Towers, Spires and Pigeons.

Well firstly I feel I need to apologise for the lack of contact over the past 6 days, apparently the Italians don't support Internet Cafes too much, or that's what it felt like. Last time I wrote it was from my hostel in Venice. Six days later and I am in Dubrovnik, having had no sleep for 24hrs and waiting to check into the hostel (Vienna airport in not a comfortable place to sleep!!!).

Venice was a beautiful place. We flew into Treviso Airport and then took a coach to the outskirts. This was easy and the transfer took about 1 hour. However I would recommend flying into Marco Polo instead as this is much closer and convenient. We hopped on our first Vaporetto (water bus). Most of the books recommend No. 1 but we took No. 82 as this took us straight to our hostel (Lagoon). Once you get through the industrial part of Venice the view becomes nothing short of spectacular despite the occasional scaffold cages supporting various domes, spires and the like (due to fact some of the islands are sinking).
We spent our first evening exploring the numerous alley ways surrounding Piazza San Marco munching on pizza slices, fresh fruit and coconut!!!. During our wanderings we found the Ponte di Rialto, one of only 3 bridges out of 400 which cross the grand canal and clearly the most amazing. We carried our wanderings late into the night and saw Venice light up and quickly understood why it is regarded as one of the most romantic places going.

The following day we woke to glorious sunshine and decided to make the most of the morning as we were taking a train in the afternoon to Verona. So we headed into Piazza San Marco early to avoid the crowds and went firstly into the Basilica di San Marco which to enter is free (you can then pay to reach other parts of the Basilica). However due to time constraints we just just stayed in the main area, and there were more than enough sculptures and paintings to leave us some what awestruck.

From here we went onto the the Torre dellÓrologio (the clock tower) and for 5 euros took the elevator to the top. At the top we could see for miles and the sight was spectacular. In every direction there were spires, towers and canals. The Torre provided two great things - firstly the most spectacular views over Piazza San Marco and the whole of Venice and secondly escape from the hundreds of pigeons that congregate in the middle of the Piazza (much to Nina's delight, as she is petrified of pigeons and felt relatively safe 80 foot in the air!?!)

With one eye on the clock (which in the Piazza has Bronze Mori which strikes the bell every hour on the hour) we headed back to the hostel to collect our luggage in time to get Vaparetto 82 to the station to hop on the Verona bound Milan train. This journey should have taken one and a half hours but actually took just over an hour (seriously our train network needs to check out the continental way of doing things.)

Wroclaw and beyond

Getting to Wroclaw initially was a bit of a struggle, for no reason other than the fact we were pronouncing the place totally wrong (the Polish don't use W's they prefer V's - try to pronounce it as "Vroh-Slav."). Therefore every time we asked for a ticket to Wroclaw the only response we got was a puzzled expression. In the end we overcame this issue by writing the name down. After she had finished laughing the ticket issuer told us the fare and it was plain sailing from thereon in.

It cost us around 48zl each to get to Wroclaw and the journey takes around 4 and a half hours. The train we took was basic but comfortable and most of all on time and clean (how refreshing). We were greeted in Wroclaw by Nina's friend Jo, and were driven on the crazy polish roads to her coffee shop. This was a real delight and whilst outside of the main market place in Wroclaw it is close enough to the Wroclaw Panorama to pop in if you are in the area.

Wroclaw itself is gorgeous, as its market place is surrounded by restaurants and bars, but unlike you would expect in England these are far from rowdy but still bustling and welcoming. In the centre of the market square is the flower market, which operates 24hrs a day 7 days a week and is sure to brighten up the dullest of nights. It must be reassuring to know that if ever you are late home and for what ever reason you can turn up with a huge bunch of flowers and avoid any major interrogation.

Whilst in Wroclaw we stayed at Jo's place and were treated to home cooked Polish cuisine each day. Meals we had included Pierogi Ruskie (a ravioli style dish with a potato, onion and cheese filling, yum), Lazanki (a mixture of cooked white cabbage, pasta and various meats, again this was delicious) and also Cielecina (basically a veal dish with onions and potatoes, again really nice). Sadly Nina's vegetarian so she did miss out on this treat, but she made do with Pierogi, tomatoes and onions.

We also took a trip up to Carpache (right on the Polish - Czech border) and whilst the weather was miserable the views of the mountains were amazing and the whole area (primarily a ski resort) is an excellent spot to go and chill out for a while during the summer and just get lost for a while.

Wroclaw allowed us a different view of Poland and I would recommend this to anyone unafraid to try a bit of the lingo, because as it is not a major tourist spot (despite there being direct flights from the UK) fewer locals speak English than in Krakow.

