Z Growth

Warsaw Boomerang

Day 24 - 9/27 - Warsaw

Had a great breakfast at the hotel in Zakopane.  One of the top five hotels we stayed in during our European trip.  Filled up and hit the road again.

On our way back to Warsaw today we stopped at Auswitsch for a tour of the Nazi concentration camp.  An unbelievable (in a bad way) place to see that is actually a bit stressful to see.  The barracks, gas chambers, and crematory were sickening, but it something we think everyone should see.  We left with a headache, but were glad we stopped.

Tons of construction on road to Warsaw, but we made it safely.  We even had time for a stop in Wadowice, which is the home of Poland's favorite son...John Paul II.

Zakopane Morris

Day 23 - 9/26 - Zakopane

Hit the highway south today into the Tatra Mountains in the very southern tip of Poland near the Slovakian border.  Much less traffic today through beautiful foothills and into the mountains.  Our hotel was very nice and is a big ski resort in the winter.

We took the ski lift up to the top of the mountain behind our hotel for fantastic views of the small town and mountain range.  We could see some snow on the top of peaks.

Headed into the small downtown of Zakopane, which is a main pedestrian street lined with shopping, cafes, and small bars.  It reminded us a lot of a smaller Tahoe or Flagstaff.  It was colder in Zakopane than other cities and we tried a warm beer with syrup at a small bar.  None of us were really fans of the warm beer, but at least we tried it.

Zakopane is the center of a region of Poland home to the Goral (pronounced goo-ral) people.  We went to an authentic Gural restaurant for dinner.  Awesome food and soups with a live Gural band.  Lots of fiddles and the singers kind of yell-sing.  Fun.

Had a relaxing and easy-going day in Zakopane.  Lauren loved the town because it reminded him a bit of where he grew up and Margie liked the slowed-down pace.  Down the hill tomorrow.

Jimmy Krakow Corn

Days 21 and 22 - 9/25 and 9/25 - Krakow

Left Warsaw today to head south to Poland's most visited city of Krakow.  We piled into the Opel that John rented and headed down the Polish highway. 

Our first stop was in Czestochowa, which has a very famous monastery named Jasna Gora.  Each year it attracts many tens of thousands of Catholic pilgrims to see the Black Madonna.  The Black Madonna is a painting from the 8th century that is very sacred.  It is inside a beautiful church and the monastery grounds are amazing.

We had some pretty heavy traffic between Czestochowa and Krakow.  We learned quickly that having a map in Poland is a must since often roads are not marked well.  We also learned that in traffic jams, people get out of their cars very quickly.  In one stop, some guys played hackey sack while waiting for the traffic to move.

We arrived into Krakow and checked into our hotel, which was an old apartment building literally across the street from Krakow's main attraction and Old Town.  Huge rooms that were probably bigger than our apartment in Chicago.  We had a great dinner at the classic Old Town Krakow restaurant Wierzynek.  The restaurant was built in the 1400's by a Polish king to house a party to celebrate the engagement of his daughter.  The only people in jeans, I think we got special treatment since Margie's family speaks Polish.  Lauren ordered pierogis for about the 18th time.

In the morning the next day, we headed to the Wawel Castle across the street from our aptly named Royal Hotel.  Wawel housed the Polish kings during the time of Poland's monarchy when Krakow was the center of the country.  The castle grounds are gorgeous with lots of open green space.  We saw the main cathedral which housed the tombs of many famous Polish kings and bishops.  Also took a tour of the castle's State Room and Private Royal Apartments.  We learned that Poland was one of the world's first democracies (if there was no heir to a king when he died, a new one was chosen by nobles) and that the Wawel Castle has the world's biggest collection of Cordovan (a leather art that lined the walls of many of the rooms in Wawel).

After freshening up, we walked back to Old Town.  The St. Marys Church was on of the most beautiful we've seen yet (up there with Prague's St. Vitus).  It definitely was painted the best inside and we actually paid the 5 zloty to take pictures.  We had made fun of the charge for pictures when we first got there.  On the hour from St. Marys bell tower a bugler plays the hejnal (pronounced "hey now") signal, which is a tribute to warning calls made from the old town and is a symbol of Krakow.

We had dinner at the Chlopcy Jadlwo, a fun chain of Polish country restaurants.  Had a family-style plate of food including ribs, sausage (obviously), pierogi, sauerkraut, potatoes, etc.  We talked a lot about Margie's parents' experiences and unbelievable struggles during WW2 in Poland.  Hard to imagine for us, but still great to hear to the stories.

We loved Krakow and could have spent another day here.  Tomorrow we're off to the mountains and Zakopane.

Warsaw It All

Days 19 to 20 - 9/22 and 9/23 - Warsaw

Margie's parents (John and Irena) arrived into Warsaw this morning on a red-eye flight from Chicago.  Everyone was very excited to see them and they were also very excited to be in Poland.  After getting settled at Margie's aunt Ewa's house, the party began.

