Our adventure into Eastern Europe.
Aug 21st, 2013, 10:47 PM
#23
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So here's one of the reasons I've been so slack, I'll get back to the details soon.
http://www.momento.com.au/gallery?cp...c1465.93567373
http://www.momento.com.au/gallery?cp...c1465.93567373
Aug 22nd, 2013, 03:26 AM
#24
Great link to the hotel, last time I was here the windows of the shops had been eaten away by the acid in the air so they no longer reflected while all the buildings were black with pollution. What an amazing difference a tonne of EU money has.
Aug 22nd, 2013, 06:37 PM
#28
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Lovely photos and trip report, Aussie! Do you remember the name of the <<"most amazing discovery was when I opened a fairly nondescript door along a long passage way to be greeted by the most amazing scene I could ever have imagined">>
Aug 22nd, 2013, 11:09 PM
#29
Just imagine www.wentzl.pl in black, no tables outside and that is how that square was like.
Aug 23rd, 2013, 01:37 PM
#30
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bilboburgler, woh what a difference, sure is an amazing place.
KL467 it was the hotel with the link I've added, Kloster Holzen.
thanks annhig, I do wish I was able to make it larger, but its just a preview of the book I've had printed. I've checked, apparently that the only way to add it to a website.
KL467 it was the hotel with the link I've added, Kloster Holzen.
thanks annhig, I do wish I was able to make it larger, but its just a preview of the book I've had printed. I've checked, apparently that the only way to add it to a website.
Sep 8th, 2013, 09:38 PM
#36
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I'm back, can't believe I've left this so long, especially as Auschwitz was a real highlight.
The day was indeed ANZAC day and we'd purposely booked our tour of Auschwitz for this day. Although ANZAC day was originally to commemorate Australian & New Zealand Army Corps efforts in WW1, its now an annual day of commemoration for all service men & women killed in armed conflict. So it seemed very appropriate to visit Auschwitz on this day.
We chose a lunch time pick up, so spent the morning wandering around this beautiful city. Again this 'tour' was arranged through the hotel and it was really well done. We were picked up in a small mini van with 4 other people, driven the 1.5hours out to Auschwitz1 where we joined a tour group. There was probably about a dozen people in the group and I found it really interesting, moving and at times quite distressing. There was adequate time for reflection, while the tour did move quite quickly. I think the most astounding thing for me was that to me the sited looked like it could've been a 'housing project' of some kind, that is until you entered the buildings! Walking by the rooms filled with personal items was by far the hardest part, just shocking.
Next we met back up with our driver and fellow passengers and took the short drive to Auschwitz II – Birkenau, where again we were given a guided tour but with lots of time to wander around. This site in particular was very moving, it was late afternoon on an over cast day and the place felt very eerie, you can't help but ask yourself over and over, why & how. It was a very quiet drive back to town, dinner was in the italian restaurant outside the hotel and was lovely.
So thats Krakow, a really great visit to a beautiful city,
Prague next.
The day was indeed ANZAC day and we'd purposely booked our tour of Auschwitz for this day. Although ANZAC day was originally to commemorate Australian & New Zealand Army Corps efforts in WW1, its now an annual day of commemoration for all service men & women killed in armed conflict. So it seemed very appropriate to visit Auschwitz on this day.
We chose a lunch time pick up, so spent the morning wandering around this beautiful city. Again this 'tour' was arranged through the hotel and it was really well done. We were picked up in a small mini van with 4 other people, driven the 1.5hours out to Auschwitz1 where we joined a tour group. There was probably about a dozen people in the group and I found it really interesting, moving and at times quite distressing. There was adequate time for reflection, while the tour did move quite quickly. I think the most astounding thing for me was that to me the sited looked like it could've been a 'housing project' of some kind, that is until you entered the buildings! Walking by the rooms filled with personal items was by far the hardest part, just shocking.
Next we met back up with our driver and fellow passengers and took the short drive to Auschwitz II – Birkenau, where again we were given a guided tour but with lots of time to wander around. This site in particular was very moving, it was late afternoon on an over cast day and the place felt very eerie, you can't help but ask yourself over and over, why & how. It was a very quiet drive back to town, dinner was in the italian restaurant outside the hotel and was lovely.
So thats Krakow, a really great visit to a beautiful city,
Prague next.
Sep 10th, 2013, 10:45 PM
#38
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Our flights to Prague the next day weren't until around lunch time, which was lovely as we got to wander around the square some more. We would really like to have done some more of this trip using trains but from all reports its not that great. So we did have some very short fllights, Krakow to Vienna 40mins then on to Prague for about the same. Car transfer booked through our hotel was waiting for us.
This is really the only accommodation http://www.hotelsuitehomeprague.com/ that I was disappointed in. The website does really exagerate all the details. It was a large apartment style room supposedly the 'penthouse' and was huge and there was a great view from the roof top patio. But the room itself lacked any sort of ambience, the small kitchen would have been great but it contained 4 coffee cups, 4 glass's and a kettle.....nothing else. Breakfast was included and was fairly basic served in a very small dining room. The apartment was so big I can't believe there was no washer/dryer. But worst of all was the close proximity to a couple of 'gentlemens clubs' the nightclub noise was terrible every night we were there. End rant
Having said all that, we liked the location for ease of getting around but I imagine there are much better places in the same vicinity.
