'Czeched' out Prague, Froze in Krakow
We've almost finished our tour of Eastern Europe. I (Melissa) was a bit nervous coming to this side of Europe because I wasn't very knowledgable about the region. Did they speak English? Was it really safe? How easy would it be to find our way? We've been pleasantly surprised with how beautiful these places are, how much they've progressed and feel like the rest of Western Europe, how well people speak English, and the good public transportation system.
After we left Vienna, we spent two full days in Prague, Czech Republic. This seemed to be the most visited city of all the Eastern European cities. There was a lot to see here. Most buildings are in their original form as they weren't damaged by the World Wars. We explored the Jewish Quarter, Old Town, Prague Castle, U Fleku pub (several friends recommended visiting this pub and I can see why - the beer was easy to drink), and their black light theatre (used mime instead of words so there wasn't a language barrier). The city was very vibrant.
We caught the night train to Krakow, Poland. It was interesting that our carriage conductor advised us to lock our door at all times because of thieves. We didn't have any problems. It was a little hard to sleep well since we were woken up in the middle of the night for Passport Control. However, it was a productive way to spend 9-10 hours on the train.
We walked through the town, which looked awesome with fresh snow covering the city. It's freezing here. We visited Auschwitz - it wasn't a fun day but we believed it was important for us to see. It was disturbing to learn about the horrible things that occurred here. Today was a lighter day as we visited a nearby salt mine that was pretty cool. They don't mine for salt here anymore but it was mined for several centuries. Everything in there, including statues, chandeliers, floors, chapels, etc. was made of salt.
After we left Vienna, we spent two full days in Prague, Czech Republic. This seemed to be the most visited city of all the Eastern European cities. There was a lot to see here. Most buildings are in their original form as they weren't damaged by the World Wars. We explored the Jewish Quarter, Old Town, Prague Castle, U Fleku pub (several friends recommended visiting this pub and I can see why - the beer was easy to drink), and their black light theatre (used mime instead of words so there wasn't a language barrier). The city was very vibrant.
We caught the night train to Krakow, Poland. It was interesting that our carriage conductor advised us to lock our door at all times because of thieves. We didn't have any problems. It was a little hard to sleep well since we were woken up in the middle of the night for Passport Control. However, it was a productive way to spend 9-10 hours on the train.
We walked through the town, which looked awesome with fresh snow covering the city. It's freezing here. We visited Auschwitz - it wasn't a fun day but we believed it was important for us to see. It was disturbing to learn about the horrible things that occurred here. Today was a lighter day as we visited a nearby salt mine that was pretty cool. They don't mine for salt here anymore but it was mined for several centuries. Everything in there, including statues, chandeliers, floors, chapels, etc. was made of salt.
Tomorrow we are heading to Berlin with a detour through Warsaw. It will be one week until we're back home in Sweden, which we're pretty excited about.
Prague Castle
Prague
Wawel Castle, Krakow - this should be a postcard
Krakow's Opera House
Salt mine, Wieliczka
posted by Melissa and Klas | 8:50 AM
2 Comments:
hello darlings,
Klas, keep writing. Your comments made me smile. Wow, you have seen so many cool places. And you have gone through four seasons now. I cannot wait to hear the stories you are going to tell when I see you in less than four weeks!!I love you, stay safe, healthy and happy.
mum oxox
I loved Prague so much and I have photos that look a lot like yours. Glad you're doing so well! Miss you.
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