Pictures

I've finally had some time to start sorting through the 3000 pictures we took while away. I'll try to have them all linked here by the end of next week (so check back!).

Prague:

Kutna Hora:

Krakow:

Wieliczka:

Zakopane:

Auschwitz:

Sopot:

Malbork Castle:

Gdansk:

Hel:

Westerplatte:

Wroclaw:

Legnica:

Boleslawiec:

Czocha Castel:

Jawor:

Ksiaz Castel:

Ksiaz And Beyond

Strangely, castles are starting to become normal now. I guess that's a sign that we've seen our fair share of them (but really we didn't even see the tip of the iceberg). Although sadly this is the last one we'll see for a while. Tomorrow we head back to Prague for the last leg of our trip. Not sure how blogging will go from here. We'll see. If this is it, then thanks for following and check back in week or so for a link to a few of our favourite pictures.

Home Away From Home

Legnica is where Karolina was born and where her mother's family continues to live. There's a massive supply of copper under the city which is what put it on the map and made it a prosperous city hundreds of years ago. More recently, it was one of the biggest Russian settlements after WW2. There's a big graveyard here honouring the Soviet soldiers who "liberated" the city near the end of the war. It's a nice change of pace here especially because of the family connection.

This wasn't the biggest castle we've seen, but it was impresive just the same. Over its 700 year life it's accumulated some interesting legends. Among them is the story of a jealous man who killed his wife's child (believed to be that of another man) and cemented the body behind the fire place. The bones were recently verified to be there via x-ray. Apparently the mother can still be seen (and the boy can still be heard) in the room trying to reunite with her baby. If you're interested, you can find out for yourself and stay in the royal room for a cool 900 złoty.

Family

Yesterday we were greeted in Wrocław by some of Karolina's family, and got our own private tour of the city. Wrocław is a very bright and colourful city, we loved it. We also loved getting a plate a pierogies for less than 2 dollars! We can finally start showing pictures from our camera as we now have a computer at our disposal (by the way karolina's grandpa has a fiber optic Internet connection!). Anyway, it's really late here so I'll save todays blog for tomorrow...

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.