Margie's other aunt Bozena and her family came down from Irena's hometown of Stregiel in the northern part of Poland.  We will all be heading up to the small village next week, but they came down to welcome the Koszylkos in Warsaw.

The night was a lot of fun full of tons of food, visits from other family and friends, and of course lots of shots.  Lauren is doing a great job at understanding the Polish and would be able to talk fairly well with a few more months in Poland.

All the guests stayed at aunt Ewa's house, so it was a full house.  In the morning, the Stregiel family headed home while everyone else went into downtown Warsaw for sightseeing.  We saw the Villianova church and plaza.  The weather was fantastic and we ended up back at the Old Town square for dinner.  We ate at the famous Bazyliszek, which had great food.

Not too much to write about except that it was great for us to have a lot of fun with Margie's family.  Everyone had a fun time and we're all very lucky to be able to spend so much time together.

Tomorrow it's off to Krakow.

We Return to Warsaw

Days 17 and 18 - 9/20/2007 and 9/21/2007 - Warsaw

On Thursday, we did some last minute shopping in the morning and caught the noon train to Warsaw.  The ride was about six hours and was the most full train yet.  Every seat was taken.  We sat next to a nice Russian woman who lived in Poland and studied in Germany.  Spoke Russian, Polish, German, and English.  Unbelievable.

Margie's aunt Ewa met us at the train station and we had a good dinner before turning in.

Friday was a day to rest and catch up on emails and laundry.  Had a good time at night with Margie's cousins and taught them the American card game Hockey. 

Tomorrow Margie's parents arrive and the whole country is buzzing...

Berlin is for Bears

Day 16 - 9/19/07 - Berlin

We started our day at our favorite little deli, Lindner.  It's probably not that big of a deal for a German, but we loved the rolls and sandwiches.  They do put butter on a lot of their sandwiches, which was kind of weird for us.

Today we did the sights of East Berlin, which is really where most of the things to see are.  We started at the German parliament building, the Reichstag and walked to Brandenburg Gate.  Most people are familiar with Brandenburg Gate from images of Nazi troops marching through it in WW2 videos.  The irony is that it was intended to be a peace gate.

We also saw the awesome "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe".  A group of headstone-like blocks of stone take over a whole part of town.  Underneath the exhibit is a museum, which is one of the best we saw in Europe.  It's pretty heavy and it's hard to put into words how you feel walking out, but it's something everyone should see.

We also saw about a 50 yard stretch of the actual Berlin Wall that had been left up.  Berlin was the center of the Nazi and then Communist governments of Germany.  It's a place that every American should see to understand how lucky we are and how great we have always had it.

History aside, the city is a great place to be.  Like Vienna, we both think that we could live in Berlin.  The people were surprisingly friendly and we ended our stay in Berlin with dinner and beers at a local German restaurant.  Lauren had the Currywurst, which is a local dish.  Rumor has it that a German POW came back from an American prison and raved about the spare ribs with BBQ sauce.  His wife mixed some ketchup and curry powder together, slathered it on a sausage, and invented currywurst.

The symbol of Berlin is a bear and they have a display like the "Cows on Parade" in America.  Bears everywhere.  Back to Poland tomorrow.

Berlin Ballers

Day 15 - 9/18/07 - Berlin

Left from Dresden today on our way to Berlin.  Margie really likes the Dresden Neustadt (New Town) Station and we think the best one Euro cup of coffee in the continent is sold there.  Rained most of the ride and we passed some German farms, possibly growing sausage?

We arrived into the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, which is the city's main train station.  It's like a major airport with all the gates, shopping, and people.  Nicest station we were in on our trip.  Quite a contrast from Budapest's station.

We stayed on points (thank you Accenture) at the Grand Westin in Berlin.  We were right in the center of East Berlin near most of the sights.  Our hotel was a bit stuffy and we pretty much got stared down every time we walked in, but we ate it up.  We were on the corner of Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden.  It's a major business, shopping, and sight-seeing intersection.

Didn't see too many sights today, but we were able to see Checkpoint Charlie.  This was a point in the Berlin Wall where westerners were allowed to enter and leave East Berlin, but not vice versa.  There is a museum near the checkpoint that shows all kinds of escapes from East to West Berlin.  People dug tunnels, hid in suitcases, and even floated over in a homemade hot air balloon.  Pretty unbelievable that it even existed in the first place.

We also saw the world famous Fassbender & Rausch chocolate shop today.  They have huge chocolate displays inside, including one of the Titanic.  Hope there are no marshmallow icebergs in sight.  Today was our anniversary, so we had a nice dinner and relaxed at night.

Doing Dresden

Day 14 - 9/17/07 - Dresden

Caught an early train to Dresden.  The train ride through the Czech Republic and into Germany was the prettiest yet.  Lots of green mountains and we followed the Vltava River for most of the trip.  We've noticed that we tend to get cranky and bicker a bit on the days when we travel.  It's probably because we're usually rushed and not really sure of where we're going.  We always end up figuring it out though.  Just a random note.

