Dubrovnik

Got here about 2 pm on Friday Ive dreamed of seeing the city for years and for once the photos dont do it justice. Its impossible beautiful. The difference between Sarajevo and Dubrovnik is like night and day. Sun, temps in the 70s and 80s, friendly people used to tourists, blinding white limestone buildings, crystal clear water just warm enough to swim in. The town is packed with Italians today so Im off to a little beach tucked into a southwest facing cove. There were only about a half dozen people there yesterday.

Im not sure that I want to leave here!

Lyle

The photo of the funky little half cave house is just outside of the walled part of Dubrovnik, it seems so timeless like so much of the city. The photograph of the city was from the island of Lokrum, which is about a 15 minute ferry ride from the city. There was a monastery, a small botanic garden, a ruined fortress, ruined by the Serbs by the way. It made for a great day trip. I found a southwest facing cove and spent a couple of hours taking the sun.

Dubrovnik was heavily shelled during the war and the old town received a lot of damage. It's almost impossible to tell now as most has been repaired. There are still bullet holes in a lot of the stone buildings and some of the stucco buildings, especially in the part of town that I stayed in haven't been repaired. It's hard to imagine that the Serbs could so willfully destroy such a thing of beauty, but then the Croats destroyed the 15th century arched bridge in Mostar so....

The people in Dubrovnik were truly some of the friendliest I'd met. It's definitely a place I'll back to.

The photo with the goal painted on the wall was a little soccer field within the walled city. I can't imagine what it must be to live in a place with a constant flow of tourists.

Somewhat surreal evening

So, Donna, the girl from Connecticut here at the hostel, had met this guy who played in Hungarian reggae/ska band and they were playing Saturday night not far from the hostel. Donna had a housewarming party to go to but said to meet her at the club around midnight.

So,,, Charlotte and Matt from New Zealand and I took off about midnight in search of the club. We get to where it should be and there's just offices and apartments and a Hotel. We ask at the hotel and the guy says it's just 3 houses down the street. We go further down, nothing, but we stop and ask a couple of people standing on the sidewalk, silently, they point at the door of the place they're standing in so in we go. We can hear music and we follow it up the stairs, which are crowded with people out for a smoke. A lot of them seem to be using sign language and as we got to the top and go in, it turns out that everyone is signing! There's a bar there so we go and order a beer and since this is obviously a deaf party there is no need whatsoever to worry about our lack of Hungarian so we point, guilt free at our preferred tipple and all is fine.

After a half hour or so, a guy next to me starts to sign, obviously he thinks because of my hearing aids I'm there like everyone else for a night out amongst the hearing impaired. Unfortunately, I can't sign and I have no way of telling him that so I pull out my passport and show him that I'm American and then he tries signing again (in International Sign Language maybe?) but it's no use. He gets a little agitated, leaves and comes back with a guy with a security badge around his neck. He signs at me, nothing of course, so we start heading to the door, finish our beers and leave after a few more minutes. It wasn't threatening or anything, just very awkward. On the way out, Charlotte spoke to someone who was Irish so I don't think it was my nationality that was the problem but the lack of sign language. It's too bad I don't sign, it could have been a very interesting evening.

After leaving, we found our way to the New Orleans club near the Oktogon, they were playing bad 80s dance music and there were some very drunken Hungarians speaking very bad english. On our way out we talked to a couple of American girls who were on their way to Romania to spend Halloween in Transylvania, that sounds sort of cool! We got back around 5:30 and I don't really think I'll see much outside of the hostel today!


Lyle

Budapest

Had a very easy time getting here, the directions to the hostel were excellent. I think the reason why is that the hostel manager is from Chicago. It ended up being old home week here in Budapest, 90% of those at the hostel are from the US with most being from California.

Went to the baths yesterday. There are about a dozen in Budapest some old, some new, etc. The one I went to was up at the old castle and was wonderful! Newly renovated with hot pools, cold pools, saunas, steam rooms, indoor pools, outdoor pools. It was hard to tell but I think most of the people were Hungarians. Taking the waters is a very popular thing to do in central Europe and there's a huge business that has grown up around it. The Hungarians aren't nearly as elegant as the Poles and don't watch their diet very well either, there was a lot of excess flesh in the water. It was totally mixed which seemed to be a weird thing for Donna and Alberto, the Americans I went with. We spent most of the time in the outside pools.

Budapest is the most monumentally grand city I've ever seen. I've walked all around the city and it never seems to end. On the plane coming in I saw lots of suburban tract homes and lots of tower blocks but the main city area is all old and impossibly beautiful. A lot of it needs refurbishment and the divide between the rich and the poor is greater here than in Poland or Berlin but it's a very vibrant city.

