Apr 2009

Kevin and I would like to dedicate this blog space in remembrance of my grandpa, a very special man who passed away a few days ago. He lived a very full and long life -- and even celebrated his 90th birthday this February with his family.

Grandpa is survived by his 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. He was a very loving and hard-working man who cared deeply for his family and would do anything for them. Due to our travels, Kevin and I missed his 90th birthday celebration, which I regret, especially now that I know I will not be able to make it up to him. I pray that grandpa can hear my prayers and knows how much I love him. I love you grandpa and I will always miss your laugh after each of our hugs (the best hugs got the loudest squeak, right?)

February 8, 1919 - April 25, 2009

A ship sails and I stand watching till she fades on the horizon
and someone at my side says
She is gone.

Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all.
She is just as large now as when I last saw her.
Her diminished size and total loss from my sight is in me, not in her.

And just at that moment, when someone at my side says she is gone,
there are others who are watching her coming over their horizon
and other voices take up a glad shout -
There she comes!

That is what dying is.
A horizon and just the limit of our sight.

Lift us up o' Lord, so that we may see further.

What We Did. Kevin and I met our good friend Crystal in Slovenia for a week seeing the sites and all that Slovenia has to offer. Crystal has been living abroad in Scotland for almost two years and it had been over a year since we last saw her. So suffice it to say that I was REALLY looking forward to catching up with her--and in what better place than the lush green paradise and castles of Slovenia? We had a great time, and I was sad to see her go after such a short (7 days) visit. But we will see each other again when she comes back home to Seattle for a summer vacation visit. Hvala, Crystal!

During our week tour through Slovenia we visited the capital city of Ljubljana for 2 nights, then rented a car to head to the little coastal town of Piran for 2 nights. On the way to and from Piran, we stopped to see the Skocjan Caves & Pedjama Castle. Finally, we ended with 3 nights in the mountainous town of Lake Bled. Whew!

Ljubljana. Ljubljana (say it by pronouncing the j’s as y’s) was our first stop in Slovenia. We arrived on Monday to Crystal already waiting (she arrived the day before we did). However, it worked out well (for Kevin and myself, I guess) since she had not yet seen much of the sites – apparently Croatia shuts down on Sundays to observe as a holy day – so most shops and all museums were closed that day.

We spent our only full day checking out the city. Ljubljana is a large, picturesque city, but, like many other European cities, feels much smaller than its actual population. The life of Ljubljana is its lazy Old Town which is built around the Ljubljana Castle that resides atop a small mountain (or hill to those of us from the Northwest). This castle floats over the city like a watchful guardian.

We enjoyed the pathetically-small daily market (but getting Crystal’s and my favorite bottle of wine from the trip – at a bargain-basement rate of 2.5 Euros-- made it one of our favorite markets!), several stops for tea and beer, and marveled at the architecture of the late Joze Plecnik – apparently he alone is responsible for the design of 90% of Ljubljana's city center. We even toured his last residence….apparently he was quite the introvert and wasn’t that popular with the ladies – but whatever he lacked in social graces, he made up for in his talent and eye for design!

Skocjan Caves. On our way to Piran we tried to stop at both the Predjama Castle and the Skocjan Caves – highly recommended sites from Crystal’s Rough Guide book. The Pedjama Castle ended up bweeing closed that day (which we discovered quite humorously by driving several miles to the castle even though we passed numerous “CLOSE” signs trying unsuccessfully to warn us – I guess we took our English too literally and just assumed we didn’t have much further to go!).

Luckily, we did make it to the Skocjan caves, as these were easily a highlight of our trip! Slovenia is known for their caves -- they have over 7000 of them! The Skocjan cave system is one of the largest in Europe and it houses the largest underground canyon in the world (that we know of), which includes 5 kilometers of passages and many waterfalls. They are now part of the UNESCO world heritage sites and when you venture down 200 meters underground to explore them, you can really appreciate why this amazing and unique natural beauty must be preserved.

Entering through a narrow tunnel you are immediately thrown into a crazy and extraordinary landscape where stalactites and stalagmites drip down from the ceiling and grow up from beneath your feet. Or so it looks, as they actually grow at the impossibly slow rate of 1 cm every 100 years, giving some idea of the many thousands of years it has taken for the caves to assume their present form. The best is yet to come however as the roaring of the underground Reka River reveals itself at the bottom of an awe inspiring gorge that drops 100m below the bridge we carefully cross, and stretches the same distance over our heads. Words cannot describe the awe-inspiring beauty of these magnificent caves.

