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6 - 24 JUN 2007 - 19 days Eastern Europe (Slovakia, Poland, Czek Republic and Austria) Yong Lee Min writes - thank you Anne Cheong, picutred here in at Slovakia Tatry Mountains, for coming out with this well written piece. As Yongo encourage members to explore on their own, Anne and her partner Andrew virtually covered every square meter of the places we visited. This writeup is mostly about her own wanderings. Note that bus and trains usually mean public conveyances unless specifically mentioned. |
A note from Anne: Regardless of how "unentertained" you were with us before Croatia, just wanna let you know we had a great time. Thanks! It was really fun backpacking without having to worry about transport and accommodation for once. And all the gossip and drama added more spice to the trip. Actually, that made it more memorable!
Day 1, Wed - 6/6/2007 (KL – Vienna – Bratislava)
Our group of 17 including The Boss Leemin met up for the first time at KLIA, for our ungodly 4am flight to Vienna via Doha. After a slight delay, we took off. There was an unscheduled 45-min stopover in Karachi, apparently due to sandstorms or whatever over the Middle East area. When we finally arrived Doha, we barely made it to our connecting flight to Vienna. After running helter skelter through the airport, all of us made it into the flight and we landed at Vienna at 2pm.
We then took the 4.45pm public bus from the airport, for the 1¼ hour journey to Bratislava. Rain greeted us when we arrived 6pm sharp in the Slovakian capital. We visited the Old Town Hall, Primate's Palace (no, it's NOT a film location for Planet of the Apes!), the charming town square, St. Michael's Gate and the whole old town area.
Day 2, Thurs – 7/6/2007 (Bratislava – Spissky Sobota)
We had an early start. After breakfast, we continued with our exploration of Bratislava. Our first stop - the Trinitarian Church and monastery, with its imposing pink façade. After a quick look, we went through St. Michael's Gate to get back into the medieval town. The tower at St. Michael's is also a military museum. The spectacular view from the top took our breath away. We got a 360° view of the whole old town, with a clear view of the upside-down-bed-shaped Bratislava Castle.
We dropped by at St. Martin's Cathedral before heading to the Castle. Then, it was back to the old town square, popping into the many cathedrals along the way. There was also a lively and colourful souvenir market with stalls selling all kinds of handicrafts at the town square.
We took the 5.15 pm train to Poprad that same day, arriving at 9pm. From there, we took taxis directly to the suburb of Spissky Sobota, a quaint old German town with an imposing cathedral in the center of the small town square. Our accommodation was at a lovely old town house (apparently 700 years old!) called Penzion Sv. Juraj, with many hidden corridors and paths leading to cosy rooms. And what a dining hall! Not only did it look absolutely quaint, the reasonably priced food was fantastic as well!
Group at Dobskinska Entrance / Accomodation in Spisska Sobota
Day 3, Fri – 8/6/2007 (Spissky Sobota, Dobšinská Ladova Jaskyna ice cave, Levoca, Spis Castle)
After a hearty breakfast at the Pension, a hired van took us to the UNESCO listed Dobšinská Ladova Jaskyna ice cave. It's a short walk through a beautiful forest to the cave. It was freezing in the cave and out came our winter woolies! A glacier practically flows through the cave, and there were many icy stalagmites and stalactites, lending a surrealistic feel to the place. After a 40 min walk, we were chased out of the cave.
Our next stop - the medieval town of Levoca. The old buildings in the town are beautifully preserved within a complete medieval walls that surround it.
UNESCO listed Spis Castle was next , one of the biggest castles in Central Europe. The huge medieval stone castle perched atop a small hill was visible from a distance. The road leading there seemed to have been purposely built around the hill so that approaching visitors could get a complete view of the castle from all angles before finally arriving at the foot of the hill. After a steep walk up, we got to the castle. An artisan was busy making pottery and clay handicrafts in the castle grounds. A short climb up led us to the tower of the castle, from which we could get spectacular views of the whole castle complex and the surrounding plains dotted with charming old towns.
We headed back to Spissky Sobota after that and spent the rest of the evening exploring the little town.
