Current

Eastern Europe

Travel through Bulgaria, Romania and Poland with short visits to Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia Read more

Follow Insights Calendar Photos Share

Currently in
🇵🇱 Warsaw, Poland
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 84 POLAND Warsaw
Yesterday in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
We hadn't booked our accommodation as we weren't sure if we'd extend our stay in Bialowieza, but due to bad hayfever we decided to drive back to Warsaw.

We looked for accommodations and most of the ones we wanted were booked out. I never realised the importance of pre-booking accommodations with free cancellations until today. Besides the stress of finding the accommodation, it was very time consuming as well.
We finally found an Airbnb in Warsaw only 150m from the last accommodation for this trip. So trundling our luggage won't be an issue.

We went to the spa one last time and headed for Warsaw.

No photos for today. We will put the photos from our dinner at Carska last night.Read more
0 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 83 POLAND Bialowieza
June 9 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
We had a very energetic day. We woke at 430am and couldn't get back to sleep so we got up to do a hike in the Bialowieza forest on the Zebra Zubry trail.

After breakfast we went to the spa to use the steam room to aid the hayfever. Then got bicycles from the hotel and cycled into town. Most of the places were closed except for St Teresa's Church.

We found a cafe that was open for a light lunch of soup. Despite the hayfever, we sat outside because there were about 20 little kids in the cafe and the noise was like a cacophony of galahs after red cordial.

The primeval pocket of Bialowieza forest is declared Strict Reserve and entry is restricted in numbers and only with a guide. We met our guide Joao from Totem Tours to enter the restricted part of Bialowieza forest. It's one of the few primeval forest left in the world. Even more rare that it is on flat lowlands with excellent water source. Such land would historically be used for farming. A primeval forest is undisturbed naturally regenerated eco system untouched by human activity.
Joao was an excellent guide. He is from Portugal and his childhood dream was to visit this forest since he first read about it in a magazine when he was 9 years old. He is now living his dream. He explained about how to spot water areas by looking at where the alder trees grow at they need part of their root system in water. The forest creates it's own microclimate to keep itself in balance. Interestingly enough he said the the fauna was in balance too. The bison tended to eat bushes and leaves off trees while wild horses grazed and ate grass. With the eradication of wild horses, the only human interference was having to cut the grass in the meadows leading to the forest.
The fallen leaves and trees, fungi, mycilliums, moss and licen all work to provide organic matter for the forest. There is an equal loss and accumulation of organic matter each year. I expected many more large trees, but Joaoo explained that the trees here have short lifespans. He showed us how a fallen log creates an exposed area where the animals do not feel safe to stop and graze. As a result, small trees can grow and develop to replace the fallen tree. Quite astounding how Mother Nature keeps everything in harmony.

Managing the numbers who can enter this Strict Reserve meant that we had the forest to ourselves most of the time. We passed 2 other small groups heading in different directions. We spent 4 hours walking through the forest and did not want to leave. I could imagine fairies and elves living there. Ruby said she could walk another 4 hours through the forest again. It was simply magical.

We went to Carska restaurant housed inside the historic Białowieża Towarowa railway station, which was originally built in 1903 for Tsar Nicholas II. The station was constructed as a private terminal for Russian Tsars visiting their vast hunting estates in the Białowieża Primeval Forest. It allowed royalty and their guests to arrive in maximum comfort from St. Petersburg. We had sturgeon and Polish lobster which was a tiny marron and delicious Pavlova/ Meringue dessert.Read more
0 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 82 POLAND War Uprising Museum and Bialowieza
June 8 in Poland ⋅ 🌙 16 °C
We went to the War Uprising Museum in Warsaw before we picked up our car rental for the 3½hr drive Bialowieza National Park.

War Uprising Museum was very heavy, emotionally draining and sad. It was when the people of Warsaw had an uprising against Hitler and were promised help by Stalin and Chamberlain, neither came to their aid. The poor Poles, young children and old, Jews and the educated suffered atrocities beyond comprehension and imagination. We avoided the visit to Auschwitz for this reason, and weren't prepared for this museum to be so very confronting. They had a replica of a bunker and sewer where the untrained and ill equipped, brave young women and men fought the Nazis and lost. Even little kids at 9-15 year old helped in the uprising. It was a very interactive museum with lots to read. We were pleased to see a lot of school groups being exposed to the horror but more surprising for us, was that we saw a few lots of small independent groups of youth patrons.

