In Krakow, Poland

Location: Krakow, Poland
Local Time: 11pm

Alright, here comes a recap. This may very well be my last update from Europe before I make my connecting flights back to Vancouver this Wednesday.

Location: Cesky Krumlov, Česká Republika
Duration: 1 day, 1 night

A great small city perfect for relaxing. Had all the quaint appeal of a small town with all the requirements of a backpacker. At the train station I bunch of us English speakers huddled together for security as we searched for a hotel. I'm not one to bash on Americans (except for fun) but the two American girls in our group personified the stereotype of self-absorbed, bitchy, "why-the-hell-don't-these-people-speak-english" tourists.

The first hostel we went to, which everybody besides me had made reservations for, was fully booked. Because everybody in our group got into town a lot later than anticipated (about 4 or 5 hours), all their rooms had already been given away to other people. Contrast the way the Americans dealt with it compared to the Canadian and 3 Australians in our group. After initial attempts at working a deal (which wasn't going to happen unless the receptionist kicked out somebody from there room... which quickly became apparent that he would not do), the Canadian and Australians worked with the receptionist to find other accomodations in the city. The American girls on the other hand, complained and complained and complained some more. Arguing that they shouldn't have to stick to the "time of arrival" field they filled out with the booking agent, and the 2-hour leeway advertised on the website should be a 1 day leeway instead. Because that's only reasonable that you don't stick to formerly agreed to terms :rolls eyes:

Now I can understand being annoyed at the situation, especially when the booking agent (hostelworlds.com i think in this case) charges your credit card for missing a booking. But come on.

After we all moved to another hostel with room, I didn't see the American girls again, which is fine with me. Had a great time with the Canadian (from Winnipeg who is part of the campaign to bring the NHL back to town) and an Aussie who works in the UK doing project management.

Good beers, good scenery, good times.

Location: Ceske Budejovice, Česká Republika
Duration: 1 day

Home of the Budweiser brewery. Not the piss-water Bud we get in North America, but a good tasting Czech lager. Went on a tour and tour guide let me pour my own beer straight from the storage kegs. She kept telling me to drink more. I think she was trying to get me drunk, which under normal circumstances would be fine because she was hot. But there were 6 other people in the tour and I don't perform for crowds ;P

Location: Praha, Česká Republika
Duration: 3 Days, 3 Nights

Did I end up regretting booking three nights at Travellers in Prague? Not at all. Met some great people in that dorm. Not everybody shared my appreciation as one night we had this one guy with what is described as sleep apnea, resulting in really loud, inconsistant snoring. I had been drinking and smoking Shisha (flavoured tobacco) the day before, so I slept right through it.

Made a day trip to Kutna Hora to see the Church of Bones. 40,000 bones - or the bones of 40,000 people, I forget which - were used as decoration inside the church. Quite a morbid, but uniquely interesting, site.

Also, being outside of Prague, we were able to get a good Czech meal for a fraction of the cost. Lunch for 4 people in Kutna Hora was about the same price one person paid for dinner in Prague.

Location: Dresden, Germany
Duration: 2 Days, 1 Night

The days I was in Dresden had to be the hottest days of my trip. Took the opportunity to sunbathe a while in the tall grass next to the river. I didn't realize how large Dresden is. I was prepared for a small town like Cesky Krumlov, instead I get a city where I go to beer gardens (sadly with no 1 litre beers like in Munich), shopping, and movie theatres.

Watching Star Wars Episode 3 in German with a couple of Austrailians? Priceless.

Of course it wasn't all good. I lost my Timmy Ho mug... and me and another dorm mate swear it must have been these other people in our dorm that "mistakenly" took it with them when they checked out.

To make matters worse, I meant to make Dresden my base as I made a few day trips to nearby cities and sites, but there was not a single dorm bed available in the entire city after my first night.

I then decided to have an adventure and jump on an overnight train somewhere. France, Italy, Greece, and Amsterdam all crossed my mind, but since I had to be in Berlin in a few days, I decided somewhere closer: Krakow, Poland, which was on my initial itinerary.

