Gdańsk: Last days

In the morning I visit the Basilica of St. Bridget. This reconstructed church was originally built in the 14th century. It was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in 1970. It is known for its beautiful amber alter and its homage to the solidarity movement.

There is a chapel in memory of those who participated in the solidarity movement.

There is another area dedicated to those that have lost their lives in the Katyn massacre during WWII.

And finally I have to make a visit to the room of skulls. I must see all the skulls.

I visit Blue Lamb – a heritage museum housed in an old granary, in order to get an archeological view of the region. I enjoy the exhibit where they show you what the original people of the region would have looked like based on the skulls found.

They have walk through sight and sound area depicting life in the region over time.

And finally there is a display of archeological items.

I end up back at Mariacka once more but this time I enjoy a glass of wine and people watching and check out some additional things I learned about the street.

Many of the houses on Mariacka street have reliefs out front but one restore one was given a modern day touch – a Lunar rover.

Last official stop is the first seagoing ship built in a Polish shiyard – Soldek. It is docked in Gdansk and available for exploring.

I slow down considerably for the rest of my travels. I am very tired so it is good I go home soon. I’m just trying to enjoy the cool and sunny weather my last few hours here.

It’s been a long trip but I am not done with Poland. There are so many places I left off my itinerary. I will be back.

More shots around town….

Kutna Hora (and creepy bone church)

One of the things I really wanted to do upon my trip to Czech Republic is take a trip out to the town of Kutna Hora and see their creepy bone decorated church. I did research on the logistics of getting there and decided to opt for a pre-planned coach tour instead. Sometimes taking group trips is more simple and gives me an opportunity to be around other travelers.

For the most part the tour is a good idea; I have nice conversations with people on the tour but I do feel rushed at times and something about the sound system on the van has me missing much of the guide’s commentary anyway even though I am sitting close to him.

We stop first at the bone church or the Sedlec Ossuary. The actual church is called All Saints. The story behind the bone decor is that it was quite common to move old graves to make room for church expansions. In this case nearby bones are literally thrown in the basement to make room for whatever development comes next. At some point a sculptor is hired by the ruling family, Schwarzenberg, to do something with all the bones. The end result is what is seen today: Bone chandeliers, bone buildings, and ornamental bone decor. No pictures are allowed inside but I do snap some from the church above at one angle only. The photos here are the ones I purchased from postcards in the gift store. I don’t send many postcards but I have a feeling these might be useful.

After the bone church we head into the town of Kutna Hora to look at another gothic church, St. Barbara’s Cathedral. One thing to note is that the area was rich in silver and very prosperous. This grand church reflects that since St Barbara was the patron saint of miners.

Our guide takes us further into town and then gives us some free time to wander around or eat. It is late in the afternoon and I dont want to eat a full meal this close to dinner so I decide on an ice cream instead. I try the sea buckthorn flavor, an orange flavor I’ve never seen before. It’s a type of berry and its sour. Funky just enough for me.

We return back to Prague and I decide to try the highly recommended ham in old town. You buy by weight at an outdoor stand. In advance I have read the warnings about asking for a smaller portion but I am still upsold on the ham. I also try the potato dumpling pork sauerkraut dish called Vepřo knedlo zelo(also recommended). Both my orders are very disappointing to me. All the food is too salty and I cannot eat it. The ham is also very fatty and tough. It sits here half eaten before a homeless person asks me for my leftovers. I am glad that someone else will at least enjoy it. I am starting to think Czech food is not my thing. I thought since it is close to German food I’d be into it but it sits too heavy on my stomach.

I am in the old town square just in time to see the Astrological clock. The clock dings and apostles rotate around.

I am touring the Prague Castle tomorrow….

Berlin Happenings

Even though I have tickets to other museums on museum island I decide to take the tram to visit MarktHalle Neun instead eat my way around the market. I wander around admiring the market and trying some food and drink.

After walking across the historic Oberbaum Bridge I end up at East Side Gallery, known for its large outdoor art exhibit on the east side pieces of the Berlin Wall that are designated for art. The exhibit stretches far and is quite busy. I don’t snap pictures of the most famous pieces because the crowds are too thick around them. You can google East Side Galllery to see the famous wall pieces.

The next morning my allergies are pretty bad and I want to just stay in for the day but I realize this is my last chance to see one of the museums I’ve wanted to visit – Hamburger Bahnhof, a modern art museum in an old train station. I can’t actually show a picture of the piece of the museum that looks like a train station because there is a modern art installation there with many “no photo” signs.

One exhibit is from an Algerian woman who describes her highly curated activist life during the 60’s and 70’s in Algeria, France and Italy. There are film canisters, a film set, a bar room where you can watch live tango, and an actual short film you can watch. It is highly immersive and quite interesting.

It’s Sunday so I head over to the flea market at Mauerpark. The market is huge with many kiosks selling pretty much everything. I almost get some food but the food concessions are so crowded I decide to wait for dinner instead. As I leave the market the nearby park area is bustling with street performers. I soak up the energy and watch a few acts as well as a drum group.

I also walk through the nearby neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. It’s a nice area I’d like to come back to.

Too tired to walk to the original restaurant I had picked for dinner I visit the famous Prater Garden instead. I am once again disappointed; I do not think beer garden food is my cup of tea.

One the way back I stop at a David Hasselhoff museum (more like a wall than a museum) and an eclectic cafe where I enjoy a wine outdoors on this Sunday evening.

The next morning my goal is to have döner kebab. I’ve been told there is nothing like the döner you can get in Berlin. Of Turkish origin, German puts its own spin on the sandwich. I will not forget this and the bread its served on.