It's warmer here than in Krakow or Berlin but it's been drizzling off and on since I got here so it's too grey to get any good pictures. I'll try downloading them tomorrow and see how they are. Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest. I'm on the Pest side which is the larger part of the town and went to Buda this am to climb the hill and get a view of Pest and the surrounding area but I only got as far as this wonderful coffee shop at the base of the hill. There's definitely a coffee culture here and it's taken up a lot of my time!

Budapest is fairly expensive, not really that much cheaper than at home, but then it's a city of 2 million so I suppose that has something to do with it. From here on to Ljubljana it should be fairly reasonable. I'll be busing and or training it from here to there. I'm still undecided whether to take the train or the bus from here to Zagreb. Decisions, decisions!


Til then,

Lyle

The photo of the large white building is of the Hungarian Parliament on the Buda side of the river. It was so massive. The previous day I was walking around the other side of it and an Italian tour group was there. On the lawn were a pair of youngish golden retrievers chasing each other and having the time of their lives. Half of the tour group was more interested in the dogs than the tour!

The other photo is of the Pest side near the cathedral. The views were stunning.

Krakow photos

Just a few more pictures from Krakow. I leave in a couple of hours for Berlin so no lengthy rambling commentary this time!

'Twas a lazy day today, off to the castle to see the armaments room, the cathedral and the Dragon's Den. Wawel Castle has been largely restored over the years, the Habsburgs did a number on it back in the late1800s so it's been a slow process. It's less a castle really than a collection of buildings but still it's cool with a great view over the Vistula. The Dragon's Den is real, so they say and supposedly the new agers believe that there is a powerful source of energy below the cathedral. Actually the castle is a mix of history, Catholic idolatry and Disneyland. Tourism is very big here in Krakow, JPII was archbishop of Krakow before he became pope and he's a big draw, the old town didn't suffer any damage during either of the World's Wars and is impossibly beautiful as well and although the years of communist neglect are still evident, what has been restored has been meticulously done. It's like Prague without the attitude. Krakow is cleaner than London, has much less graffitti than London or Berlin and a lot less dog doodoo on the sidewalks than either one of them. One thing that I've found odd is that very few of the buildings in the downtown area have had a facelift. Some of those that have had one are already pretty dirty as the city relies quite a bit on coal for heating purposes.

I've been to a few botanical gardens and while Krakow's isn't the largest by any means, it's certainly one of the most romantically beautiful I've seen. Every square meter was packed with plants and it was planned in such a way that it was never crowded or busy or messy. The paths are in dire need of new paving but the signage was excellent. It's nice to go to a botanic garden and be able to read the plant names without having to translate them. This photo is of a moss, mother hen and chicks, and gravel parterre next to the tropical house. I probably spent as much time here as I did at Kew, it was time very well spent. I envied the people whose apartments overlooked the garden.

It's been very, very cold here although no frost yet, Budapest is supposed to be a little bit warmer so I'm looking forward to that. Wednesday I fly to Berlin, spend the night and then Thursday on to Budapest. I'm looking forward to Berlin as there is a laundromat near the hostel and it'll only cost me about 4 Euros to do a load of clothes. I had to have some pants done here and it cost me about 3.5 Euros just for one pair of pants at the drycleaners. Self-service laundries are non-existent here.

The pierogis are excellent, I've had 3 different kinds so far and they're perfect for a cold day. The coffee is excellent. Daily I head to The Coffee Republic just off the market square for milky coffee and an excellent blueberry tart. It's a pretty cool place, good music, friendly service in English and free Wi-Fi. Actually, the whole market square is a Wi-Fi zone, courtesy of the city fathers. Of the three laptops I've seen so far, 2 have been Apples!

Lots of Kebap shops here just like in Germany, I like the German ones better though, they seem to use a spicier sauce there. Strangely enough, in Berlin it was hard to find a sidewalk sausage stand, Kebaps seem to have taken over.


Saturday night I went to the Jewish Quarter in search of some Klezmer Music but the Restaurant where the band was playing was full up so I'll try again tonight. The Jewish Quarter isn't recognizable as one, there is a museum and the old synagogue, but it hasn't gotten the attention, yet that the old town has.

The other photo is of the Cloth Market building in Market Square. I'm not sure what the building is used for but the market itself is huge and filled with outdoor cafes, horse-drawn carriages, flower sellers, etc, etc. This weekend it was jammed with people, an outdoor stage had been set up and some local bands were playing, it was truly incredible. Exactly what I think of when I think of "Ye Olde Europe". I swear there were as many languages being spoken as there were people walking around. With the budget airlines, flights are dirt cheap and many people will fly somewhere just for the weekend.