If you've been an avid reader of my blog, you'll know that I cut Poland from my trip because of passport reasons. Technically, I shouldn't be allowed in because my passport isn't valid for at least 6 months. At this point I didn't really care. Everybody I talked to said they don't check that closely, and I figured if I got turned back, I would head to Rugen Island, Germany, and chill out with a story to tell.

I got in Poland. And they stamped my passport (Switzerland, Austria, and France suck because they didn't).

Location: Krakow, Poland
Duration: 1 night and counting (probably just 1 day and 1 night)

Of course, Krakow being one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) tourist destination in Poland, there aren't any dorm beds available here tonight. Darned weekend tourists!

Throwing my money into a cheap hotel as I prepare for my Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mine trip tomorrow. Then it's on to another overnight train to Berlin... my last stop...

Location: Praha, Česká Republika (Prague, Czech Republic)
Local time: 1:29pm

Paid for three nights... but might end up regretting it. Travellers hostel here in town is my least favourite hostel I've been to yet, and the only one I couldn't appreciate upon arrival. From the 4 flights of stairs and 3 locked doors you have to get through to get to your room, to the lacklustre kitchen (where you can't even use the fridge), to the unfriendly non-english speaking dormmates (not really the hostel's fault), to the hostel bar that is in another building, I'm really not liking this hostel. Let that be a lesson to you. Pre book your hostel when heading to Prague. Both my prime and my 2 backups were fully booked when I got in town.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still having a blast, just disappointed with the accomodations.

About one week left before I hop on a plane back home... I don't want to leave! You can't make me!

Location: Wein, Österreich (Vienna, Austria)
Duration: 3 nights

Vienna was nice... overall. First day was pissing rain and the wind was blowing like a bitch. Had to take the duct tape to my ruined umbrella after that. I think I'm getting used to all the baroque architecture as it just looked like another city to me. Certainly nicer than the other cities I've been in, especially the old town center, but the effect I think was but a glimmer of what it would have been had I flew into Prague to begin with as I had originally planned.

Not busy staring in amazement at the architecture and sites, I was able to cultivate a more civilized experience consisting of museums, orchestral performances, and Life Bowl 2005.

The museums I went to were art museums (The Leopold and The Modern Art Museum), and despite how I tried, I just could not appreciate most of the "modern" art on display. When it looks like an eight year old could have painted it, I can't buy it being on display in a museum. One painted was a landscape of sky, mountain, lake. It consisted of three horizontal bands of colour. The commentary said that the artist had boiled the landscape down to its base components and captured the true essence of it. It was three fucking bands of colour. I'm all for abstract interpretations, but if this qualifies being displayed in a museum, your better off finding meaning in tracks on a dirt road or something else that's is... you know... free. You can interpret anything you want from anything. You don't need a crappy painting by a talentless hack, you just need a good dose of imagination.

I figured it would be tragic to not attend a classical musical performance being in a city with such a rich musical history as Vienna. I enjoyed it a lot more than I though I would. I've told some people the story of my first musical. This didn't have as large an impact on my, but I still enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Pieces of Strauss and Mozart were featured along with the works of others. The venues (the Hofburg Palace and the Kursalon) were amazing and added to the effect. Who would have that a dude standing on a street in a wig could provide such enjoyment? Get your mind out of the gutter, I just mean that I bought the ticket from a street vendor. Saved myself 7 euros off the box office price and got a voucher for a free drink as well.

Life Bowl 2005 was a fasion show / open air concert. I saw the "Milkshake" girl perform and a bunch of people behind the fence attending what seemed to be one of those posh costume parties. Of note were a guy and girl dressed as characters from "The Incredibles", wearing only boots, panties, and body paint. Also, a girl dressed as a lobster, with huge claws, an awesome head dress, and 3 foot platform shoes stood out.

I had more written about Vienna, Cesky Krumlov, and Ceske Budejovice, but internet problems erased it. I'll try to write it again at some other time.

In Wein, Österreich

Location: Wien, Österreich (Vienna, Austria)
Local Time: 3:12pm

The Wombat does it again! Just like in München, the Wombat here in Wien put me up as the sole male in an otherwise all girl dorm. The three I met when I arrived last night were nice enough, but they were all leaving in the morning next morning. The other two ladies in my dorm I still haven't properly met, as they appear to be night owls, waking up at 6pm and crashing back at the room at around 5 in the morning.

