out over the river. Nice digs.
Close by was St. Anne’s
Cathedral. And it offered a great view
from its bell tower. So we went up in
that for some nice photos.
 |
| Palace |
 |
| View from St. Anne's |
From there we walked all the way
back, passing the tomb of the unknown soldier, several impressive government
buildings and some nice parks. Our route
also went down a busy street called Nowy Swait. This is kind of the trendy, happening place
of restaurants and clubs. Along the way
I found a book store and was able to buy something in English. I’d left my novel on the train and was
desperate for reading material. Yeah, I
know…. books are so 20th century.
By this time the mist was long
gone and it was plenty warm again. We
arrived back at the hotel and went up to our new air-conditioned room. We’d been moved up to the 9th
floor for an even better view. The room
was delightfully cool and I for sure enjoyed the luxury.
We had lunch outdoors across the
street. There, as in other places, I
observed the various modes of transportation.
Warsaw, being almost flat, is ideal for all sorts of things. And they have it. There are bikes and bike lanes. Segways come along. Skateboarders do their thing. But the main thing I noticed here were the
electric scooters. These are catching on
elsewhere, I know, but they are big already in Warsaw.
Most seem to be used on a shared
basis through an app. You just grab one
where you need it and leave it where you stop.
Seems very convenient, but they are a bit of a menace that will surely
be regulated further in the future. You
see, they can go pretty fast. They
sometimes travel on the road and keep up with cars. Or they use the bike lanes. But mostly they travel on the sidewalk
silently slipping between unsuspecting pedestrians. Effectively, they can go wherever they want
and seem to have no rules. We were never
run into by one, but it made walking down the sidewalk feel a lot more hazardous.
After lunch we decided to try
the Warsaw Uprising museum again. We
knew the way and had our metro passes. The
museum was like the others we’d encountered.
They have a great venue, lots of good stuff, but don’t really present it
in a coherent way. We wandered and took
in all the displays. There was a good
history lesson there, but I didn’t quite get it.
They had a 3D movie that was
essentially a simulated aerial fly-over of Warsaw right after it was decimated
in WWII. Interesting, but the 3D effect
didn’t add much.
We then jumped back on the metro
to cross the river to the neighborhood called Praga. Once a rough neighborhood, it has become sort
of artsy. We stopped in a cool courtyard
and viewed a little of the street art (murals).
For dinner, we went back to that Nowy Swait
area. We picked Mexican from the many
restaurant choices. Again, not very
authentic. Pasta sauce on enchiladas?
We slept much better that night
with cool air and the street noise shut out.
We got a later start than I would have liked, but it really didn’t
matter. One of my frustrations in travel
is wanting to get an early start on the day.
But so much of what there is to see doesn’t open up until late. It limits what can be accomplished.
After buying another day pass for
public transportation, we arrived at the Warsaw Art Museum a little after
10:00. And the sign clearly said that it
opened at 10:00. But the gate was still
locked and a few others were standing around waiting. We shrugged at each other and we soon went on
our way.
My walking tour took us by parks,
embassies and some impressive buildings.
We arrived at a palace worth seeing at 11:00. A guy was in place to sell tickets, but
confirmed the sign that it didn’t open until noon. Bummer, as we had hit a free day again. We weren’t going to wait around an hour
though, so moved on.
 |
| Warsaw park |
Warsaw has lots of green space
and really nice parks. We walked through
much of it that day. Our next stop was
the Palace on the Lake, which is just as it sounds. Lots of people were around and the ticket
office gave hours of 10:00 to 6:00. But
it was empty and locked. Hmm, we sat
around a while and cooled off. Tried
again and still closed up.
Feeling rather discouraged, we
strolled out of the park. A little light
rain started to fall, which wasn’t in the forecast, but it didn’t last
long. We caught a handy bus that dropped
us near the original art museum, so we decided to give that another try. It was still locked up. That’s when it finally occurred to me that it
could be a holiday, or perhaps a strike or something. Traffic did seem light on the roads.
Back at the hotel, they confirm
that it is Corpus Cristi, a major catholic holiday there. And Poland is still very catholic. I noticed several priests and nuns about
town. Something we rarely see anymore in
the U.S. We rested a little, went to
lunch and planned the rest of our day.
