Presentation - Trip to Central America

Last weekend I went to Český Šternberk, right in the center of Bohemia. There, I gave a presentation to a group of students from Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, in Russia. It was quite a nice learning experience being there, and showing them Central America with pictures and them describing me the republic and its capital city Yakutsk.

Český Šternberk Castle

I am too lazy to think about the description of Český Šternberk, but can summarize what I found in Wikipedia and what my friends have told me, and from what I saw.

This place is cool. There is very nice river crossing the small town in the outskirts of the mountain. The main feature here is the Český Šternberk Castle built in the mid-13 century. It is an early Gothic castle which was constructed, named and still owned by members of the same family, the Sternberg (Šternberk in Czech), of German origin, and is considered one of the best preserved Gothic Bohemian castles.

Of course, the castle has gone through several reconstructions. The towers and foundations from the original building are still there, and the new building seats in the middle of the walls. It is a fascinating fact that the castle is still owned by the family who built it, leave along its historical importance and beauty.

The castle was first built by Zdeslav Sternberg in 1241. Then in 1467 is was taken by the royal armies of George of Poděbrady, and regain by the turn of the 15th century. Ownership was passed to other families in 1712 with the death of one of the branches of the Sternberg family, just to be taken back in 1841 by another branch of the family. Then the communist came and nationalized the castle in 1949, and was returned to its original owners in 1992 after the Velvet Revolution. And so far, so good.

Kayaking

The natural setting along the river is relaxing and great for kayaking and canoeing. There are beavers and different kinds of birds along the river bank. People take their canoes and go under the bridge. There is a train line and the sound of the machine roars every other hour not far from the river. The houses are also close, and the ambient of this small village is of relaxation.

From Russia to Central America

Giving my presentation was a good experience. In 2 hours I showed pictures and videos of my trips in Central America. As I was flipping through the slides, I realized how interesting it was for me to do this - that I was actually making a presentation of my six months in Central America. I still have to figure out how to download the slides in blogspot, so for now, just imagine it :)

I also learnt from them and Sakha (Yakutia) Republic. The first thing was that deep underground the soil is always frozen! This is no wonder when you later learn that winter temperatures can reach -40 C, and have even go down to -60 C..... brrrrrrr! But it is not cold all the time. During the summer, the temperature rises to about 30 C - for one month only, and then slowly it goes back to below 0 C. They have also found mammoths fossils, and there is oil and diamonds, of which benefits go mostly to Moscow.

I had an awesome experience sharing with them. We shared stories about our trips, explained more about our customs, foods, and way of life in Central America and Sakha. I also received many special gifts from students. They gave me a piece of a horse tail to keep mosquitoes away, an amulet made of moose skin and hair to protect me from bad spirits, pieces of mammoth tusk, and fridge magnets from the city to add to my collection. Next, is me traveling 9 hours to Sakha, northeast of Siberia.

Bezděz, Vienna - A castle from the 13th Century

Bezděz

The Bezděz Castle was the best! This is the first one I have seen that assimilates to what I had imagine a castle would look like. The building has been there for centuries, since the 1200's, is in ruins, is atop a mountain, the view of the landscape is great, and inside there is an air that gives a feeling of what life probably was like to the last day the castle was in use.

There are large fields of brassica flowers surounding the area where the castle is located. From beneth, on the mountain skirts, the small town feels even smaller at the sight of the castle above. One can only imagine Wenceslas II looking down to his domains, and descending to relax and hunt in the forest. This guy was the boss of the Bohemian Kingdom and Poland from age 7! Guess pre-K was just too easy.

The way to the top of the mountain is fascinating. Entering the town, there is a small beer patio, where a nice old lady sells Kozel beer, and sausages that are clearly unhealthy, but tasty : ) This beer is now at the top of my list of heavenly tasty Czech beers, on second place right bellow Pilsner Urquell.

Back to the road, there is a stone gate, still standing from way too long ago. The stone steps go around the slope of the mountain, and one can only imagine why it was needed to have a well stocked castle with food and board games! Along the path there are large structures with the Stations of the Cross from the 1700's when the castle was turned into a monastery.

I liked the simplicity of the castle. The large heavy brown and black gate is not that old, but it is cool and looks like those in the movies! Passing a large well at one extreme of the court yard there are the spiral steps leading to the top of the main tower, and the view is breath taking. The view from the highest point in the castle goes as far as the eye can see. The King came up here from time to time to have a nice look of his Kingdom.

