Krakow, Poland

On the highway on the way to Krakow (Cracow) there were two McDonalds facing eachother so that no matter which way you are driving, you are able to stop at a McDonalds.

Krakow is my favourite Polish city (after my hometown Jelenia Gora of course)! The Nazi’s were ready to blow it up at the end of the war, but then ran out of time so yay Krakow is still standing with its original buildings and the Wawel Castle, which is a very famous castle in Poland. I know of it because when I was younger, I was told a fairy tale which I will quickly gloss over now.

There was a dragon that lived under the castle and he was eating people and cattle and setting houses on fire and just getting up to some no good mischief! So the King of Krakow said, ‘whoever kills this dragon may marry my daughter’. So knights came from far and wide and they all died. Then a poor, peasant, shoemaker's son came and said that he could kill the dragon and everyone laughed but the King allowed him to try anyway. So the shoemaker’s son caught and killed a sheep. Then he stuffed it with poison and used his sewing skills so sew the sheep back up again. He put the sheep outside the dragon’s lair and in the morning, the dragon ate the sheep and died. Everyone was happy, the end.

So in Poland, the only thing I wanted to see was Krakow and the dragon’s lair. The dragon’s lair is closed until March. I nearly cried but I kept it together and instead enjoyed the castle and cathedral. I will go back one day and I will see that lair. This is just a photo from the outside.

                              
             

These are some pictures from Wawel Castle.

The courtyard



A nice wooden door



Inside the Wawel castle



A big rug



Another big rug



Yet another



Krakow also has a famous cathedral next to the marketplace which has a fancy piece of artwork in it. During the war, the Polish people pulled it apart and sent it down the Wisla River (river that flows all the way through Poland) to a secret hiding place but the German’s found it anyway. It was however returned to the cathedral after the war.

The Wisla River



 This is my dragon that turns into a pillow!

And this is where we had a delicious dinner, underground of course!

Aushwitz

Dad picked me up from Prague in the morning, we spent a nice day checking out the beautiful city and then in the arvo we drove to Poland! I was too tired to take a picture but if everyone could just imagine an eagle looking sideways and then Polish writing saying something like, ‘you are now entering Poland’ then that would be great! I had dinner at Ciocia and Mariola’s place and it was fantastic, fantastic, fantastic to see them! They had already eaten dinner so I was expected to eat the half a roast chicken, vegetables, bread, soup, three different types of cake and fruit. I’ve never let the team down and I wasn’t about to start now. There was also wine and fine conversation! After dinner I went back to Dad’s where we drank more wine and tea and ate delicious Polish chocolates. I love Poland already.

The next day, I got up at 5.30 in the morning as today Dad and I were beginning our week and a half journey around Poland. Needless to say, this was too early. Anyway, first stop was Aushwitz.

I took a couple of photos of the gate but that was all because I just didn’t feel right taking photos in Aushwitz. It wasn’t as sad as I thought it would be. I feel like I already knew a lot from history in school and so it wasn’t as shocking as when I heard it the first time. Also, they’ve made it into more of a museum, rather than a scary concentration camp sort of atmosphere. This is understandable as there were nine tourist buses lined up when we arrived and school groups as well.

Arbeit Macht Frei - Work sets one free

In the museum were eye glasses, toothbrushes, suitcases, pots and pans, all real from the people that thought they were coming there to start a new life. Even real hair which was sold by the Germans to make carpets and rugs. I had already heard all of this, so for me the most shocking part was the fake legs or prosthetics. I couldn’t look at that for very long, it was very sad. The other piece of information which I had never heard and which shocked me was that women survived in Aushwitz for an average of three months and men for six months.

 Aushwitz is made up of three camps. The first camp is the one with the gates. This used to be an old Polish army barracks so the buildings are made of brick and look like normal buildings. The third camp was for the working parties in the industrial centre and I think that is gone now because we didn’t see that. The second camp is called Aushwitz-Birkenau and it is the one most commonly portrayed in movies. Our tour guide said that when they film movies, they usually film the sign in Aushwitz and then the rest at Birkenau.