Krakow is pretty affordable, which has been nice after the shock of London. Berlin was more or less in line with the US although plants and flowers there were dirt cheap. I haven't found a nursery here yet so don't know how Krakow stacks up. My daily coffee and blueberry tart are about 14 Zlotys, which is around $4.50 US it's a lot but then they're only 40 meters from the main square. The other coffee place I've been to which is a couple blocks away from town the price was about $2.50 for the same fare.

Random thoughts

The night before last there were six of us in the garden at the hostel having a few beers. I was by far the oldest with a French guy at 34 next in line and everyone else under 30. I had mentioned that I was in Berlin in 1985 before the wall fell, and Peter (Aussie) and Ryan (Bostonian) stared at me as though I said I had been present at the Virgin Birth! I felt a wee bit older after that but it made me realize that History changes so quickly. To anyone under the age of 25, the fall of the wall is an event they probably don't remember and can only understand through the context of history books and videos. I wonder what Peter and Ryan will have experienced in their life that will awe the next generation?

Krakow is a lot different than I expected. It's sort of like Prague but without the attitude. I guess what it reminds me most of is the movie, "Sophie's Choice" I can't remember if it was filmed in Krakow, but Meryl Streep's educated elegance is reflected in Krakowians of today. It's a big university town so there's lots of students running around and it has a young feel to it.

The strangest thing by far about Krakow is the amount of nuns, priests and monks. The first night here I was walking to the hostel and passed a doorway where a nun was coming out in full battle regalia. It truly scared the hell out of me! Like something out of a Dracula movie! They all wear robes and gowns and all the paraphenalia, in all honesty, it's sort of creepy.

Even though it's been 16 years this next month since the wall fell, the differences between east and west are still apparent. It's very noticeable in Berlin. The first 4 days I was only in East Berlin and it wasn't until the final day that I ventured west. The difference was like night and day. I think it's a reflection of the fact that Germans don't move around a lot so the easterners have stayed at home.

The other notable observation was that for East Germany, the reconstruction was funded by the West Germans so it took on a decidedly West German flavor. That of course isn't all that surprising or notable but when you compare East Germany to Poland you can see the difference of having it all done for you by a wealthy big brother and having to go it alone. I wonder if East Germany wouldn't be a better place today if they hadn't had all those Deutschmarks to rely on?

The iPod rules! Londoners and Berliners own them by the thousands. I've only sighted a few here in Poland but I'm sure there's quite a few around.

Pictures, finally!

This is the trusty 3 speek I rented in Potsdam. I don't know who the two heads on the posts are, they flanked the path leading to some prince's summer house. I liked the juxtaposition of everything.
Me in Potsdam, I'm not sure what the building behind me was. Potsdam was the home of the Hohenzollerns (the guys who tried to subjugate most of central Europe and make life miserable for all!) There was just too much to see so I just started snapping pictures as I went by.



Some random images from my trip so far.

The glass pieces are by Dale Chihuly, a native of Tacoma. He's been doing a big display at Kew all year long and this is the one that struck me the most. He's really an amazing artist and Kew is a great backdrop for his work.

The one with the German flag flying in front of the massive stone building is the German Bundestag, comparable to the US Congress. It's not a very good picture but I took it because of the crowd of people at the right. They were awaiting the announcement of who would be the new Chancellor. By that time, Monday the tenth, it was pretty certain that it was Angela Merkel but it wasn't yet official. What struck me was that after I took that picture, I went over to the Bundestag steps and waited around for a couple of hours. There were a few guys in cheap suits with suspicious bulges under their left arms but surprisingly the security seemed pretty slim. Or else Germans simply aren't as paranoid as Americans are....

The sun was shining and I talked to a few people about the state of politics and the mess that's been created by neither party having a clear mandate. I waited for about 2 hours but as it was my last day in Berlin, I needed to move along. The announcement didn't come until about 3 hours after I left so I'm glad I did leave when I did. It was sort of cool being so close to such a momentous event, Angela Merkel is the first ever female Chancellor and the first to be elected from what was East Germany.

The church thingie (!) is in Wawel Castle in Krakow. The Castle's origins are about 1000 or so years old and like many such places had been remodeled many times. The Austrians (Habsburg Empire) really destroyed a lot in the 1870s and they've been repairing the damage ever since. I'm not sure as to why those domes are on the side like that. I'm waiting for Monday when entrance is free. There's supposedly a resident dragon in the castle so every gift shop in town has some version of it for sale.

