Krakow last hours

Originally I was going to do a day trip to the mountains today but after getting there and trying to figure out the logistics it didn’t seem like I’d have much time to hike, the activity I really want to do. Tatra does have a tourist area but it seemed mostly shopping which isn’t my thing. People also recommend the thermal baths but I can take or leave those. If I couldn’t do a proper hike I didn’t see the justification to spend all that time commuting for just a view. I think when I return to Poland I’ll do at least two nights there and schedule a proper hike. Instead it is laundry this morning.

I decide to go back up to Wawel castle today but purchased tickets to the Wawel underground. Here one can find remains of old churches and pieces of the castle that’s been destroyed and raided on the past (most famously by the Swedes). The main castle is probably a pretty impressive museum but I don’t have it in me to tour another castle today. My ticket includes two old churches, a museum of columns, facades, and restoration work in general, and also access to the royal gardens where I am loving springtime.

I also buy a ticket to Wawel cathedral because it is said to have some famous people buried there. During the tour I end up in a bell tower (I didn’t do audio tour so I barely know what is going on). No pictures allowed in church but I do snap a couple in the tower. The famous people are mainly polish kings and queens many most in USA have never heard of but I was familiar with a couple because I did about ten episodes of a polish history podcast prior to this trip. Also Chopin (except his heart…more on that in Warsaw) and a former polish president is here.

Royal Gardens at Wawel

Pierogi Time

I need a snack so it’s time for pierogi. This time I do a mix of ruskie (potato and cheese) and spinach and feta and a small local restaurant.

I’m exhausted from the drinks last night (my courage potion might have just given me the courage to not drink again). – just kidding I am drinking a wine at a cafe as I type this. By the way my wine is costing me about $3.20 USD. I relax for a couple hours before dinner at a cafe and then go Kazimierz for dinner and after dinner drinks. I stop at Schindlers Passage one last time to see it without crowds.

Tonight I have reservations at a Alice in wonderland slash mystical speakeasy cocktail bar. The drinks are an interesting combination that correspond to the elements and if you tell them what you like they can custom make something for you; I ordered off the menu of the exiting choices.

Stalking cats in a cat cafe after hours on the way back to my hotel

For the most part I did everything wanted to, main exception the Czartoryski Museum. I waited too long to commit to a visit time and tickets are booked up a week in advance. There is no more go with the flow travel in Europe anymore. If there is something you want to really see you must book in advance, sometimes months).

The reader will get a kick out of learning that the “far away” train station in my arrival post is actually the main station next to my hotel. I am here now and it is exactly as I remember – AND I only walked about 20 minutes to get here. I don’t know why google told me I had over an hour to walk but I can only explain that it was a google failure. It’s odd though because I’ve had google failures in many cities but my days here it has worked perfectly except from my arrival at the train station (it couldn’t possibly be my error?!?).

Anyway I am now heading to Wroclaw.

It’s a holiday today (constitution day) and the train is busy with lots of seat confusion. Me claiming my seat caused a cascading effect where one girl got booted from our car because she didn’t have a confirmed reservation. Note to self – make sure I have confirmed seat reservations on all my legs in the future if I travel from country to country.

Český Krumlov, Bohemia love

A look ahead

My last evening in Český Krumlov is perfect for me. It is humid and overcast but is cool in temperature most of the day. I am on the back patio of my hotel room and reflecting on my visit before I leave for Austria tomorrow. I could spend the evening trying a local beer at at nearby tavern, but for now I am enjoying the cheap bottle of Vetliner I bought at the puppet & wine store a couple doors down (There is a puppet museum that sells wine bottles. Skipped the puppets but bought some wine).

Arrival in Český Krumlov

The train ride to Cesky Krumlov isn’t too bad at a couple hours from Prague. The train station seems to be far from town but fortunately the walk is all downhill into town. I leave in a few day by bus and it seems like the bus station isn’t as far of a climb uphill.

I walk through an arch that has a walkway above that belongs to the castle above. I plan to visit in a couple days from now but I admire the architecture on the way in.

This town is a must see on the Czech Republic checklist since it represents closely how things looked during the Bohemian kingdom. The town still has a sort of Bohemia feel to it. Bohemia was a kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire and eventually part of Austrian Empire and then the complicated things of the 20th century. Due to the country being aligned with Germany during WWII the city suffered virtually no damage in the wars.