It is most disturbing that we have an individual in Australia who is heading in this exact direction. She is using the prejudices and fears of the people to incite more vilification and hatred. The more such hate speech is heard, radical extreme ideas will be normalised. Individual and collective human conscience will be diluted, silenced, justified. Eventually all good sense and conscience disappear. I cannot believe that we have learnt nothing from history, that such atrocities are still perpetuated in the world. I do not believe that Australia will be immune from the consequences if we continue in this trajectory. Enough of my opinions and rant.

After the museum we picked up the car and drove to Bialowieza without lunch because not even we could eat after that experience. Half an hour before arriving at Bialowieza we were stopped by 2 border police. I must add here that Bielowieza is at the border with Belarus. We came here as it has one of the last stands of primeval forest in Europe. The patrol guards took our passports and checked the rental papers of the car. They returned the rental papers but kept our passports and did a thorough check of it. We saw the lady officer thumbing through the passports whilst on the phone. The large male soldier wielding large rifle came to our car to say something in Polish but Google Translate could not do a proper translation. We managed to find out that it's just a routine check but would take 10 to 15 minutes. We were not too worried as the large soldier clutching the large firearm developed a very amused smile on his face. We took this opportunity to stretch our legs and walked a bit while we waited. We think that they were checking that we were not over staying our schengen visa as they asked for our departure date. They apologised for taking a while as they waved us off with big smiles.

After the day we had, we finished our day at the relaxing spa of our hotel to wind down.Read more
TravelerHEAR HEAR to your reflections on visiting the War Uprising Museum.
1dReply
0 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 81 POLAND Warsaw
June 7 in Poland ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
We tried to book the second class train tickets from Torun to Warsaw but it was sold out so for an extra AUD $16, we booked first class seats. It was spacious with luggage space that was easily accessible. We didn't have to lift our big suitcase onto the shelf above our heads. It was a quiet carriage and had large windows to look out of.

I made a big error last night when I used our Qantas frequent flyer points to book our Radisson Blu Sobieski Hotel in Warsaw. When I confirmed the booking, realised I had booked Radisson Blu Lisbon instead with a non refundable option. Ruby immediately wrote to Lisbon, Qantas and Warsaw to try and sort it but only Warsaw replied to say they couldn't help and Lisbon had to refund the points. We found Radisson Blu Sobieski Hotel in Warsaw to be very helpful. When we arrived at the hotel, Joanne called Lisbon Radisson and found out that the booking had been cancelled and no fees or points were charged. However, they said that a third party, Expedia had done the booking. I was shocked because I had booked through my Qantas frequent flyer login.
We still stayed at the Radisson Warsaw but I paid for the room as the points have not yet been reimbursed. We'll wait and see. (Update: We wrote to Qantas again, and I have received a full credit.)

We had a quick lunch at a milk bar where we had duck pierogi (dumplings) and cold beetroot soup. We are really liking the cold beetroot soup. The duck pierogi filling was a little sweet. Reminded us of a Asian sticky rice dumpling called bak chang.

We went to the National Museum in Warsaw and spent close to 6 hours there. They had a temporary exhibition from a collector Count Ignancy Korvin-Milewski of art, ceramics, tapestries and furniture.
The permanent exhibition spanned art from 14th century to 20th century and a collection from the 19 th century Masters. Very expansive collection and lots to see.

We finished with dinner at another Michelin Bib restaurant, Butchery and Wine Bar. We shared a chateaubriand, salad and a creme caramel. My travel credit card I've been using for our entire trip didn't work after the meal. Thankfully I had a backup card that did work. It was our most expensive dinner by a mile, so I didn't know how many dishes I had to wash or for how many days if my cards did not work.

Update: My credit card is working. Maybe it was just the restaurant terminal.Read more
TravelerAll’s well tha5
2dReply
Traveler…. that ends well, eh?! And you’re certainly EATING well!
2dReply
TravelerWell, the Chinese have a saying that goes something like, "As long as you can eat, all will be well ." So perhaps the better one eats, the better things will be .
2dReply
3 more comments
2 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 80 POLAND Torun
June 6 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We joined a walking tour of Old Town today that also took us to the start of New Town. Torun was once guarded by the Teutonic Knights who still exist today. They were the guards of Jerusalem Hospital but when it fell to Muslims, they were invited to settle in Torun doing the same. The city of Torun was never bombed or razed to the ground. They only suffered some destruction from the Swedes who broke defensive walls and looted the town. It is such an intact mediaeval town that it was declared UNESCO World Heritage town. Torun is also sister state to Philadelphia.

We returned to the Restaurant Pernicova and the chef prepared a special amuse buse for us he called surf and turf. We did have different dishes to the ones last night but had a repeat of the prawns because it was so delicious. We even tried goose gizzards for the first time and needless to say it was delicious.