About 8km northwest there is the small town of Doksy (1200's). Getting there is part of the adventure. One can take two trains, but that is long and not as interesting. Instead, walking through the forest is better, and it only takes about 1 hour. Here, the king came to hunt, and people from town cut trees in preparation for the bitter winter. Now there are roads where bikers and joggers exercise, but back then it was trees and more trees, and one could find himself takin the last breath before facing a fatal sward. Now the worse one can face is dog poop.

In Doksy, there is a small square, and about a mile from there there is the train station next to Lake Mácha. There is a beach, and a nice view of the castle.  This is a great trip if one is to see a castle in the Czech Republic, one of so many still avaiable to discover.


Vienna

In an attempt to save money and time, we had a short trip in Vienna. We were actually going to Bratislava, one hour away, and it was not that expensive to include a stop. So, we took the morning bus and arrived at 5:00 am. It was dark, and no people around. At 6:00 we found a small cafe shop and there we made the plan to visit Vienna.

In total we walked around and stop at different cafes from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm. It was Saturday, and a very unlively morning... duh! it was too early to see any action on a weekend! Good thing is that the architekture of the city is impressive. It reminds me of some buildings in Berlin, with large spaces and nice green areas, super sized statues, dramatic stone buildings, colors in gray, black and beige, and a nice collection of Gothic and Baroque buildings.

Around noon it got more active, and after a long walk it was a good time to stop for another coffee and bisquets. In front of City Hall, at Rathausepark there was an Austrian Fest. People from different regions of the country came together to celebrate their traditions. They weared traditional customes, played fold music, and participated in old celebrations while drinking Austrian wine and eating sausages.

They were having a lot of fun doing their thing. One group of tipsy guys were playing a game where you hammer a nail in one blow into a tree trunk - and the drunker you are, the more fun it is! There were also many music groups and dance groups, all showing the folklore of their towns.

What I really like is how they were enjoying their fest, their music, traditional dances, costumes, food, beer, wine, coffee... it is really a lot of fun. And even some people who were not participating in the programmed events came in traditional costumes to show what is traditional in their regions. In the video above, the same dance can have different themes, many related to the life in the country side.


Photo album

• Vienna, Bežděz, Brno

Paris - très bien

The café & croissant; watching life happening from a small round table as it if was a movie in black & white; Jim Morrison taking a smoke next to his grave; the City of Lights at midnight. Only the 1920s Peugeot limousine and Ernest Hemingway in the back were missing.

Not only the Eiffel Tower is a huge and impressive structure, it is a beautiful monument, and more so at night. We were coming back from dinner just north of Champs de Mars, and there it was - bright yellow, sparkling with little white lights, and layers of green and blue in the back, and the searching light watching over Paris.

One of the best activities in Paris is to seat at a cafe, on the corner, where narrow coble stone streets or tree lined boulevards and avenues intersect at one point, and just watch. In most of the nicest cafés the tables and chairs are set up like in the movie theatres with the addition of small round tables; and people can seat facing the street and watch life happening at the tune of wine and cafe late sips. Even though to the eye everything is in full color, everything gradually turns black and white, and details become slower and clearer and relaxing.

The neighborhood of Montmartre is a great place to start a trip to Paris. This is where Sacre Coeur Basilique is, an amazing display of (type) architecture. The view from up the hill is awesome, and there are lots of small shops, cafes, restaurants. Around here, life is more down to earth compared to sophisticated Paris down the hill.

After a visit to Basilique du Sacre Coeur, we sat for a glass of Bordeaux wine and mousse au chocolat (tasty!). The café was at an intersection of five narrow streets, and from here we witnessed three photo sessions. Two of them were Asian couples posing for their wedding albums, and one was a photo session for a fashion project. For extra happiness to one of the couples, a miniature Eiffel Tower.

After coffee, we walked two streets down to Place du Tertre, a small square were painters gather and make portraits on the spot, paint scenaries and sell jewelry. During the day, local artists and street performers attempt to recreate the heydays when the district drew famous artists from all over Europe, including Picasso's studio. After sunset, the nightlife around the square and along the way to Mounlin Rouge is fantastic!

We moved on in our quest to find Moulin Rouge down the hill. Along the way we found small specialty shops with nice clothing, antiques, and huts at relatively affordable prices. Champs Elysées is not the way to go... shopping is best around Montmartre. There are lots of small cafes, wine and cheese stores, street vendors, and a way of life that is very appealing.