We spent what was left of the afternoon walking and getting our bearings, finding our selves in Wenceslas Square, which was great for people watching. We had dinner here in an Italian place in the square http://www.buschetto.cz/new/ and it was really good for what we felt like.
The next day we headed out and worked out the #22 tram would get us to the castle, it was only a short walk to the tram. Really enjoyed the tram ride and the locals were lovely, overhearing that we were going to the castle they told us we had got on the tram going in the wrong direction ;-) so a quick change and we were on our way. Had a lovely walk around the area then walked down to the Mala Strana ( 'Little Quater' ) and had a great look around, then over the Charles Bridge to the Old Town. Sat in a cafe as it was approaching 'the hour' and we had front row seats to watch the Astonomical Clock. Walked back over the bridge enjoying all the entertainment (it was a saturday) that was happening, to find a restaurant that had sounded good, Kampa Park. It was yummy but really to expensive for a lunch stop. We just walked and walked all afternoon, getting lost and found again, such fun.
Dinner was booked from home at http://www.bella-vista.cz/, so we caught the tram as close as we could get as it was raining quite heavily. What an interesting place and I bet during the summer or at any lunch time the views would be amazing. As it was we missed getting caught in a huge thunder storm by minutes, so we were inside by a large window watching the rain. It seemed really old world, even the service, in a good way. We ate terrines, goulash and strudel all of which were delightful.
The next day Sue & I headed off to the Jewish quarter to visit the Old Jewish Museum, it was really cold, but the rain had stopped. We are really glad we did this, what a truly interesting place. After much research before leaving home we thought it was free to tour just the cemetary. So I don't know if it was that fact that it was a Sunday and quite busy or if our information was incorrect but we did have to pay 15euro each. We didn't mind and we got entry to the museums as well.
Met up with our husbands, they'd gone off and done a segway tour of Prague, they had a ball.
Lunch was in Zebra Asian Bangkok Noodles http://www.zebranoodlebar.cz/ and it was yum, great change from heavy meat inspired dishes. It was really cold but they had heaters and blankets and it was lovely siting outside people watching. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing our own things, shopping & wandering. Home in time to get ready for our final dinner out in Prague........and it was special!
This is really the only accommodation http://www.hotelsuitehomeprague.com/ that I was disappointed in. The website does really exagerate all the details. It was a large apartment style room supposedly the 'penthouse' and was huge and there was a great view from the roof top patio. But the room itself lacked any sort of ambience, the small kitchen would have been great but it contained 4 coffee cups, 4 glass's and a kettle.....nothing else. Breakfast was included and was fairly basic served in a very small dining room. The apartment was so big I can't believe there was no washer/dryer. But worst of all was the close proximity to a couple of 'gentlemens clubs' the nightclub noise was terrible every night we were there. End rant
Having said all that, we liked the location for ease of getting around but I imagine there are much better places in the same vicinity. We spent what was left of the afternoon walking and getting our bearings, finding our selves in Wenceslas Square, which was great for people watching. We had dinner here in an Italian place in the square http://www.buschetto.cz/new/ and it was really good for what we felt like.
The next day we headed out and worked out the #22 tram would get us to the castle, it was only a short walk to the tram. Really enjoyed the tram ride and the locals were lovely, overhearing that we were going to the castle they told us we had got on the tram going in the wrong direction ;-) so a quick change and we were on our way. Had a lovely walk around the area then walked down to the Mala Strana ( 'Little Quater' ) and had a great look around, then over the Charles Bridge to the Old Town. Sat in a cafe as it was approaching 'the hour' and we had front row seats to watch the Astonomical Clock. Walked back over the bridge enjoying all the entertainment (it was a saturday) that was happening, to find a restaurant that had sounded good, Kampa Park. It was yummy but really to expensive for a lunch stop. We just walked and walked all afternoon, getting lost and found again, such fun.
Dinner was booked from home at http://www.bella-vista.cz/, so we caught the tram as close as we could get as it was raining quite heavily. What an interesting place and I bet during the summer or at any lunch time the views would be amazing. As it was we missed getting caught in a huge thunder storm by minutes, so we were inside by a large window watching the rain. It seemed really old world, even the service, in a good way. We ate terrines, goulash and strudel all of which were delightful.
The next day Sue & I headed off to the Jewish quarter to visit the Old Jewish Museum, it was really cold, but the rain had stopped. We are really glad we did this, what a truly interesting place. After much research before leaving home we thought it was free to tour just the cemetary. So I don't know if it was that fact that it was a Sunday and quite busy or if our information was incorrect but we did have to pay 15euro each. We didn't mind and we got entry to the museums as well.
Met up with our husbands, they'd gone off and done a segway tour of Prague, they had a ball.
Lunch was in Zebra Asian Bangkok Noodles http://www.zebranoodlebar.cz/ and it was yum, great change from heavy meat inspired dishes. It was really cold but they had heaters and blankets and it was lovely siting outside people watching. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing our own things, shopping & wandering. Home in time to get ready for our final dinner out in Prague........and it was special!