Recapping a few things since my last update...

Location: München, Deutschland (Munich)
Duration: 3 days, 2 nights

Since my last update I went to Englisher Garden and watched some nude sunbathers, people surfing in a stream, and other people slamming back 1 litre steins of beer and bratwürst. Nice place. I picked up a souvenir from an unattentive dishwasher... a 1 litre souvenir!

If you're going to G's BBQ bash on June 4, you'll see me bringing it along.

I also took a trip to Füssen and visited Schlass Neuschwanstein, the partially completed castle of "mad" King Ludwig II in the late 1800's, and allegedly the inspiration for the Disney castle. Pictures were not allowed inside the castle, but (being the rebel that I am) I took some candid ones anyways. They didn't turn out so great, although a few were unintentionally quite nice from an artistic perspective... if I do say so myself.

Location: Passau, Deutschland
Duration: One night... and a bit

Passau was just supposed to be a transfer station on my way back to Austria. However, I met up with a few drunken German students (Germans, or at least the Germans I have met, are the nicest drunks in the world). Seeing as I had no place to sleep - I didn't think I would need one as my train was leaving at 4 in the morning - one of the girls offered her house to me.

I ended up delightfully missing my train in the morning.

HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI

I forgot to mention my day trips to Luzern, Switzerland, and the Swarovsky Krystallwelten (Crystal Worlds) in my previous postings, so here you go.

Location: Luzern, Switzerland
Duration: One afternoon

Luzern (Lucerne) I only stopped in for the afternoon on my way to Zurich. Mark Twain described the Lion of Luzern as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world". I am inclined to agree. The posture and expression on the animal as a broken spear jutts from its side is full of emotion. Being carved out of the face of a giant rock wall lends the image even more power, and the quiet lake in front of it and the trees surrounding it adds to the sombre mood. The feelings evoked by the entire experience are ... undescribable. Taking into account the fact that it is a monument to an arguably pointless sacrifice mixes the emotions further. Luzern is worth visiting if only for the lion.

(Note: HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI is the inscription on the monument that translates to: "To the loyalty and courage of the Swiss")

Of course, that's not the only thing Luzern has to offer. The main thing that also caught my eye were the two bridges that connect the old town centre to the rest of the city. Disturbing paintings of death and dismemberment look down upon you as you cross either bridge. If I knew more about the history of the city, or if I were able to read the captions, it may shed light on its significance. But as it is, the bridges are just a peculiar site seen during my trip.

Location: Krystallwelten in Watton, Austria
Duration: 1 afternoon

I guess I can describe Krystallwelton (Crystal Worlds) as an art exhibit where all the exhibits make use of Swarovky crystals. All of the exhibits are shiny and some look amazing, some seem ripped out of a cheesy sci-fi film, while others are so fantastical that it makes you wonder what the artist was smoking when (s)he designed it.

But the real story behind this daytrip is how I got to the location. It was supposed to be a 15 minute train ride followed by a 20 minute walk. It ended up taking me about 2 hours to get there.

First, I was distracted on the train (don't ask) and missed my stop. Getting off at the next stop, I found out that it would be an hour before the next train would arrive. I decided to explore the small town I was in. Nothing to write home about really, besides some of the younger children yelling and pointing at me. Waiting at the train station, I figured that if I only had to go back one stop, I could probably hike there and save myself some cash and do a little sight seeing. Or I could sneak on board the train and hope that they don't check my ticket. (Being a cheap bastard, paying for the ticket was out of the equation). Chose to hike; took me about 40 minutes and I figure it was about 5 km. How many cool sites was I able to leisurly peruse? None. Nothing made me want to stop and stare, although part of that may be because it was freaking hot and I had lost my cap a few days before.

The things I will do to save €2.

A Day of Loss

Location: München, Deutschland
Local Time: 11:40am

Stayed at the Wombat here in Munchen. Got put in a dorm where it was me and 4 ladies. (SWEET!) Do you think other hostels will group me in similar dorms if I ask nicely? Because women are less likely to snore than a bunch of smelly guys, of course. No other reason...