Torun is also famed for gingerbread man. It is apparently better than Nuremberg. The recipe had been the same for over 700 years. Ruby had a gingerbread coffee which was like a chai latte but with gingerbread spices.Read more
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 79 POLAND Torun
June 5 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
We had an interesting breakfast called egg drop sandwich, which is fried bread with scrambled eggs, onion chutney and chimichurri sauce.

We were going to catch an uber to the train station but got the tram instead.
Our hayfever has been so bad despite dosing up on antihistamines that we welcomed the rain today. It might have been inconvenient as we were catching trams and train Poznan to Torun but we managed.

Ruby realised that with our car, we needed a carpark so we stayed just outside the Old Town which meant that they were more modern fitted with lifts. Now we are without a car we tend to choose accommodations closer to the Old Town which means that it's much older hence the absence of lifts. In Torun, we are staying in an old 13 th century tower with stairs up 3 floors. Just arrived in Torun. Had to lug luggage up 3 floors of a narrow spiral stairs. Then went to buy water and it was upstairs of the tiny supermarket. At dinner, our table was booked..... upstairs.
Whatever doesn't kill us will make us stronger.

We were sat upstairs of the Restaurant Pernicova because we requested to be sat where we could watch the chef as he had an open kitchen. The restaurant building was a mill and mortuary once upon a time. The restaurant is a Michelin bib Polish restaurant. Outstanding taste and use of traditional Polish recipe with his slight creative variation. The chef was very friendly and came out of the kitchen several times to speak with us. We couldn't decide what to have and wanted everything on the menu. So we booked to return tomorrow to try the things we missed today.
We had bread which had gingerbread spices, tuna tataki, herring with apple and potatoes, prawns in a seafood reduction and lastly cold beetroot soup with mash potato, cucumber sorbet and egg. We finished the meal with a chocolate cherry fondant.
We were working out at dinner the total number of accommodations for our whole trip. This is what we had came up with.
Accommodation
8 in Bulgaria
1 Serbia
18 Romania
1 Hungary
1 Slovakia
8 Poland
1 Singapore
A grand total of 37 in Europe and 1 in Singapore.Read more
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
1
Day 78 POLAND Poznan
June 4 in Poland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
We joined a walking tour of Old Town that took us from Freedom Square to the Old Town Square and finished at the Jesuit Church Basilica Minor and college.

As the Jesuits wanted to make the church opulent and magnificent on a budget, they painted columns and walls to look like marble and the dome was also painted and not a structural one.
The highlight of the tour was at 12pm, a lone trumperter plays the anthem of Poland and 2 billy goats emerge from the Old Town Hall clock and head butts 12 times. It happened again at 3pm but the goats are only programmed to head butt 12 times.
There were baskers, Winnie the Pooh, and even ballerina basking in the Old Town Square.

We then walked to Cathedral Island and at a village over the bridge from Cathedral Island, we saw a mural that had such a 3 dimensional effect that it looked like the building though it was painted on a flat wall.

We finished with another Michelin bib restaurant Fromazeria. Delicious flavours.Read more
TravelerThe elegant architecture is very impressive …. as are your meals!!
5dReply
Traveler wow
2dReply
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
1
Day 77 POLAND Poznan
June 3 in Poland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
We have returned our rental car and travelled on the train from Wroclaw to Poznan. It was chaotic boarding the train as the carriage numbers were not clearly marked and when we got to our seat number after walking through a wall of people and luggages, we found that we were in the wrong carriage with the same numbers. This meant that we had to walk through another wall of people and luggages to find the right carriage with our numbered seat. We had expected to see the carriage numbers in the sectors ( that's what the Poles call it) on the station or at the side of the train at least. But there was none. After we disembarked the train at Poznan was when we found where the carriage numbers were. People were helpful on the train though, offering to help put our luggage up and take it down from the shelf and interpreting and relaying to us what was said by the conductor.

We have an apartment on the 3rd floor without a lift. This is the second consecutive apartment without a lift, the last one was on the 5th floor. We miss not having the car because the bigger bags could be left in the car and just a small bag for the few days would be all we had to carry up steps.