Paris is a big city at the center, and there is a lot to see in every direction. One of the best walks is from Arc du Triomphe passing through Champs Elysées' tree lined up boulevard and expensive shops; Jardin des Tuileries' statues and fountains; Musée du Louvre's immense collection of art and a tiny Mona Lisa. Then turning left and crossing a bridge full of locks were lovers throw the keys to the river on the way to Ile de la Cité Ile Saint-Louis where Marie Antoinette was jailed not far from where Notre Dame de Paris is - a great one! Tired yet?!

Notre Dame is a great display of fine architecture, and the area around is lively and good for a walk. There are street vendors and stores along La Siene. Here we bought a painting for 2EUR, not bad! A few blocks up the street there are the nieghborhoods of Les Halles and The Marais.

Les Halles is nicknamed "the stomach of Paris" because for centuries is was the great central market. It is a good place to find good and affordable meals, and to see modern architekture. The Marais is known as the "Old Paris". It is around here where the city of Paris started, and now it is the place to find Kosher food and is also the Gay district.

Another nice place to visit is Cimetiere Pere Lachaise, a huge cemetery where Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison are RIP. This place looks like a city! There are large graves along the narrow curvey streets and steps. Some of them are big like national monuments, have creative themes, and some even have dark humor. A few of them have their doors open, which proves my theory that eternity might not be as fun as life down here.

I particularly liked Jim's and Edith's graves. There were many tothers with statues of the dead, golden ribbons, dramatic scenes engraved in super-sized stones, right next to the main roads for all to see. Jim and Edith have simple ones, small, their names engraved in medium size letters, and surrounded by other larger graves. Jim's was the best. He had his cigies outside, next to the largest white flowers for whenever he wants to scape eternity and join us in this crazy world of ours.

On the last day, we had a small picnic at Champs de Mars, in front of the Eiffel Tower. The morning was warm and sunny, and had time for more sightseeing before getting back to Prague. After a short walk we run into this pedestrian bridge leading to Pont de Bir-Hakeim over New York Avenue. This is the point in the movie Inception where Cobb is following Ariane as she realizes she can control the architekture of the dream, right before Mal kills her..... and then I woke up!

Paris is quite impressive in real life as it is in pictures - black & white during the day, bright and sparklying during the night. It was rainy for the most part. Still, walking under a soft rain is good. Paris is not affordable for the most part, but there are places where prices for coffee and baguette with cheese are decent. Bars close at 2:00 am, but if you know the right person, he can get you in by knocking on a closed door and saying the secret code to a pair of eyes throught a small window: it's me!

Check it out after the visits to the must see points in the guide book.


Photo album

• Paris

Máj - Some Czech traditions

I hope to go back to London sometime and have a better chance to experience it more. In the meantime, there is more traveling to do here in Prague and around.

Since December, I have experienced some of the most interesting traditions and events here in Czech Republic. The religious festivities and traditions are particularly interesting, more so when taking into account this is not a religious country, in general.

Christmas time, Prague style

Charles Bridge at Na Kampé Malá Strana

Right before Christmas, people gather under the Charles Bridge (Karlův most) in Na Kampé Malá Strana. During the communist times, people started to come to sing Christmas songs here spontaneously, and didn't need a formal form of organization; people just knew what to do and when, and they would find each other at this place to sing. Since then, it has become a very nice tradition that takes place under a bridge that was first built in the mid 1300's.

As they sing, some people walk around with bottles of fernet, slivovice, and hot wine to share. A few others walk around with bowls of cramberries and olives, and others carry bags filled with small wrapped gifts, usually candy or small toys. All meanwhile people sing along, drink, and meet with their family and friends under the bridge. At home, the Christmas tree awaits with way more gifts than most could handle! There can be so many gifts for each person that half of the tree can be covered; and to distribute the gifts can take as long as an hour, maybe more.

St Vitus Cathedral - constructions in 925, 1060, 1344 AD

It is very interesting to see how here in Prague it is common to celebrate festivities with a religious feeling only around Christmas time, in a town known for its heavy Atheist population. Long ago Christian religion was a big part of life, which is clearly evidenced by the dozens of large and very nicely decorated churches from 100's of years ago all over the Czech Republic. St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague is one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings of gothic architecture. It has been constructed and rebuilt three times in 925, 1060, and the current one in 1344 AD.

