South Bound

Today is our last day on the Polish coast. The last few days have been increasingly hot and we (especially Nick) have the farmer tans to prove it. Tonight we take a train to Wroclaw, but this time we have a couchette so we should sleep well. Tomorrow we're meeting up with Family which will be nice after staying in various unfamiliar places for the two weeks.

Hel And Back

It was hot in Hel today. But I wouldn't want to be there when it freezes over. Fortunately for the residents those puns only work in English. Hel was an old fishing town before reinventing itself as a quaint little beach town looking out into the Baltic sea. It's a really nice place that we'd definitely stay in longer next time. The water's extremely cold, but not cold enough to keep two Canadians out of it.

Ground Zero

Westerplatte is where the first shots of WW2 were fired. It was on September 1rst 1939 and the resistance lasted seven days.

Malbork Castle

Today we went to Malbork to see a castle constructed by the Teutonic Knights in the thirteen hundreds. It was amazing to see how they lived, and what Poland was like during those times.

The Sea Side

Yesterday we arrived in Sopot, a kind of Malibu Beach style resort town. Today we took a quick train ride to Gdansk, the location in which the first attack of WW2 occurred as well as where the start of solidarity movement began.

Good Bye, Good Bye Lenin

Yesterday we left Krakow, and our hostel called "Good Bye Lenin". Our 13 hour train ride was also noteworthy... The compartment we occupied was quiet until we were joined by a pack of young drunk/high hooligans. But all is well that ends well. Krakow was action packed. Each day we left the city for sites in the surrounding area so it's definitely somewhere we need to go back to.

Oswiecim

Auschwitz, the German name that we're more familiar with, is a horrifying place. Being there all day has left an immense impression on us. We're still trying to make sense of what we saw, but I'm not sure we ever will. This was a deeply moving experience for us and we're glad for the education that we've gained.

Polskie Ogorki

The babcia (grandma) selling at this market got a real kick out of me photographing her pickles. But she then explained to Karolina that she was more flatered then anything else.

Say Cheese

These booths are all over Zakopane selling oscypek, a kind of mountain curd, to everyone (the locals seemed to like it just as much as the tourists, if not even a little more). I wish this was available in Canada.

Tatra Mountains

Today we made a trip to Zakopane to get a feel for Polish mountain life. It's similar to Banff in some ways, possibly even more touristy but definitely unique.

White Gold

Inside this 700 year old salt mine is a giant maze of beautifully carved out scenes. At one time it made up one third of Poland GDP.

Inside At Last

We finally got into the Church of Saint Mary after yesterday's never ending service. It is absolutely breathtaking inside. Picaso considered it to be the eighth world wonder (ipod picture doesn't do it justice).

No Frills Food

The "Bar Mleczny" is where to go for a hearty Polish meal for next to nothing. A communist relic that I'd be sad to see go.

Small World

We met another person from Calgary (whose Grandmother was married here) while admiring it from across the street.

Wawel Castle

This heavily fortified castle now holds many of Poland's past Royalty dating back nearly a thousand years.

Krakow on a Sunday

This is the oldest gothic style church in Krakow. Today it's home to one of the most strict convents around. Unfortunately being a Sunday meant we couldn't get into many churches as services ran ALL day.

Leaving Prague

Tonight we leave Prague behind and take the train to Krakow. We're definitely going to miss this city but are equally as excited about what Krakow will have in store.

John Lennon's Wall

During communism the people of Prague risked serious punishment to paint tributes of John Lennon on this wall after his death.

Modern Art

Send a text message to these statues and they'll pee it out.

Street scapes

View of our neighborhood street and the infamous astronomical clock in old town square. Legend has it that the maker of the clock was blinded so that he could never recreate the clock... I would not be surprised if that were true because prague is crazy like that.

Kutna hora

This is a family crest in a church in kutna hora which is made entirely of human bones. Creepy. We took a 1 hour train to get there and saw a little bit of the Czech countryside in the process.

Lots of old churches fill the city

Absinthe shop

This is one way to get the night started!

Pictures of Charles bridge

We woke up early this morning and went to see Charles bridge. It was a good idea to go there at such an early time as the bridge gets incredibly busy with tourists during the day. The bridge is very beautiful and old with giant old statues every few meters. Legend says that if you touch one particular statue then you will come back to Prague. We touched it lots.

Prague castle had amazing views

Today we decided to get Prague castle out of the way since it's the closest sight from our hotel. We actually haven't slept since calgary because The fights were delayed and super uncomfortable. We both agree that Prague is probably the most
beautiful city that we have ever seen. After thirty hours of no sleep and a pretty intense day of sight seeing we're calling it a day . We are planning to get up early and see Charles bridge tomorrow morning. If all goes well tomorrow will begin with Charles bridge and end with some Czech beers and absinthe.

The view from our room

The eagle has landed

Waiting for the montreal plane

Chilling with a London fog.

Location:Calgary airport