After exploring the giant canyon-within-a-cave, we take one last look at the gushing waters below and return to the surface, with a mind full of dramatic images stored in our heads, but none on our cameras. Photography is not permitted in the caves, and although this annoyed me at the start, I quickly understood the reason for it – the light from the flashes can damage the natural coloration of the rocks. In fact, the guides even turn off the lights in the cave behind us as our group left to minimize this impact. So instead, Kevin and I retrieved these images from our good friend Google Images. (You’ve met him before, though you may not have realized it at the time).

Hvala, Crystal! Without you, its unlikely Kevin and I would have seen this gem. And what a miss it would have been!

Piran. We rented a car and headed to the South end of Slovenia to a tiny town called Piran. After questionable weather in Lubljana, we were looking forward to some sunshine. And we were not disappointed! Piran was impossibly bright and sunny and the most charming little coastal village – right on the Adriatic Sea. It resembles a large open-air museum with medieval architecture, narrow streets, and compact houses. No cars are allowed in this old town -- the streets are way too small (in fact, some were so small no more than 2 or 3 people could fit side-by-side). In Piran we enjoyed exploring the castle, and lazy days eating and drinking al fresco – at outdoor cafes. But probably our favorite thing about Piran was watching the sunset sitting outside and drinking our favorite 2.5 Euro bottle of wine from Lubjana.

Pedjama Castle. Since we missed Pedjama Castle on the way to Piran, we made it a priority to visit on the way back from Piran. This time, to our delight, the “CLOSE” signs were removed and we were able to take a look. The castle is one of my favorites for photographs -- it is built literally into a rock wall. We decided not to tour this castle -- were a bit castled out. But the pictures were great. All in all, it was a bit off the beaten track to get to for just a few photos. But if you are passing by anyway, it is definitely worth a look.

Lake Bled. After visiting Piran and the Pedjama Castle, we made our way to the town of Lake Bled, where we spent 3 nights. Lake Bled is a mountain resort town, built around its Lake Bled, which is a medium size lake with a small church propped on a tiny island in the middle of the lake. And it wouldn't be Slovenia if it didn't have a castle perched high on a hill overlooking the lake as if in a fairy tale. While the town of Lake Bled left a little to be desired, it was the amazing natural wonders and hiking around Lake Bled that makes this area so worth visiting.

From Lake Bled, we took a quick side-trip to nearby Lake Bohinj. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and cut our visit a bit short, but what we saw in the rain and clouds still made for some unbelievable sites.

The rest of the time in Lake Bled we spent hiking nearby gorges (which was so much fun with its network of footbridges built over the rushing rivers making it easy to get very close to the scene), taking a boat gondola ride out to the island and, of course, hiking up to see the castle.

Too quickly our 7 days together came to an end and we had to part ways with Crystal. I am so glad that we got to share this time with Crystal and were able to meet up. You can check out all of our Slovenia pictures by clicking here.

Now we are off to Croatia to meet up with my parents...can't wait!

OK, take a look at the photo below. If you had to guess, what would you think is housed in that building? A museum, maybe? A library? A theater or a government building? Those would be solid guesses... but wrong. This is a photo of the Szechenyi Baths, one of the largest spas in all of Europe. (Apparently, Hungarians don’t mess around when it comes to spas... Gotta love it.)

We didn’t waste any time in getting to a spa, which are found all over the city. (There are over two-dozen, government-owned thermal baths there.) Upon arriving in Budapest, we immediately joined three guys we had met on the train and set out for the Szechenyi Baths, which are naturally heated by two thermal springs. The baths are basically like a gigantic swimming pool (or three) at home---except the water is about 100 degrees (or more), there are plenty of jets and whirlpools, the surrounding structure is ancient, and speedo-clad Hungarians are everywhere. More specifically, the Szecheny Baths has three huge outdoor pools (all of different temperature) and a slew of indoor hot tubs and saunas (again, all of different temperature). Very, very cool.

The next day, we met up again with our three friends from the train (Chris, Rob, and Dan) and joined a bike tour of the city. Highly recommended, especially for a sprawling city like Budapest. (We’ve rented a bike in every European city so far except Prague… Always a good time.) You can check out all of our Budapest photos by clicking here. After four nights in Budapest, we head to the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia, where we meet up with our friend, Crystal. (Crystal is from Seattle, but she has been teaching in Aberdeen, Scotland for the past two years.)