It’s back on the metro to the
riverfront. There are a couple more
museums there which we expected to be closed as well, but they were open. The science center is in a futuristic
building and looked interesting. But it
was full of people and the signs indicated that tickets being sold wouldn’t
allow entry for an hour or more. We
decided to pass.
 |
| Science Center and Waterfront |
Next door was the Museum of
Modern Art. Entry was dirt cheap but it wasn’t very
extensive. What they did have on display
was mostly rather sexual and a bit disturbing. One painting featured genitalia ablaze to give
you an idea.
The riverfront was nicely developed
there with walkways, vendors and various distractions. Loads of people were about. On the east side of the river was actually a
beach. And a little ferry shuttled
people to it for free. Cool, so we went
across.
It wasn’t much of a beach though
and no good facilities. We had brought
swim suits just in case and it was certainly hot enough to make swimming sound
inviting. Nathan found a porta-potty to
change in. I decided I didn’t need to
swim that badly. He did actually
swim. I waded in and cooled off as well
as I could without getting my clothes too wet.
The water was an ideal temperature if not the cleanest.
The last thing on our list was
the night market. Directions to it were
vague and the hotel seemed unfamiliar. A
map showed the general area so off we went in search. We took the trolley this time and eventually
found it hidden down an alley. There
were a few stalls selling things, but it was mostly food. And despite its location, it was very
busy. It was here that I finally found a
stand selling Polish sausage, so I had some.
 |
| Night Market |
We were leaving in the morning
for Kiev. Airline tickets were much
cheaper flying out of the outlying Modlin Airport rather than the closer main
one. I’d already bought bus tickets to
get us there. The only issue was finding
the bus stop. It was listed as at the
Palace of Arts and Science, that big building close to us. But being so sprawling and with parking on
all four sides, that description was not specific enough. We located the likely bus area on the east
side, but I was still not certain.
In the morning, I took a map down
and asked the guy at the desk. His
casualness at orienting the map did not convince me that he knew what he was
pointing at either. So I took the long
walk all around it and fortunately found our stop on a different side. Good thing.
I wouldn’t want the panic of searching for our bus at the last minute.
Warsaw is a big city and doesn’t
have quite the charm of Krakow. But
there is lots to see and do there. Lots
of museums, spacious parks and good transportation. It was well worth the stop.
Modlin airport is a spartan
building primarily for Ryan Air to operate from. It only had about six gates and looked like a
big Quonset hut. I read that it’s not
even air conditioned, but that mustn’t be true. We had plenty of time there, and then even
more time as they announced a two-hour delay in our departure.
We got something to eat while
crowded into the post security gate area.
While seated there, a woman sat in the seat next to Nathan. Then her husband, finding no seat for
himself, just squeezed in with her.
This, of course, crowded Nathan so he eventually got up. He had certainly been taken advantage of seat
wise this trip.
They then boarded our flight a half
hour early with no announcement that I heard.
So we hustled to get aboard. It’s
a long hot walk across the ramp to the airplane. Again, I’d booked window and aisle seats for
us in the futile hope of finding an empty seat between us. The plane was full, of course. When I indicated to the middle seater that I
needed the window seat, he intentionally mis-understood and slid over to
it. No, no, I’m not falling for that
trick. I got my window seat, Nathan got the aisle, and we pretend not to know each other.
Then the pilot told us of a 40
minute delay in being cleared to go. But
that too is shortened and we were soon on our way.
Kiev was the most exotic of our
destinations and I was anxious to check it out.
I didn’t know much about it so was uncertain what to expect. A former Soviet republic, I imagined it
somewhat bleak. And I expected language
to be a challenge. I was wrong on both
accounts.
The airport was modern. It was a ways out of town though and the only
good way in was by taxi. That turned out
to be a newer car with A/C and a driver that didn’t try to take advantage. So far, so good.
The view coming into the city
was impressive. There were large bridges
spanning the Dnepper River, domed churches on the hills on the other side and
the big steel statue that we would go visit later.
We were soon delivered to the
Hotel Kiev which seemed pretty upscale.