We did finish our day with yet another splendid dinner. A Michelin bib Italian restaurant called Marino Bistrot. We had a little chat with with the chef when he came to shave some truffle in our shared spaghetti carbonara. He was from a town near Alba in Italy, and he proudly told us that the finest truffles come from the Piedmont region due to its climate and soil. Poland has quite a number of such fine restaurants at affordable prices, about $80 -$100 in total for the meal. We have decided to take further indulgences in such fine meals as even if Perth offered such quality, we'd not be able to afford. We walked the 1.9km back to our Airbnb in the rain.Read more
Traveler Ooooo…..the food looks sooooo gooood!!!
6dReply
TravelerOf course the best truffles are Italian!
5dReply
TravelerWow the story of pinocchio in one amazing picture. And the FOOOD!!
1dReply
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
1
Day 76 POLAND Wroclaw
June 2 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We had a meal at a Polish Milk Bar. It is a Milk Bar because no alcohol was sold there. It was fortunate that we had instructions from the guide the day before on the process of ordering.
The menu is in Polish and only Polish speakers in the bar. The menu board has prices next to items that are still available and not sold out. You line up to order your food, pay for it and with the receipt walk over to the bain marie to collect your food after presenting the receipt. Strictly, no receipt, no food. We asked the patrons what dishes they had that looked interesting and asked where on the board it was. Google translate was not helpful. After Ruby had chosen the table, a lady of maturity sat herself in front of Ruby. Never smiled or engaged in conversation and when she had finished uttered several sentences sternly and left.
I guess it could be worse.....

Another first for us was watching a lamp lighter on Cathedral Island. He had 102 lamps to light and he started half an hour before sunset and lamps off at half an hour before sunrise.

We also ate dinner at the oldest city inn, in all Europe, established in 1273 as a brewery and still operating today. Piwnica Świdnicka had survived wars, floods and had served iconic guest like Chopin, Picasso, Goethe and now Ruby and Grace. The dark ale was delicious and on the menu were dishes that were served back in 1273. We had pickled herring and roasted pork knuckle. Delicious!Read more
Traveler And you understood it all 😂
1dReply
2 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Fraction of the Dwarfs found
June 1 in Poland ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
The dwarfs went viral and more and more started appearing. The government tried to stop the spread of dwarfs but in the end they allowed it because there were more and more illegal dwarfs. Tax had to be paid for the dwarfs placed on the ground so people found a loophole in the law and placed them on window sills and on blocks to evade payment.

Learnt from the guide that Polish schools have Green school in the last 3 weeks of term before summer where the kids are taken on excursions to other Polish cities and then staying in the forest or near mountains.Read more
TravelerIngenious
1wReply
TravelerIngenious!
1wReply
3 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 75 POLAND Wroclaw
June 1 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
A quick visit to the Tagowa Markethall for coffee and breakfast off a shared focaccia sandwich before we joined the free walking tour of the Old Town.
The guide told us a good way to remember the pronunciation of Wroclaw is "what's love" but with a rrwhatslove.
The tour was very informative and with good history of Wroclaw. Interestingly enough, Wroclaw had been a German city until 1945. Wroclaw was not part of the second republic of Poland from 1918-1939. There is essentially only 2 generations of Polish people that were moved in after the Germans were moved out.

We did the Dwarf and Communist tour in the afternoon. We expected more communist aspect but the dwarfs dominated the tour. Wroclaw has a mascot of dwarfs. The first dwarf commemorated the anti-communism Orange Alternative Movement . The idea took on, and now there are dwarfs for every reason. At the last count, there were over 1300 dwarfs in Wroclaw and now in other European countries and even in Washington DC.

We finished our day with a wonderful dinner at Ida Kuchnia i wino, a Michelin bib restaurant.Read more
TravelerVery picturesque.
1wReply
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 74 POLAND Wroclaw
May 31 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
We had 2 stops before saying goodbye to our car at the Wroclaw airport and catching taxi to our Wroclaw accommodation.

Our first stop was the Castle Bolkow that was holding a mediaeval tournament. It was interesting to watch the sword fight between knights, listen to mediaeval instrument, and walking around the tear drop tower castle. We were concerned that it'll be too busy, and we'd not be able to see anything. However it was a lovely crowd, enough to be festive but leaving plenty of space to wander and view comfortably.

The second was the Ksiaz Castle which we only looked at the outside and surrounds but not the inside. The most spectacular exterior is still the Mozsna Castle.

