Coming Home

Sunday, 25th September
Three months to Christmas!
Our final night in Budapest was our Highlight Dinner, provided by Insight (of course, the cost would have been included in our fares!) and this did prove to be rather a memorable night - for all the wrong reasons. We were taken to a local restaurant, under contract to Insight to provide the dinner, discovered we were in a smallish cellar with painted, curved concrete walls which were excellent at bouncing sounds about. It isn't hard to imagine how loud the very loud, four piece gypsy band sounded in this environment, along with about 80 people attempting to talk and hear above the noise. The service was also pretty poor and the meal so so. We were not exactly happy campers, neither was the tour guide! So that we would remember Budapest with some positive feelings, we were taken for a drive through the city and along the Danube to look at the illuminations. This city is positively magnificent at night time, with all the beautiful and historical buildings lit us - just magic.
This morning we said goodbye as we departed in different directions. Fortunately, we didn't need to leave the hotel until 10.30 am, which gave us time to have a leisurely breakfast and pack. Yes, we managed to close the suitcases without effort and still have a few kilograms to spare. We departed Budapest at 1.30 pm, flying British Airways again, for London, where we will wait and wait until late this evening before leaving for Melbourne and then home. This was our third ever flight with British Airways, so we are desperately hoping their record with losing our luggage doesn't continue!
London is its usual grey, overcast weather.
Cat has decided to sleep all the way home and has taken his sleeping pill already.

Budapest

Saturday, 24th September

Today is our final full day on tour, which means breakfast tomorrow will be the last amazing buffet before it is back to reality! The Royal Corinthia Grand Hotel at Budapest has certainly lived up to the standard set by our previous hotels.

The day started with a lecture on what it was like to live in Hungary during the communist regime - unfortunately only one of us made it to the lecture as the other was too busy talking on Skype, the most wonderful programme! Then it was into the bus was a drive through Budapest (amazingly, all the rubbish had disappeared overnight) before our first stop at Fishermen's Bastion and St Matthias Church in Buda. We were most fortunate that only one million tourists were visiting at the same time as us! And we didn't have to go into this church! The views of Budapest were great and the Danube was actually blue today. This probably had more to do with the clear skies - a lovely, warm day which was most enjoyable. The shorts actually had their first airing since Vienna. Our drive continued, with another photo stop somewhere with the same tourists as the previous halt.

After a short break back at the hotel, it was on to the Market Place for lunch. This large building was really just full of food stalls, mainly meats (fresh and dried), fruit and vegetables, plus the dreaded capsicum which the Hungarians put in ALL their food! We found a nice little bakery/pastry stall and quickly found a seat in the square to enjoy our lunch and watch the pigeons. We even had time for a bit of souvenir shopping and someone in Launceston will be glad to learn that the Hungarians dry their dishes!

The afternoon included a tour of Parliament House - quite an experience! Not only did we have our local guide with the group, but also a parliamentary guide and a guard the size of a weightlifter! No one smiles in Eastern Europe unless absolutely necessary, especially guards. We certainly did as we were told!!! Then we joined the one millions tourists from this morning, plus all their friends, to visit St Stephens Church and have a look at his hand, ensconsed in a glass case. Very exciting!

Tonight it our farewell dinner and Cat has been especially invited.

Three Countries

Friday, 23rd September

To complete our visit to Krakow, we were treated to the obligatory Polish evening in a country inn. :-) We were greeted on arrival by a three piece band and offered bread and salt as well as a glass of the national drink - vodka! We were the only people at the restaurant, which was rather nice. The meal was evidently a traditional Polish meal of five courses (none very large, thank goodness). First course was a platter with selections of blood sausage, liver sausage, some other kind of white sausage, smoked cheese and gherkins. Most of the people at our table did try the majority of sausages (one person decided to consider her stomach and the long bus ride coming up the next day), but there wasn't really a great rush to finish the platter! Next course was six doughy dumplings with cheese, mushroom and sausage fillings, next came mushroom or beetroot soup, then pork with potatoes and the customary cabbage, followed by an apple cake. During the meal we were entertained by a group of dancers, who did manage at times to involve most of the guests in the dancing. It was a fun night enjoyed by all.

Friday morning saw a few grumpy faces in the dining room before our departure (no idea why) for Budapest. Not much fog about, mainly haze for the first part of our drive into southern Poland. At last we have seen some hills and as we approached the Lower Tatra Mountains the hills became higher and steeper - and the road became windier! Very pretty countryside this morning, with lots of spruce, birch and maple trees - the birch and maples are just starting to turn colour. The housing in this area was more traditionally alpine and a welcome break from communist grey. We even passed a very picturesque castle which had been used as the setting for a couple of Dracula movies.

