Bittersweet, this was my last full week of travel before heading back home. It’s probably a good time for me to enjoy American summer without thinking about work.
Day 1
Travel day to Slovakia. I feel bad for only spending a day in the country. It’s just all hotels were completely booked past Sunday and I was really tired from staying in hostels that I needed a few days to reset.
Quickly checked in to my room
It started down pouring all of a sudden and I was forced to push back on my old town walking tour.
Once the rain subsided, I decided to go find a pub that serves traditional food and beers.
It’s probably as decent as Slovakian food goes (the restaurant was reaffirmed by my tour guide the next day) for 26euros with 2 beers. As a food critic, I have to comment on a few things. First, the draft beers were a bit too warm, and the glasses aren’t chilled.
Second, I just don’t like having sour cream on literally everything. It’s just so overtaking on top of very sour soup already. The photo chips were surprisingly good. Of course, the dipping sauce is sour cream.
Didn’t do much but headed back early (of course, I bought some local spirit from a liquor store. A random customer and the shop attendant gave me loads of good advise. Friendly people for sure.)
Day 2
Finally a bright and summer day.
The castle
On and on, the free walking tour was really good. Loads of information and urban legends. You can see Slovakians are very well educated. On the other hand, for a small country it really struggles to have its own identity (from the ancients romans, then the Ottoman, and then Austria – Hungarian empire. Finally czechoslovakia, then world wars and Soviet occupation)
After the tour, it’s a short train ride to Vienna. I originally didn’t plan on going towards the West Europe. Then, I was really close to this major city.
Turned out I was also just really tired to do another walking tour, and decided to get a quick snack and chilled for the night.
Apparently after 9pm nothing opens in Vienna, definitely wasn’t expecting that. Went to the only bar that’s open nearby.
Day 3
Busy day to tour all the essential things.
One thing I really enjoyed my tour guide was the objective view on the role Austria played during the WW2. I think having Germany taking all the blames is a bit unfair.
I even climbed to one of the towers (more than 300 stairs!)
Found a brewery nearby
Post lunch, I went to one of the city gardens
Lastly the Royal palace
Nevertheless the garden next to the palace is pretty cool
Met up with a South African backpacker for dinner, we decided to go to the same place where I had dinner the previous night
Day 4
Travel day to Czech – Olomouc. It’s a small town that’s on the way to Poland. I decided to skip Prague this time due to being too popular among tourists.
Found a brewery for some local food
Walked a bit more in town
Day 5
Had a very good breakfast at my hotel (only $50, I am really impressed at how advanced the technology is. It’s fully automatically check-in, in which you download an app and can use it to unlock the room.)
Hopped on a 4hr train ride to Krakow, Poland.
Old town walking tour!
Interesting thing about Krakow is that how well preserved it is. It’s not damaged at all during the World Wars. Germans actually kept the city in quite a great shape during occupation.
So many medieval histories and legends. One of the oldest universities is also in Krakow.
Hung out with an American girl from Bosnia where I met from my walking tour
Dinner was at a local Polish restaurant
Amazing food and drinks for $23. My first proper polish food, I have to say, I quite like it.
Day 6
Quick lunch
Set menu for a soup plus a pork stew for only $7!
The main event for the day was to visit Auschwitz. One of the primary things I wanted to do in Europe. I first learned about Auschwitz from a required reading in University called Survival in Auschwitz. Obviously, Schindler’s List being my favorite movie at all time. (Though, I didn’t realize the factory and the major scenes were actually in Krakow)
I didn’t take many photos out of respect (walking through it, you can almost feel the dead). The museums are worth spending days to visit. Almost every European country gets its own exhibition about Jewish life and history surrounding that period.
Every human being must visit Auschwitz.
Met up with a Chinese a girl from the tour, we decided to get dinner
$37 per person, it’s not cheap but we also over-ordered. Fabulous food nevertheless.
Day 7
Another museum day – Schindler’s Enamel Factory
I spent quite a few hours there, not only to learn more about Schindler outside what’s being portrayed by Steven Spielberg (there’s a theater in the museum where it shows the interviews of his Jewish workers), but also a lot about the war in Krakow and life in the Jewish Ghetto.
Post museums, I needed some shots.
Expenses
| Week 29 | Currency: | EUR | 0.91 | ||
| Day | Food&Drink | Lodging | Transportation | Other (tickets/tours etc) | Day total |
| 1 | $35.92 | $91.08 | $18.82 | $0.00 | $145.82 |
| 2 | $39.93 | $89.01 | $15.49 | $0.55 | $144.99 |
| 3 | $52.16 | $89.01 | $0.00 | $43.41 | $184.58 |
| 4 | $31.59 | $58.99 | $35.27 | $0.00 | $125.85 |
| 5 | $42.42 | $50.92 | $34.73 | $10.00 | $138.06 |
| 6 | $49.97 | $50.92 | $0.00 | $41.24 | $142.13 |
| 7 | $42.93 | $50.92 | $0.00 | $7.91 | $101.76 |
| $294.92 | $480.83 | $104.31 | $103.11 | ||
| Total | Grand Total: | $983.17 |
That must indeed be a bittersweet ending to your trip in Slovakia, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland!
I didn’t know Macrosoft was a thing, haha. They sound much bigger!
That’s interesting about the history, great statues, sights, and food of all of those places. Each country seems to have some peculiarities towards how they like their food.
I also wonder what is going on with the I-weed, you-weed, he-weed. Maybe it’s considered a clever English way to say weed is for all? Haha.
That seemed like a good idea to skip Prague. I’ve been there this time of year before and although it is beautiful I’m sure it’s flooded with tourists.
The tourists in your cabin to Krakow sound very thoughtless towards others and only care about themselves 🙁 Danielle knows a lot of this behavior working in retail, haha.
I didn’t know donuts were invented in Krakow!
The food in Poland looks amazing to me.
Thanks for visiting and getting a few photos of the Auschwitz camp. I didn’t know that Schindler’s List was one of your favorite movies! That was a powerful movie and you saw the right things in person to make it even more meaningful. I hope to visit Poland and the camp someday too.