Wrocław fun

Since tomorrow is a holiday and many things will be closed there is a rush to do things today. I have an early morning at at University of Wrocław where they have a couple impressive things to see.

First is the beautiful doors of the college.

And the fun dwarves hanging out at the college.

At the University of Wrocław there are up to four museums to see and I buy a combo ticket that includes all four.

Aula Leopoldina

Aula Leopoldina is a late baroque hall that is adorned with many scholars by the windows. It is a very beautiful auditorium.

Next is the mathematical tower that houses many historic sundials and compasses and there is a tower that offers a view of the city.

Next is the Oratorio Marianum another beautiful hall.

And finally a college museum that houses discoveries and studies.

For lunch I planned to go Hala Targowa, a market, since it is the only day it is open while I am here (because my visit contains two holidays). I walk around the market and pick up some fruit for snacking but I actually end up eating at the restaurant outside the market. The meal I order there is just ok. I wanted some fish and vegetables. The vegetables hit the spot but the fish was not too exciting.

Communism and Dwarves Tour

Back in the time of communism times dwarves began to appear on walls as a form of protest. Krasnale or dwarves in Polish sounds and looks like the color red in Russian – krasnyi. Red also represents the red army of the Soviet Union, the occupiers of Poland at the time. Eventually communism failed in Poland and it became an independent nation again but they lived under Soviet communist life almost 40 years after the end of world war 2.

Papa Smurf, represents a middle finger to communism

Dwarves became the official symbol of Wroclaw in 2005 (like dragon is symbol of Krakow). Now there are like over a thousand dwarves in town. Some are public purchase by the city and some are private by businesses. Some even have gps installed in case they are stolen. I feel like many of them are just advertisements for nearby businesses. They are charming though. A great activity to do with kids (or kids at heart) is to get a dwarf map and find them all. There is a place in the main square to get a map and play the game.

During our tour we hear lots of stories about the Orange Alternative, a student group protesting communism in a non-violent way. They come up with very clever ways to protest while simultaneously pretending they weren’t protesting. The more I learn about Poland the more I learn how effective they were in protesting communism and union forming (later in Gdansk).

I meet a nice USA expat during my tour who is living in Germany but drove to Poland for the long weekend. I wish I wasn’t in such a hurry to get to my evening plans since I rarely meet solo travelers in my age range. They are usually way younger than I or way older than I.

After my tour I take a few minutes to rest in my room before heading to Centennial Hall a couple miles away. Google is not giving me public transportation options but I remember there is a tram from down the street that is supposed to head there so I go hoping for the best. I see a tram 4 going to the zoo and I know the zoo is next door so I hop on. Luckily I am correct. I take this same tram back later in the evening.

Centennial Hall is on my itinerary to see because it is on the UNESCO list but it is closed for viewing the whole time I am in town. But now I am actually here for a musical festival where I can see shows in the hall. The festival 3-Majówce is a three day music festival that happens every year around Constitution Day which is May 3. I learned about this festival when I was researching parades or street events that may be happening this weekend. I look at the list of performances and most of them are unfamiliar to me but one jumps out on the second day DUBIOZA KOLEKTIV. Dubioza Kolektiv is a Balkan ska band that I first learned about a couple years ago when I visited Bosnia and Herzegovina. I subsequently heard them mentioned in other Balkan countries when I was touring the region. Even though many of their songs have a political message they are fun to listen to and they make you want to dance. When I saw them on the schedule I knew I had to go – who knows if I’d ever have a chance again. I think they’ve only rarely played shows in the USA. I am very glad I made myself go. The band is incredibly fun and has so much energy. I am tired but I am determined to stay to the end of their show.

I am in the festival without a wrist band like everyone else has. I had in advance purchased a ticket but I can’t read polish so I missed a sign at the entrance I think. No one stopped me from entering, in fact I even had a bag check. Also no one kicks me out so I am not going to stress about it unless anyone approaches me.

Oh look that where I get my wrist band as I leave for the night.

I see the inside of Centennial Hall but it is all closed up on the top for the music festival.

I check out a couple of other bands while I am there but I missed most of the other headliners because I don’t have it in me to stay for a late night. I do get to see the inside of the centennial hall but it is dark inside and all the windows at the top were covered so it isn’t exactly the same as if I came as just a tourist. It’s still an interesting concert hall though.

The highlight for me is definitely Dubioza Kolektiv.

