Maitai's Central (Don't Call It Eastern) European Excursion
Jan 2nd, 2009, 01:24 PM
#261
hi tom,
i found your so amusing trip report again when searching for Krakow, which I am lining up for a surprise [luckily for me he doesn't read fodor's] birthday trip for DH in April 2009.
I'd already come across the Crakowdays apartments where you stayed on tripadviser which ranks them No 2 in Krakow - pretty high, given the no of 4 & 5 star hotels they outrank!
may I ask which room/s you booked and whether there are any downsides to staying there?
I can get it for about £70/€80 per night at the moment - and don't ask me what that is in U$ - it seems to change by the day!
what do you think?
regards, ann
i found your so amusing trip report again when searching for Krakow, which I am lining up for a surprise [luckily for me he doesn't read fodor's] birthday trip for DH in April 2009.
I'd already come across the Crakowdays apartments where you stayed on tripadviser which ranks them No 2 in Krakow - pretty high, given the no of 4 & 5 star hotels they outrank!
may I ask which room/s you booked and whether there are any downsides to staying there?
I can get it for about £70/€80 per night at the moment - and don't ask me what that is in U$ - it seems to change by the day!
what do you think?
regards, ann
Jan 2nd, 2009, 01:55 PM
#262
Original Poster
"may I ask which room/s you booked and whether there are any downsides to staying there?"
Hi Ann,
We had the Barolo and Lambrusco rooms. One faced the street; one faced the courtyard.
To get to the apartments, you go in a large front door and go up some stairs (the apartments are on the left through another locked door...you have keys for outside door, inside door and your room). The office is upstairs from the apartments. The rooms are clean. Bathrooms were spotless. The bed was comfortable. The staff was very nice. There is a computer in the hall for your internet access.
I loved the location. Yes, there is some graffiti around, but that does not bother me. The apartments are located one block off the main drag that has coffee shops, restaurants and shops. It is about a ten minute walk straight down that street to the Rynek Glówny.
We felt the location was safe. For the money, we thought that Cracowdays could not be beat and highly recommend it. I really cannot think of a downside to staying there. Enjoy Kraków.
By the way, I highly recommend Guliwer, ul. Bracka 6, as a place to eat dinner.
Hi Ann,
We had the Barolo and Lambrusco rooms. One faced the street; one faced the courtyard.
To get to the apartments, you go in a large front door and go up some stairs (the apartments are on the left through another locked door...you have keys for outside door, inside door and your room). The office is upstairs from the apartments. The rooms are clean. Bathrooms were spotless. The bed was comfortable. The staff was very nice. There is a computer in the hall for your internet access.
I loved the location. Yes, there is some graffiti around, but that does not bother me. The apartments are located one block off the main drag that has coffee shops, restaurants and shops. It is about a ten minute walk straight down that street to the Rynek Glówny.
We felt the location was safe. For the money, we thought that Cracowdays could not be beat and highly recommend it. I really cannot think of a downside to staying there. Enjoy Kraków.
By the way, I highly recommend Guliwer, ul. Bracka 6, as a place to eat dinner.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 02:39 PM
#263
Original Poster
Yes, it's true! For the brave few who have stayed with it, here is (finally) the last installment of my trip report. Thanks for hanging in there.
<b> DAYS TWENTY EIGHT AND TWENTY NINE – A HOT TIME IN THE OLD TOWN, A DAY AT THE OPERA (HOUSE), SIGHS MATTERS, STOPPA THE GRAPPA, THE LAST SUPPER, DON’T LEAVE YOUR CAMERA IN A RENTAL CAR AND ARRIVEDERCHI VENEZIA </b>
Waking up, we knew that today was going to be a scorcher. It was so hot that I limited myself to two espressos and one cappuccino on the La Calcina breakfast deck.
Tracy had decided the gift du jour for many of our friends this Christmas would be beautiful wine stoppers made from Venetian glass. After breakfast, we went to a nearby shop that we had seen near our hotel and bought about 15 of them. What recession?
After depositing the colorful stoppers back in our room, we decided to beat the heat by just hopping on and off the vaporetto for a while. We were going to meet Kim and Mary about noon and visit the Teatro La Fenice. It was lucky we picked this time, because it was only open from 12 until 2 on this day for a reason we could not figure out.
