Keep it coming!

Oh good grief gawr, I am SO glad that big red bus didn't hit you! And I was worried that maybe you were going to go to bed your first night in London without any food..but no..you did eat, even if you don't remember the McDonald BigMac, lol! BTw, were you able to get the ketchup stain out of your shirt??

I am going to hate it when your trip report ends. I love your style of writing and your joy of life.

You make me think of my son and his travels to Amsterdam...more, please!

"I stopped in and got a Big Mac. I didn’t remember eating it, but I found a receipt in my pocket the next morning that explained why I had ketchup stains on my shirt."

Man, how many times we have all been there. I do not eat at McDonald's any more, but I guess my drunken subconscious does, because if I have been out on the town, I am guarenteed to either have a ramdom kebab wrapper or a McD's receipt somewhere on my person.

I know what you are all thinking, and no, I didn’t give up on my trip report. I just took a break from it, just to build the suspense.

It’s now my second day in London and I wanted to see Buckingham palace. I decided not to take the tub, so I got my good walking shoes on and headed out. I thought Buckingham was very impressive, especially the huge golden gate. After fighting my way through to the gate to get my picture taken. I walked through St. James Park; at least I think it was. Anyways it was one of their many public parks. I saw a bunch of green chairs and I walked over and sat down to relax. After sitting awhile saw a sign that says you have to pay to sit. Right when I read it I noticed a man walking over to me from the corner of my eye. When he came up to me I pretended that I didn’t know I had to pay. So I got up and walked a few feet over and sat on a bench, when doing this I made sure that the man saw me do it. Just to show him how stupid it is to make people pay just to sit down. I got up after he left and headed towards a crowd of people. I happened to be just in time for the changing of the horse guards. After about ten minutes of the horses just standing there I left from boredom. I started to walk and ran into the Churchill Museum/WWII War Room exhibit, which I wanted to see so it worked out. It was late in the afternoon and yes, I was hungry so I headed for a bar. I looked at a menu and order what I thought I wanted. It ended up being twice as much as I thought, but I didn’t think anything of it. I sat down by a large group of people in hopes of striking up a conversation. I talked to one person for a little while. When my food came both the large group and me were surprised by the two large plates of food that was set in front of me. As soon as the plates were set everyone in the group next to me started to take an interest in my business, because they knew I couldn’t finish both the plates. I left to go the bathroom and when I came back I found everyone in that group had moved over to my table with forks in hand. They had ordered me a beer in hopes of trading beer for food. Accepted the beer I passed the plates around. I ended up spending another hour there talking with everyone, since they kept buying me beer. With a bloated stomach I headed towards the Parliament and Westminster. I collapsed on the grounds of Westminster and took a nap. It’s a great feeling waking up an hour later to the sight of Westminster, instead of a blank wall of your hostel or hotel. I headed back to my hostel to get some warmer clothes. That night I went out to another bar with the people in my hostel room. We had a great time and headed back for the night.

The next day it was overcast and rainy. I thought it was a good time to go to the British Museum. The British Museum was the best museum I had ever been to. They seemed to have collected or stolen antiquities from every important ancient civilization. I really liked the Parthenon exhibit and the collection of Egyptian mummies. Even the building is very impressive. Next I stopped at a local sandwich shop and you guessed it, I got a sandwich. It started to rain a little so I decided to go to the British Library. I heard they had the Magna Carta. I had just taken a class on British Lit. So I new a lot about older British authors like Wordsworth or Blake. So I really enjoyed it. When I left the library I ended up at Kings Cross station and of course I had to take a pic of
platform 9 ¾. I headed back to my hostel for a nap. At night I went out alone and this time I headed in a different direction towards the Pimlico station. I heard people talking about the USA chances in the World Cup. so I butted in and told them my opinion. After a heated argument we cheered your glasses. They asked me if I had a lighter and I did. It seemed that no one has a lighter, because right when took out the lighter four other people asked me within a minute. Every time I lit their cigarettes I talked to them. I talked to about tem different people that night about god knows what. A few even bought me a beer for a light. I headed home to find my roommates playing drinking games.
The next day I headed towards the famous Piccadilly Circus. Not to shop but just to look around. England was playing a friendly football match that day so I wanted to see everything I wanted to see before the match. I walked up and down the streets. Looking at all the musicals that were playing, suddenly I found my self in their China town. I didn’t know about their China Town so it was like I wasn’t in London anymore. I then found my way to the square and to the National Gallery. When I was in Amsterdam I wanted to see my favorite painted the Sunflower by Van Gogh, but didn’t have a chance to go. I got really excited when I saw that the Sunflower painting had just recently been moved to the National gallery. So I looked at all the painting and headed to the Van Gogh exhibit last and finally got to see it, with a few other Van Gogh paintings as well. By this time the football match was just about to start and the bars were already full. The whole match everyone was standing and yelling. Beer was flowing constantly and my glass was never empty. The World cup hadn’t even started and the English were going crazy. From that night on I wanted England to win because the fans are so much fun to party with. After the game no one slowed down and the beer kept flowing. For last call I filled my beer up and started walking towards the Underground with beer in hand. I was sitting with beer in hand trying to figure out how to get back to Victoria station when a cop walks into my train. I start to get nervous and I slowly up my beer in between my legs. Thinking that he can’t see it, but of course it was in plain sight. He looks at me and walked by. I couldn’t believe that he didn’t do say anything. I guess they are looking for people who can’t control themselves. I will tell you what the underground is a lot harder to use when it’s dark out and you are intoxicated. I found my way home and crashed.