It’s a good night. I even try a raspberry syrup beer because it impossible to get anything else alcohol related unless you are in this one fenced in area. I am digging the syrup beer but I don’t finish it because I am afraid it will make me sick. I am pressing my luck too much lately with these beers. My tram 4 takes me back to my hotel tonight and I sleep well after the fun day.

Wrocław

The train here is packed. I am glad I have a reserved seat in first class. As I walk to my hotel there are tour groups with rolling luggage and many people carrying guitar cases. I am confused at first then I remember there is a big punk festival this weekend for the holidays.

I catch a protest of some sort as I walk to my hotel. It is constitution day so it doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. “Workers united are invincible” is on their sign. It appears to be a labor protest on constitution day.

I walk into the city center there are more guitars and artsy people. I hear music playing at a stage near my hotel. My goal is to check in quickly and check out the music.

I drop my things off and turn the corner to find a band playing a cover of “Sweet child of mine” it is busy in the courtyard but not as busy as it will be in a hour or so. The crowd slowly fills with people carrying guitars and bystanders like me. I am here in time for the annual Guitar World Record in Wrocław. People come from all over the world with their guitar to play “Hey Joe” in unison to reach a world record. If I read the news correctly I think they beat the record this year.

About the holidays this weekend, I had only scheduled 2 1/2 days to enjoy Wrocław and I later discovered that two of these days are during national holidays: May 1 Labor Day and May 3 constitution day. Not everything is closed on these days but a good number of things are and if they aren’t they close early. This means I won’t get to see all the things I want to see in town because I really only have one full day of sightseeing and part of that day is going to a festival to see some polish and international punk-ish bands (when in Rome).

I escape from the crowd temporarily to get a snack and climb the tower to see Bridge of Penitents or Witches Bridge. This is famous for its little witch dwarves overlooking the town. The view is nice but there is way too many people on the bridge at one time so I don’t stay up there too long. They really should do some crowd control at the top to make the experience better for everyone.

Georgian food to go. I love cheese so much

After the bridge I find an antique market I explore for a bit before I brave the guitar crowds once more.

While the crowd gathers a woman who used to perform with Michael Jackson is on stage. I can’t get close enough at this point to take any pictures. The crowd is a sea of guitars getting ready to play.

Finally they play their “Hey Joe” for the record recording. I walk out to beat the crowds but I hear the crowd cheering in the distance.

Some of the many dwarves in town playing little guitars for the day. Dwarves are important to Wroclaw but more on that later.

I walk down to one of the many “islands” that are connected by pedestrian bridges. The goal this afternoon is to stalk the gas lamplighter on Cathedral Island but I am way too early for that so I explore other islands and surroundings.

On one island there is a huge park with many groups picnicking, many with small foil pan metal grills. The smell of grilled sausages permeates the air and makes me really hungry. I’m waiting to eat until I get back closer to my hotel but does it smell good. I take a break to have a happy hour by the water. I watch the boats go by while I finally get a moment off my feet. Today has already been a long day.

I get to cathedral island to explore and even though most things are closed except a few restaurants there are still many people strolling around. Lines are consistently outside the college botanical garden that should be closed right now so I am not sure what is going on over there. Finally I spot the lamplighter and he moves quickly. He’s got an entourage of kids following him. He is not an official tourist attraction he’s just one of the few actually gas lamplighters left in the world. He (or someone else) lights at sundown and then they extinguish in the morning. I think I saw another in Zagreb, Croatia a couple years ago. This is not the only one but they are rare these days with electrical power.

I walk back toward the main market square where I have my eye on a Soviet communism theme restaurant that has a private room (not so private tonight since it is being used for diners). There is a long wait for food and it is just ok but I love the theming of the place so I explore the secret room quickly before I head back to my room to sleep. It’s late and I am tired after this long day.

I need to rest for touring tomorrow.

Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine

Today I booked a day tour to take me out to Wieliczka Salt Mine. I am sure I could have gotten out there myself but it’s one less thing I have to figure out.

My tour doesn’t start until ten o’clock so first it’s breakfast. I chose an interesting place a couple blocks away open early enough. I did not realize that I would end up getting the best breakfast I’d have in a long time (Gossip Cafe). I love the selection on my plate. To top it off they have coffee with plant based milk so my tummy will be less mad at me.

I meet up with my tour for a short 30 minute ride. The tour guide tells us that our tour of the mine won’t start for another 1.5 hours. It sounds like they were unable to get a start time right away. They made up for it by paying for entry to the nearby salt “spa” where we get to walk around and breathe therapeutic salt air.