Communism was a big factor in how Czechs in Prague, and most of the Bohemia region, perceived religion. In those years, religion was suppressed, and after decades of not practicing religion by the older generations, the younger generations now have a tendency to consider themselves Atheists.

Yet, during the last week of December, here in Prague it is common to hear Czechs singing Christmas carols in front of the churches. On the 25th, many go to Mass at the local church and have a regular Catholic service. All other days, churches are very much empty.

Old Town Square - Staroměstské náměstí

Then there are the Christmas markets. I visited the ones in Prague, Bratislava, Krakow, and Budapest, and they all were really cool! Vendors set up stands in the main squares, and sell mostly hand-made crafts. You find everything in here from clay pots, to straw dolls, ceramic bells and angels, and wax decorations. The food and hot alcoholic drinks are also really good, particularly in those unbearable cold nights. It is also nice to see the huge Christmas trees in the middle of the squares full of lights and sparkling stars at the very top; the bright decorations of lights and Angles playing trumpets along the boulevards; the Nativity scenes in the churches; the Christmas carols in the squares.


Christmas beer and the "hunger" flying golden fish

Christmas beer - Depending on the pub you go to, the owners make a special beer for these days. I had this one dark and strong beer at a pub near the Prague Castle.

Ladies and Gents - cloudy (unfiltered) beer in small quantities does wonders to the spirit in a cold night in company of friends and succulent roast pork with dumplings and purple sauerkraut (pečené vepřové s knedlíky a se zelím) I kid you not!

The Golden Fish is a symbol of good fortune. And here is the deal - on Christmas day you are not supposed to eat until dinner when you can have the traditional Carp. Word has it that eventually you will see a flying Golden Carp, and if you catch it, you will have good luck.

I figured - of course you are gonna see flying fish, and very likely other abnormal things happening... it is called hallucination caused by hunger!

By the way, it is not a Golden Fish as a Czech rightly pointed out. It is a Flying Pig... there you have it Ladies and Gents - total hallucination!

Where is Nemo, mami?

Christmas dinner is very nice. To some extent, the experience is comparable to Thanksgiving in the US. Family and friends cook lots of dishes and prepare different drinks, get together around the table and talk and laugh, and in two hours stuff themselves to the neck. It is fun and a really good time to enjoy with those close to you.

Instead of Turkey, they cook fish. Now, this is the only time Czechs really eat fish, in general. Three days before December 25, people buy carp on the street, still alive and swimming in over crawded fish tanks. Then, like with lobster in a fancy restaurant - and sometimes even at a diner in NY - you get to pick the fish. The butcher can prepare it for you, or you can take it home alive and keep it in the bath tub for a couple of days.

If you want it prepared, the butcher puts one his giant rubber globes, takes the fish out of the tank and into his arms, and very quickly hits the fish in the head with a hammer real hard; right there and then skins it, takes all the guts out and cuts it in pieces. Not a pretty scene, let me tell you. The butchering of an animal still alive, the blood on the table and dripping down to the sidewalk and into the drain on the street is still something I cannot get used to, not in Czech, Spain, Vietnam, anywhere.

The other way is to bring home the carp alive, and keep it in the bath tub swimming for a couple of days before killing it. Doing this, I cannot help to imagine little Petr coming home one day and asking - Where is Nemo, mami?....Not cool :/

Even Chuck Norris cannot handle it. Check out this T-Mobile commercial from the Czech Republic. Tough guy, hu!


The only day when whipping girls is legal!

On Easter Monday, very early in the morning, men prepare a whip from a special tree branch, and then walk around town whipping girls along the way. According to the tradition, the harder you hit women, the longer they stay beautiful... and after the beating, women give you in return shots of alcohol or chocolate eggs.... could not believe it! In Prague, men might make the whip, but they are not likely to go around beating girls, or at least strangers. In the country side this is a more common tradition.

We went to the small town of Mnisek, on the south, and it was a good experience. The night before, we hit the only bar in town, and apparently the only formal business too. In the morning, we went out to whip them all, on the street and at their homes - no one was safe! And then, then we realized that almost all the people we met that morning were also at the bar the night before. What do you expect in a town of only 90 people!

Now, the whip is in water, and it is growing some leaves. I might go back to Mnisek and plant it. In that way, after many years I can make more whips from its branches and do it all over again!


A romantic kiss, Prague way!