On check-in, I hopefully asked about air conditioning. “Of course” was the response. That was good to hear. Our room on the 15th floor was
also a pleasant surprise. It was a
suite! I had a king bed in the bedroom
and Nathan hide a hide-a-bed also in its own room. Both had their own balconies, TV and
A/C. What a score. Nathan had never seen a hide-a-bed before,
which surprised me.
The only downside was that we had
to go out to the elevator lobby to get WiFi.
The breakfast buffet there was also good. And all that for about $70 per night. The view from our rooms was spectacular. Nearby were the Parlaiment building and
Presidential Palace. Further away were numerous
church spires and other grand buildings.
Kiev was looking good.
 |
| View from Hotel |
Our location was not in the heart
of what we wanted to see though. And as
we soon learned, it is a hilly city. Our
walk to the main square was a considerable descent. We found a good dinner there at a burger
restaurant. I got a side of beet and
spinach salad which was fine. Big beers,
good food, low prices and English capable people to deal with. Great city!
From there we strolled up the
main drag and through Maiden Square.
There were lots of people about.
Impressive scenery and a lively crowd.
We encountered someone with a big owl and another with an eagle. They assertively wanted to share the birds
with us for photo ops and of course a tip.
I had no small money at that point though so we had to refuse. Nice birds though. Another couple of people had pet monkeys
mingling with the tourists.
 |
| Maiden Square |
 |
| Kiev |
There was a monster truck parked
and if I remember right, a bunch of bikini-clad girls running around it with squirt
guns. Good way to get attention I guess.
At the top of that street was a
large underground mall. We only took a
peek at part of it. After viewing all
the buildings and statues, it was time to climb back to the hotel. And it was a serious hike.
I decided to check out Ukrainian
television that night. There were
several channels of interest. They had
HGTV, the History channel, sports and a nature show. The American based shows had the English left
in quietly with Ukrainian dubbed over the top.
It was frustrating in that you could only catch a few words of what was
being said.
Kiev has a metro system which we
used to avoid the hill climbs, but the stations never seemed to line up very
well with where we wanted to go. Our
nearest station was called Arsenal. And
it is noted as the deepest subway station in the world. I don’t doubt it. Part of that is due to the topography, but I
think they mentioned bomb shelter use as well.
In any case, it was two very long escalator rides down, taking almost
five minutes.
The trains themselves were rather
old and noisy, but cost only 35 cents a ride.
Best of all, there was a live person to sell the tokens.
We got off on the other side of
town and walked a couple of blocks to the recommended bazaar. They sold beautiful produce there, but it
wasn’t a convenient time to buy any.
Next on our list was the Chernobyl
museum. But this was not easy to
find. My map had a symbol which only pinpointed
its location to a city block. After
going all the way around, we asked for help.
And a local led us around the corner to the obscure entrance.
Kiev is not far at all from that
nuclear disaster of the 80s. The
U.S.S.R. is considered to have lied continually about the incident. Ukraine seems more inclined to tell it like
it was.
The museum had lots of good
stuff. I got the little phone thing to
listen to dialog in English, but didn’t figure out the numbering system until
we were about done with it. Ah, foiled
by technology again.
The weather was again hot. We walked to the bottom of St. Andrews
descent. This an old winding road that
leads from the upper city to the lower.
It is lined with people selling crafts, art and other assorted
things. It’s touted as showing you all
of Kiev in a couple of blocks. And it
was very nice. Part way up we diverged
to a trail that traversed the hillside.
Benches and a screen were built down the middle of the walkway which
served as a place for artists to display and sell their work. It went on for a good ways. There was lots of nice art which I suspect
was quite reasonable. But as always,
getting something I bought home would have been the issue.
Along that trail we came across a
funicular. Nathan was unfamiliar with
those too, so we stayed to watch it operated.
We were in the middle of it so couldn’t really use it to gain some altitude.
Back to the descent (or in our
case, ascent) Nathan wanted to return to buy something he’d looked at
earlier. So I sat in the shade and he
walked down and back up in the hot sun with his purchase. Again, I was sweating profusely and he was
not.
 |
| St. Andrew's Church |
 |
| St. Andrew's descent |
We walked around St. Andrews church
for the great view that provided. Then
at the top of the hill entered St. Michael's monastery. This big structure was painted a lilac color which
was rather stunning.
 |
| St. Michael's Monestary |
A must-see sight of Kiev is St.