We just had to drop off the paperwork and the key into a box at the Europcar counter. It was so easy.Read more
0 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 73 POLAND Zamek Karpniki
May 30 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
This castle was a 14th century Prussian fortress that became the royal residence. It was originally known as Vishbach.
In 1475, Castellan Henryk von Czirn expanded the early building into a more significant castle structure consisting of a tower and residential wings.
In 1593 The estate was severely damaged by fire but was quickly rebuilt and expanded into a Renaissance-style residence by the Kanitz family.
In 1822 Prince Wilhelm von Hohenzollern (brother of Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III) bought the property and made a Neogothic Makeover by renowned royal architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel who helped redesign the castle into a stunning English Neo-Gothic palace. A water moat and stone arch bridge were added to complete the fairytale look. Silesian Elysium created a sprawling English landscape park that connected Karpniki with neighboring royal estates into one vast landscape garden.
During the 19th century, the castle welcomed prominent elite figures, including Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, and various European aristocrats.
During World War II, the German administration used Karpniki to hide priceless museum collections and art plundered from occupied territories.
After 1945, the region became part of Poland. The castle was used for various purposes, including a school, a colonial holiday home, and a hospital. It was eventually abandoned and fell into severe ruin.
In 2009, a private investor, Jacek Masior purchased the crumbling castle and began a meticulous, multi-year renovation process.

Our hayfever was so bad, we decided not to venture out of the castle today. This would officially be our first proper rest day.
We had a buffet breakfast, a spa, then a 5 course degustation dinner.
Very decadent and restful day. Did only 890 steps today.

Since I'm in Poland and they complain alot, this castle provides 2 flat rectangular non supportive pillows. When we asked for 4 pillows before we arrived, we were given 2 rectangle and 2 tiny square flat pillows smaller than the average cushion. When we asked for 2 more pillows they said the castle was full and no more pillows available yesterday. However they rang to say 2 pillows had come available today and sent up 2 tiny flat square additional pillows. .... but it could be worse.Read more
Traveler😀
1wReply
TravelerIt could be worse? It could indeed!!! It seems you ate really well, yet again!😊
1wReply
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 72 POLAND Lower Silesia Castles
May 29 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
We left early for our very long drive to our castle stay at Zamek Karpniki.

On the way we stopped at Zamek Moszna castle. It is built in 3 distinct chronological stages late 1800s to 1900s. It had 99 turrets, 365 rooms built in Baroque, Neo Gothic and Neo Renaissance Style.

Our next stop was a Lutheran Church of Peace. It is the most ornate Lutheran church we've come across. Not very peaceful though because there was a looped narration in German played over and over. Also lots of wires and musicians setting up. Not a place for quiet contemplation.

Our castle has a small spa but the steam room was under repair so there was only the Finnish sauna and a thermal spring hot tub. Also included in our package was a 4 course surprise meal. It was surprisingly delicious.

For 3 days in Krakow, we had Thai, Indian and Japanese. We did not have any Polish food in Krakow except for a snack of perogis (dumplings). We have found that Polish food had not matched up to what we've gotten used to in Romania. We will give the cuisine here another chance, but it has high standards to meet and huge boots to fill after Romania.Read more
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
More photos of Salt Mine and Jewish tour
May 28 in Poland ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
0 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Salt Mines extra photos
May 28 in Poland ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
0 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 71 POLAND Salt Mine and Jewish tour
May 28 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
You are charged an extra local dollar when purchasing water in Romania and Poland. You then get 50c for each bottle, if the supermarket has a bottle recycling machine. You can use the use voucher after recycling to purchase items. The recycling machines are only found in big supermarkets like Kaufland, Lidl and Carrefour.

We visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Operated from 1326-1986. The mine is so huge that the visit only took us through 2% of the salt labyrinth. There are 9 levels, 245 km of galleries and is 327m underground at the deepest point.
26 shafts were struck in Wieliczka and 9 million m³ of post-excavation voids were drilled. King Kiasemiesk the Great amazed his riches in salt. With this wealth, and was said to be the King came to a Poland made of wood and left a Poland made of stone.
At the end of the Middle Ages, 300–350 people worked in Wieliczka, and the annual production of salt reached 7 000 –8 000 tonnes. Horses that worked in the mine stayed for 25 years underground.
We then went to the renormous Graduation Tower and sat for 45mins. Really cleared the respiratory system.

After the salt mine we went to Hana Sushi Michelin Bib restaurant. The food was fine Japanese. Very delicious and fine. It was inexpensive with the total meal of sushi, sashimi and beef tartar bibimbup and a green tea cheesecake costing under $80 aud.

We then did am evening walking tour of the Jewish Quarter. It was so sad to hear the dehumanization of the Jewish people Their numbers went from 75,000 from 1937 to less than 1700 in 1945. It was not only in the death camps where the Jews were murdered. Executions were done in the streets, and the conditions in the ghettos were appalling. An apartment for 4 persons pre war, would have 16-20 persons. They were given 320 calories of food per person per week.
He finished with a lovely story about the survivors. A little girl and her dogs, and a boy whose father smuggled him away through the barbed fence. The boy was Roman Polanski.

