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Baltic Madness - On The Road Again
What you don't realize is that it is a very large body of water. My trip took me to the following countries: Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and of course Sweden. My trip took a total of twenty eight days. The article will be in journal form. Some pictures will be included. Well without further ado, here we go!
12 - 14th July, Krakow
After a long and seemingly endless night on the train, I finally arrived at Krakow Main Station. The night had been unbearable. We stopped in a town in the middle of East Boondocks at the Czech and Polish border. We were there for one and a half hours. As the trains turn off their engines at the stop the temperature inside the train dropped to about 10 degrees. BRRRR! Anyway, after checking into my hostel. I immediately went to sleep for about 4 hours.
Upon waking at about noon, I went to explore the town. Taking a walking tour of any town is the best way to learn about the town as well as getting some insider tips. The local currency is the Zloty, and current exchange rates is about 2.5 SEK per Zloty. Along the tour, some spots highly recommended is the St. Mary's Bascillica, with its uneven spires, and Wawel castle and grounds, the Czartoryski Museum, and the ring park that takes place of where the defensive city walls used to be. When you are in Krakow, try to count how many churches you can find. Don't even try. It is safe to say that there are no shortages of places of worship in Europe especially in Poland.
A good place to go for the famous Krakow nightlife would be inside the old town. There are many clubs especially on the north side of the old town. However, there are bars everywhere.
There are a couple day trips that you can take while in Krakow. One is the Wieliczka Salt Mine, and the second is the Auschwitz Concentration Camps. Each costs about 50 PLN to do if you arrange everything. However, the tour operators charges 100 each. I chose Auschwitz. The touristy parts are made up of two big campuses of barracks. It is quite horrific when you consider what happened here about sixty years ago. However, it is necessary to experience then maybe this might not happen again. I was able to find some items that the previous occupants left. But it came at a big cost, I got over eighty bug bites from the hunt from which for the next two stops I had much itchy and sleepless nights.
Speaking of Jewish things in and around Krakow…At night, go to the Jewish Quarter at Kazimierz. There is a nice concentration of bars and pubs there. Go to the market square where you can get one of their wonderful garlic bread pizzas called something that starts with a "Z" (for some reason the word escapes me). It costs about 3.50 PLN, and is well worth it!
As far as the museums is concerned, I say, "To each his own." I do, however recommend the Czartoryski Museum. It is one of the biggest collection of random objects from all around the world, ranging from medieval weapons to classic da Vinci's. I also recommend taking a trip to Kosciusko Mound. You will be able to have a nice view of Krakow and its surroundings. It is named for the Polish General who helped in the American Revolution. For those who are fascinated with the old communism ways, a trip to Nowa Huta is well worth it. It is what a model city should look like according to the old communists of Poland.
One thing to note about Krakow, be sure to get valid tram passes, or it is a 100 PLN fine. I had one that was 2 hours past validity and I got caught just one stop from my final destination before leaving town! Friggin bastards made me pay even though I was leaving town. Quite a steep exit tax, I say!. Well……on to the next stop! Warsawa here we come!!
14 - 17th July, Warsaw
From Krakow to Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, is about three hours by express train. It costs about 81 PLN and is well worth it, since the regular train is about 50 and would take about six hours. One of the most immediate thing that you will notice about Warsaw is its size. It is really a major metropolis with the massive buildings to prove it. The most overwhelming one being the Science and Culture center. There are buildings like all over the old Warsaw Pact countries. But this one is really ominous in this city. Like the Empire State Building in NYC, this building can be seen in much of the city centre.
Again, there are plenty of churches in the city. One of the must-see spots is the Warsaw Uprising Museum. It is free on Sundays. It commemorates the efforts of the locals to throw out the Nazis in the Fall of 1944 about a few months before the Russians were to march into town. It was a bit foolish, but I can see the reasoning behind it. They didn't want the Russians to come, but wanted the city for the Poles. Even though it was quite tragic, it was heroic none the less. One must remember that the whole city was leveled by the Nazis as well as other participants, so just about all of the buildings are less than sixty years old. There is a "old town" section of the city. It was reconstructed after the war. It is quite obvious that the Royal Castle was rebuilt. However, that does not take away from the beauty of that section of the city. Extending from the old town, is one of the poshest streets in Poland, Nowy Swiat. You can find all kinds of shops there. Well, I got shit on by a pigeon there. It is supposed to be good luck.
The city is quite touristy in the center, but to see how the real Warsaw operates, cross the bridge into Praga. At the secondary main bus station you will find a super big flea market. Plus, the prices for some things are somewhat better on this side of the river. For relaxation purposes, there are three major parks in Warsaw. The Ogrod Saski near old town is a small park that contains the monument to the dead soldiers of the WW2. In fact there are monuments to the fallen throughout the city. Each one more impressive than the previous.
There is another park in the south district of Wilanow with a big palace, but I didn’t go to that one. The must see park is the Park Lazienkowski. It has a few pretty impressive mansions inside as well as a big statue to one of the city's most loved sons, Chopin.
Near the Palac na Wyspie, you will see some peacocks, as well as a model of a Roman Theater.
The best way to get around town is by public transport. It costs just 12 PLN for a 3 day pass, good on the Metro (only one N- S line), Trams, and buses. Be sure to validate it as soon as you get on the first ride. Most people says there are nothing to see in Warsaw. You only need two days to see it, but if you are looking for different things, you can spend a week here. The buildings to visit can vary according to one's tastes.
The Culture Center is a definite must. There are some nice exhibits inside, most are free. I think the National Museum is worth a visit as well. Currently, there is a Alfred Mucha Exhibit for those who fancies Art Nuevo. It was quite hot while I was there, think thirty five to forty degrees. My biggest regret about Warsaw was not slowing down and really looking at the city. It has many well designed and decorated buildings.
That does it for this segment of Baltic Madness with Paul. In our next segment, I take you to the Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius, and the Latvian capital of Riga.
by Paul (email: pcwall23 at yahoo dot com) 2007-09-07
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