A little history here. There was this guy, a poet called Karel Hynek Mácha that most Czechs know about. Karel wrote what is today considered one of the best romantic poems in the Czech literature. He wrote the poem  Máj (May) in 1836, and at the time no one thought it was that good. The poem talks about love for the beauty of spring. After writing the poem, he died in a fire trying to save a victim. Many years later after his death, his work was recognized.

Many Czechs celebrate Máj as a romantic love poem in May, as if it was St. Valentine's day, but better - it is not commercialized and people do it spontaneously. When celebrating Máj, couples stand under a tree with flowers and kiss. A cool place to celebrate is Letna, on Letenské Sady. There is a beer garden up there, and the view from Prague is amazing! During the Spring season, there are lots of flowers on the trees... the best excuse to give your sweet heart a special moment.

Burn, Burn!!!

Witch burning is another interesting tradition around Labor Day. And here is the thing, there is no celebration of Labor Day per se - Czechs call it Labor Day but celebrate their version of St Valentine's on day before the witch burning.

On the day before Labor Day, people gather around a fire and burn a doll representing a witch, as in the old old times when this was done to lots of women for real. This tradition is more fun in the country side, cause then friends camp around the fire, share stories while cooking sausages on a stick and drinking beer or Slivovice, a really strong vodka-like drink made of plums. Here in Prague, the city gets ghostly empty, but it is possible to still see some burning in Podolské nábřeží, a really cool place along the river, packed with restaurants, bars, food stands, and a beach!!! Czech Republic doesn't have access to the ocean, but here you can find a Czech beach!


Photo album coming up!

London - Rugby, I get it!!!

So I was in London for the first time. I knew there would be little chance to walk around because I was working.... but I was in London, it was not as rainy and fuggy as I had expected, and I did get to see something.

The black taxi painted in red and red phone box which lots of tourists thought it was best for pictures than for calls. I never really saw anyone making a call in there....

I tried to take a decent picture of the London Eye at night but didn't have my tripod, so this is my best shot...

The Big Ben, which I have to say is impressive, and the architectural design of parlament is awesome ...

The London Bridge is nice in architecture too....

The London Tower and the Crown Jewels, which by the way was awesome to see how they shine...

The double decker red bus (old and new) crossing in front of St. Paul's Cathedral...

Really nice Nothing Hill and the many many usless but interesting things you can buy at the Portobello Market...

Hyde Park, by the fountain, across the yellow flowers - I think this is a NYT's pic, in my humble opinion....

Oxford Circus and the many young people just hanging out pretty much every single nigth, most likely on their way to the clubs around Leisester Square - I can almost guarantee it...

Then there was the Rosetta Stone in display at the British Museum... If you want a picture, google it. I can only say it is really nice to see such a beautiful thing. But the pic from above at the entrance of the museum is nice...

And then there are the standard black, gray, white and beige colors of the city, aside from the redish/brownish brick buildings in Mayflower and the muilticolor buildings in Nothing Hill, plus some other I am sure I missed all around London....

On the last day, when I actually had some time to walk around after 10 days of working, I went to the local pub near my hotel for dinner and a rugby game - England vs. Ireland. It ended 27-9, England up, which apparentely was really impressive given the two teams are just as good.

Early during the week I had met some interesting folks and we met on Sat, and while watching the rugby game, these guys tried to explain how rugby works, and I totally can see why it is an awesome game. They told me "football (soccer for you in the US) is a game of gentelmen played by hooligans, while rugby is a game of hooligans played by gentelmen", which I got. They also tried to explained what England, UK and Great Britain really mean, and I was still lost. Then I saw this video, and now I think I got it.

This is a fun video, and there are some more at http://blog.cgpgrey.com/, where the intention is to explain the inexplicable.

Photo album

• London 2012

Krakow - Who knew? Hot Beer!

Night train

One thing is to go by bus for 6 hours to Berlin, or even 8 to Budapest by train. But 11 hours on a seat... no way! This is how long it can take to Krakow, Poland by train from Prague. In this case, it is probably better to take the night train and stay on a cabin with bed.

This is awesome! Not only comfortable, the sound of the tracks, the rocking movement, the blue light outside, it all makes the trip worth the 60 euros. Plus, think about it - you save on accomodation for one night, so in the end, it is a really good deal.

Prague-Krakow train tickets nifo


Krakow's hot drinks

Hot beer with raspberry vodka - 70%!