We enjoyed the Japanese so much, we returned after the walking tour for a light snack.Read more
2 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 70 POLAND Krakow
May 27 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
We started our day with a massive breakfast even massive after we shared the one Polish Breakfast. Come to think of it, we usually have 2 meals a day since starting our trip. Most of our meals consisted of shared main and sometimes shared entree or dessert. This is because portions were big except at Japanese establishments.
Lunch was a shared plate of Pierogi (dumplings stuffed with, meat, cheese, potato, cabbage and mushrooms (our favourite).
We were supposed to try the pickled Herring but were too full after perogis.

After breakfast we joined the free walking tour of Old Town. The guide was informative and quite hilarious. He said Poles loved to complain so you never asked a Pole how they were. He added that they end their complains with " it could be worse".

Krakow was made up of 5 seperate kingdoms that were unified by King Kiasemiesk the Great III. There were allot of Polish Kings called Kiasemiesk, and that confused us.

The defensive walls were so intimidating that it was only once that the king could not defend Krakow. In that instance, he "invited" the Swedish invaders in 1655 to loot and ravage. As a result, Kraków was not destroyed nor burnt, and survived that invasion intact. It was also intact after the world war because it was chosen as the administrative capital of Nazi General Government. Although Krakow survived the war intact, the Jews and intellectuals were literally wiped out in death camps and the harsh conditions in the ghettos.

Finished our day with an Indian dinner.Read more
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 69 POLAND Zakopane to Krakow
May 26 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
We did a self guided walking tour of Zakopane. We saw some beautiful Zakopane style architecture. We also saw a very interesting and unusual cemetery.

Our drive to Krakow was uneventful. We also had our first experience driving into a lift that takes you to the basement car park.Read more
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 68 POLAND Zakopane
May 25 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
We started the hike and it was so windy with our hayfever playing up, we abandoned the hike and sat at the Graduation Tower. Graduation Tower is made up of a framework of tightly packed blackthorn branches with natural mineral rich brine pumped to the top and trickles down the branches. This creates a fine mineral salt mist that clears the respiratory allergens and obstruction. Sitting there for 45mins despite it being so windy cleared our hayfever.

We had the first ever experience of going to a spa, sauna, jacuzzi, salt tower and steam room where we had to not use textiles.
It was weird to begin with. We realised that other patrons were very respectful and would move to a different space to give privacy. We then settled in and it was actually a nice experience in the end. There aren't any photos as the reception collects your phone before you walk into the spa.Read more
TravelerIn Japan we went to one of these spa , i was prep to do it but i got shy and chickenout...i told you yous brave 🙏🙌
1wReply
TravelerI take my glasses off and I can't see much. It's somehow less intimidating when I don't see much. Anyway, it was either inside with the quiet nudies or outside with the busy noisy kids.
1wReply
0 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 67 POLAND Zakopane
May 24 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We had a much better day today. We were able to find free parking, which is rare in Zakopane, near the trailhead of the hike. There wasn't as many people on the hike. The hike was again uphill and rocky but the trail took us through the forest, to an Alpine meadow and finally to the peak with breathtaking views. Ruby was able to do the ascent very well with rest stops and slowly. On the way down towards the end of the hike, we soaked our feet in the roaring river again. This time it wasn't as cold and Ruby waded out till before the rapids.

There was a Sacred Heart Catholic Church to visit after the hike that was empty after the crowds left, with only 1 man praying. It was lovely, serene and peaceful.

Next to the hike, the meal we had was delicious and memorable. The restaurant was a recommendation to us by our niece. Ruby had lamb rump while I had truffle pasta. We finished with a meringue dessert with mascopone cheese, fruits and passionfruit drizzle.

We had a marvellous day.Read more
TravelerYour poor feet on those rocks...🙏
2wReply
3 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
1 1
Day 66 Poland Zakopane
May 23 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Technically Slovakia and Poland are not Eastern Europe They consider themselves Central Europe.
Today was a day when things did not start right for us. Plans that we made were not working out today.
We tried to get a carpark to do a hike but couldn't work out the parking meter. So we gave up on Zakopane town and went to Nowa Targowica Market in Nowy Targ, a town about 20 minutes away. It was a huge market that spanned a kilometre at least. We tried grilled smoked cheese with cranberry sauce done directly on wood fire. This market had everything except yoghurt which was what we were mainly wanting to buy. We did get fruits and walnut though. Ruby did find a shepard hut along a rural road that sold fresh yoghurt with milk from his animals. The shepherd/ man was rather startled when he saw us, and I showed him my phone with the Polish word for yoghurt, jogjurt. He looked as it's even more quizzically and went to the back of his very smokey hut and waved an empty bottle at us. We nodded. He held up fingers to indicate price. It was a transaction without any words.
I think it was sheep yoghurt. It even had a fizzyiness when we drank it. 15PLN ($6 aud) for the 1.5 litre bottle.