Earlier in my Berlin visit I visited the Pergamon Panorama. Today I visit another one by the same artist that shows the Berlin Wall. Yadegar Asisi’s art is projected on a 360° screen (Die Mauer). The wall shows life on both sides of the wall during the time that it existed. The exhibit uses sounds and light to take you through day and night.

I wandered the shopping street of Friedrichstraße where there are protesters, some have demonstrations and some are glued to the ground. I believe they are protesting about climate change. They are definitely disrupting business but the police seem to act calm in their presence.

I discover a cute part of town I wish I visited earlier because most things are closed. Nikolaiviertel has colorful buildings and some shops and restaurants. I enjoy some asparagus soup and an apple strudel near the water. I soon head back toward my hotel. Tomorrow I travel to Dresden.

Miscellaneous images from around town.

Part 3 : Heading back to Ljubljana

I wake up way earlier than expected disappointed because I actually want to sleep in this morning. I pack up early for my drive back to Ljubljana. I have my last two climbs up that very long uphill path to get the car out of the tight garage. I am pleased to find no dings on my door. People in Slovenia must just be very considerate and careful. I see that there are parking spaces I can park for 30 minutes closer to apartment (but still a steep walk uphill). I try to parallel park along the stone walls but it is proving to be more difficult than I anticipated. I am backing up into a steep and curvy parallel spot. While I try to straighten the car out it seems impossible because of the uneven stone road. I think the car has some automatic no collision feature on because I feel it trying to stop me from doing things. The alarms are also screaming at me if I get too close to a wall. However the screaming is warranted because even though I don’t hit a wall I am seconds from getting one of my back tires caught in this deep moat like thing along the stone wall. Things could have been bad. I will be so glad when I get rid of this car.

I finally get my backpack and return the garage key card and say goodbye to my host. And one more steep walk uphill. You should see my legs. They haven’t looked this good in like ten years. It is amazing what 4 days of intense hills and stairs will get you.

I decide to stop at the Technical Museum of Slovenia (Tehniški muzej Slovenije) on the way back to Ljubljana. The museum is basically building after building of items related to technical advancements.

The collection is large and vast but the museum is very popular for its extensive collection of cars, some that once owned to the beloved leader of Yugoslavia Josep Tito. How many cars does a communist leader need?

There is an old monastery on site and weird rooms of taxidermy animals. They must have put lots of time into this museum in the past; now much of it is outdated.

Finally make it to the car rental place. They dont do an inspection right away but I inspected and I think there is absolutely no damage. I take the bus back to town. Luckily the walk to my hotel is much shorter this time. I am staying in a proper hotel the next two nights. I like that is closer to the bus station since I have a bus scheduled in 2 days.

I still think Ljubljana is charming. I could make time in town to visit a museum or two but I am happy just walking around. I finally eat at a restaurant I had been eyeing last time called Julija. I order the special ravioli they have on the menu and a side of grilled vegetables.

After dinner I walk back towards my hotel contemplating stopping at a cafe when I come across another festival in the area by the church. This time it is a burger and beer festival. I am sad I already ate since the burgers smell good. I stroll along the water and pick up some pistachio ice cream. The pistachio ice cream I get in the Balkans is different. The nuts are put into the ice cream in more of a nut butter format like you would expect in a jar of peanut butter. The pistachio I’ve eaten elsewhere is always an overly processed thing thoroughly blended into the cream.

The next day I only leave the room to eat and run some errands. I need some warm weather shirts because it is starting to get warm everywhere I go and my wardrobe is heavy on the long sleeve shirts.

I finally try Kodila meat market and take a chance by ordering the Bujta repa (fermented turnip stew) and I am rewarded. I normally avoid anything related to sauerkraut but the sour turnip plus pork plus paprika really works for me. The waiter calls it hangover food. I am not hungover but I guess I might be working on one today with my two glasses of wine with lunch. I also try again the Prekmurska gibanica cake. It is like before, it is a semi sweet cake. It’s something in theory I should love because I don’t love sweet things but its not my favorite Slovenian dessert; I very much prefer Bled cake.

For this evening I have a fancy Michelin dinner scheduled. It’s up at Ljubljana castle. I take the funicular up the hill. Even though it is a long wait today for the funicular I am early. I walk along the free parts of the castle while I wait for my reservation. I am eventually seated on the terrace. I am used to dining alone but I always feel awkward when I do the fine dining because normally I read a book while eating to pass the time and it somehow doesn’t feel appropriate at the fancier meals. The food is good but it isn’t the best Michelin food I’ve had. Maybe I’ve had enough of the fancy foam dishes for a while. Give me some local favorite comfort foods instead.

The heavy meal and wine exhausts me for the evening. I head back to the hotel to pack since tomorrow I travel on to the next country, Hungary.

Last hours in Girona

I am leaving Girona today to head to Barcelona. It is a quick train ride – less than an hour. Barcelona hotel check-in is later so I have some free time in Girona this morning. I take a morning walk and order a breakfast and a coffee. There is a flower market down the main shopping district. It seems like this market might have had more vendors in the past, perhaps another covid casualty?

There is a laundromat close to the hotel. This is a great opportunity to clean all my clothes one last time this trip. There is a nice view out the back window. I drop my bag with clean clothes back at the hotel to hold while I go out.

The Cinema Museum or Museu de Cinema has caught my eye so I decide to visit.

The museum starts with an introductory movie then you follow a series of interactive exhibits that build chronologically with the technical advancements.

The first exhibits are about the use of shadows.