Location: München, Deutschland
Duration: 2 days, 2 nights, and counting

Yesterday was a field day for the conflict between hope and depression.

I started out heading to Dachau with one of my English-lady dormmates, Kate. For those who don't know, Dachau was the site of the original concentration camp upon which all others were modeled.

We left the hostel at 10am and didn't get back until about 5:30pm. If they weren't closing the site for the night, we would have been there for many hours more. There was just so much to see and learn. We weren't able to go on the guided tour (we should have reserved our spots and THEN go for coffee, not the other way around) but were able to follow along a comprehensive audio guide and the many plaques.

What's left of the camp today is different from what it would have looked like up to 1945, but reading the detailed accounts and memoirs... you can almost see it.

After Dachau I dragged along Kate and another English girl she met at her new dorm (she switched to a cheaper hostel) with me as I searched for the elusive "ARC". The only bar in town I was told would show the Gold medal game for sure (If you have to ask, "what gold medal game" you are not Canadian). Finally found it (it's nice travelling with somebody who studies languages and can talk to the locals fluently) and was excited to get a good hockey fix.

Then the game ended. And I was depressed.

In München, Deutschland

Location: München, Deutschland (Munich, Germany)
Local Time: 6:45pm

Finally made it out of Switzerland and into some more sane countries, price-wise. Since my last update, I've been in Zurich, Innsbruck and a few smaller towns and cities in between.

Zurich, Switzerland
3 days, 3 nights

The Canadians are coming!
The Canadians are coming!

Prior to Zurich, I had met and talked with maybe a total of three other Canadians. Once I hit Zurich, I ran into no fewer than twenty. City Backpacker, the hostel I stayed at was Canada overrun with maple leaves. On my last night in town, there were ten Canadians and one girl from Norway crowded around a table in the common room; not exactly the worldly variety I was expecting. Didn't meet anybody from BC, but other than the expectant Torontonians, there was decent representation from across the country: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Sorry, no Newfie love in Zurich.

Zurich was a nice place, but nothing that made my jaw drop. Fun city though regardless of night or day.

Loved the free bike rentals that let me bike along Lake Zurich, visit the Lundt chocolate factory, and visit the zoo all in the same day. Then at night there were clubs, bars, lounges, or what I did; just chilled along the lake with a bunch of random new friends, smoking cigars and drinking wine.

Cigars and wine? I'm civilised!

Innsbruck, Austria
2 days, 1 night
Nice small city, figured I'd stop by on my way to Munich... and try to catch a hockey game. But I've lost track of time and was a day too late.

Just missed the World Hockey Championships in town. Apparently there was a Canadian girl who stayed in my room at the Youth Hostel St. Nikolaus just before I got there who was following the team around. Interesting plan... Vienna, here I come! (I wish... I'll be too late by then)

At least now that I'm in a city with decently priced internet, I can find out the game times and try to hit up a bar to watch it live. Although I was able to catch a few of the Swiss games when I was in the country.

Following on the Internet... Canada! Don't blow your 4-0 lead...

WOO! GAME OVER, GOING FOR THE GOLD BABY!

GO CANADA GO!
GO CANADA GO!
GO CANADA GO!

(I have an abnormally strong urge right now to hop on a train to Vienna and try to weasel my way into the Gold medal game.)

Still in Interlaken

Location: Interlaken, Switzerland
Local time: 8:08pm

Still in Interlaken today. Filled up my camera memory card with pictures of my trip to the mountains near Grindelwald. Unfortunately the hiking paths up to the snowy areas were closed due to avalanche warnings. Going to try my hand at uploading pictures, but I'm running into technical difficulties, so I will find a shop to burn them to a disk for me.

In otherwords, expect no pictures until much later.

Damn exchange rate!

Location: Interlaken, Switzerland
Local time: 6:34pm
Current mood: Free (even more free in a couple hours)

I haven't used a pen and paper by choice for years, and now that I am, I find that I can write a lot. A LOT! Instead of transcribing my journal entries, I figure I'll just summarize everything.