We decided to purchase the audioguide, which I would recommend. It gave a detailed look into its history. It had burned down in 1836 and again in 1996. Although some critics say the place looks "too new," it really is something to behold. It also kept us out of the heat for about 90 minutes.
Kim and Mary then departed to go shopping, while Tracy and I walked down to a little restaurant by the name of Vino Vino. Since I had ordered inordinate amounts of vino during the trip, this seemed like an appropriate place to have our final lunch. Shockingly I had another pasta dish.
Tracy and I toasted the beauty of Venice (and I’m sure we said a little toast for Cupid, too) with a glass of cold Prosecco. The food here was good, and true to its name, there are many choices of vino vino to drink, which we did...happily.
After lunch, we walked past Harry’s Bar (another trip with no visit to Harry’s). To further beat the heat, we walked over to the Palazzo Ducale and took the Doges Palace Tour.
I think it’s the third time we have done this, but one good thing about getting older is how much you forget. I’m sure we’ll visit again in about ten years, take the tour and it will all seem new to us again. The audioguide is a must here, too. It was then over the Bridge of Sighs to see the prison cells, and soon we were back out in the Venetian heat.
“Café Corretto” Tracy asked?
Amazingly I said no to grappa on this afternoon. I knew it must be about time to go home.
On our final night, Kim and Mary generously took us out to dinner at the Calcina’s La Piscina restaurant to thank us for planning this long journey. Although La Piscina does not have the greatest food in Venice, I wanted to dine here because I could think of no better spot to have our final meal than on a candlelit patio watching the moon slowly rise over the canal.
The four of us walked around Dorsoduro for a final time; then went back to our rooms to pack. Both couples had early flights, and we had reservations on the water taxi that would pick us up at 4:30 a.m.
Mary called our room at 4 o’clock to make sure I wasn’t still drinking (well maybe to just make sure we were awake). We quietly carried our luggage down the stairs to the La Calcina lobby, where the man behind the desk made us espressos and cappuccinos. This was our second visit to La Calcina, and just like the first time, we were very impressed.
It was about a half hour trip by water taxi to the airport, and it’s fun to travel the canals so early in the morning. It does give Venice an even more magical feel.
We bid arrivederchi to Kim and Mary and found our airline to go home. While in waiting in line, we chatted with a woman and her son from Washington D.C., whose husband was nowhere to be found. She then told us he was on the phone with their rental car agency. Sadly, when they dropped off the car, she thought he had the camera, and he thought she had the camera. Ouch!
When he met up with us waiting in line, he said no camera had been found. Three weeks of photos were now gone.
The last we saw of them was in Madrid where we changed planes. He was going to get on the phone again with the rental company to see if they had found the camera. They were not very confident. I didn’t want to tell him that between the four of us we had taken nearly 2,000 pictures (none lost).
We had to change planes once more in Chicago (frequent mileage customers equals frequent stops). I got on the phone with our friend Dan (whose camera is still resting comfortably at the bottom of a canal from their 2005 trip and is the guy who accidentally ordered the $200 piece of fish in Venice).
I asked him what was new, and he said, “Nothing, except that gas was five bucks a gallon.” I laughed, only to find out on our way home from the airport that he wasn’t joking.
It had been quite a trip. We had explored so many areas of the world we had never seen before. Each destination we visited holds special memories for all of us. I still have Buza Bar flashbacks at least three times a week. From Prague to Cesky Krumlov to Krakow to Dubrovnik to Plitvice National Park to Ljubljana to Lake Bled to Rovinj to Venice, we loved it all and everything in between (ok, the Lipizzaners not so much).
And even though we got tested near the end of the trip, the motto is as true today as it was when I first started traveling:.
<b> ENJOY THE JOURNEY! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING! </b>
<b> DAYS TWENTY EIGHT AND TWENTY NINE – A HOT TIME IN THE OLD TOWN, A DAY AT THE OPERA (HOUSE), SIGHS MATTERS, STOPPA THE GRAPPA, THE LAST SUPPER, DON’T LEAVE YOUR CAMERA IN A RENTAL CAR AND ARRIVEDERCHI VENEZIA </b>
Waking up, we knew that today was going to be a scorcher. It was so hot that I limited myself to two espressos and one cappuccino on the La Calcina breakfast deck.