Day 4, Sat – 9/6/2007 (Spissky Sobota – Stary Smokovec – Tatry Mountains [ Hrebienok, Skalnate Pleso, Tatranska Lomnica)
We had another hearty breakfast at the Pension before leaving for Stary Smokovec, a small village at the foothills of the Tatry Mountains. It was a 30 min train ride to the village and a short walk from the station to our villa, where we dumped our bags and off we went to the nearby tram station to catch the funicular tram up to Hrebienok 1280m. We lunched at the Chata Bilikova – a mountain inn – before starting our trek to Skalnate Pleso 1764m .
The trek was pleasant; from gurgling mountain streams, we trudged along to an awesome waterfall, snow capped mountains and green valleys. As we trekked further up the mountains, the vegetation changed from pine forests to shrubs and small plants, until we eventually reached the snow line at Skalnate Pleso. From there, a cable runs down to a town called Tatranska Lomnica, connected by 30min mini-train ride to our night abode at Stary Smokovec.
Day 5, Sun – 10/6/2007 (Stary Smokovec – Polish border crossing [Tatranska Javorina to Lysa Polana] – Zakopane)
We took the bus to the border town of Tatranska Javorina. From there, we walked across a bridge to the Polish border town of Lysa Polana. After passport control, we took a public minivan to Zakopane, a lovely little Polish mountain resort town famous for its unique wooden houses, on the other side of the Tatry Mountains. After a quick lunch at the popular Bar Fis (literally means “Milk Bar” but it does not serve only milk!), a type of cafeteria commonly found in Poland, we checked into the Turysty Dom Hotel, a big hotel the boasts the largest roof in Europe.
The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the picturesque town center, famous for its smoked cheese and I think its cakes and desserts. There were cake, dessert and ice-cream shops every few meters we walked! And the smell of the grilled meats and sausages drifting from the restaurants was heavenly…….. Men and women dressed in traditional Polish costumes played traditional Polish folk songs to entertain us while we dined.
Slovaks in Levoca / Eating out in Zakopane
Day 6, Mon – 11/6/2007 (Zakopane – Krakow)
We had the morning to walk around Zakopane on our own. I even saw a little snow white lamb walk down the main street! There's a lovely handicraft, flower and fresh fruit market in town where we managed to do some shopping for souvenirs and summer fruits like cherries and strawberries. After lunch, we left Zakopane by bus to Krakow.
We reached Krakow in the late afternoon. It was a short walk from where we lived, to Stare Miasto, the old town square of Krakow, which at one square kilometer area is touted as the biggest square in Europe. The square was busy with the dinner crowd. We were greeted by the sounds of classical music as we approached the square. Three buskers were playing Bach, Beethoven, etc on the accordion and they sounded great. The square was full of things to see and do. The old town Krakow is yet another of the many UNESCO sites we visit.
Day 7, Tues – 12/6/2007 (Auschwitz Prison Camp, Birkenau, Wieliczka Salt Mine, Krakow)
After breakfast at the pension, a hired bus picked us up to visit UNESCO heritage Auschwitz Prison Camp and Birkenau, the infamous place where millions of Jews were exterminated during World War II by the Nazis. We were greeted by electric fences that surround the camp. We had a Nazi-like tour guide who whisked us quickly through the prison cells, gas chambers, execution wall, crematorium and other gory places of death at Auschwitz and Birkenau. We saw the train tracks that brought millions of Jews from all over Europe right up to the gas chambers and the crematorium. It was depressing to see the mountains of spectacles, shoes, clothes, personal belongings, photos and even human hair (!!) that once belonged to men, women and children, in huge piles that filled entire rooms. It was a relief when I finally left.
The next stop was the more pleasant Wieliczka Salt Mine, yet another UNESCO World Heritage site. A cheerful lady guide led us down hundreds of steps into the bowels of the earth before we reached the underground labyrinth of tunnels carved out of rock solid salt, which then led us to numerous salt caves, dug out by salt miners over the last 900 years. There were underground salt lakes, chapels big and small, the biggest and most beautiful being the Chapel of St. Kinga at 101 meters below ground; a post office, café, souvenir shop and even a museum, all within the salt mine. After 3 hours and walking hundreds of meters, we finally got back above ground, thankfully, by lift. We ended the day with a fantastic dinner of Polish food in Krakow.