We went to the UNESCO listed wooden Catholic church, St Michael the Archangel. It was full with bus loads of local tourist. We waited to see for the crowds to thin out but another bus load arrived. We finally went in with the crowd. We put Google Translate on as the guide was giving information in Polish. It gave us some information but dropped out often so we only got the gist of it.

Needing help with parking and information, we went to the visitors information but did not get much help there. When I asked about the cost of parking and if there was a whole day ticket. They said they didn't know and that I had to check the meters. They didn't give me much information about the hikes we could do in Zakopane either. Fortunately, Ruby had discovered AI. We managed to get the information we needed with the help of AI.

I got my second fine of 500zl equivalent to A$191 for driving into a no entry area. Firstly, I didn't see the sign and secondly if I had seen the sign for no entry in Poland, I would not have recognised it. It is a red circle with white in the middle. The area was restricted to buses ride share and taxis only. We were pulled over by a female constable that told me what I did wrong then told me the fine was 5000 zl if it is sent out to my home address, but if I paid it straight away, it would only be 500zl. We paid the fine.

Dinner was at a traditional polish restaurant. Food was average, but halfway through mains, a grandpa garage band started to sing and play music. They were out of time, out of tune and out of harmony. Ruby was very happy as she wanted a beer and discussed the various beers on menu with the waiter. He then brought different beers for her to try. Ruby thought the piwo z sokiem (literally translated as "beer with juice") was rather peculiar. Despite the name calling it "juice" (sok), it is made using a raspberry cordial mixed into a local lager. Ruby settled for a dark beer from a bottle and asked for the cap to take the rest of the 500ml back to our accommodation, which she then proceeded to finish.

Best to sleep and start again tomorrow.Read more
Traveler I believe you 😎
2wReply
Traveler Just beautiful.
2wReply
Traveler🤣grandpa garage band was hilarious
2wReply
TravelerA rare example of a tourist paying a traffic infringement fine😇😊. Laudable!
2wReply
1 like
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 65 SLOVAKIA Hike & Zakopane
May 22 in Slovakia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
The host allowed us to park our car till the evening though we were checked out. We caught a train from Stary Smokvec to Strbske Pleso and the ride took 45 mins. The trains ran hourly and were nice trains with large windows to take in the view. The host also advised us to get the full day 7€ ticket because it was cheaper than each individual trip.

When we got to Strbske Pleso, we went to the visitors information and Ruby asked if the porters were still running supplies. To our astonishment they still are. They carry kegs, wood, supplies like Sherpas to the chalets not accessible by vehicle. The lady added that hikers sometimes volunteer to carry bags of flour, sugar and smaller items too.

There was a school group of teenagers that were very friendly and wanted to do selfies with us. After the exchange of country of origin, they declared they were Gypsy from Slovakia. Coincidentally Ruby's mum rang from Perth, the teenagers wanted to wave and speak to granny.

After a false start heading in the wrong direction, we started our hike from Strbske Pleso to Popradske Pleso. They are 2 huge Alpine Lakes. The hike was difficult because it was a constant climb for 4.5 km on rocky terrain. We had many rest stops on the way up and at one stop we dipped our feet in the freezing cold water from a running brook. It was so cold but refreshing. Only a 3 second dip was all that was tolerated with each dip, before the feet got painfully cold. Ruby had been doing this foot soak regularly so she tolerated a few seconds more.
Slower hikers didn't move out of the way to let you pass. They tended to hog the whole trail. We had to keep a reasonable distance so as not to make them feel that we were tailgating, plus the air was much fresher a few metres back. When the path widened and the rocks not too difficult to negotiate, we would then overtake them.

Both Plesos had crystal clear water and beautiful scenery. We had lunch at the chalet with magnificent mountain views.
I remembered wrongly thinking that the walk to the train station was only 15mins. We had no internet so I asked the chalet staff and they said 50mins to an hour. Remembering that the trains ran hourly, we walked so fast to the station not wanting to miss the train. We made it in record time of 40mins. Fortunately the walk was downhill on bitumen the whole way.