Location: Basel, Switzerland
Duration: 3 nights

After I left London, I flew into Basel. Thursday was a holiday (Juses entering Heaven?) and most everything was closed; one of my dormmates, Jeorne, had a car so we decided to take a road trip. We headed for Germany and the Vitras Design Museum (Jeorne is an aspiring architect). Among the sites to see there:

• A self moving overhead cover that lowers when rain is detected,
• A firestation with no right angles, designed by some Iranian woman reknowned in architecture circles (actually, there were a couple right angles that were necessated due to the existing foundation... apparently she was quite peeved about that),
• A conference centre designed by a Japanese architect. The main building material? Concrete. Apparently architectural connoisseurs come from all over the world to see this and its award winning concrete. That's right, award winning concrete. SFU haters eat your heart out.
• A chair museum with dozens and dozens of designer chairs. My favourites? One made from a shopping cart, and a mean looking alumninum torture-device-like chair befittingly designed by a Swiss teacher.

From here we looked at a road map and randomly chose a small German town to visit, and then a French town after that. Highlight of this part of the journey? A 100+ year old church that almost felt inherently sacred with its beautiful stained glass windows, large pipe organ, and creaking wood panel decks. "Almost" because the effect was diluted somewhat by the incandecsent lights, construction/renovation signs, and tourist information panels scattered throughout.

A couple of my other doormmates were Japanese. They didnät speak much English, but I just love listening to Japanese women speak Japanese. It's right up there with British women speaking English. It just sounds right (and hot!)

Location: Interlaken, Switzerland
Duration: 2 days and counting

Next stop was Interlaken. A town gorgeously situated between two lakes and surrounded by mountains. My internal compass is frazzled a little by all the mountains (north is that way... no that way.. or is it over there?) but the scenery cannot be matched.

Met a Hong Kong/Australian girl at the train station (add slight Austrailian accents to my favourites' list) and we took a day trip on the train to a couple nearby towns of Spiez and Thun. Found a few cows and tried to say "hello", but they ran off into the barn by the time I got close enough. Sorry Jules, I'll try to find another opportunity to say "hi" to the cows for you.

Sharing my dorm with a couple of cool guys from a small town near Boston. Jelous was I when they talked of going skydiving in Interlaken... but what's a poor Canadian boy to do? Going to party with them later tonight. Should be a blast. Swiss partying as good as BC partying? I'll soon find out.

So that's a quick rundown of what I've been up to. Sorry I didn't make this entry even shorter and more concise, but I just don't have the time. I just now found a place that offers internet access for 6 Francs an hour (about $6.20 CAD), all the other Swiss places have been charging the equivalent of about $21 CAD per hour.

I'll say it again, what's a poor Canadian boy to do?

(Answer: party and meet foreign chicks with hot accents!)

So what IS my strong suit?

London - May 2, 11:20pm @ Trafalgar Square
I guess I was expecting a culture shock to hit as soon as I got off the plane.

It's as if I was expecting purple skined aliens with three nipples or something. Sure, the building are grander, the prices more expensive, and people talk with accents, but it doesn't really feel all that different from Vancouver. To be fair, that's probably because I haven't really been conversing with the locals; I haven't experienced that dry British wit they are stereotypically known for.

Aside from some problems with the (crazy) phone system, I don't believe that I've done anything differently than how I would have back home. True, it's only the first night. I keep talking to others about how you should not expect change to occur overnight, yet I'm guilty of doing the same. I suppose what I should be preaching is that only expecting change does very little to enact change. If you want the change to happen, you should be proactive about it; meet it head on.

To bad confrontation is not my strong suit.

Later that night...

London - May 2, 10:07pm
I've taken some cool pictures around Buckingham Palace, one of which I plan on captioning: "Come my stony compatriots, time to storm the gates!" Use your imagination until I get a chance to upload it. Haven't thought much of where I'm going to sleep tonight. Sleeping for free is an option, but is it worth looking like a bum on the streets? Hopefully I'll find a place somewhere close to the city centre so that I can easily start my proposed Monopoly Board run tomorrow. I was thinking of doing a Monopoly Board pub crawl, but at these prices I don't think I can afford to go even half way around the board.

