Rapidly changing plans

Okay I need to catch everyone up, I've been falling too far behind.

Tuesday was another busy day at work. For lunch Paul and I rode the tram into old town again and tried a very traditional Polish style restaurant. It was tasty, but service was slow as usual. I'm still having a hard time being patient when it comes to paying the check and
leaving.

I ended up staying late at work and then wandering down to the train station to buy tickets for my trip to Prague. The help desk lady said "gate nine-ten" which I heard as "nineteen" when I asked where I could purchase such a ticket. So after waiting in the wrong line and getting hassled by a very drunk and smelly beggar for several minutes I was summarily directed to the correct window for international train tickets on the other side of the station. After another short wait I was able to schedule and reserve a sleeping car to Prague and back for this coming weekend. Little did I know that my plans would be changing so radically before I got a chance to use them, more on that later.

After leaving the station it was time for dinner so I got out my guidebook, took a seat and looked for some suggestions for dinner, since I was on my own for the rest of the evening. I decided on a recommended Italian restaurant that was situated on the main square. It was a nice night and I enjoyed the walk, peeking in shop windows and taking my time. Along the way I was stopped by another beggar, this one actually knew how to beg in Polish and English and when he realized I spoke no Polish he switched and said "Sorry, you give me two zloty!". I was impressed to find such a forthright polyglot.

I eventually found the cafe I was looking for, Da Pietro, and took a seat at a table outside under the umbrellas. I got served promptly, ordered some garlic bread, pasta, and wine, and was pleased to see that the firedancers were just setting up and starting their routine right in front of me. I played around with my camera trying to get some decent shots of the fire play. I'm not too satisfied with the results, but I think you can get the idea.

After my meal and entertainment I was ready to get back to the hotel and catch up with my email and such. When I got back and logged on Harold, my boss, was online and had some news for me. Apparently they had decided to cut my business trip in half and bring me home early. I was disappointed to say the least, not only am I enjoying myself so very much, but the reasons behind the changes implied that this would be the last time I could expect to come back here or work with the excellent people here at LLP. I also was very stressed about the idea of changing my flight plans, since I feel much better after my last trip having a paper ticket in hand.

By the time I finished talking with Harold I had worked out a plan that I would stay the originally planned full three weeks, but the last week and a half would be on my own dollar and basically be vacation time. So LL stops paying for me next Wednesday the 17th, then I am on my own until my plane leaves on Friday the 26th.

Since that night I've been planning my new trip itinerary. My goal is to take a long looping train trip starting in Prague, then to Vienna, off to Bratislava, continuing on to Budapest, and finally returning to Krakow on the 25th. I will have to go to the train station tonight and change my ticket reservations. I'm very excited about the trip, but a little nervous about being on my own for so long. At least I am choosing very touristy cities that will most likely cater to my needs.

That's all I have time for today. Enjoy the pictures, they are a preview of last nights activities, and I will fill you in on the details tomorrow.

Czesc.

How to lose 5 pounds in 3 days, walking

I've been too busy with work for the last two days to do a decent update, and there hasn't been as many new and exciting things to blog about either.

I got to work very early Monday morning, I even had time to stop in a bakery along the way and get one of their tasty fruit filled pastries, much like a jelly doughnut, but more Polishy. I had a long day, accomplished a lot, but took a fairly long lunch with Paul. We rode the tram into Rynek Glowny and found a place to sit at one of the outdoor cafes. We talked as we waited to be acknowledged, waited to get our order, waited to get our food, and then waited to pay the bill and leave. I found it excruciating, even though it was a beautiful day and in such a wonderful setting. I'm having a hard time reprogramming myself to be patient. While I was feeling antsy I noticed the sculpture of Piotr Skrzyniecki, described by Roman Polanski as "a hippie before his time", outside a nearby cafe. Someone had placed two beautiful roses in his arms and I think it made for a very nice picture.

That evening after work I walked with Marcin back to his new flat. He is having the whole interior redone. There is still a lot of work to be finished, and he is not happy with his contractors' progress, but it already looks like it will be very nice when completed. He has a large attic space at the top of a 100 year old building not far from Rynek Glowny. He told me recently that he met his building community and that there is an English author buying one of the flats on his floor, Alison Bond. Sounds very exciting.