Sophia’s cathedral which was just a few blocks away. I waited in line to buy tickets to tour
it. I requested just the basic tickets
for the grounds, but the lady shamed me into buying the whole package. I’m glad she did.
The Cathedral was unique. First, it was oddly divided into smaller
chambers and multiple levels. Then the
walls were mostly painted in a highly ornate way. A cramped spiral staircase led us up to an
overlook. Very nice.
Then in another building, a ceremony
was going on. Looked like a christening
perhaps. Many well-dressed people were
in attendance and we felt like interlopers, but watched quietly from the
background. The priest chanted the formal
rites which turned into an almost operatic performance of his booming
voice. Nice!
 |
| St. Sophia's Church |
By then, we were hungry and
thirsty. But found nothing for several
blocks. Finally down by the Maiden
Square again were some restaurant choices.
We got some Ukrainian fare including cold soup which hit the spot. We took the subway home as the long escalator
ride was preferable to climbing those hills in the heat.
We relaxed and enjoyed the A/C
for the hot part of the afternoon. When
it was time to go out again, we walked (downhill this time) to the location of
the underground mall. There was also a
big bazaar above it which we’d missed previously. We found it this time and were
impressed. It had all the usual stuff
missing in American supermarkets like chickens with the heads and feet still on
and pig faces and such.
Further away, we heard music
coming from the park, so detoured to find it.
A stage was set up and a band playing opposite the university. Can’t say that I enjoyed the music. We walked around this area some more, passing
the attractive opera house. Oddly, the
police had numerous streets blocked off to traffic. We could never figure out the reason.
It was time for dinner, and not
finding a better option, Nathan opted for a noodle place we’d passed earlier. We made our way back there.
This place annoyed me on several
levels. First, it had air conditioning,
but it was set at about one degree below the steamy outside temperature. Second, we could only order through the electronic
order-taking cyborg. Nathan helped me
navigate that horrible process. It then told
us to go pay. So, I proceeded to where
the food came from with my ticket to pay.
They didn’t want my money though and sent me away. We therefore found a seat and sat down. At which point we were confronted by an
employee. “You must pay before you sit.” But, we tried to pay, I pleaded. Well, unbeknownst to me there was a cashier
right beside the awful ordering machine. Oh, and they didn’t sell beer. Only soft drinks and water… neither of which
was cold.
I wish the food had been horrible
so I could truly hate them, but it was actually pretty good.
The water in Kiev is not
considered suitable to drink. And I made
the mistake of going to bed without water by the bed. Our bottled water was in the mini-fridge
which was in Nathan’s room. Waking thirsty in the middle of the night, I
found his door locked with the “do not disturb sign on it”. Little shit. He also has our only room key.
I woke early and went down to
breakfast on my own. Nathan slept ‘til
10:00 which would have irritated me, but we didn’t really have to hurry to see
what was left, so he may as well get his beauty sleep.
Once we got going, we took the subway
again to the university. From there
visited yet another church. And again,
there was a big crowd and some kind of ceremony going on. They keep their churches busy there.
Next stop was called the golden
gate. It was an old gateway into the
ancient city which had been destroyed at one point, restored and deteriorated again. But it was now rebuilt and looked a little
like a log cabin. We paid the pittance
to tour it.
 |
| Golden Gate |
 |
| Kiev architecture |
Another major thing on my list of
sights in Kiev is called sculpture alley.
Everything I read gives a vague description of its location. Why is it so hard to be precise? Anyway, I piece together the info and we did find
it. It is a walkway surrounded by whimsical
sculptures. We’d been close the day
before, but missed it. It doesn’t quite
live up to the hype. The sculptures are
dusty and a bit run down. But cute
none-the-less.
We passed another area of artists
selling their paintings on the sidewalk.
Again, nice stuff. We noticed
that many streets continued to be blocked off with traffic being detoured. I wonder why.
For lunch we ate indoors for a change and were led into an inner room
that had real air conditioning. We enjoyed
the cool. And the food was good
too. I had some kind of lamb in
persimmon and plum.