In the past the major industry of the region was mining and then the land and castles passed hands many times. During the communism era the town fell into disrepair but now with its UNESCO designation and boost in tourism it has turned into its charming look into the past as it is today.

I go on a walking tour, eat some meals and wander aimlessly during my time here.

Castle area

I see the revolving theater I really want to visit within the castle garden. UNESCO is trying to make them remove it because it is not historical but within a protected area. Unfortunately all the shows were sold out during my time in town.

Braised beef in cream sauce with dumplings

Had fun watching the action on the water

Next day

This morning I have a ticket for the number one sight in town, the Baroque Theater. There are only two theaters like this left in the world, the other being in Sweden, but this is the oldest and best preserved. This unesco protected theater is is in such great condition because it has actually only been used a handful of times in the past (with the exception of the now once a year show). Apparently common with the times were pyrotechnics at the end and thus many of these theaters simply burned down. The ruler who built it was the black sheep of the family and definitely influenced by Italian arts. We tour the theater in a small group in the morning. Granted I booked only a day or two before but I see only one English tour a day. It is pretty limited to get in so I feel lucky. At tour start we initially walk in and snap photos because it is amazing and unique. When our guide enters and starts her history she tells us that no photos are allowed and to hope the photos we got so far were good. Many museums lately are “no photo” plastered everywhere so I appreciate that we are given a grace period. The lights remain dim inside but the stage is lit. Our guide describes the pieces of the set and how perspective is used as well as how the candle lighting caused the effect of movement. She tells us about the parties of the day and how these shows were attended by very drunk viewers who often participated in the show by cheering or booing as needed.

We then walk down underneath to see all the “bells and whistles”. She talks about how talented the men where who worked underneath since they had to be musicians (to know their cues), engineers to operate the pieces, and men of strength to lift performers and their heavy costumes through the trap doors.

We aren’t allowed on stage because it is fragile and all the parts above are original and quite frankly they don’t trust tourists to mess it all up. I don’t blame them even when we were there some in the group were wandering in places they shouldn’t.

I am very happy I booked the tour.

Afterwards I decide to get a ticket to tour the castle. Most of it isn’t exciting, especially compared to the theatre but I really like the masquerade ballroom at the end. The masquerade party in the ball room consists of paintings of costumes, different cultures, fun, mirrors, and symmetry. We learn the ballroom connects to the walkway to the Baroque theater.

One thing that is disturbing is the bears. There are kept bears on the premises as there has been for 100’s of years. One of the past inhabitants had some strange tendencies and holding bears on the premises were one of them. The bears are still there today due to tradition. According to the guide yesterday this current group are all rescues and they have a better life now – but not sure I believe that. I don’t talk about it much but I am not a big fan of contained animals, for that reason you’ll rarely see me talking about visiting a zoo. If I do have animal encounters its usually with some sort of rescue organization. So lets just say I am not a fan of this bear situation.

Lunch is at a vegetarian restaurant Laibon where I have a view of the water. One family at the restaurant docks in front of the terrace to come grab lunch then resume their paddle. I try a Czech specialty Bryndzové halušky, a sheep cheese and cabbage dish. I am finally enjoying a Czech meal.

I later enjoy ice cream coffee and chocolates, then wine (as mentioned earlier) to finish my visit. Český Krumlov has charmed me. I’d definitely come back here one day.

Prague Castle

Today I wake up early to tour the Prague castle grounds. I splurge for the audio guide to assist in my visit. I use my combo ticket to get into the St Vitas cathedral and a couple minutes after my entry the audio tour dies. Before I exit I ask if re-entry is available since I have to run back and get another device. When I am unplugging my headphones from the device something seems weird but I ignore it and carry on – I realize later that I probably dropped something at this moment. I obtain a new audio guide. The cashier seems puzzled but I assure him this is normal for me (I’ve had my share of audio guides die on me or be in the wrong language). I head back to the church to start my tour again and realize I no longer have my ticket. I thoroughly search my purse and look around the floor of the church and it is no where. I head back to my audio guide guy with my sob story and he tells me I need to buy another ticket. I dump my purse out on the bench in the office and the ticket is still not there. I huff in frustration at my stupidity but in the grand scheme of things the ticket isn’t that expensive so I get my credit card out to purchase another one. When I get to the cashier he has a smile and a ticket for me free of charge. I guess a little dramatic show sometimes works. I am very grateful.