After visiting his place Marcin asked what I'd like to do for the evening and I mentioned wanting to maybe see one of the man-made mound monuments around Krakow I had read about in my guide books. Marcin offered to take me to one he had been to before and show it to me, and he suggested we walk there. I had no idea how far away it was. We walked down to the park along the Wisla river and he showed me a sculpture dedicated to Dzok and the amazing loyalty of dogs. The story goes that he was walking with his master near this spot when his master was hit by a car. The ambulance came and took the man away, but left Dzok. Dzok never left that spot, waiting for his master to return, but he had died in the hospital. Other people tried to lead him away, but he would not go. So they built him a doghouse and fed him until the day he died still waiting for his master to return.

We followed the river park past the base of Wawel hill where supposedly the dragon's den was at the time King Krak was building his castle on the hill. Now there is a statue of the dragon that breathes fire at night.

We walked further on and on and on and eventually into some very nice looking tree lined neighborhoods. Later we passed a very crowded cemetery. Further on still we reached the base of Kopiec Kosciuszki and the fort encircling it. We climbed the stairs to the fort and bought a couple tickets for access to the mound 10 minutes before it closed for the evening. Another steep climb and we were at the top overlooking the city. At this point I was very tired and hungry, but I was enjoying the view very much.

After a brief rest at the top and making a plan for grabbing something to eat in old town, we wandered back down the mound and out the way we came. Thankfully it was all downhill to the nearest tram station back to old town. I was glad for the rest in the tram car. My feet felt like they had been worn down to stumps.

The first place we tried for dinner was closing up for the night, so we moved on and found a restaurant that was mentioned in one of my guidebooks, Chimera. I was starving and Marcin encouraged me to order the large meal which consisted of my choice of six different dishes together piled high on one plate. I couldn't finish, but I was very happy. Marcin ordered as much as me, and packed it away quickly and efficiently cleaning his plate long before I gave up on mine. Somehow I still seem to outweigh him by 30 pounds. Marcin reminds me a bit of my old buddy Todd Davenport. He was the same way.

After dinner we said "do widzenia" and went our separate ways. After my long weekend and the evening's walk I was ready for a solid night's sleep. I'll post about Tuesday soon. Czesc.

Salt, Gnomes, and Accordions

Once I finally got myself out of the hotel on Sunday afternoon I wondered into old town looking for food. I'd managed to miss breakfast. Since I was running behind and Polish meals tend to drag on I popped into the McDonald's for a quick bite to eat. I know, how very provincial of me, but it was tasty and filling. I needed my strength back because I was going to be doing a lot of walking and Saturday had already been very taxing. I picked up a large bottle of water for the trip.

The tourist information desk had marked on my map where the minibuses left for Wieliczka and I arrived just in time to catch one. About 10 minutes later I was dropped off outside the Wieliczka salt mines exhibit. My luck was with me that day because as I bought a ticket the English language tour was just beginning. I would have had to wait another hour for the next one. We got started at 16:00 and we finished at 17:45.

The tour was led by a young Polish gal who spoke English with a heavy accent. She warned us about the long climb down by stairs and reassured us that there would be a fast lift at the end of the tour. There were about 20 of us in the tour group, I stayed near the back to take pictures after everyone had moved on. We descended a tall switch-back staircase, and I lost count after 200 stairs. The wooden walls were covered by visitors' names written on them. I ducked most of the way down after I clocked my forehead on one of the stairs above me.

It was dry and cool down in the mines and the air was clean and refreshing. The guide explained how the climate is actually very beneficial to the respiratory system and that a part of the caverns have been turned into a health spa. The salt mines are one of Poland's national treasures and was a source of great wealth for them in early times due to salt being an efficient preservative. The preservative effects of the salt keep all the wood in the mines very well protected. The guide explained that there are over 3000 chambers in the network of caverns and that we were only going to see about one percent. Sculptures in the rock salt were all done by the miners themselves, since they spent most of their lives underground. The themes mostly involved the miners' lives, local myths & legends, important historical figures, or religious symbology. There were large brine filled lakes as well.