Birkenau is huge. It used to be rows upon rows of those wooden barracks. Now there are just a couple of rows as a lot was destroyed and so they have put what they have left together. Through the middle is the train track and a giant platform where people were organised. There are four crematoriums at the end of the track and the people were told showers and food were that way and so walked to the crematoriums calmly, hardly ever causing the Nazi’s problems. The prisoners blew up the crematoriums as soon as the Nazi’s fled at the end of the war, so what is left is just a rubble of bricks.

Introduction to Poland

My foot in really deep snow

First things first. I was going start by getting straight into it but if I tell you I eat dinner at 2pm without explaining then this will be odd indeed. So I eat dinner at 2pm and then around 6 or 7 we eat supper which is a small meal, maybe sandwhiches, grilled sausage, cold meats etc. And breakfast is in the morning as it should be. The reason that you eat like this (I think) is because it’s dark by 4pm so having dinner early makes sense and then you just have a little bit of food later on so you’re not hungry.

                               

Goodbye sun!

               

It's only 4 o'clock!

                      

Every house has a cupboard or lots of hooks as soon as you walk in because everywhere you go, you wear boots and big jackets and scarfs and hats and gloves etc, so when you walk into someone’s house you declothe because they will obviously have the heating on and you don’t wanna be tramping snow, mud or rain all through the house. If it’s your house, then everyone has slippers waiting at the door and you walk around in them throughout the house so that you’re feet aren’t cold.

Everyone has a fireplace in the basement that fires the heaters in every room of the house. Toilet, bathroom, entrance hallway, bedroom, every room! Double glass on the windows, double bricks on the walls, doors which don’t let air in or out, all to keep the warmth in and the cold out!

When driving, there are big see through screens on the side of the road to keep from the snow blowing onto the road. There are also electronic temperature signs everywhere which tell you the temperature of the air and the temperature of the road, so that you know if it’s frozen or not.

When it snows, snow plows clear the road and other trucks put sand and salt on the road to make it less slippery. We used to put salt on the ground in Hungry Jack’s when oil had spilled to make it not slippery, this is a much bigger scale.

Every city/small town/village has a marketplace. From the olden days, they have stood the test of time and they are open all week. You can buy clothes, alcohol, meat, fruit and veg, yoghurt, jam, lollies, chocolates, etc pretty much everything and you know that it’s all fresh. I saw half a pig the other day. Fresh.

I classify everything as pre war or after war. Some buildings look great, some buildings are falling apart and a lot are restored and look fantastic. The same goes with the roads. Some were built by the Germans and some are new and not as bumpy.

Ciocia is Auntie in Polish and my Ciocia raised my Mum and lives in Jelenia Gora with her daughter, Mariola. This is my homebase and where I’ll be spending most of my time. Jelenia Gora is at the bottom of Poland, two hours to Prague and three to Berlin. It is right next to the mountains and as you’re driving in your ears pop!



My Ciocia watching her beloved volleyball



Poland (PL) or Germany (D)?



Frankfurt Airport

            

Frankfurt airport is really cool. Some of you may know that I enjoy a little bit of organisation. Frankfurt airport impressed me with its organisation. I didn’t have to take my shoes off going through security so I was already impressed but the runway and the planes’ parking spots held my attention for the two or so hours that I was there.

At most airports, I feel like the planes and the luggage cars and catering trucks and petrol people and all the other people are all over the runway, simply trying to make sure they don’t bump into eachother.

In Frankfurt the rules are written. Some planes are lucky enough to fit next to the gates but the others have designated parking spots and there are roads in grid form leading to everywhere, just like a car park. So about now you’re thinking, Anna is this post really about an airport? Yes it is so please stop reading now if mass organisation does not float your boat.

 

Two way street!