Day 8, Wed – 13/6/2007 (Krakow)
It was a stormy afternoon in Krakow. We visited St. Mary's Cathedral at the Stare Miasto and walked around the town square after the thunderstorm blew over. We dropped by several churches along the way to Wawel Castle (Katedra Wawelska). After a few hours at the Castle, we went on to Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter, where the Jews used to live before they were all taken to Auschwitz. We took a tram back to the town center for another great dinner before our planned “departure” by train from Krakow.
As it turned out, all of us missed the train to Prague as the Boss had misread the departure time and we got another comfortable night's stay in Krakow, instead of having to sleep on the train.
Death Tower at Birkenau / Early morning Prague
Day 9, Thurs – 14/6/2007 (Krakow – Prague)
We woke up early to catch the 7am train to Prague and reached there in the afternoon. We traveled around UNESCO Old Town Prague by Metro, the underground train system in the Czech capital. Our first stop was the old town square. I have been told that Prague looks like Disneyland and when I set eyes on the old town square right after emerging from the Metro, the description could not have been more accurate. We took the guided city tour for a quick overall tour of the city, which took us past many beautiful and famous buildings (including the ultra modern and famous Dancing Building) right up to Prague Castle.
We had the rest of the day on our own after that and after exploring the sights around the old town square (Old Town Hall & Astronomical Clock, Church of Our Lady Before Tyn), Andrew and I took a slow walk to the theatre and watched the famous Laterna Magicka, a quirky stage performance that is part live mime, part movie, where the actors would appear on the stage at times and then would disappear into the movie and come out again onto the stage. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant called U Medvidku, a brewery cum restaurant that dates back to 1466.
Day 10, Fri – 15/6/2007 (Prague, Karoly Vary)
Most of the group went to the spa town of Karoly Vary but four of us decided to stay back and explore Prague. We went up to Prague Castle again and visited St. Vitus Cathedral (the view of Prague from the bell tower was great), Loreta Church and the Golden Lane. It rained heavily again in the afternoon and the Golden Lane became the Flooded Lane! We walked on to St. Nicholas Church and Charles Bridge after the deluge. Luckily, the weather cleared up and we could take a really leisurely stroll across the famous Bridge. The buskers along the Bridge were a class above; there was a musician who played classical pieces using only wine glasses filled with water!
Day 11, Sat – 16/6/2007 (Prague – Kutna Hora Bone Church - Dalecin)
Boss arranged for an overnight excursion dubbed Czeh country-side road trip in two 8 seaters van finishing off in Cesky Krumlov. After breakfast, our local guide for the next few days, Petr, picked us up and we left Prague to experience a taste of rural Czech. Our next destination was UNESCO Kutna Hora, famous for the centuries-old Bone Church. The entire church was filled with human bones and skulls from tens of thousands of bodies. There were bones on the arches, lining the walls, stacks of skulls; even the grand chandelier was made of human bones, all hung up like some form of macabre artwork! There was something that looked like a really huge royal crest that was made of bones. In contrast, it was nice when we witnessed a wedding entourage emerge from a nearby cathedral, after our visit to the Bone Church. We were even jostling with the official photographers for the wedding couple's photos! We lunched at the café next to the cathedral and enjoyed some delicious Czech dishes. Before heading to Petr's house for a home stay in the village of Dalecin, we stopped by the local supermarket to buy groceries for the BBQ that night. After so much traveling the last 11 days, the home stay was a welcome relief. I finally felt that I was on holiday and can relax by taking walks in the countryside and doing nothing but relax. We had a great BBQ dinner.
Pretty little village of Dalecin / Our overnight cottage in Dalecin
Day 12, Sun – 17/6/2007 (Dalecin – Moravian Kras caves – Cesky Krumlov)
We were off to the Moravian Kras caves after breakfast. There was a short walk through a forested road before we got to the caves. There were hordes of Czech tourists. The caves are somewhat like our limestone caves with a river system running through it and we had to come out of the caves by boat.
We stopped along the way for lunch at a small town before continuing on to Cesky Krumlov. The journey took a few hours and we arrived the picturesque UNESCO town of Cesky Krumlov in the evening. Our accommodation was at the Rosa Pension, a lovely little guesthouse with friendly proprietors and cosy rooms. After settling in, we had dinner at Babylon, a rustic restaurant by the Vltava River.