Our last tourist goal in Kiev was
to visit that big metal statue that we saw entering the city. The subway took us to the edge of the
river. It was still a ways to walk from
there. And it is all uphill. We made the hike. I was dripping sweat. Nathan, not so much. We bought some water, but as had happened once
before, we couldn’t tell the difference between the natural water and the carbonated
kind. We got a bottle of fizzy stuff
that was horrible. Tasted of old
shrimp. Who actually wants that kind of
water, we wondered.
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| War Memorial |
I believe the statue is called
the Roding Memorial and it commemorates Ukrainian war heroes. It’s part of a very nice park that includes
other sculptures. There were also tanks
and other war equipment on display. The
stainless steel statue is huge and imposing.
On our way out we bought real
water and some ice cream. Then found a
handy bus that took us almost all the way home where we cooled off before going
out to dinner.
Our neighborhood didn’t have a
lot of businesses, so I went out to scout for a place to eat. I found an American themed burger joint a
couple blocks away and we ate there. No
disappointment. We taxied to the airport
in the morning.
Kiev was a pleasant
surprise. Lots to see and do. Great value.
Good food and it’s all user friendly.
It was on to our last stop… Vilnius,
Lithuania. I’d been to Lithuania two
years previously. On a Baltic cruise
with my daughter, Jen, we’d stopped in port there. We had taken a shore excursion to a soviet
missile silo. That was interesting, but
didn’t give much insight into Lithuania.
Vilnius, the capital is well inland.
Lithuania is also a former Soviet Republic, but one of the more
independent ones that has been quite successful since gaining independence.
But first to get there. We taxied back to Boryspil, the Kiev airport. Our tickets this time were on Ukrainian Intl.
Airlines. And our carry-on baggage limit
was only 7 kg. I knew we were both over
that but they offered no plan to pay for overage. I feared a scale at the boarding gate that
would kick us off.
But they had no scale, just one
of those boxes to check the size. She
made me place my bag in there and the handle actually protruded slightly above
the top. She scowled but waved me
by. Oh, for the good old days when you
just showed up at the airport with whatever you cared to bring. But then, these tickets wouldn’t have been
$50 each in the good old days.
The flight was fine. On landing, the people on board erupted into
applause. This had happened also on the
flight into Kiev. I guess people in that
part of the world do not take a successful landing for granted.
The Vilnius airport was different
in that it looked more like an old train station. It was made of concrete, with arches and
smaller rooms. We found a tourist information
booth that was closed.
My information said that buses ran
to town so we found one that mentioned city center and got on it. I had Nathan monitor our progress with his GPS. We got off at the appropriate time and walked
a few blocks to Hotel Conti.
Finding our room was harder than
finding the hotel. But we did, and
dropped our bags before heading out to explore a little. Nearby was the Gates of Dawn. It is an old gate to the city with a small
chapel reportedly worth seeing. We found
the gate, but not the chapel, until an old lady pointed the way. It was located right above the gate. We went up there to witness another ceremony
in progress.
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| Gate of Dawn and chapel |
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| Cathedral |
Our walk took us by and into a
few other churches. There were many in
the city. We ended up in the
neighborhood of Uzupis where we had pizza for dinner. As usual, service was slow, but the food
good. Nathan needed two of their
mini-cokes to wash it down. I’m sure he’ll
be glad to be back in the land of the Big Gulp and free refills.
The hotel had warned us of a big group
that would be eating breakfast between 7:00 and 7:30 and suggested eating after
that. While Nathan slept, I went down at
8:00. Stuff was pretty picked over and
they didn’t seem in any hurry to refresh it.
But I didn’t go hungry.
We eventually got underway for
our full day of sightseeing in Vilnius.
That included more churches before paying admission to see the
university. Most of that was of no
interest, but the bell tower was great.
More interesting construction and a wonderful view of the city. We did stumble into another room that had some
more weird art.
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| View from University |
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| View of Vilnius |
There were lots of people milling
about the university cathedral. They
were well dressed and many were carrying flowers. Once again, we’d happened upon some ceremony
but had no idea what it was.
Next was the Hill of Three
Crosses. This was quite a hike and it was
again getting very warm. But another
great view from a different vantage point.