Our mid-morning stop was at a service station just before the border with Slovakia. Unfortunately, there was only one toilet in the Ladies while the men had two! Not fair, considering the number of women queued up and the time that some were taking. Lunch was in Slovakia at a ski resort (minus snow) and we had to dig deep for our remaining Euros from Germany. Our lunch choice was limited to 7.8 Euro and after looking at the selection of food on offer, we took the advice of those who had already made a purchase and bought an icecream and Snickers. Along with another couple, and Cat, who had made the same choice, we were definitely the envy of the bean soupers!!!

The afternoon continued through Slovakia with its typical communist concrete housing blocks to the Hungarian border and the drive into Budapest. We have been assured that our first view of Budapest was definitely not normal - tonight in the annual "collect all your rubbish" night. Of course, as in all places, someone's junk if someone else's treasure.

Tonight we have a dinner cruise on the Danube.

Salt Mines

Thursday, 22nd September

This morning we discovered that Krakow had disappeared overnight - nothing to see but thick fog! We are staying at the Sheraton Hotel again and just as nice, and similar, at the Sheraton in Warsaw.

Today our first port of call was at the 600 year old salt mines, where we joined the 2 million tourists from yesterday, were crammed into small cages (9 people per cage) for the descent into the mine - we ended up over 140 metres underground. The mine chambers are now filled with sculptures carved from the rock salt, even the chandeliers and the floor tiles. We only visited the first three levels and learnt that there is a sanitorium on the fifth level - one can stay for two weeks and have the asthma cured! This unique experience concluded with us being crammed back into the cages for the trip to the surface, after passing through THREE souvenir shops on the way out!

Back to the hotel to collect our local guide for a walking tour of old Krakow, starting with the local fire breathing dragon who protects the city. Up the hill to visit the Wawell Castle and join the same 2 million people who were now crammed into the cathedral. I think we were all extremely glad to get out into fresh air again. We walked back down the hill to the Old Town, past the Jagiollonian University and the medieval Cloth Hall and arrived in the town square to see and hear the trumpeter in St Mary's Church at 1.00 pm. The trumpeter appeared somewhere very high up on the tower and as he commenced to blow, a police car with an extremely loud siren passed through the square. By the time the police car had gone, so had the trumpeter! Most of the group continued into the church, with a few of us feeling completely "churched out" by this time.

The afternoon has been free, mainly a time to have a bit of a rest before the Polish dinner tonight.

Auschwitz

Wednesday, 21st September

A very early departure from Warsaw at 7.30 am and a late arrival at Krakow - 7.00 pm! A big day, therefore a double blog.

We finally saw some sun this morning, unfortunately it quickly disappeared into the usual murk. We crossed the Polish Plains with the usual farms and pine trees to reach Czestochowa, which was a most unattractive city of grey concrete apartment blocks. However, this city is the site of the Monastery of Jasna Gora, home of the Black Madonna painting. This also was our lunch stop and we quickly discovered why pilgrims tend to bring their own food. With the help of our Polish speaking guide, we were able to purchase, chips, hotdogs and hamburgers before joining the 2 million (at least!!!) pilgrims and tourists attempting to get a look at the Black Madonna. Unfortunately, she had had a very busy morning looking at pilgrims and was at lunch, with a gold screen across the painting. We were told after battling our way back to the bus that this happened every day! No one on the bus seemed to be blessed with a miracle.

Cat had an interesting time on the bus this morning - a school bus (probably 12 year old girls) pulled up beside us and he started waving to them, like a friendly tourist. Next minute, Dog appears at their window and passengers on both buses had a difficult (and hysterical) keeping the two apart. Thank goodness there were two layers of glass between them!

It was good to have a bit of light relief because the day suddenly became very serious as we arrived at the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum. What an emotional place - it is impossible to describe the feelings we all felt. A guide led us through the gate into the barracks compound, where we saw, not only photos and drawings, but items the Germans had confiscated and not had time to destroy before the Russians liberated the camp. A long room filled with human hair, another of shoes, another of brushes (hair brushes, toothbrushes, shaving brushes, etc), suitcases, glasses and the list goes on. One can only wonder at the reason why. We were taken to the execution wall, with its floral tributes, then into the actual gas chamber and crematorium. No words can describe these places or the emotions they evoked. The second part of the tour was to the much larger camp of Birkenau with its internal railway depot and hundreds of stables which were used as barracks. The Germans destroyed that gas chambers and crematoria of this camp in an effort to remove any evidence of the extermination of over 1.3 million people - 90% Jewish.

This was truly a draining day, both physically and especially emotionally.