I have one more day in London and then it’s off to Krakow, Poland

&quot;I decided not to take the <b>tub</b>&quot;

Good, 'cause that would be a real pain in the a$$!

gawr, I was beginning to think you had left us, and, yes, you succeeded in building the suspense! I love your report! Did you ever make it to the War Cabinet Rooms? Anxiously waiting to hear about your adventures in Krakow!

Too funny about the McDonald's ketchup packet - I bet you had to pay for that ketchup packet too since they usually aren't free in Europe!

Sorry for not reading your report more carefully the first time. I see that you did go to the Cabinet War Rooms. What did you think?

Great report--can't wait to hear your impressions of Krakow and its beer.

My dear boy,
I would worry about you trying to navigate the Underground while intoxicated, but I have a son of my own to worry about, so I'll leave it to your mother.

This report is definitely not boring! Please don't leave us hanging for so long this time . . .

This would be my last and final day in London and I wasn’t looking forward to leaving. But at the same time I couldn’t wait to see what Poland had to offer. I hadn’t been to oxford circus yet so I got up, had breakfast and was on my way. Again I wasn’t in the mood to buy anything because of the outrageous prices at these high-end stores. I just wanted to do a little window shopping. After going to the Nike store and some other stores I had enough shopping and decided to head to Hyde Park. I walked around the park to a little white shop that sold sandwiches and other food. I think it started with a L. I sat down and ate my lunch under a tree. After lunch I took a nap and read for a few hours. After relaxing for a bit I headed towards the Princess Diana Memorial fountain and put my feet in the rushing water. After a few hours in the sun I started to head back to my hostel when I saw a football game going on so I joined and played for a while. When the game was over I went back to my hostel for another nap. I had to catch a plane the following morning so I took it easy and headed to my favorite bar for a few pints of my favorite London beer, which was the green King IPA.
I woke up the next morning and got to Kings Cross station where I knew I had to take another train to the Tuton airport. When I got to the right platform the train was leaving so I jumped on. I had originally bought a 1-2 zone pass and realized when I got on the new train I should have bought a different ticket for the train I was currently on. The train ride would be about 45 minutes. The Train only had about two more stops or about ten minutes until it got to my stop where a shuttle would take me to the airport. I was hoping that I could make it without an employee checking my ticket so I didn’t have to pay. It was the last stop and I had a big smile on my face because I was say to myself that I had made it, when an employee came up from behind me and asked for my ticket, right then I knew I was busted. I paid a fine of about ten pounds and was on my way to Krakow.

When reaching customs in Krakow there were was number of drug dogs patrolling the area. One came up to me and started to sniff my bag for about 5 seconds, but at the time it seemed like the dog was there for at least a minute. I didn’t have anything illegal in my bag, but I started to think, what if there was? A few seconds later a loud speaker went off and said something about a man in blue jeans needed to be checked. I looked down and I was wearing blue jeans, so I started to get nervous. The same dog sniffed the person next to me and started to bark. This is when I got really nervous. Armed police came up to the man next to me who was also wearing blue jeans. I cleared customs and waited impatiently for my baggage. When it came I took it and hurried out of the airpost, but not to fast so it didn’t look like I had something to hide, which I didn’t. Now, I’m one of the hundreds of people who posted about how to get from the airport to the old city. Let me assure you it’s a lot easier then you think. I was really worried about finding the right bus, but found it right away. Before finding the bus I took out 200 Zloty, which at the time I didn’t know how much it was compared to one US dollar. The bus ride ended up being less then one Zloty. The Bus driver didn’t have change so I got on for free. The Bus ride was about twenty minutes and was completely filled to the max. There was no room but the bus driver kept picking up people. By the time we got to the bus station I was confined against the glass, way in the way back us the bus. I’m not sure how I ended up there because I started the bus ride in the front of the bus. My first impression of Krakow was astonishing; it was the most beautiful city I had been to so far. Plus it was a lot cheaper then London, which was an added bounce. I found my hostel which was just outside the main gate close to the main train station. I headed out to the main square which I had heard so much about. I was so excited I had forgotten my camera at the hostel. That was the first time I had done that because my camera went everywhere I did. On my way to the main square I saw a huge line for food. I was hungry so I also go in line. Reading the sign it said kebob. I learned to love kebobs and ate at least one everyday. The first day I only ventured to the main square. I wanted to go to a local bar that wasn’t so touristy. I found an Irish bar that was down the street. I’m used to opening door by pushing them. I push the door to the bar and it made a really loud noise. I learned the hard way that the doors in Poland you have to pull then. The owner got scared and jumped off her chair. She had this freighting look on her face I will never forget. I had two choices; I could either walk in and say I’m sorry or simply run away. I choose to walk in because I thought what if I really like the bar. I told her I was sorry and ordered a Zywiec, which became my favorite polish beer. I order a few and gave her a big tip for the noise. On my way back to my hostel I found an English pub called the Bull Pub. This pub would become my HQ for the remainder of my Krakow trip. It’s facing the Maly Rynek Square. I order a few more and headed back to my hostel.