Tracy had decided the gift du jour for many of our friends this Christmas would be beautiful wine stoppers made from Venetian glass. After breakfast, we went to a nearby shop that we had seen near our hotel and bought about 15 of them. What recession?
After depositing the colorful stoppers back in our room, we decided to beat the heat by just hopping on and off the vaporetto for a while. We were going to meet Kim and Mary about noon and visit the Teatro La Fenice. It was lucky we picked this time, because it was only open from 12 until 2 on this day for a reason we could not figure out.
We decided to purchase the audioguide, which I would recommend. It gave a detailed look into its history. It had burned down in 1836 and again in 1996. Although some critics say the place looks "too new," it really is something to behold. It also kept us out of the heat for about 90 minutes.
Kim and Mary then departed to go shopping, while Tracy and I walked down to a little restaurant by the name of Vino Vino. Since I had ordered inordinate amounts of vino during the trip, this seemed like an appropriate place to have our final lunch. Shockingly I had another pasta dish.
Tracy and I toasted the beauty of Venice (and I’m sure we said a little toast for Cupid, too) with a glass of cold Prosecco. The food here was good, and true to its name, there are many choices of vino vino to drink, which we did...happily.
After lunch, we walked past Harry’s Bar (another trip with no visit to Harry’s). To further beat the heat, we walked over to the Palazzo Ducale and took the Doges Palace Tour.
I think it’s the third time we have done this, but one good thing about getting older is how much you forget. I’m sure we’ll visit again in about ten years, take the tour and it will all seem new to us again. The audioguide is a must here, too. It was then over the Bridge of Sighs to see the prison cells, and soon we were back out in the Venetian heat.
“Café Corretto” Tracy asked?
Amazingly I said no to grappa on this afternoon. I knew it must be about time to go home.
On our final night, Kim and Mary generously took us out to dinner at the Calcina’s La Piscina restaurant to thank us for planning this long journey. Although La Piscina does not have the greatest food in Venice, I wanted to dine here because I could think of no better spot to have our final meal than on a candlelit patio watching the moon slowly rise over the canal.
The four of us walked around Dorsoduro for a final time; then went back to our rooms to pack. Both couples had early flights, and we had reservations on the water taxi that would pick us up at 4:30 a.m.
Mary called our room at 4 o’clock to make sure I wasn’t still drinking (well maybe to just make sure we were awake). We quietly carried our luggage down the stairs to the La Calcina lobby, where the man behind the desk made us espressos and cappuccinos. This was our second visit to La Calcina, and just like the first time, we were very impressed.
It was about a half hour trip by water taxi to the airport, and it’s fun to travel the canals so early in the morning. It does give Venice an even more magical feel.
We bid arrivederchi to Kim and Mary and found our airline to go home. While in waiting in line, we chatted with a woman and her son from Washington D.C., whose husband was nowhere to be found. She then told us he was on the phone with their rental car agency. Sadly, when they dropped off the car, she thought he had the camera, and he thought she had the camera. Ouch!
When he met up with us waiting in line, he said no camera had been found. Three weeks of photos were now gone.
The last we saw of them was in Madrid where we changed planes. He was going to get on the phone again with the rental company to see if they had found the camera. They were not very confident. I didn’t want to tell him that between the four of us we had taken nearly 2,000 pictures (none lost).
We had to change planes once more in Chicago (frequent mileage customers equals frequent stops). I got on the phone with our friend Dan (whose camera is still resting comfortably at the bottom of a canal from their 2005 trip and is the guy who accidentally ordered the $200 piece of fish in Venice).
I asked him what was new, and he said, “Nothing, except that gas was five bucks a gallon.” I laughed, only to find out on our way home from the airport that he wasn’t joking.
It had been quite a trip. We had explored so many areas of the world we had never seen before. Each destination we visited holds special memories for all of us. I still have Buza Bar flashbacks at least three times a week. From Prague to Cesky Krumlov to Krakow to Dubrovnik to Plitvice National Park to Ljubljana to Lake Bled to Rovinj to Venice, we loved it all and everything in between (ok, the Lipizzaners not so much).
And even though we got tested near the end of the trip, the motto is as true today as it was when I first started traveling:.