Overall I was impressed, although most of the modern displays and dioramas were a bit on the cheesy side. In fact it reminded me of Enchanted Forest on more than one occasion, especially when we got to the cavern with gnomes and dwarves bathed in "magical" multi-colored lights. The guide had a few scripted events and jokes during the tour. At one point as we were crossing a brine filled lake on a wooden bridge a hidden speaker made a large splashing sound and she reassured us that there were no monsters in the lake. The final cavern had a scripted "animation" that consisted of light fading in and out illuminating various sculptures to recorded sound effects and music.

By far the most impressive part was the massive church carved from the rock salt lit by many salt crystal chandeliers. Three miners were responsible for the decoration of this magnificent space. There were many wall relieves that appeared deceptively deep and lifelike.

When the tour was over we all waiting in line for a ride back to the surface. There was a tall 4 level lift that could carry 7 passengers on each level all at once. I crowded into the metal box with some very large tourists and got cozy with them as we were jerked up and into the sunlight again. I got a thrill watching the salt rock walls rush past us on the way up. Throughout the tour I was having too much fun to be bothered by claustrophobia or acrophobia even though I was in some situations that would normally have provoked a panic response.

I took way too many pictures, and ran through one set of batteries while down in the mines. I've only put the best ones up on the flickr sight. It was hard to choose between flash and no flash, flash washed out the sculptures and you lose some of the depth, but no flash tended to be fuzzy and too dark to see.

After the mines I took another minibus home to Krakow and wandered old town once again looking for food. I stopped momentarily to listen to a trio of accordions play out Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor and watched a small boy spin and dance to the music in the main square. It was a very happy moment for me. I found a Polish cafeteria and ended up accidentally ordering twice as much food as I meant to, but I did my best effort to eat a little bit of everything.

After dinner I went back to the hotel, posted my pictures, and took a long nap. I got up to do some emailing and such in the evening and then went to bed early to be ready for work on Monday. Woke up very early this morning refreshed and ready for more.

Prison Camps and Pub Crawls

Saturday was fantastic. I got up early, but still had to run to catch my bus in the morning. On the way I bought some cheap sunglasses from a street vendor, it was proving to be a very nice looking day and didn't want to be squinting. I was confused at the bus station at first, my ticket read gate D13 and all I could see was section G. If they were alphabetical I was in trouble because I had less than 5 minutes. With the help of a passing Pole who spoke no English I was able to figure out that G meant ground and D meant underground. I flew down 3 flights of stairs and caught my bus just before it left.

The ride out to the museum was very nice. The Polish countryside is beautiful, the old houses and farms and people, it's all very quaint. We passed through several small towns and villages, picking up and dropping off locals at each stop. It was an hour and a half ride, but I didn't mind at all and kept myself busy listening to music on the iPod. I was thinking to myself that it would have been nice to rent a bike and ride out here, but I'd probably get lost.

Once at the museum I broke away from the crowd, got out my Rick Steve's guide book and took a self-guided tour of Auschwitz. The displays were very moving, especially the massive piles of hair, shoes, bags, brushes, and personal effects. The mug-shots of prisoners lining the barrack walls were haunting. Some visitors had left flowers here and there on the frames, presumably an ancestor or loved one. The camp exhibits were very self explanatory and I didn't feel like I was missing the point by not taking a guided tour. I was happy to blow past the large groups and get some time to take pictures and look at the displays alone.

I decided to walk to Birkenau instead of taking the shuttle, and I'm glad I did although I did get lost at one point. I think that's just par for the course for me. Another helpful Pole with no English got me pointed in the right direction again. At one point a local driver stopped to ask me for directions, boy did he find the wrong person to ask. I had to laugh about that. After about a 30 minute walk I could see Birkenau and got a good shot of the old rail tracks into the camp, I would have missed that if I'd been on the bus. Birkenau was huge. I got an overview from the main guard tower at the entrance. The stairs up were tight and narrow and I had to crowd past a herd of students on the way back down. I spent a significant amount of time at the camp, mostly because it is huge and so spread out. I found the rows and rows of lonely chimneys to be very spooky. By far the most moving part of the site are the old crematorium ruins.