And again the air was clear with great visibility.
Nearby we could see Gedimina’s
Castle, also on our list of things to see.
It too was on a hilltop, so down we went and back up another sweaty
climb. Halfway up we noticed the
funicular that ran up the hillside. But
by then we were committed and continued the climb.
The castle itself seemed to be
closed due to construction. They wanted
an entrance fee to go up in the adjacent tower for the view. But we’d already had two very good views of
the city so passed on that. We did ride
the funicular down though.
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| Funicular to Castle |
Nearby was the main square of the
city which contained the big cathedral.
We looked in and sure enough it was full of people and mass was going
on. It was noon on a Tuesday. These people make good use of their churches.
There were crypts under the cathedral
mentioned as worth seeing. But I
inquired and found that they were only open to groups with prior arrangements.
So, we walked off toward our
final destination and to find lunch. We
left the old city and passed through the central business district. Our choice for lunch was Drama Burger.
Then it was a few blocks further
where we found the Genocide Museum and former KGB headquarters. Sounded interesting. But it was closed. Hours were Weds. thru Sun. the sign said. Bummer.
So, we trudged back to the hotel. On the way I overheard a couple of British
ladies asking a local for help finding something. They didn’t know where it was so I asked what
they were looking for. It was the same
museum. I had to give them the
disappointing news that they were close, but that it was closed.
I wandered about a little that
afternoon, checking out the train station and such. But we’d pretty much seen all there was to
see. Vilnius is nice and about right for
one day. But being at the end of this
trip, I suspect that it left us not that impressed. We’d seen so many other cathedrals and castles
by that point.
Our flight in the morning was
early so I inquired at the desk. Taxi
was the only way, but it was not that pricey.
They arranged that, then asked if we’d like box meals made up. Sure.
I didn’t know that was an option.
We got our 4:00 a.m. wake-up call
and went downstairs. As I told Nathan,
this would be the longest day of his life.
We were not due to see darkness or a bed for about 26 hours.
The desk clerk handed me two
large styrofoam containers full of food.
Looked like enough for breakfast and lunch. The taxi came promptly and delivered us to
the airport.
We checked-in for the flight and
went through security. Yogurts in the
box got our bags searched, but they let it through. While waiting for the first flight, I ate my
yogurt and one of the sandwiches. We planned
to eat the rest in Dublin since we had almost five hours between flights there.
Our first flight was to Stockholm. Since Lithuania, Sweden and Ireland are all
E.U. countries, I expected no passport formalities between them. That was not the case though and we went through
procedures in Stockholm. Our layover was
short there and we were soon on our way back to Dublin.
With so much time there, I
anticipated wandering the airport and leisurely eating our lunches. But that was not to be.
First we were herded into a
disorganized line to go through immigration.
Huh? That took 45 minutes or so
as the officials were questioning everyone thoroughly. What was our purpose in Ireland? “Just
passing through. Why must I talk to you?” Of course, I didn’t say that.
My hope of going directly to a gate
and avoiding security again was gone. We
dumped out right into the check-in area.
We’d had no opportunity to check in online for the Dublin to Seattle
flight, which seemed odd. So we found a
kiosk and proceeded to check in there. I
got to about the last step before it rejected me and said we needed to consult
an agent. And the agent nearby told me
that we’d have to wait in that big long line to talk to one of the check-in
people. Great.
We spent a full hour in that
line. While inching along we noticed an
offer to check a carry-on bag for only five euro. Sounded good to get rid of any unnecessary
burden so we saved our lunches out and checked the bags when we finally got our
boarding passes.
We’d used up a good deal of time
by then but still had plenty. We were told
to go to security and then directly to U.S. pre-clearance. Huh, what’s that about?
Security overseas is usually less
hassle and wait than at home, but not in this case. It was our third long line to
wait in. Arghh. Through that, we followed signs for U.S.
immigration. Down halls and around
corners, we were soon in our fourth line and not sure why. It finally became apparent that we’d be
clearing U.S. customs there instead of in Seattle. Why?
Who knows. But it would have been
nice to know this ahead of time
Soon we saw signs telling us that
no food would be allowed through.