After a bit of a hike, we found our hotel.  The Mezcalero House is a small hotel with a Mexican theme in a new part of Dresden.  It's a fun, simple, and centrally located place.  We loved it.

Dresden is a much smaller city than others we've seen.  Since almost all the museums are closed on Mondays, we were able to see most of the sights in a single afternoon.  An amazing city, it's probably known by most Americans for being absolutely flattened near the end of WW2.  They are slowly rebuilding the city to it's pre-war glory and it's now a great place to visit.

Many of the rebuilt churches and palaces are identical to originals.  Where possible, they used actual bricks from the rubble.  It's cool to see the older stones in the new buildings.  Dresden sits on a curve of the Elbe River and has a very nice riverfront walk with cafes.  Margie had an onion cake for lunch that was awesome.

As with other cities we visited during the weekdays, most of the tourists were older...and German.  Go figure.  Unlike what some folks had told us in earlier cities, the people of Dresden were very nice to us.  English was no problem and the locals have made us feel welcome.  We think they're happy that their city is back on the map and that tourists are coming to visit.

We had dinner near our hotel in the New Town, which is full of young bars and restaurants.  To stick with the jalapeno theme, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  Ole'...

Perfecting Prague

Day 13 - 9/16/07 - Prague

Today was our last day in Prague and we wanted to squeeze in some of the cities best sights.  We have been preoccupied with the beers and the locals, but we wanted to make sure we hit up the Prague Castle and the Jewish Quarter.

Today we switched rooms to the owner of the hotel's neighbor's apartment since our hotel was booked for tonight.  We can't tell you how awesome the stay at the Lida House was.  Jiri was the most accommodating host ever and we had a great stay.

We started today at the Jewish Quarter in Old Town.  This part of Prague was where the Jews were forced to live for many centuries.  It is a very moving thing to see and the museums do a good job of laying out the struggles of Jews in Prague over the years.  The most moving part is the display of drawings by Jewish children from the Terezin concentration camp.  All of the children perished and if looking at the happy pictures they drew doesn't well you up, you're made of stone.

After a coffee and strudel at the Kafka Cafe, we headed to the Castle Quarter.  Our favorite part of town, the Prague Castle has been one of the best sights we've seen yet.  The part of town around the castle is very very hilly, cobblestone, and lined with shops.  The view from the castle is amazing and the Czech government still uses the building today.

We've seen some beautiful churches on our trip so far, but the St. Vitus cathedral in the Prague Castle was the best yet.  Tall ceilings and sun shining through the huge stained glass impressed us big time.  A must see in Prague.

Decided that Krusovice is the best beer in the Czech Republic today.  Wrapped up our night with a walk across the Charles Bridge to the metro station and back to our hotel.  Tomorrow we head for Dresden, but not before appreciating what a great place Prague is.  If you make the effort to get past a lot of the touristy stuff and into Prague itself, it's absolutely a fantastic city.

Czech One Two

Days 11 and 12 - 9/14/07 and 9/15/07 - Prague

We've had two great days in Prague.  Our little hotel has been a fun experience and the sights are Prague are awesome.  Train from Vienna to Prague was about 4.5 hours and passed through some beautiful mountains.  Some of the cities we went through were ugly communist sprawl, but the mountain towns were nice.

We covered Old Town in the evening when we first arrived in Prague.  It's a fun and pretty plaza, but it is absolutely overrun by tourists.  Unbelieveable really.  Definitely a sight to see, but we only needed to see it once.  If you have a guide that covers a lot of the history of these busy places, it makes them much better.

We ended our night at a pub called "U Zlateho Tygra", which means By the Golden Tiger.  We walk into this place and it's full of people sitting at tables drinking.  We're told by the Czech speaking waiter that there were no seats and are shown the door.  Margie finds two spots next to some older men and asks if we can sit down.  The men nod yes.  Waiter is not happy.  We learn that the weekends are really for locals.  This was made even more clear when Lauren stands up to order a beer and the waiter drops a shoulder into him as he passes by.  Obviously on purpose, but we hold strong and end up having a great time with the men we're sitting with.  They keep track of your beer on a piece of paper in front of you with a tick mark for each beer.  Between the four guys sitting with us, their paper had no less than 50 ticks...and it was 9PM.  Rockers.

On Saturday morning, we walked around New Town and Little Quarter.  In our opinions, they are much better parts of town.  We saw the Mucha Museum and loved the Municipal House.  A lot of the Czech sights and memorials are in honor of their rise against communism, which was not too long ago.  Hard to imagine this town, with all it's commerce and tourism, was dominated by a communist government less than 20 years ago.

Against our hotel owner's judgement we decided to head to the local Prague soccer match in the evening.  Slavia Praha is the Czech league's biggest team, basically the Yankees of Czech soccer.  We had a great time.  Cheap tickets, cheaper beer, a rowdy "student section" with organized yells, smoke bombs, and unecessary riot police lurking in the stands.  Of course, the game tied at 0-0.

We ended our night at the local pub by our hotel.  Tomorrow we'll own Prague Castle and get ready for Germany.