<b> ENJOY THE JOURNEY! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING! </b>
Jan 2nd, 2009, 05:37 PM
#265
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 558
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks so much for this fantastic trip report. I wasn't even planning a trip to these destinations before I read your adventures but now I am. Your lovely traveling companions who've made the trip what it was as a big part of the adventure. Luck you lucky them
I've savoured and save- every word - to read at my leisure - that's 60 pages at Arail 10 point. More than enough for the makings of a great travel book and heaps better than many I've seen published.
So when do we get to see it available in hard copy. Easier to read and - pictures.
Grazie
I've savoured and save- every word - to read at my leisure - that's 60 pages at Arail 10 point. More than enough for the makings of a great travel book and heaps better than many I've seen published.
So when do we get to see it available in hard copy. Easier to read and - pictures.
Grazie
Jan 2nd, 2009, 08:20 PM
#266
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,849
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Damn! Your trip report is over.
Perhaps us Fodorites could take up a collection to keep traveling forever -- filing your most entertaining trip reports as an inspiration to all of us.
Truly enjoy your love of the traveling life. Thank you!
Perhaps us Fodorites could take up a collection to keep traveling forever -- filing your most entertaining trip reports as an inspiration to all of us.
Truly enjoy your love of the traveling life. Thank you!
Jan 2nd, 2009, 11:30 PM
#267
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 280
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you so much for a very entertaining & informative report, Dh I & another couple will be Leaving Riverside CA April 1st to cruise to Rome then travel Via Amalfi Coast , Ancona Ferry to Zadar , Plitvice,Zagreb , Ljubliana. Bled & train to Zadar (to p/u left luggage)then on to Trogir, & finally depart from Dubrovnik, over a period of 2 weeks. DH & I have been to Southern Croatia befor. Tom, we are all seniors ,and are trying to avoid driving this time so will rely on bus & train, or do you think it would be easy to drive from Zagreb to Bled & Ljubliana? I have copied most of your report. but would appreciate any advice you could offer. Thank you Jean
Jan 3rd, 2009, 09:09 AM
#268
Original Poster
Thanks. A one month vacation and a six month trip report. What's wrong with that picture?
eigasuki - Yes, at some point, I'll have this all put to pictures in my "blog" and a video.
margaret - "or do you think it would be easy to drive from Zagreb to Bled & Ljubliana?"
I don't know about busses. The driving here is easy.
The drive from Zageb to Ljubljana will take you no more than 2 hours, all on nice highway.
It is just under an hour to drive from Ljubljana to Bled (watch out for the Slovenian policeman on the side of the road). While in Bled, you can go over to Vintgar Gorge (10 - 15 minutes if you follow the correct signs).
Have a great time.
eigasuki - Yes, at some point, I'll have this all put to pictures in my "blog" and a video.
margaret - "or do you think it would be easy to drive from Zagreb to Bled & Ljubliana?"
I don't know about busses. The driving here is easy.
The drive from Zageb to Ljubljana will take you no more than 2 hours, all on nice highway.
It is just under an hour to drive from Ljubljana to Bled (watch out for the Slovenian policeman on the side of the road). While in Bled, you can go over to Vintgar Gorge (10 - 15 minutes if you follow the correct signs).
Have a great time.
Jan 3rd, 2009, 06:13 PM
#269
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 280
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you Tom ,I think we will do that. what about the drive from
Zadar to Plitvice & then Zagreb ? then we would have the car for the trip on to Ljubliana etc. did you have any problems taking the rental car into Slovenia?
Zadar to Plitvice & then Zagreb ? then we would have the car for the trip on to Ljubliana etc. did you have any problems taking the rental car into Slovenia?
Jan 4th, 2009, 04:58 AM
#271
hi again tom,
well you're one up on me - you've finished your 2008 trip report- mine is still a work in progress!
thanks for the info about the crakowdays apartments - I'm pretty well decided to book them, i think.
which room was which? [as in facing street and facing courtyard ]
- it's not easy to tell from their web-site. and which did you prefer?
I too bought murano glass wine bottle stoppers when we were in Venice - not quite so many of them though! stupidly I kept one in the shape of a star-fish, so that every time I use it, i worry about losing one of its legs. so we don't use it much!
apropos la Fenice, perhaps they had a performance later in the afternoon or a rehearsal? we went to a performance that started at 5 or 6pm, i seem to remember. When we came out, there were firemen in attendance, presumably as a precaution against losing it all again!
where next for you?
regards, ann
well you're one up on me - you've finished your 2008 trip report- mine is still a work in progress!
thanks for the info about the crakowdays apartments - I'm pretty well decided to book them, i think.
which room was which? [as in facing street and facing courtyard ]
- it's not easy to tell from their web-site. and which did you prefer?