Great. We could have ducked out
of line and tried to find a place to finish our lunches, but it was about this
time that I noticed the times on our boarding passes. It said that the “gate closes” at 1445. And that for a flight that departs at
1600. What’s with that? But our nearly five hours between flights had
all but evaporated. No time to eat. We ditched the food and proceeded on. They ran everyone’s stuff through a screener,
but we didn’t have to empty our pockets or go through a metal detector. So, I guess they were just searching for ham
sandwiches and such.
Then it was on to line number
five. After several more minutes, we
were talking to the U.S. immigration official.
Back in Seattle, they’ve automated this process into something pretty
quick. So why were we doing this the
slow way there? I asked the official if
he was actually an American. Yes, they
were all there on temporary duty. He
thought it was great. No doubt.
Finally we were dumped out to the
gate area for all U.S. bound flights.
And since they all go out about the same time each day, it was very crowded. We found a TV screen to tell us which gate to
go to. We arrived at gate 406 right about
the declared closing time of 1445. But
they were still boarding a flight to LAX there.
I asked the agent about that time on my boarding pass. He said, “oh, no, that is the time you should
be to immigration”. Then why didn’t it
say that, I wondered.
At last, we could breathe
easier. We got something to eat and I
bought Nathan his last legal beer for a while.
We hung out nearby as they kept making last calls for LAX.
At about 3:30 I started to wonder
why there was no activity for Seattle yet.
I asked the agent who initially said it would be boarding next, but then
seemed unsure and suggested I check the monitor.
Good thing I did that, as there
had been a gate change. We now needed to
be at gate 426. I assume it had been
announced, but we’d twice heard announcements where two people were talking at
the same time and we couldn’t understand either. It would have been nice if they’d posted it
at the gate we were waiting at.
Anyway, I grabbed Nathan and said
we needed to hurry. We went a ways in
the wrong direction before figuring out that the terminal had two stories and
our gate was cleverly hidden up the escalator.
We hurried up to the gate only to
find 300 people just standing around. The
gate did display Seattle with a 1600 departure time. But there was no one there boarding
passengers. Hmmm?
Finally at 1610 a woman arrives
looking a bit flustered and rushed. With
all that had happened since then, I wasn’t taking any chances and asked her to
confirm that the Seattle flight was really going to depart from there. She said it was. I then advised her that no announcement had
been made for a flight that was supposed to have been gone ten minutes
previously. She sheepishly nodded.
Ten minutes later someone finally
made an announcement that the flight would be delayed as our aircraft had just
arrived from L.A. and needed to be serviced.
She hoped to start boarding in 20 minutes or so.
Now that’s when I totally lost patience
with Aer Lingus. They had to have known
about this delay for many hours. Yet
they kept it a secret. All the people
moving slowly through all those lines and worrying about their fictitious gate
closing time…. Ha, jokes on you. We’re not really leaving on time.
At 1640, they finally updated the
screen to show a new estimated departure time of 1710. We actually got under way at 1730. Otherwise the flight was fine. Why they piss off their passengers by failing
to inform them makes no sense.
But one final shortcoming. It took a full hour for our bags to arrive in
Seattle. Normally going through
immigration procedures gives the baggage a chance to catch up with the people. But since we’d done that customs and immigration in Dublin, it meant
a long wait for bags hadn’t needed to check in the first place.
I wrote to Aer Lingus detailing
all of their short-comings. They were
apologetic and gave us both $100 credits somehow. The chances of me remembering and being able
to actually use that are slim, but it’s a nice gesture.
Final thoughts:
Traveling with Nathan went fine. He was easy to get along with and we had no
problems. I think he enjoyed it, though
enthusiasm is not an emotion he knows how to express. He’s gotten a taste of Europe now and no
doubt has the confidence to return on his own one day.
Our itinerary worked out pretty
well. I found very good airfares so
making so many stops was not expensive, though dealing with that many flights and
different airlines was tedious. We had about
the right amount of time at each location.
Perhaps having similar sights at all the destinations was a mistake.
Krakow was a jewel and definitely
recommended. Kiev was also great and
worth a visit. Everyone should see
Prague once. Dublin was the perfect
start for the trip. Warsaw, Brno and
Vilnius were all fine stopovers and worthwhile since they were on the way.