I was getting tired, but decided to walk back to Auschwitz anyway. My legs were very sore by the time I got back. On the bus ride home I saw someone else had the same guidebook as me so I sat down next to him and started up a conversation. Don was a really nice guy from Seattle and he was on a 3 month European vacation with his wife, but she opted out of going to Auschwitz. We had a nice chat together all the way back to Krakow and then walked through the main square before parting ways. I took a picture to remember him by and gave him my card. He was off to visit family in Northern Poland and then on his way to Sweden and finally Norway.

I went back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my luggage had arrived safe and sound. I took my bags up to the room and then crashed for a much needed nap. I got up around 20:00, called Marcin, and had some coffee and borsch in the dining room while I waited for my friends to come pick me up.

The guys found me and we started our evening in Old town. There were some firedancers and drummers performing in the main square and I stopped to watch for a bit. It reminded me of Kat, who I am missing dearly. We walked past Marcin's new flat that he has been fixing up and is very proud of, and then we picked up Maciek's girlfriend, Olga, from work. She is a dentist.

Our destination was the Kazimierz district, which has become a very trendy spot. We stopped by Szymon's place, but he would come to join us later. It was a very fun bar crawl, and I took my turn at buying a round for everyone at the Propaganda bar. For a latenight snack we had some cheap but delicious soup and it hit the spot. It seems that beer and politics go well together because that was the main topic of conversation for the evening. My Polish friends shared a lot of stories about what they remember of the communist era.

Marcin and I took a cab back to old town and finished the night at the Jazz Rock Cafe which is one of the places I remembered from my last trip. After that we walked back to my hotel and said goodnight. These guys really take good care of me, I feel pretty special. It was 4:00 in the morning when I got to bed and my legs were so sore from all the walking.

I've slept most of the day away, but I hope to get some more sight-seeing done today. I've uploaded all my new pics now so have fun browsing. Ciao.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo, de Krakow

I'm here at Eugene airport, plenty early for my flight, enjoying a blueberry muffin and orange juice for breakfast. This time I remembered to get a temporary Mileage Plus number to start wracking up the frequent flyer miles. Free stuff here I come!

I've never been away from home for three weeks before, I sure hope I thought of everything I'll need. Once again I waited until the absolute last minute to pack. I'm glad I have the nice new luggage set for this trip. I filled the two largest bags with practically all the clothes I own and I will still have to do laundry at least once during the trip. This is the heaviest I've ever packed, two check-on bags and two carry-ons. Hope I didn't forget anything.

Last night Lindsey hosted a barbeque Bon Voyage party for me and Andrea. Four hours before the party Andrea learned that she could no longer go on the trip, her trip had been canceled. I felt terrible for her and was very disappointed in whatever management bungle let that happen. I was really looking forward to having her as a travel partner even if it was going to be for just a week. She seemed to take it all in stride though, and actually came to the party to wish me luck on my trip. The party was nice, and I got to meet more of Lindsey's friends and family. We sat around the firepit eating Polish sausages kraut, coleslaw, and pie, talking and joking and laughing. It was a very nice send off, although I developed a very painful nausea-inducing headache halfway through the party. Thankfully, Lindsey found something for me that took care of it and I was able to make it through the rest of the evening. I was super happy that Chris and Kat came and met some of my tribe. Everyone seemed to get along, I hope they did.

After saying goodnight to everyone I went home to finish packing. It was very tough to leave now when there are exciting things happening at home.

...

Now I'm in Chicago. We were delayed an hour in Eugene while on the plane, got to San Fran an hour late and cut it close on my connection to Chicago. Now I've got an hour until the flight for Krakow leaves. I'm surprised that there is a direct flight from Chicago to Krakow, but then again I've heard it said that the only city to have more Poles living in it than Chicago is Warsaw so maybe it's not so strange after all. Had time for some Chinese food before boarding the plane, I want to avoid the in flight dinner at all costs, it just never sits right.

...