Day 13, Mon – 18/6/2007 (Cesky Krumlov, kayaking the Vltava River)
Breakfast at Rosa's was splendid and we all overate! Time for some exercise after that. Some of us opted to join Petr for a 3-hour kayaking experience down the Vltava. It was a great way to see the town – from a different perspective. It was hilarious to see some of our friends topple off their kayak and getting soaked when tackling some rapids!
After lunch, we were free to wander the cobble-stoned streets of the town. The whole town looks like it has just popped out of a fairytale! Every picture we took from every corner of the town looks like a postcard. The Chateau / Castle on top of the hill dominates the town and we got splendid views of the whole town from it. There were also 2 well-fed resident brown bears in the moat of the Chateau. We had dinner at one of the restaurants by the riverbank, opposite the Chateau and in the twilight, when the Chateau was lit up, it felt like we'd been transported into a fairytale.
Day 14, Tues – 19/6/2007 (Cesky Krumlov)
It was another lovely day to “lepak” in “fairytale town” and we wandered the streets after another filling breakfast. The little shops in town sold such lovely Bohemian handicrafts that we wanted to buy everything but unfortunately, we did not have the capacity to carry too much home.
We wandered for hours, enjoying our time there. I even wandered into the old Eggenberg brewery and found it closed, but as luck would have it, got a personal tour of the brewery when the sales manager happened to open the gate and saw me standing there and invited me in! He offered me beer alcohol (42%!) and unfiltered beer straight out from the gigantic barrels and I ended up drunk by the time I stumbled out of the brewery! It took me hours to sober up after that.
Boss writes - We had 2 grand beautiful boring days in Cesky Krumlov. On this day, I took another leisurely 4hr boat trip together with my "kakis" Simon and Lilian on another route away from town. Camping along the river and boating is a very popular activity for locals here.
Black towers of Charles Bridge Prague / Vltava River Cesky Krumlov
Day 15, Wed – 20/6/2007 (Cesky Krumlov – Salzburg)
It was time to leave “fairytale town” after breakfast. Boss arranged a van to Linz, Austria, where we took the train to UNESCO Salzburg, 1½ hours away. We arrive Salzburg about 2pm. and went out to explore the city. Our hostel was conveniently located on Linzer Grasse road, a popular street in Salzburg. The Danube is a short walk up the road and across the bridge is the old town where the castle and the famous street is situated. We took the tram up to the castle and got there just as a storm blew up. After sitting out the rather dramatic storm atop the castle, we walked back to our hostel.
Day 16, Thurs – 21/6/2007 (Salzburg – Vienna)
We went on the popular “Sound of Music” walking tour that took us to the Gardens, the catacombs and various locations where the famous musical was filmed. After a quick tour, we left Salzburg and went on our way to Vienna. We reached Vienna in the evening. Andrew and I rented bicycles and explored the beautiful city until late at night. The whole area leading to and around St. Stephen's Cathedral was crowded with people enjoying the summer night out.
Day 17, Fri – 22/6/2007 (Vienna – Doha)
Our last day in Europe. Andrew and I grabbed a map and cycled around Vienna city again, while the rest of the group took the underground train to do their exploration. Seeing Vienna on bikes was a very different experience and allowed us a lot of freedom to see more of the city. After having a piece of the world famous Sacher Torte at the Sacher Hotel, it was time to leave Vienna. We took a bus to the airport from the nearby bus station and boarded our plane home.
Day 18, Sat – 23/6/2007 (Doha – Home)
There was a stopover at Doha, Qatar on the way home and we got a chance to visit the Middle East country. It was already very hot, dry and dusty despite it being very early in the morning. However, that did not deter a few of us from venturing out to the old market area to have a look. The market looked like a movie set for Star Wars – the planet of Tatooine (Star Wars fans would know what I mean……..), especially with the women clad in black and the men in white, walking around silently! We ended up having really good roti canai and fresh mango juice at the local “mamak” restaurant at the market and did some shopping before heading back to the airport for our flight home. Accomodation in Old Town Cesky Krumlov / Cesky Krumlov from Castle.
View from Cesky Krumlov Castle / Accomodation in Cesky Krumlov
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