When it is time for our tour of the mine we walk down 380 steps to get to the first level of which I believe there are 9 but we only tour 3 of them. We are 64 meters deep. We learn about the mine, gray salt, and how the salt is mined. We learn the requirements to be a miner.

They have many impressive salt sculptures as well as a pretty nice salt church. This isn’t my first salt church (first in the Colombia) but this probably has the most detailed sculptures in it.

Story about a ruler being returned her wedding ride by miner

Finally we make it to the salt church with its impressive carvings.

Pine used for support and salt makes it strong

Finally we go into a cavern where Chopin is played using lights to light up a statue.

We go further down to finally about 135 meters at the end.

It is a very long walk back to the elevators which we do get to take on the way up. However they shove us in there like sardines though.

After my tour I finally give myself some downtime and a happy hour on the patio of my hotel.

Dinner plans were to watch Klezmer music. (Authentic Jewish folk music). Despite an online recommendation I did end up at a bit of a tourist trap. The food and music were just ok but the music sounded so much better at the place next door. I did really enjoy my Zurek soup though.

Back to the hotel to rest since I have a long day at Auschwitz tomorrow.

Caves of Slovenia

In the region of caves I booked a ticket to see the Postojna Cave and the nearby Predjama castle. From what I researched Postojna seemed like the lesser of the big caves in the region so I did not prioritize it, instead booking the Skocjan Cave ahead of time (scheduled tomorrow). After driving an hour away to the Postojna cave I am now thinking I have that reversed. Getting there early to not miss my start time I stop in for coffee and a strudel since I left before breakfast this morning.

I line up for my cave entrance time and they start scanning tickets about 15 minutes before start. All those that have requested audio guides go off into a separate room to pick up the guide. We also all enter the train together. Train? Yes there is a train to take us 3.5 km to the walking portion of the tour. This cave is the second longest cave system in the country made famous by its karst or limestone landscape. Formed by an underground river, the stalagmites and stalactites are quite impressive to look at. As I walk through the cave drops of water fall periodically from above proving the cave is still a work in progress. We walk 1.5 miles through the cave, get a look at a “dragon”-like cave creature and then we take the train back out.

During the tour of Postonja we end up in a cavern like area where there is good acoustics. It is common to have Christmas concerts here. Toward the end is a river running along the cave.

After my visit to the cave I hop in the car and drive about 10 km to Predjama Castle, a castle built into the rocks and around another cave system. It is pretty impressive how it is built, security being its top priority. Apparently it is too damp to be a permanent residence but it provided great protection to attackers for it being high up and its vast cave system that could be used for escape routes. I was able to visit a bit of the upper cave but I am too early in season to visit the caves below because bats use it for hibernation during many months of the year. The audio guide there talked about a couple of the past residents and uses but the most interesting is the Robin Hood like character that lived there for a while. He had quite the reputation for robbing the rich.

Tomorrow I go see another cave so we will see how it stands up to the one today.

I head back to Piran for some food and drink. I am craving some ćevapi and luckily they have a Bosnian restaurant in town. It is very good but some rude guy next to me felt the need to interrupt my meal and tell me I am eating my ćevapi wrong. I tell him I’ve been to Bosnia and know how they eat cevapi and can eat it how I please. He seems very proud of him self for “correcting” me. I basically tell him to mind his own business since he isn’t even Bosnian.

After eating I find a place at a cafe and have myself a happy hour and do some reading. It is a nice and relaxing way to end my day.

Škocjan Cave

In the morning they are setting up for a market. I hope it will still be active when I return to town later.

My tour for the caves starts at 10 am. I am early and I wait for the guide to gather us to walk us the kilometer or so down to the cave entrance. A group of men arrive as what seems like a stag party. There is a bar at the cave entrance. They start doing rounds of shots and cheering “OPA!”. It seems to be a lively group. They separate all of us by what language we understand for the tour. Each group enters a few minutes after the other.

I am visiting Skocjan caves and the first thing that comes into mind touring this cave is that this is some goonies sh*t. What I mean by that is that the high cave paths and views down below make me think of the movie Goonies, a favorite from my childhood. The cave was first discovered BC but was majorly explored in the 1900’s. It is culturally significant and added to the UNESCO list in 1986 (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/390/). We explore via a modern made path but as we walk along thee cave you can see the old path the explorers made, a pretty impressive feat. Unfortunately they have a very strict no photo policy inside (though ignored by the woman in front of me who made me stop constantly so she could take her illicit photos). I have borrowed a photo from the unesco site so you can get an idea of how impressive it is inside.