We then drove to the other side of the High Tatras to Zakopane Poland. Our start to Poland wasn't a good one. When we got out of the car at dinner, I discovered in a panic that I had left my wallet in the accommodation. If I had been calm, I would have realised that I had credit cards on my phone. We ended the evening with no dinner because it was too late by the time we drove back to the accommodation.Read more
TravelerOh dear , at least you hot them ?
2wReply
TravelerA heart stopper. It’s so hard when travelling to remember where you put everything 🙃🌷
2wReply
3 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
Day 64 SLOVAKIA Stary Smokvec
May 21 in Slovakia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Dobsinska ice cave is UNESCO listed. To get to the ice cave we had to hike a steep incline for 25 minutes to the entrance of the cave. The cave is set in the territory of the Slovak Paradise National Park. Discovered in 1871, and in 1882 electricity was installed, the first in the world. It comprised of three main features Ruffini's Corridor named after the discoverer, the Great Hall and a Small Hall.
The Cave was used by the local youths for ice skating and 'ice festivals' since 1893.

We had langos again from Poprad after the ice caves because it was so delicious the first time. I even got a complimentary cup of expresso for our second visit.

We then headed to a thermal bath in Vrbov to soak our aching bodies and limbs. We observed that we were one of the youngest there. (Maybe it was seniors concession day.)
We met fellow hikers visiting from the UK, one from Bratislava originally, her husband and their 2 friends. We met them yesterday when we were trying to get our refunds for the broken down furnicular, and told them about the baths and the langos. She gave us a tip to try bryndza halušky, a traditional Slovakian dish made from sheep cheese, pasta and bacon at a Koliba (restaurant). We had that for dinner with pirohy (dumpling) and pickled cabbage with pasta and beef cheeks. It was delicious. Glad we weren't eating that daily because it was rich, creamy and full of bacon fat.Read more
3 likes
Eastern Europe Traveler
1 1
Day 63 Slovakia Stary Smokvec
May 20 in Slovakia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Our accommodation was only 500m to the furnicular that took us to Hrebienok this morning. We bought a return ticket thinking we'll do a fair bit of hiking and would need the assistance of the furnicular to take us down the mountain.

We chose a 11 km hike from Hrebienok to the Zamkovskeho chalet loop. The hike to the chalet was graded incline the whole way but we took our time and enjoyed the scenery. After a hearty lunch, we decided to extend the hike by 3km to find the Alpine Lake Skalnate pleso. Ruby found that she was getting light headed maybe because of the altitude and constant climb on difficult lumpy rock trails.
I continued on my own to the Alpine Lake. It was a good thing Ruby did not come along because the incline at the end were very steep and it was above the snow line. The views from the top of the karst were expansive and scenic, with both views of the valley, towns, pastures and icecapped mountains.

Ruby found flat rocks to sit on to look at the mountains whilst waiting for me. She also wandered off to a secluded spot away from the main track to answer a nature's call.

We have stayed in villages with less in the entire population than people on the trail today. No chance of a bear sighting and no need to clap or shout. We were lucky to see a deer on the trail after lunch though.

Towards the end of the hike, 600m away from the funicular station, we found a high fence across our path. We couldn't find another path except to retrace our steps for two kilometres to take another route back to the funicular station. This would have meant that we would miss our last funicular down.
We decided to climb 30m of the steep embankment to get around the fence. We don't know why the path was fenced off because we were able to walk the entire 600 metres without any obstruction. Looked like the landslide had been cleared. Besides dirty hiking pants from the scrambling, it's saved us the extra 2 kilometres of incline.
We got to the station with half hour to spare and were so relieved to see it because we were completely exhausted.

At the terminal, the gift shop lady said the funicular was broken and she didn't know when it would be fixed. Her only suggestion for this problem was for us to walk a further three kilometres down to the village. Imagine my horror while she nonchalantly pointed out to us the track down. We could not understand why they did not just put a bus on to take the passengers down.

We were supposed to walk to dinner which was a further one kilometre from the village but we were not going to walk another step more. We settled for a Vietnamese restaurant literally in front of the station.

Hike on track was 15.73km. Total distance walked today was 18.5kmRead more
TravelerVery scenic …. but I’m exhausted just reading about the hike! (Incidentally, were they kegs of beer that were being transported up on the lads’ backs?!)
2wReply
TravelerYes they were. Apparently the chalet in the national park has porters that do that.
2wReply
Traveler I can imagine must be hard walking on those stones 🙌🙏 you so Brave !
2wReply
2 more comments
2 likes