Today, I went for a bike ride along the Vistula (sp) The Polish spelling has a funny consonant in it and I haven't seen an english version yet. Anyhoo, there's this incredible path that runs all the way along the river. I saw a mile marker that said 40 km so it must be quite long. The 3 speed that I rented in Potsdam made today's steed look like a thoroughbred. The bike was probably as old as I am and weighed a ton. Single speed, wobbly and half-inflated front tire, kickstand that kept falling down, but it was fortunately free courtesy of the hostel. There's a wonderful greenbelt that runs outside of the old town walls, I think it was the old moat, so I was able to ride on that path to get to the river instead of on the streets. The tourist guide that was handed to me at the airport states that "driving in Poland is not for the weak hearted" so, I'm a little leary of riding on the street.

Had a very lazy afternoon, I've forgotten how tough it is to function in a country where I don't know the language, ok, so English accents are pretty weird and the Berliners speak too fast but at least I can read the signs. Here, ha!, other than a few obvious loan words from English I'm SOL. Yeah, let me tell you it's no fun navigating Windows XP in Polish. The grocery store wasn't too bad at least you can tell from the pictures what you're buying. This morning I went down to the main square, which is unbelievable beautiful to find some coffee. No luck. So, I went to McDonalds. Thank god the woman at the counter spoke impeccable English and that coffee sounds the same in all languages or I would have been starving.

Tomorrow down to the old Jewish quarter for some Klezmer music and some hopefully, excellent pierogis.

Til then,

Lyle

aHHH Berlin.

Spent today at the Botanical Gardens. A lot different than Kew, but quite impressive nonetheless. There was a cross section of a redwood tree there, donated by Simpson Lumber and the Eureka, CA chamber of commerce! There were also a few redwoods in the North American section of the Arboretum.

The hostel I´m staying in is in Friedrichshain, sort of the new Kreuzberg. Kreuzberg was the alternative area of town before the wall fell, now it´s mostly Turks and aging hippies, lot´s of "Yuppies Out!" Graffiti. Friedricshain has lots of old turn of the century buildings and most have been restored and it´s dirt cheap to live here. A nice 2 bedroom apartment can be had for about $600 a month, unlike central London where the same would cost over $3000.

The room I´m in has six beds and I´ve yet to meet any of my roommates. I´m up early, they´re in late so all I´ve seen is their sleeping forms. The interesting thing is that they all seem to be female, although it´s possible that one is a guy, or else a girl with very large feet. Although I´m not the oldest one there I´m by far in a minority age group. I don´t feel old though.....

Yesterday I went to Potsdam and rented a bike. It was really heavy and had these weird handle bars and would only shift into 1st gear when it wanted to. I had a blast though, I was getting tired of hoofing it. Wanting to see as much as I could, I didn´t stop very much just took pictures over my shoulder. We´ll see how they turn out!

The weather has been truly amazing. With the exception of one day in London, it´s been sunny and warm. When I packed I was prepared for blasts of cold weather from Siberia but nothing so far and Krakow is supposed to be enjoying the same weather as well.

I haven´t been able to post any photos yet. I might have to have them burnt to cd and then post them from that. I´ll probably wait until I get to Krakow. Hopefully it will be cheaper.

´Til next time,

Lyle

I love easyJet!

Got up at 3am this morning to catch a 330 train to Gatwick to catch a 6am flight to Berlin. Not fun although the flight was quite nice. It was an Airbus 319 and filled to the brim with seats. I can´t imagine flying overseas on such a plane but for a $30 fare it was well worth it.

Had a great day at Kew Gardens yesterday. http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ The weather was perect and I walked so much I got a blister. I have a couple of ideas for your gardens Chris and Chris and Lew. I haven´t been able to upload photos yet but hope to soon.

Today I wandered around downtown Berlin,saw the Brandenburg Gate in all its restored glory. Tons of people out and about as it was a glorious day. The leaves are only just beginning to turn.

I´m ready for a real night´s sleep. More later.

Lyle

Je suis arrive`!

Well, after a bad address for the BART station and the plane having to turn around after it had left the gate, I made it to London. The weather here is beautiful, and I spent the afernoon walking through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. It's hard to believe such a tranquil place is surounded by 7 million people. The hostel is nice, near Victoria Station on a quiet street.

It'll be an early night and then up to go to Kew Gardens in the morning with a visit to the London Eye in the afternoon. Not much but I'll have 4 days here at the end of my trip so will have plenty of time to sightsee.

It's so easy to travel, hop on a plane and a few hours later I'm in another world but one not nearly so strange as the London I visited in 1988. Then Londoners looked different than Americans and although they still sound different they don't seem nearly so foreign. The world is a lot smaller than it was then. One thing that still stands out is the history this place is drenched in. Everywhere I turn there is a plaque commemorating something. I walked by the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain today, not that impressive really, she deserved better.

Off for some soggy chips and over-cooked peas

Lyle