 Back to the airport, it went gates, planes connected to gates, two way street, two rows of parking spots for planes, another road. And buses picked us up and took us out to our planes, and each parking spot had a petrol pump and stairs (for getting off the plane) and a clearly identifiable number. And the runway was right behind so while I was drinking my cappuccino and watching the plane car park, planes were continually landing.

                                  

Thank you for listening to how much I liked terminal two at Frankfurt airport. I wasn’t ready to start writing about Poland, so this was good to pass the time!



Polish plane - Lot



Crazy American Things – My Summary of the States

1.       Self filling petrol

Place the pump in the petrol bit and go sit in your car while it fills up.

2.       Self flushing toilets

In most public toilets, stand up and the toilet will automatically flush. If your name is Kathy it may even flush while you are still sitting...

3.       Giant alcohol bottles

1.75L plastic bottles of spirits and wine, complete with a plastic handle so you don’t even need to bother with a cup.

4.       $35 Grey Goose Vodka

So cheap!

5.       Peanut butter in chocolate

At least 50% of the chocolate bars on offer had peanut butter somehow included. Americans like chocolate and peanut butter.

6.       Self starting cars

Start the car while you’re still walking to it. I think this is mainly so that in winter the car gets warm and in summer the car gets cool before you get in. However, it is unusual to walk past a car as it is starting with no one behind the wheel!

JFK to Frankfurt

It’s Sunday morning and I check out of my hostel. I am informed that to get to JFK I can choose a $65 taxi or a two hour subway ride. Choices choices. As my flight is at 5pm and it’s only 11am, time is no issue so I’ll catch the Subway.

The subway!

While swapping trains, I made friends with another girl who had a suitcase and who was going to JFK. After training for a long time, we are one stop away and a lady on the train says to another suitcase bearing couple (as the doors are closing) that, if you’re going to the airport then you have to get off now because this train is changing lines! So they quickly run off but me and the girl don’t have time! So we get off at the next stop to swap trains and go back to the station. The tracks are in the middle so to get to the other side we have to go down the stairs, then up again with all our luggage but a nice old man sees us and tells us that two stops up the platform is in the middle so it’ll be easier for us to swap there. So we wait and wait. After twenty minutes we decide that we have already done most of the journey so we’ll get a taxi. We head downstairs and the man is there and we tell him the train didn’t come and now we’re going to get a taxi. He informs us that there aren’t many taxis around here. We try anyway and after ten minutes the train comes. It really felt like everything was going against us. Ten minutes later, the man was able to wave down a taxi for us and we were able to get to the airport. This was however the beginning of my problems.

Well actually, first I went to the wrong terminal but it was only a short walk to the next one. So while in the taxi, the girl (who was from Turkey and studying in Amsterdam) had helped me to realise that I would most probably miss my connecting flight from Frankfurt to Prague. I was meant to arrive in Frankfurt, Germany at 0740 and then my flight to Prague was at 0925. The international flight meant passport checking, luggage carousel, customs, get to domestic terminal, check in to flight by 0845. I had booked them close together on purpose but now I realised that I didn’t have enough time and while my hopes were still up, the girl just gave me that sympathetic look and shook her head. Then with sadness in her eyes told me I wasn’t going to make it. She didn’t even say, oh you might have a chance, she just plain out told me I was going to miss it. So I started weighing up my options, cancel and rebook now OR try catch it, then cry at the counter and hope they put me on another flight for free. I couldn’t do anything until I had checked in and gone through the gates, so as I was checking in I mentioned something at the counter about my connecting flight and the lady said not to worry because they will move my baggage for me but I told her that I had booked the flights separately so I had to do the luggage. She then asked who I was flying with and I said Czech Airlines. Hmmm I think we might have a luggage agreement with them...turns out they did and she was able to organise it for my luggage to go straight onto my Czech flight!! Fantastic! I wouldn’t have to wait for it at the carousel and I could skip customs! Valuable time savers!