St Vitas Cathedral

Prague castle

Prague castle was built during the time of the Kingdom of Bohemia. It is supposed to be the largest ancient castle in the world. I tour it and it doesn’t seem that large but maybe they are including the whole set of buildings nearby. Also some of the palaces are privately owned and are separately ticketed. The St. Vitas gothic church is pretty great but my favorite part of the complex is probably the area called Golden Lane. It is a row of houses that are set up to be representative of places in the past.

St George’s Basilica

Golden Lane

Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička) is a small street where goldsmiths, among others, existed and also contains the former home of Franz Kafka’s sister where he is famed to have written there as well.

After I leave the castle complex I enter an old medieval pub to escape the sun and heat. U krále Brabantského is medieval style, eating with hands and the waiters act at times like they have attitude. For instance when I got my check it arrived stabbed into the table with a knife.

I head back to my hotel and clean up for my wine tour in a couple hours. More on that later.

Lake Bled

I am leaving Ljubljana today and because I like to save money I decide to walk twenty minutes to the bus station to take the four euro bus to the airport instead of taking a taxi that would cost me almost fifty euros. One could call me cheap but I will blow one hundreds and fifty euros on a Michelin restaurant on occasion – in fact I will be visiting a Michelin restaurant when I return to Ljubljana in a week or so.

From the airport I pick up my rental car for the driving portion of Slovenia. I am leased a brand new car with no scratches or dents. I am not thrilled at the thought of having to be extra careful with this rental; so different from Split where we definitely rented someone’s personal car. Luckily the roads in Slovenia are pretty straight forward.

It takes me about fifty minutes or less to get to Lake Bled. Lake Bled is a beautiful area popular for weekend vacations about an hour from Ljubljana. People enjoy trails, water sports and relaxing in the surrounding town. I am too early to check in so I drive a bit to where my wine tasting will be later just to see how far it will be to walk. I stop briefly in a parking lot to google some things and I realize I don’t know how to turn my car off. The car is one of those fancy self starting type cars. After some YouTube videos and trial and error I finally figure it out.

There is no one to check me in yet so I walk to town to eat. Finally my room is ready when I return. I don’t have much time to rest before I need to go to a wine tasting in a couple hours. I am tired and don’t feel like going but since I’ve paid already I’ll force myself to attend. The wine tasting is at a hotel a thirty minute walk away from where I am currently staying.

I am glad I make it to the wine tasting. All of the wines are quite good (forgot to take picture of the bottles). We (other guests from Australia, UK and I) enjoy making fun of USA politics while trying new wines in a wine cellar.

After being successfully filled with wine and very good local cheeses I walk 30 minutes back to the B&B where I enjoy some of the wine I have leftover from my Ljubljana stash and take in the sounds of the birds and the cool air. It is a longer walk than I like into town but I am really enjoying the quiet and peacefulness of the area. I really like my porch views.

My energy levels are quite low lately so instead of driving to another lake in the morning I decide to enjoy things in town locally. I’m going to be closer to my pension and can bail out of the day at any moment if I feel like it.

I start the day with Bled castle on top of the iconic hill seen from around the lake. Hopefully a morning visit will let me avoid larger crowds. It is possible to drive up and park towards the top but everything I read says spots are limited and I don’t want to move my car and have to possibly deal with tight parking (brand new car, ugh). I walk thirty-five minutes to the top following a path behind a building. Approximately twenty minutes of the walk is uphill. The hike up isn’t too bad – I am sweating of course but on a hotter day I would probably be cursing the gods.

Bled castle is nice but it is far from being the most impressive castle I have seen during my travels. But what is really nice are the views that you get of Lake Bled below. It is peaceful up here looking down. I visit the museum and walk the walls a bit. Tour groups start arriving as I am leaving. Looks like I timed things correctly.

There is a small history museum inside the castle.

I ride a traditional pletna boat to Bled Island: Pletna boats are traditional wooden boats that are unique to Lake Bled. They take visitors to Bled Island, where you can visit the Church of the Assumption and ring the church bell for good luck.

I head down to the lake side to catch a boat to the island in the middle of Lake Bled (the island in the famous pictures). I see Tito’s former residence now hotel along with other hotels and homes along the water while a guy paddles us slowly out the island. Seems like a real strenuous job.