There's a bit of a breeze, but otherwise it's been a warm, clear night. Of course, now that I'ved stopped to writ this, my body is cooling down. Need to find a pub and get some grub.

A whopper for a Whopper

London - May 2, 8PM @ Victoria Place
Called Tom's number again. Either I copied it down wrong, Klaus got it wrong, or Tom has changed his number, because I reached the voicemail of one Linda Smith.

Contingency planning has never been my strong suit; however, going with the flow and being able to adjust is a large part of what this trip is all about. The tourist information booths are closed now and the one person I've met is likely in his hotel room with his wife right now. Even if I could get in touch with him, I would choose not to interrupt their vacation. I'm not in that bad a position. I have a good chuck of pocket money, enough food and drink, as well as my wits to help me survive a couple nights in a foreign town by myself. Thankfully everybody speaks English (you have to love the accents!).

Speaking of food, a BK Whopper meal for £4.49? That's OVER $10 CAD! Good think I smuggled a bunch of the complementary drinks and munchies from the plane ride. Oh well, I'm off to find more food, bed, and maybe hit on some chicks with sexy British accents.

In London

London - May 2, 7:30PM (London Time)
Air plane ride went well enough. Ran into a little excitement at the end when the pilot had to about his initial landing approach.

"Is something wrong with the plane?"

"Is something wrong at the airport?"

The pilot mumbled some vague reason over the intercom for having to take another approach. Did he just miss his line and decided to try again? Any way to split it, it doesn't fill me with confidence.

At the airport was another matter. It's depressing when the numerical amount of cash you carry gets shrunk by a factor of 2.5 (damn you British pound!). I tried calling Tom, Klaus' London friend, but for some reason it wouldn't let me complete the call (I now believe it's because I kept putting in the country code). I then tried calling directory assistance, and the idiot on the other end didn't help one iota. He uttered one sentence: "Directory Assistance, how may I help you?" That's it. No matter what I said or asked, he wouldn't even grunt to acknowledge that he was still there, although I did hear background noise so I assume he was. I repeatedly asked for help or just a response as I saw my £1.00 dwindle to £0.00 before my very eyes. I don't know if it was the telephone company I was using or what, but as every second ticked, 2 pence would be subtracted from my balance. It was like a ticking time bomb, just mocking my futile efforts. I'm on the express right now heading to Victoria. I figure I'll cruise around town a bit until I try to contact Tom again.

One thing I've notived looking our the train window is how much more "leafy" the trees look and how many building are made of brick. Maybe it's just me, but the leaves look asburdly large and defined. As for the brick buildings, that may be attributed to my route and age of the buildings rather than the architectural style of London.

Europe Travel Log - YVR

I brought a little notebook with me that I crack open and jot in whenever there's a lull. I'll transcribe the text here whenever I get a chance. Beware, my impromptu writing is awfully long winded.

--

Vancouver Airport - May 1, 11pm
I'm sitting on a plane right now preparing to fly to London. The more I think about it, the more excited I get.

On my way to the airport, I realized that I had forgotten to pack my razor. Simple enough to replace, I figure, but we shall see. Will I live to rue the day that I forgot to pack my razor? Or has not packing it unknowingly saved me tonnes of trouble at customs? Back to the plane, I am sat next to a middle-aged asian couple. They seem nigh enought, but it's certainly no hot blonde from Georgia. Taking into account the law of averages, I suppose this means that I have something to look forward to. Hopefully, the payout won't come after a long day's travel while I am sporting a day's worth of stubble and musk.

As I entered the airport, the line to the Air Transat counter was a huge anomaly. A slow moving giant in the midst of quick, light-footed Tolkien hobbits.

The pre-trip jitters have definitely given way to excitement. At least, I think it's excitement. There's a pressure raising in my chest. It doesn't constrict, but rather it's more like an untapped energy source itching to be released. The itch rises and ebbs; it hasn't reached a tumult yet, but the potential cannot be denied. A last minute rush to make paper copies of all my digital travel information was ground to a halt by my quirky printer at home. After nearly 14 years of service, perhaps it's time to retire my Canon Bubblejet - the bubbles having long since lost their optimal surface tension, resulting in a haphazard collage of black ink.