After a few days we took and intercity train back to Krakow which was more comfortable but still took just as long and cost an extra 30zl each. To be honest I would stick with the lower fares if you are travelling during the day as the benefits of the intercity are minimal. We spent the last night back at the Giraffe hostel in Krakow drinking a variety of vodkas (mint, cherry and honey).

After waking up with very sore heads we hot tailed it to the train station and got the Krakow Belize express train to the airport (15 minutes; 6 zl) . This time the airport seemed a bit more European in its organisation, but we muscled through and took our flight to Venice which is where I am writing from now. We left Poland in glorious sunshine and arrived here in a down pour after some pretty thrilling turbulence. What I've seen so far I like. We move to Verona tomorrow though and I will fill you in, in a few days time.


TTFN

Where to next

So as I was saying we had just been overbooked, but we found the new hostel and it was fine. The original hostel also let us know that we could pop in any time during our stay to get topped up on beer free of charge (this we liked and used to our full advantage).

We spent Day 2 in Krakow visiting the Jewish quarter, although just a few minutes by foot from the market square it seemed a world away. I wouldn't say the area was impoverished but it was certainly a bit more rough around the edges. It appears all funds for redevelopment had been put into renovating the Synagogues rather than the residential buildings, a common trend in many countries with deep rooted religious history. Talking of which we visited a museum based on the effect of WWII on the Polish Jews. This was a really moving and informative exhibit and I would recommend it to anyone.

Day 3 saw us visit Auschwitz. This was my main reason (but not the only one) for wanting to visit Poland and it seemed fitting that we visited it a day after learning more about the persecution in Poland on our previous day. The train from Krakow is 1 hr 30 minutes and costs about 4 pounds. We spent the train journey taking in the scenery and wondering what laid ahead. To say I was excited would be wrong but certainly there was a lot of anticipation.

Auschwitz and Birkenau are both free to enter but for 29zl you can get a 3 and half hour guided tour, which was well worth the money. I was shocked by the vast scale of the operation that had taken place. Everyone should know about the millions that were murdered but to actually visit one of the sites, see the dorm areas, the punishment rooms, the remains of the infamous gas showers and many of the faces of those who perished was shocking, moving and sickening. I won't go on a rant but this place is a must for everyone as it stands as a reminder of the atrocities of the past and a memorial to the millions that so cruelly had their lives ended.

We took the bus back to Krakow which again was about 1hr and a half, and only8 zl (I think). It was a very sobering day especially after tasting the awesome Krakow nightlife the previous evening at Ministry and another club Kitch which seemed to mix dance floors, bars and lounges into one. I am writing this on returning from Wroclaw where we have been with a Polish family for the past few days. It was excellent and I will fill you in from Italy over the next few days.


TTFN


Daz

x

Krakow 2 days in

What can I say about Krakow.....after a flight from Gatwick, which had me wondering why all those weeks ago I booked a flight so early in the morning when I have ten weeks to do what the hell I want, the arrival into Krakow was a delight.

The airport itself is small and not intimidating but also pretty organised too, which for a European airport is saying something. After pottering around for a little while we caught a direct bus to Krakow train station remembering to not only buy a ticket for ourselves but buy one for our luggage too (seems a bit much, but at 50p a pop but I wasn't going to argue).

The journey takes little more than half an hour and within ten minutes of alighting at a random stop we found our bearings and ten minutes later found our hostel (hostel Giraffe). We checked in, dumped our bags and headed into the main square. After meandering down a few roughly paved streets bordered by typical 5 story communist style buildings (now thankfully decorated an array of different colours) we came to a large clear square surrounded by some of the most beautiful buildings I've seen for some time. In the centre was the cloth house within which craftsmen of all sorts plied their trade.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around taking in the sites such as the royal castle, before grabbing a bite to eat in an awesome underground restaurant (I'll get back to you with the name), then returning back to the hostel to crash. On walking in the door we were greeted by a nervous looking reception girl who informed us that due to a grave error our room had been over booked and we were to be move the following day. Me and Nina have worked in travel long enough to see the funny side of this and in between sniggers we let them know it was no probs.

TTFN

So what is Daz up to?

Having worked for TravelRepublic.co.uk for three years my itchy feet finally got the better of me and I decided it was time to get out there and try and see as much as Europe as possible. Working in travel gives you a really good insight into how to get around and indeed how easy it is to get around so I thought why not take advantage of this knowledge.

All it took was one chat with a really special person who was willing to share the experience and within days our first flights were booked and since then we haven't looked back. Once colleagues got wind of the plan interest grew rapidly and some got just as excited as me, so I thought 'why share the experience with just one person?' Obviously I can't take everyone in the office with me, but I can keep them updated and do my best to let them know about the amazing places we're going to visit and that is exactly what I plan to do so keep reading - first stop Krakow.

TTFN
Daz


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