I too bought murano glass wine bottle stoppers when we were in Venice - not quite so many of them though! stupidly I kept one in the shape of a star-fish, so that every time I use it, i worry about losing one of its legs. so we don't use it much!
apropos la Fenice, perhaps they had a performance later in the afternoon or a rehearsal? we went to a performance that started at 5 or 6pm, i seem to remember. When we came out, there were firemen in attendance, presumably as a precaution against losing it all again!
where next for you?
regards, ann
Jan 4th, 2009, 07:40 AM
#272
Original Poster
"did you have any problems taking the rental car into Slovenia?"
No problem. They stamped our passport, and we were on our way.
"where next for you?"
We are thinking about Christmas in Rome in 2009.
2010 - Six weeks all over France (We will split it up into two three- week trips, I believe).
Of course, if my portfolio keeps shrinking, we might only have enough money to travel to Santa Monica for the weekend.
No problem. They stamped our passport, and we were on our way.
"where next for you?"
We are thinking about Christmas in Rome in 2009.
2010 - Six weeks all over France (We will split it up into two three- week trips, I believe).
Of course, if my portfolio keeps shrinking, we might only have enough money to travel to Santa Monica for the weekend.
Jan 4th, 2009, 01:12 PM
#273
Original Poster
"which room was which? [as in facing street and facing courtyard ]
- it's not easy to tell from their web-site. and which did you prefer?"
Sorry, I didn't see this before. Both rooms were comparable, but I think I liked the one not facing the street a little better.
- it's not easy to tell from their web-site. and which did you prefer?"
Sorry, I didn't see this before. Both rooms were comparable, but I think I liked the one not facing the street a little better.
Jan 5th, 2009, 06:52 AM
#274
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Maitai...
Absolutely wonderful...I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your trip report.
As for your Christmas 2009 Rome trip...do it! I just got back from 8 days in Rome (I know I know...a trip report will be forthcoming) and love it this time of year. I was there for Christmas 2007 too! Weather can be hit or miss though...2007 we had a spectacular week, 2008 it was cold and rainy. But I will take cold and rainy in Rome over being at home anytime!
Absolutely wonderful...I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your trip report.
As for your Christmas 2009 Rome trip...do it! I just got back from 8 days in Rome (I know I know...a trip report will be forthcoming) and love it this time of year. I was there for Christmas 2007 too! Weather can be hit or miss though...2007 we had a spectacular week, 2008 it was cold and rainy. But I will take cold and rainy in Rome over being at home anytime!
Jan 6th, 2009, 08:47 AM
#275
Original Poster
"I just got back from 8 days in Rome (I know I know...a trip report will be forthcoming)"
LowCountry, I will look forward to it, because I don't know what to expect from Rome at Christmas. I really liked your Central Europe report. Your report and the ones by Shandy and the Turnip (and others) definitely helped me plan this 2008 trip that turned out so great.
LowCountry, I will look forward to it, because I don't know what to expect from Rome at Christmas. I really liked your Central Europe report. Your report and the ones by Shandy and the Turnip (and others) definitely helped me plan this 2008 trip that turned out so great.
Jan 7th, 2009, 04:04 AM
#276
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Maitai...
I was also in Rome for Christmas of 2007 too and did a trip report. If you'd like to get a taste of what Rome was like that year at Christmas by all means check it out. I'll try to post a link to the report here but if you click on my screen name and scroll down the list of my posts you will find it.
I was also in Rome for Christmas of 2007 too and did a trip report. If you'd like to get a taste of what Rome was like that year at Christmas by all means check it out. I'll try to post a link to the report here but if you click on my screen name and scroll down the list of my posts you will find it.
Jan 9th, 2009, 09:11 AM
#280
Original Poster
Thanks for the nice comments.
I got a call from Kim the other day after he and Mary finished reading the report. He said, "It sounds like we had a really good time." I guess he must have had a delayed reaction to the slivovitz!
I got a call from Kim the other day after he and Mary finished reading the report. He said, "It sounds like we had a really good time." I guess he must have had a delayed reaction to the slivovitz!