Photo of inside Škocjan Cave (credit to Borut Lozej from unesco site)

After our inside tour there are a couple different exit options. Don’t take exit 2 unless you just like stairs. Take elevator or long cave exit. Nothing to gain by exit 2 which I took. I felt I’d be too lazy to take the elevator and I didn’t have it in me to take the longer cave exit; although I regret it later. I do catch a little waterfall on my way out.

Afternoon in Piran

I return to Piran for the afternoon. There is a band playing with an accordion and tuba and I’m eating pizza at an outdoor cafe. I’m confused if I am in Slovenia, Italy or Germany right now, there seems to be a mix of cultures here. There is a flea market going on. People are selling various things like antiques, light fixtures, baskets, and jarred foods. Along with the band people are singing in the courtyard.

I take some time to do my laundry since I’ve been sweating through everything here near the sea. While I wait for my laundry I watch the singing groups perform at the square outside. It must be some sort of informal music festival, or do they do this every week.

I finally eat at the recommended restaurant in that very same courtyard. There is very strange way of getting a table compared to the rest of town. I wait in the unmarked line like I am told and watch at least two couples “steal” tables anyway, even after learning the rules. Once you have a table you can go order from the window. There is a waiter but that is for drinks only. You must pay attention for your number to be called. I eat one of the best plates of fried calamari I think I’ve ever had. If I had more time I’d come back and order the grilled ones.

I take it easy the rest of the evening. Tomorrow I am heading back to Ljubljana to return the rental car and explore some more

Back to Medellín

M and I head to Medellín Colombia today. It is the second time for me and the first for her. A couple weeks ago I spent some days leisurely around the city. I hope to see more this time around.

The flight to Medellín from Cartagena is only around an hour and ten minutes so our travel journey is not long. The flight is in the morning and I order a cheese and ham toasted sandwich to hold me over before my journey.

When we arrive we check into the same hotel I stayed in prior, Diez Hotel Categoria in El Poblado. It is a good choice. Our room has two beds and a hammock that overlooks the neighborhood.

I wasn’t sure how we would feel when we arrived so we didn’t have much booked on our first day in Medellín. Luckily we are early enough to take a free walking day tour with Real City Tours (pay guide by tips).

Fortunately I already navigated the metro during my prior visit so we took the metro to meet our tour.

We are a little early for our tour so we stop for a beer in a old charming bar called Salón Málaga. Most were not drinking, in fact we thought we were getting a sneer from the table next to us but we ended up chatting with the girl and her mother instead. They were Spanish speaking but actually live in the USA and were tourists in Medellin as well. We made plans to share a taxi with them to Guatapé the next day but plans fell through when they had to leave town early.

We meet up with our tour guide who then takes us around the city and points out different landmarks.

El Monumento a La Raza (sculptor Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt) – bronze sculptures symbolizing the culture of Antioquia

At one point we sit by an old train station (Edificio Antigua Estación del Ferrocarril de Antioquia) where our guide gives us a “real talk” about the history of Medellin – tells us the history of all the factions that caused turmoil: the government, the military, drug lords, right wing militia, left wing militia. The losers are the ordinary people who had to live through the war and terror.

We are taken to a shopping district where there are lots of pop up stands you can get cheap goods (Carabobo pedestrian street).

National Palace Mall

Sex workers hang out in front of this church.

We are told where to go to get some great empanadas

We end up at the Botero park where we can see lots of Botero statues.

Our guide talks about the metro and the pride the locals have for their train.

We are told the area under the train is where people go to exchange goods. We don’t have time to watch but we go back later to see it in action. Mostly men take items to exchange (belt buckle, watch, coins or whatnot) and engage with conversations with others to see if a deal can be made. It is interesting to watch and seems to be a sport of its own in the city.

We walk by some musicians playing outside at Parque Berrío. People are dancing to the music.

Church across the street from Berrio Park

Our guide talks about some local fruits. I finally get to try that weird looking fruit (guama) from my first visit to Medellín.

Finally he takes us to the Parque San Antonio where he tells us the story of the bombed statue.

At the end there is a question and answer session about the city. Some was asking about seeing a futbol (soccer) game while in town. The guide tells us about the upcoming El Clásico Paisa game. I don’t listen too carefully because at this point going to a soccer game in Medellín seems too intimidating to me. Plus I am not sure we’ll have time. M pays attention though and is able to talk me into attending the game. More on that later.