On the plane to Frankfurt



A plane being pushed out





My plane meal which included chicken and beans sitting on some sort of mash which was delicious (tasted a little like mashed potato but with cinnamon?), a roll, butter, salad with ranch dressing, cheese and crackers, brownie and a nice glass of red wine!



My flight to Frankfurt was forty five minutes early! I had asked for a seat at the front of the plane so I was quick to get off and one of the first through the passport checking. Then I hurried past the luggage carousel (yay!) and straight through customs. Turned out that my next flight was at the same terminal! So I checked in and even had time to grab a coffee while I brushed up on my german! Guten morgen! Cappucino bitte? And then of course, danke (thank you).

So in the end, everything went right at exactly the right time in regards to luggage, being early and being at the same terminal!

So my tale is nearly at its end, I promise! We left Frankfurt half an hour late and then at Prague airport there was crazy thick fog right over the airport and the captain let us know that we would take an extra fifteen minutes to land because of the hazardous weather conditions. We couldn’t see the fog because we were in the clouds so it all just looked like clouds out our windows. We started circling down and it took forever but we circled all the way down to the airport and the whole time I (and probably 99% of the rest of the plane) thought we were up in the clouds but then all of a sudden it was like BANG as the wheels hit the runway and we could JUST see the runway and a couple of planes!! THAT’S how foggy it was and the whole plane gasped as we landed, proving the surprise of everyone!

Guess who's bag was first out of the luggage carousel. That’s right, yours truly. As I went to pick it up, I walked past a guy who had spoken to me in Czech before and I held up my finger and said, number one. He just looked at me confused until I had actually picked up my bag but it was just fantastic how, in the end, everything had come together perfectly. Dad even got lost on the way to the airport and was late but neither of us had to wait, as I was late too! Fun fact: my bag was also first out in New York!!!! Some people call it a gift. I agree with them.

Thank you for getting to the end of my airport adventure, now it’s time to explore Poland!

                         

New York, New York Part 2

Friday saw Sarah and I catching the ferry to Stratton Island and checking out the Statue of Liberty.

We then headed to 5^th Avenue and had a big shop. I bought a couple of things but was still without boots and a waterproof jacket for Europe! We also checked out Broadway to see if there were any cheap tickets left for that night but the places we looked into were sold out. We did get tickets to a comedy show though so after my $3.55 chinese food dinner, we went to the Broadway Comedy Club. It was really funny, better than we expected! After the show at 2.30am we had some tea and cake, and then we caught the faithful Subway home. We walked past the Letterman show, this was not where the comedy club show was!

The next day I caught up with Annika, whom Kathy and I had met in San Francisco! She had just got to New York so we decided to have lunch and we walked past the Mary Poppins theatre. After taking some realistic photographs, we checked to see if they had any cheap tickets for the 2pm matinee. They did!! We got them for $60 and they were very close to the front, maybe a little to the side but I could still see everything perfectly fine so we were really happy.

 

Annika is from Germany and knows what sort of clothing and boots would be best, but again we couldn’t find anything! I showed her Grand Central Station though and Rockafella Plaza where we went to the Magnolia Bakery! The Magnolia Bakery is one of those famous New York bakeries where people stand out the door and around the corner waiting to get in. I’ve read about it on the internet and in lots of baking blogs so have always wanted to go there!

We also went to the largest Macy’s in the world. How big is this giant Macy’s, you ask? Well, with four Starbucks, a McDonalds, six other cafes and 9 stories, it is quite big. And soooo busy! We got in there, looked at the boots, took some photos and got right out of there! The next day, I checked out of the hostel and began my super fun filled journey to Europe! My next post is dedicated to the many tiny holes that made my journey not so smooth but a little more exciting than if everything had gone perfectly. The mugging did not help. Kidding! I was not mugged Mum. Ok, talk to everyone soon!



Cafe wall covered in pennies!

 

My plane meal