We only get 40 minutes on the island, I guess it is enough if you are too cheap to pay to visit the church and museum on the island. I get some gelato and walk around and enjoy the views. Nothing life changing here but a nice place to visit for 40 minutes.

After we paddle back I have my eyes on this restaurant for a late lunch but it closes at three so walk swiftly in that direction while admiring the lake from the shore.

I once more order a very rich and heavy truffle pasta. The pasta good but that with the olive oil and bread accompanying has me very full. I feel like I could sleep at this table or at least grab some grass by the water and pass out.

No matter which direction I go I am still at least forty-five minutes from my pension by foot. I make the decision to continue walking the rest of the six kilometer trail around the lake, ignoring my fullness and ignoring my tiredness. I am glad I do because there are so many more nice scenic views around the lake. I now understand how important rowing is to this town (and this country for that matter). There is a large rowing center set up at one point in the lake where competitive rowers come to row. I notice on the schedule there will be rowing here early evenings this week. Perhaps I can come back and watch another day. I did row one year in high school but I have a feeling this rowing is at a completely different level.

I complete the loop around the lake and on the way out of town I finally peek into the large church in town. It has an interesting chandelier and even more interesting artwork on the walls. One of the paintings that is supposed to represent a famous verse looks like a lion giving a guy cpr.

I have a timed reservation tomorrow for the nearby gorge. More on that later.

Nizwa, Oman

Today we are stopping along the way but our final destination is Nizwa, the former capital of Oman.

We check out of our desert camp and take a rough ride to visit a bedioun family. I know the rough ride is to make things more exciting but the jeep (no 3) I am riding in today almost gets stuck in the sand at one point. No fear though since our driver is an experienced driver. He backs up and attempts the challenging part with more power & speed and is successful in getting us over the hump.

We stop to visit a Bedouin family and learn about how life is in the desert while enjoying Omani coffee and dates. They live in the desert most of the year and enjoy the life only leaving in the very hot months of the summer to live in the towns. Kids in the desert attend schools at the local town and are driven by a Jeep for a partial day of lessons. It seems like a hard and hot life but I admit being under the thatched covering is much cooler than being exposed outside in the desert sun.

We watch a desert beetle make its tracks in the sand.

We stop to inflate our tires for regular roads again. Shortly after we pick up a picnic lunch at a nearby supermarket to share together in a shaded park. The lunch is all the great things about middle eastern food: hummus, babbaganoush, fresh watermelon, fresh salads, and feta cheese. The picnic saves us the hassle of finding a lunch restaurant along the way and couldn’t have been a better choice. I finally find the cardamom cookies I have been craving since my visit to Jordan. I buy a bunch to share with the group.

I found cardamom cookies and bought them to share

Falaj System

We stop at Birkat Ul Mauz to check out its falaj system (irrigation system) that brings the water from the mountains to the city. We learn how it all works to keep the locals hydrated and crops watered.

We drive by a couple of sand tornados or what we call in the USA dust devil. They randomly appear along side of the highway. I didn’t really get one on film but they are interesting to watch.

Jabrin Castle

We visit Jabrin Castle, the castle built in the 1600’s by Imam Bil-Arab Bin Sultan. An Imam back then is not someone who calls prayers, it is what was the equivalent of the modern day sultan. We have a private tour where we learn how each room is used. We also learn about security tricks like holes where men stay hidden for protection or how hot date syrup came to be because it was first created to pour on invaders through metal grates.

I finished my sightseeing of the castle quickly and decided it is a good time for a bathroom break. As soon as I walk in the bathroom I feel a sharp pain on my left hand. An angry wasp has stung me upon entering the bathroom. My hand stings for a while. I borrow a companions antihistamine cream and hope for it to heal without any more intervention (it takes many days before my hand is back to normal).

Antihistamine cream is newly added to my packing list now

We arrive in the old town of Nizwa and check into a heritage hotel. The town of Nizwa is under transition: many of the old buildings are in bad condition while many are being restored into nice houses and heritage hotels for tourists like the one I am staying at. I skip all the evening activities since I am too tired and we plan to visit the town tomorrow. I enjoy my rooftop dinner at the nearby restaurant and go to bed. There is a nice display of the moon in the distance from the rooftop. We also get a nice view of the town.