The flight to Krakow was not an enjoyable experience. I got stuck with a middle seat in the center of the plane. The guy on my right pretty much had his elbow in my seat resting on me whenever he wasn't popping pills or getting up to rush to the bathroom and then throw himself back into the seat heavily. He didn't look well. My plan to sleep through dinner would have work too if it hadn't been for the meddling woman on my left who woke me up roughly to tell me dinner was being served. I thanked her and then promptly went back to sleep until the man on my right was served and his elbows hammered into me as he attempted to cut the rubbery chicken product on this plate. I gave up and continued to read my new books on Poland and Eastern Europe.

I learned a lot from them and they've helped me plan my trips better. I'm hitting Auschwitz and Birkenau Saturday, Wieliczka salt mine, Kazmierz district and an art Museum Sunday, and then taking the overnight train to Prague and back next weekend. I'm looking forward to it all.

I've never been on a flight before where all the passengers break into spontaneous applause as soon as the plane touches the ground. That was a bit unsettling, as if they had all been witness to failed attempts at hitting the ground before and wanted to show their appreciation for a successful touch down. I didn't think the ride was that bumpy. I guess applauding is a healthier reaction to landing than trying to drive your feet through the bottom of the plane and slow it down like a Flintstones car, as I usually do.

Things didn't get off to a good start. I waited for an hour for my bags, and they never showed. Neither bag. I have only my emergency change of clothes right now and no jacket. I washed my shorts and socks in the sink tonight so that I will have something if my bags don't arrive tomorrow. There is only one flight per day out of Chicago. That sucks. They took my information down and a description of the bags and it's all out of my hands now. That was my favorite 80% of my wardrobe, I hope I get it back. I also forgot to bring sunglasses. At least the weather was nice today.

Paul picked me up at the airport, we laughed about the bag situation and he dropped me off at the hotel. I put some essentials in the safe at the hotel and then went out to wander the main square and do some shopping. I almost bought a painting today, I might go back and try to barter it down if it's still there next time. Krakow is twice as beautiful as it was last time I was here. Everything turned green, the snow is gone, and the skirts have gotten much higher. Love it.

Paul met me later in the evening, and we had a nice time snacking at the outdoor cafes, having a couple drinks, wandering old town, and chatting the time away. Dinner was an overly long affair, but I've come to expect that here. After a fulfilling meal of soup, cabbage, rice, meats, bread, and beer we both were done for the evening and headed our separate ways.

I'm posting pics from the last couple days soon and then heading to bed. Czesc.

30: ready or not here I come

I really enjoyed myself last night at my birthday party. Lots of my friends came to share it with me and wish me well. Even Dad was able to come down for it, which was pretty special because I rarely get my friends and family together at the same time and I hate having to choose. The food was great and I got some very thoughtful gifts. I like having an excuse to throw a party, I just hope everyone enjoyed the party as much as I did.

I put up some links to more pictures, hosted over at flickr and a link to my second blog and profile over at MySpace. I just started exploring the community over there and its been rewarding so far. I'm keeping this blog for family and travel related stuff, MySpace is for random thoughts and and networking. Feel free to go through my stuff :)

Ciao.

More books and bike rides

Hey all,

So I got the rest of the books Chris ordered for me from Amazon the other day. Looks like he's got me covered for this trip between Krakow, Poland, and the rest of Eastern Europe. Thanks again bro! If I can't find something to do, see, eat, or somewhere to stay its my own fault now.

I've recently reconnected with Lindsey Miller and we've had a good time hanging out. As some of you may recall she's a friend from way back, grade school through high school and now she's back down here in Eugene working and finishing up grad school. Lindsey mentioned that she might do the Seattle to Portland bike ride coming up this Summer, and thought I might be interested seeing as how I ride my bike to work everyday. I've never done something like that before, but I'm considering it. Its a 200 mile ride spread over 2 days. We've decided to start training with little bike rides around town once a week and gradually scale up to longer rides. Too bad I'm going to be gone for most of May.

I'm looking forward to my party Saturday night. It will be nice to have most of my friends and family together for dinner and drinks. I just hope I get everything done in time.

Ciao.

