Europe 2006 - Day 7 - Poland

• Bakery breakfast
• Minibus to Auschwitz (no photos inside camps)
• Film first - needs to be updated - seems about 30-40 years old, besides the necessary WWII-era newsreel footage
• Signed up for English tour - ended up w/ a private tour guide - bus to Auschwitz II-Birkenau - guide explained layout from top of gate tower - huge complex - saw latrine + bunk buildings - latrine building had 201 concrete seats - memorial offerings in bunk included a chain of origami cranes - back to Auschwitz I - main administrative center - barracks (built w/ bricks from houses in surrounding villages) are filled with prisoners' belongings (suitcases, shoes, eyeglasses, etc) - extremely powerful - last stop was the one remaining crematorium - low-ceiling'd + somber - difficult tour but recommended for anyone who goes to Poland
• Can't imagine seeing Auschwitz at any other time of year - this was the sunset outside Auschwitz I

• On a lighter note, the recycling bins look like PacMan ghosts

• Bus back to Krakow
• Pierogi snack in xmas market
• Dinner w/ Maciek + Ania at local cellar restaurant - traditional Polish fare - Shan had this gorgeous plate of liver, sauteed w/ apples + onions, served w/ mashed potatoes

• Aw, man, we shoulda had the chicken breasts! (local telecom mascot?)

Europe 2006 - Day 6 - Poland

• Hiked to a hilltop cathedral - trail is a very old pilgrimage route + includes stations of the cross

• Private tour by monk @ cathedral, including crypts
• Bus to Kielce
• Kamil wanted to take us to a nearby cave - closed!
• The lower roof on this Kielce cathedral is getting new copper panels

• Kamil wanted to show us a plaque on the side of the building - construction foreman said no!
• Greek dinner
• Kamil took us to see an important sculpture off the main street - street lamp went out just as he began telling us about it - poor Kamil!
• Nice tea near train station
• Train to Krakow
• Walked through Galeria mall b/c Shan thought she knew the right exit to get back to hostel - wrong! damn! - Dave found our way back
• Late dinner at Christmas market
  

Europe 2006 - Day 5 - Poland

• To Wielicka Salt Mine
• A shot down the center of the staircase

• The floors, walls, and sculptures in these photos are composed of salt (except where obviously wood)

• Late lunch @ Bagelmama - best. bagel. ever. Plus yum soup!
• Took train to Kielce - how to not get a seat-mate:



• Kielce's main street was beautifully misty

• Drinks @ Club Gaudi

• Dinner @ Sphinx - a popular chain serving Middle Eastern - wish we had this chain in San Antonio!

Europe 2006 - Day 4 - Poland

• Slept in - ahhh :)
• Back to Wawel Castle to see cathedral and grounds


• Antennae across from Wawel hill

• Met Kamil for dinner
• Walked to Barbican + memorials
• Bought fried pies @ McDonald's to use the toilets!

Europe 2006 - Day 3 - Germany to Poland

• Awesome buffet breakfast @ Felsenkeller

• Flight: Frankfurt-Hahn to Krakow


• Met @ airport by Maciek + Ania - tea @ their flat - nice!

• They got us a deal on a private room @ Sky Hostel - signs like this one line the main hall, 'cept this one is inadvertently funny

• Walked to Christmas market in main square - youth choir singing carols on stage - hot, mulled wine - grilled wurst + kraut snack - lovely
  
• Met Maciek for dinner in cellar restaurant
• Walked around Wawel Castle
• Sculpture of Smok Wawelski (The Wawel Dragon) below castle, next to Vistula River - sign said to text SMOK to #7168 + the dragon will breath fire - we tried twice - apparently Smok was taking the night off

Europe 2006 - Day 2 - Germany

• Very little sleep
• Picked up rental car @ MUC - super helpful Budget desk agent - nice map
• Drove to Sohren - ~6 hours - stopped partway to nap @ rest stop - saw snow for first + last time this trip



• Checked into Hotel-Restaurant zum Felsenkeller - excellent!



• Owners are chef + his wife - great dinner - Shan had stroganoff-type meat + mushrooms over spätzle - mmm...

Europe 2006 - Day 1 - US to Germany

• Flight from San Antonio to Washington, DC (Dulles)
• Fun Geo Stuff 1: my water bottle has a handy diagram of the water cycle



• Fun Geo Stuff 2: evidence of glacial retreat in Virginia

• Flight from DC to Munich, Germany
• Shan's toys: eBook reader + mp3 player



• Shan's book [spoiler for George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords!]



• Dave's toys



• Dave's book - bonus points if you can identify it... (or even read it)



• Best part of the Lufthansa flight: free Bailey's after dinner - yes, please! - almost like reading my book in a big, leather chair before a toasty fire - except not.
  

Check out the archives...

...I've retro-posted our 2004 trip to Germany, Austria, Italy (Rome, mostly) and Croatia there. Some nice photos!

Also for the intrepid blogsplorer: our 2004 Pacific trip (3 months thru New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand).

Currently retro-posting our 1998-99 Circle-Pacific trip (5.5 months thru California, Hawaii, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong).

After that, will post our 1999-2000 trip to Europe (5 months thru England, Ireland, Wales, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Germany [photo above], Czech Republic, France).

Enjoy!