Ghettos and Palaces

Tuesday, 20th September

A full day in Warsaw, a city of such contrasts. Parts are very ugly, parts are very beautiful. It is so difficult to comprehend that this city has been virtually reconstructed since Hitler ordered the complete destruction of Warsaw and only 85% remained in 1944. Like Berline, the old parts have been rebuilt exactly as they would have been, even down to the cobblestones!

We started the day with a visit to the statue of Chopin - we had a group photo taken here in this beautiful setting. Chopin didn't survive Hitler or Stalin either, and has been reconstructed as well in a very beautiful setting surrounded by red roses.

Next stop was at the memorial to the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto - a very moving memorial with its photos and stories of the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were eliminated in one fell swoop by the Nazis and the ghetto completely demolished. Of the 8 million Jews who lived in Poland before the Second World War, only 10,000 now live in this country.

We actually had a couple of hours free time in the middle of the day for lunch in a lovely patisserie (Cat is starting to gain weight!), to do a bit of amber and souvenir shopping (no teatowels here, either)and a photo opportunity with the city's mermaid, before we were "treated" to a film on the destruction of Warsaw and subsequent rebuilding of the city. We are all absolutely amazed at what has been achieved, given that most of it happened under the rule of the USSR - and the disapproval!

We finished the afternoon with a tour of the Royal Palace, again another complete reconstruction. We were able to walk through all the state and private rooms and marvel at the beautiful gold decorations in the room. The people of Poland were very fortunate in that a number of the palace's treasures were smuggled out of the palace and hidden during the War.

On the walk back to the bus, Cat came across a couple of eyes which were promoting free eye tests for the citizens. This evening we are being treated to a Chopin concert before dinner.

Warsaw

Monday, 19th September

A very early wake up call this morning saw us on the road by 7.30 am for the looong drive to Warsaw. We thought the tour guide was joking when she told us it could take up to 12 hours to drive 500 kms!

Our complete journey was through pine forests and farmlands - all flat land - with some corn, canola (second crop) and dairy cows being the most exciting things to look at. Our first stop was 3 hours after leaving Berlin - a bit too long to be travelling without a comfort stop. There was a mad dash until it was realised that we were now in Poland without Polish currency - toilets stops cost money. Fortunately the tour guide paid for us in a lump sum! Back on the bus to look at more trees and cows through the rain and low clouds before our lunch stop somewhere (we never found out where we were). The rain continued all afternoon - a very dreary day. Our afternoon stop was only 80 kms from Warsaw and the guide was still saying it could take us another 3 hours. It actually took only 2 hours in the horrendous, stop and start traffic, arriving at the hotel at 5.30 pm.

It was apparent immediately we crossed the Polish border from Germany - the style and standard of house was completely different. The houses were much smaller, mainly square concrete blocks; many were in need of much repair although some were well maintained with lovely flower gardens. The basic colour was grey, which really blended in with the grey weather.

The European buses and drivers have restrictions on the amount of time they may travel without breaks, which are also regulated. Our bus is fitted with some kind of electronic device which will actually cut the engine if the time limit is exceeded. With about 35 minutes to travel, our driver only had 25 minutes left of his allowable time. Of course, the engine cut out while we were in the middle of the road; visions of us all out pushing the bus flashed through everyone's mind! He was able to over-ride the computer, but would be severely penalised if the police checked.

We are staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Warsaw, which is a very nice hotel - probably the best bathroom we have had so far. In fact, the standard of the hotels, and service, has been wonderful so far. Dinner was at the hotel tonight (set menu), with a private room set aside for our use. Internet is also free in the lobby. :-)

Cat managed the long day very well, but wasn't all that impressed with Trevor's lunch - tripe soup! However, the bottle of vodka passed around the bus did improve his mood no end.

Check Point Charlie

Sunday, 18th September

A grey, dreary and rather wet Sunday in Berlin. An early start to the day with a tour of the East Berlin sector, beginning with a stop beside a section of the Wall which has become an art gallery. This long section of the Berlin Wall is now covered in large paintings which depict the era of a divided city and country. Our next stop was at the largest Soviet War Memorial (now maintained by the German government). Apart from a statue of Mother Russia, this memorial also contained the mass graves of 12,000 Russian soldiers killed in Berlin during the Second World War. It did feel rather surreal visiting a memorial to soldiers we have always considered to be the enemy. Even our loud, arrogant American quietened down for a short time.

Then it was off to Check Point Charlie and the museum, with our guide pointing out the horrors that the citizens suddenly faced when the divide was constructed overnight and the efforts made to reach the West. I think most of us suddenly came to realise just what it means to live in a free society. Check Point Charlie is still in the street, but I think it is probably just a reconstruction - we could pay 3 Euros to have our photo taken standing beside two guards!