Hi gawr,

Great description of your first impression of Krakow. Glad to see you are back!

Yes, we missed you gawr! Love your impressions of Poland and look forward to more.

a

gawr, I'm glad you're back. Please continue! I so enjoyed reading this trip report.

I’m sorry I didn’t keep up with my report I got tired of writing it and I got the impression that people stopped reading it. I’m back in school for my masters and I don’t have a lot of time to write my report, but I will try my best.
The next day in Krakow I ventured down a main street to the castle. I didn’t realize how big it was. After walking around the whole think I finally made it to the top. At the top there were people dressed in traditional Polish clothes playing instruments. I danced with them and got a picture. There were a lot of school field trips so it was packed with kids. I wasn’t sure what I was doing so I walked with the kids trying to blend in so I didn’t have to pay for the exhibits. Even though I was twice as tall I tried and got caught right away and had to pay. All the kids were looking at me funny, like who the hell is he. I bought a ticket for the lost Wawel and the Armory, which was pretty cool. Since I was traveling alone I had to ask people to take a picture of me. A lady took a picture of me with the church in the background. Back in the States I got my pictures developed and this picture ended up being the worst pic out of the role. I was devastated because I had such high hopes for that pic. I heard people talking about a Dragon but never saw it. Does anyone know where it was?
After spending a few hours there I headed home for a nap. I wanted to get some sleep, because the World Cup was starting that day and I had a long night of drinking ahead of me. I got some money out of the ATM and I went to my HQ bar. Is it only me or did you hate that the ATMs gave out high amounts of bills. I don’t want one $500 bill, I want five $100 bills. I always felt bad paying with big bills. I usually went to McDonalds and bought a hamburger just to break down my bills. I even used a $200 bill for the bathroom. The Employee wasn’t too happy, but too bad. I think the German team was playing the first day. So I was rooting for the other team with the rest of the bar. I really liked the old wine cellars that were turned into bars. I remember it was very difficult to walk up and down the dark stone spiral stairs. I met a few guys from Australia and they were talking about, “you guessed it the American Team.” So of course I butted in and talked about how good they were. I ended up bar hopping with those guys the whole night singing songs.
The next day I woke up with a pounding headache and out of the Blue I decided that I was going to take a train to Warsaw. I told my hostel that I would be going to Warsaw for two days and that I would be coming back to Krakow for another two days. I went on the internet and found a few addresses of hostels walking distances from the central train stations. That’s why it’s so great traveling alone. I just decided that I was going to Warsaw. All I had was two addresses of hostels and a pocket full of cash. I found my train and sat in my seat. There was an American sitting next me also going to Warsaw. He had a friend who was polish and we talked about politics and culture the whole way. When reaching Warsaw I bought a map and found where my hostel was. It was about a 15 minute walk. Warsaw was very easy to get around, because they had to completely rebuild the city after the war. I like the idea of being able to walk under the street instead of trying to walk across the street and having to deal with heavy traffic. You have to remember that I didn’t reserve a room at any hostels. I wasn’t even sure if they had any rooms available. When I found the hostels my worst fears were confirmed. The hostel was completely full. I asked them to call another hostel to see if they had anything available. They called three hostels and all of those were also full. I was starting to get worried. What if I came all the way to Warsaw and there wasn’t any vacant hostels. I couldn’t go back to Krakow because I gave up my bed when I told them I was leaving for two days. They tried one more place and they had a room for one night. All I needed was a room for the first night and I would worry about the second night the next day. So I thanked them and headed towards that hostel which was about twenty minutes in the opposite direction near the Old Town. Remember I was wearing a 40 pound backpack so it made it hard to walk long distances. I found the hostel and took a nap.
My family used to live in Warsaw before the war so I wanted to see the Jewish Ghetto. I got a map showing me all the important polish and Jewish buildings and monuments. I also went to the Polish Uprising Museum. I didn’t know much about the uprising so it was very informative. Later I got some food. It was this long cheese bread with ketchup. I originally that it was tomato sauce, but their ketchup is different then ours. I headed home and got ready for the night. When I got to my hostel my roommates said they knew I was an American because they saw that I wear flip flops. I didn’t understand why Europeans didn’t wear them until I got to Prague, I will explain later. At night the Polish team was playing their first World Cup Game in the tournament. I saw it in this German style pub where the smallest mug was about 36oz. Lets just say I got really drunk and spilt a lot of beer from cheering glasses together with people I met. Even though they lost I still had a great time.
The next day will be venturing to the Old Town, Which I hear was really beautiful.

So glad you decided to continue this report! Looking forward to more.

Thanks for continuing! Looking forward to the next installment.