Europe 2019

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. 

River Liffy

  

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Nathan learning a skill

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

  

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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 38^th 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 20^th 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 9^th 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 15^th 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.

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.

Gate of Dawn and chapel

  

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. 

View from University

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.

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.