Time to RTFM

Hey all,

On my ride home last night I was thinking to myself that I needed to get started really planning my free time on my next trip to Poland. I've never been good at planning stuff, usually just going with the flow and letting more organized people set the pace, and I'm cool with that. So I didn't know where to start when making a plan for myself. Thankfully my highly motivated and organized brother was a step ahead of me! When I got home there was a box from Amazon.com waiting for me. I was feeling a bit down and this immediately perked me up. Imagine my surprise to find Rick Steve's Best of Eastern Europe 2006 inside! Thanks, Chris :)

Looks like the perfect thing for me. I'll be reading it and taking it with me for sure. Its got maps and rail schedules and short trip itineraries and everything. Great stuff.

Ready or not, Europe, here I come.

I have tickets in my hand that say I'm going back to Krakow this May. I did want to go back, but I didn't expect it to be this soon. I am scheduled to stay 3 weeks. Hopefully I can take some of that time and see a little bit more than just Krakow.

This time my traveling partner will be Andrea, who is one of the three liaisons and the only one who hasn't gone over to meet the folks in Poland yet. Andrea is very cool and we've had a great time hanging out together. It's going to be a ton of fun to share what I've experienced of Krakow with her. She's only scheduled to stay one week though.

Anyways, when I come back from Poland I should be bringing one of their Java devs, Marcin, back with me to stay in Eugene as a guest of Lunar Logic for a bit. It should be fun to entertain him, but unfortunately Eugene isn't quite as fun as Krakow. We'll find something to keep him busy for sure.

Thanks again to Mom and Dad for my early birthday gift. This weekend they took me shopping for my very own matched set of luggage. I love it. Should cover me very well for just about any length trip. So naturally I gave them back their luggage I borrowed for my last couple trips, smells and all.

Speaking of my birthday I'm planning to have a party at my house on Saturday the 22nd. I'm thinking of a potluck dinner in the early afternoon and dinner time and then transition to a full blown party that night. You're all invited. This coming weekend I'm probably going to the coast with Elliot to help him celebrate his 30th. Happy birthday Elliot!

So on to the flight itinerary. Until next time.

Eugene to Krakow

United Flight 6404
depart eugene 10:45 2006-5-4
arrive san francisco 12:12 2006-5-4

United Flight 870
depart san francisco 14:00 2006-5-4
arrive chicago/ohare 19:56 2006-5-4

United Flight 4778
depart chicago/ohare 21:35 2006-5-4
arrive krakow 13:55 2006-5-5


Krakow to Eugene

United Flight 8765
depart krakow 6:55 2006-5-26
arrive munich 8:20 2006-5-26

United Flight 903
depart munich 11:35 2006-5-26
arrive denver 19:13 2006-5-26

United Flight 6665
depart denver 20:40 2006-5-26
arrive eugene 22:19 2006-5-26

Spring is in the air and my eyes are itching

Hey all,

So its that time of year again, time to find my allergy symptom meds I put away in the Fall and start popping them once again to combat the constant runny nose, itchy eyes, sinus headaches, and sudden sneezing fits. That may be one of the reasons I love the Fall so much, it means a respite from my allergies for six months.

April also means that my birthday is coming up, as well as the birthday's of some of my most favorite people. This year many of my highschool chums are turning 30 and some are celebrating in style. I have no idea what I want to do for mine. I will probably just invite people over to my house for a little party. Is it narcissistic to throw a birthday party for yourself? I just don't want 30 to go by without some sort of significance. Then again it is just another day, why ascribe any particular relevance to it at all?

When I bring up my birthday I feel bad for mentioning it, especially when someone asks what I want for my birthday. I never know how to respond to that. I don't keep a wishlist of things I hope people will buy for me, that would be very selfish. If I want something and I can't live without it I go buy it. If I think of something I want and I don't buy it right away I just end up forgetting about it anyways.

My thoughtlessness about gifts extends to others too. I never remember other people's birthdays in time to get them a decent gift. Plus I've always been a terrible gift giver. One of the reasons I dread the Christmas season.

So anyways, getting back to travel stuff... I might be going back to Poland in the first part of May. I'm not sure how long I would be staying this time around, but it could be for two weeks or longer. We are working out the details now. I will post more when I can.

Cheers.