Following lunch, we continued our tour of Berlin before heading for Potsdam. Such a pretty town with some lovely houses and lots of trees. We stopped at the Tudor style Cecilia House, (can't remember the German word), site of the Potsdam Conference with Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. We were taken through the rooms used by the three delegations. Back on the bus for a short drive to the Palace of San Souci and a rather quick look around the gardens - it was bucketing down by this time and Cat had a very wet nose!

I think we were all glad to get back to our hotel for an evening's rest - a long drive tomorrow to Warsaw.

We have enjoyed Berlin - after 95% of the building were destroyed during the Second World War, they have now been reconstructed and all the old buildings still look like old buildings. The streets are very light, airy and leafy and the city has a vibrant feel to it.

Prague to Berlin

Will do this in two posts - we have been rather busy!

Saturday, 17th August

Happy birthday, Jack!

Left Prague this morning - I don't think anyone on the bus was really sorry to leave. We travelled for about two hours through rolling farmland and some forests, with a lovely drive along the bank of the Elbe River for some time, passing many little villages. We had a three hour break at Dresden, scene of some devestating bombing during the Second World War. It was hard to believe that the majority of buildings had actually been reconstructed - mainly after the departure of the USSR and the re-unification of Germany. We had an enjoyable time listening to the history of the city, looking at the "old" buildings, especially the 24,000 Meissen tile mural which survived the bombing with virtually no damage! We also managed to have some time in the Meissen museum and especially liked that Chinese porcelein on display. We also came across a restaurant with a very German sounding name! Our bus pickup point was next to the Meissen shop - it would have been very rude not to support the local craft!

We arrived at the Marriott Hotel, Berlin, and discovered the Turkish president is staying in a hotel across the road - lots of security. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. We are located in the East Berlin sector, literally only five minutes walk from the Brandenburg Gate - our first stop after a quick visit to our room. I think most of the tourists in Berlin were also at the Brandenburg Gate, but not as many as on the Charles Bridge in Prague. Close by was the very evocative memorial to the Holocaust victims - about two acres of grey concrete blocks, arranged very symetrically. Bicycles are a particular hazard on the footpaths because very few of them actually stay in their designated lanes!

Dinner was a fun evening of entertainment at a restaurant which caters to tour groups. We did have a choice of soup and main course - the recommended lamb was actually half a leg of lamb! The entertainment was great fun - lots of singing along to a guy playing an electronic organ. I think that large size of the beer mugs helped a lot of the men get involved. There may well have been a few headaches in the morning.

Prague Photos

1. Evening cruise

2. Astronomical clock

3. Japanese wedding

4. Prague

5. Prague Castle

6. St Vitus Cathedral

7. Prague

8. Prague Castle guard

Prague Continued

Friday, 16th September

This morning we continued our Prague adventures with a guided walk of the old Jewish district. Only a few of us opted to do this walking tour, but I feel we were the most fortunate members of the group! We visited three synagogues (all museums) and the first detailed the history of the Jews in Prague - over 1000 years - and we saw some of the fixtures normally seen in a synagogue. The Prague synagogues were not destroyed during the Second World War as Hitler decided to retain them as museums of a race that no longer would exist; artifacts from other synagogues throughout the country were brought to Prague for storage.

The second synagogue was perhaps the most subduing and confronting (good preparation for our visit to Auschwitz, no doubt). The men were required to cover their heads for the visit to this memorial to the Czech Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis. The walls were inscribed with the names of all the 82,000 plus who lost their lives and there was a gallery with drawings done by children in the concentration camps. Very chilling and provocative. We followed this up with a tour of this synagogues cemetery, which dated from C1300. Because of the land restrictions, there are up to twelve layers of burials. A far more peaceful feeling for us to end the visit to this particular synagogue.

The final stop of our tour was at the Spanish Synagogue - a very ornate building which tried to emulate a Christian church.

Our guide returned us to our hotel through many of the small, narrow, cobblestoned streets and lanes - we were all totally lost and completely unable to remember our way back to the interesting little shops we had passed on our walk. Prague does not have any logical layout to its streets, which seem to head off in all directions and angles - even with a map it is extremely difficult for us to navigate. Consequently, there are few Prague souvenirs in the suitcase. Souvenir teatowels are non-existant for those who may be expecting another teactowel!

We did spend an period of time in the lobby this afternoon while our room was being serviced. When we returned, we discovered Cat sitting very neatly between the pillows on the bed with a big grin on his face.
Some photos will also be included on another post.