Seriously, when I heard it, the thought of it made feel close minded. When you drink beer, you want it cold, right? Hot beer is very good too, of course, with some special flavoring. The bar tender boils it, then adds cinnamon and sweet syrup, like raspberry or ginger, and a wage of orange in most places. Then there is the option of adding flavored vodka - raspberry for example. Oh, what a difference! It is good to try it.

Hot wine is popular in many countries here in Europe. In Poland, it is called Grzaniec. During the winter season, there are lots of stands in the shape of wine barrels around the main squares. It is so cool to get your small cup, and then drink it standing near the food stands where is warm. Here, hot wine also can have honey, which taste very good.

Winter, and in particular Christmass, feels very nice in these cities. It is cold, but people gather in large groups, seating on old wooden benches or standing around tall tables. Here you drink hot wine or beer, eat all kinds of dishes with sausages, potatoes, rice, sourkraut, and bread. There is more in the menu, but these are the favs.


City of details

The view from Krakus Mound is awesome. This day in particular was freezing cold, and the day was cloudy, so the view was not as colorful and long, but it was good. From up here, the entire city can be seen all around. On each side it is possible to see the old town, the power plant, the cemetery, and a huge hole on the ground where the dirt came from to form the mound, and the hole seems just as deep as the mound's hight, as if it was scooped like an ice cream ball.

There are lots of interesting details in Krakow. The buildings are similiar in design, but they all have something different and interesting if one looks closely. Also, in every district there is a particular set of designs and details that can make you feel you are in a different place every few blocks.

The city felt gray the entire time. That's because it was cold, the leafless trees, no snow, gray sky. Still, it was nice to walk down the streets, see the castle, the souvenir market, the food and drink stands, the cafes, the restaurants with their own themes, the old churches and sculptures on the walls, the locks on Most Józefa Piłsudskiego symbolizing couples' compromise to stay together, and then all the types of clubs, which can be really active.


The Jewish Quarter

I should have known better. The Jewish quarters in Krakow as in Prague is not like saying Crown Hights in Brooklyn, NY, to use an extreme example. Communities like Kazimierz had long seen Jewish populations (from the 14th century in many cases) dimish after WWII. Places like this are full of history. Today, Kazimierz is seeing an economic revival, and luckly, many of its features from the time the Jews left, are still visible, and now there is an interest to restore more of them.

This place is different from the rest of Krakow. It has its own building designs, Jewish details like fences shaped like manorahs, cafes and book shops with Jewish motives and signs in hebrew. At the moment of writing this posting, I was not sure whether there was also an increase of Jews moving to town, although my guess is that only the economic part of it was (showing how little I know about the topic). Some of this is also visitble in Prague, where the Jewish quarter is Josefov.


City of hidden variety

Funny thing - I was convinced I would see lots of old synagogues when I spotted them on the map. Looked around for them and only found one that was really old, and it was closed. And even that, I think it was only a library. The Jewish museum in Kazimierz was very good, and had lots of collections from centuries ago.

And in the process of finding these synagogues, we found a Tango Cafe. It was quite something to see Tango dancing after so long, in such a far away place. And it felt really good to be there, seating on an old and squeeky chair, having a small cup of capuccino, listening to Gardel and seeing couples dancing with some of the passion you would expect fromTango. Really good.

I also liked the cafes in the Jewish quarter. The ones I visited had old pictures. Looking outside, I realized the pictures could easily have been taken just a day ago, in black and white on purpose, because lots of buildings and streets still look like they did at the end and beginning of the 19th and 20th centuries - like in the pictures.

Josef street is another part of the city with its own charater. This is where most art shops and underground cafes and pubs are found. Nearby there are also a few bars where Salsa tunes mix with hot beer a few nights a week.

For a more alternative crowd, close to Beera Meiselsa street there are lots of pubs, underground clubs, and street food. For more main stream, pop culture, there are plenty of trendy clubs around the Old Market Square - and yes, you can defenitely hit all of this in two nights till early in the morning.

Krakow is a good place to visit. If coming from far away, say 10 hours on the road, I would recommend a cabin with bed in a night train. You arrive early in the morning, say at 7:00 am, and go to a coffee shop around the Old Market Square, have a capuccino with bagel and cream cheese, watch outside the window as people walk by on their way to work or back home after a rough night. Then the rest is what you make of it.

The city has its charm and is full of history, things to see and do, and it is heaven for photographers, I would think. During the winter is not as easy, for a summer trip - in my list.


Photo album

• Krakow