We are planning to spend six days in Slovenia with Crystal before moving on to Croatia. More soon…

Roughly an hour outside of Krakow is the gruesome, incredibly powerful site of one of humanity’s most horrifying tragedies: the Holocaust. From 1941 until 1945, Auschwitz was the biggest and most notorious concentration camp in the Nazi system. Until the camp’s liberation in 1945, at least 1.1 million people were systematically murdered here—approximately 960,000 of them Jewish.

The emotional power of walking through Auschwitz (and the adjacent camp, Birkenau) is jarring. The sheer scale, organization, and effort that the Nazis undertook to exterminate innocent men, women, and children is unspeakably shocking to see in person. Words cannot express the feelings of profound sadness—and anger—that overwhelmed us while seeing the remains of the camps (such as the crematoriums and gas chambers), the belongings and pictures of many of those who perished (including mini-mountains of their hair, shoes, and luggage) and hearing the gruesome, tearful descriptions of the function and purpose of each structure and area of the camp.

So, you may be wondering: Why visit a horrible concentration camp on your vacation? Well, as put by the travel writer Rick Steves, Auschwitz is “one of the most moving sights in Europe.” He further explains why this site is a must-see for all travellers:

"Auschwitz survivors and victims’ families want tourists to come here and experience the scale and monstrosity of the place. In their minds, a steady flow of visitors will ensure that the Holocaust is always remembered---so it never happens again. Auschwitz isn’t for everyone. But I’ve never met anyone who toured Auschwitz and regretted it. For many, it’s a profoundly life-altering experience—and at the very least, it will forever affect the way you think about the Holocaust."

We arrived in Krakow, Poland via the overnight train from Prague. (We’ll post a separate blog entry soon on the pleasures of overnight train travel.). Krakow used to be Poland’s capital city until about 400 years ago. But it is still the number one Poland destination for tourists worldwide. And it’s easy to see why.

Krakow is one of the least touristy “big” cities that we’ve visited. Many people who do a tour through Europe or even Eastern Europe seem to leave this city off their itinerary. While Kevin and I enjoyed the fact that it didn’t feel overly touristy, we don’t imagine that it will last long. More and more tourists are hearing how great this city is and adding it to their itinerary (like we did). So we are glad that we got to visit Krakow before it becomes the “next Prague”.

The heart, soul, and life of Krakow lives in its Old Town, which is a very cool downtown center that is easily walkable and filled with cobblestone streets, museums, old cathedrals, theaters, shops, restaurants, and the famous castle. Many of the streets are pedestrian-only streets, which makes it so much fun to wander around aimlessly and stop in the many cafes or street vendors for a quick bite or drink.

The food in Krakow did not disappoint. It is very similar to the food we have enjoyed in other parts of Eastern Europe, most notably the Czech Republic. We really enjoyed the doughy, bagel-like roll offered from the street vendors at every corner (you couldn’t find a street that didn’t have some vendor selling these, not that you would want to). Other favorites included their soups (like borscht or zurek) and pierogi (ravioli-like dumplings with various fillings inside).

As we have been experiencing elsewhere in Europe, Krakow is not exactly cheap. But, probably due to not being as popular as other places we’ve visited (and also not being on the euro), it did provide a bit of a price break compared to Prague and Amsterdam. (Again, we are still in a bit of price shock in general after spending so long in Southeast Asia)!

One day during our stay we rented bicycles and rode out into the country-side, leaving Krakow behind for the day. It was a gorgeous ride along secluded bike paths the entire time. Our destination? An ancient monastery.

We spent three full days in Krakow---and would have spent another day if our small hotel had rooms available for another night. Considering how much we liked Krakow, we’re a little bummed we didn’t get to spend more time in Poland. We met some guys who had just travelled through the small Polish town of Poznan, which they raved and raved about. (Maybe next time…)

You can check out all of our Krakow pictures by clicking right here. From Krakow, we are visiting the nearby Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps and then taking night train to Budapest. More posts soon!

Ahoy! (That's "hello" in Czech.). We spent two days in the small Czech town of Cesky Krumlov, which we enjoyed immensely. But we almost didn’t make it there. Travelling to or within the Czech Republic has not exactly been easy for us. First, we almost didn’t make our flight to Prague when we didn’t know that the clocks had moved forward one hour that night—and, as a result, we came within a hair of missing our flight from Amsterdam. (We realized upon arriving at the train station in Amsterdam that the station’s clocks were an hour faster than what our watches said, which led to disbelief and then panic—and then lots and lots of running. We ran through the train station and then through the airport, making it to our flight with only minutes to spare.)

For our very trip next trip (a three-hour bus ride from Prague to Cesky Krumlov), drama returned yet again. We arrived at the bus station in Prague only be told, in broken English, that all buses that day to Cesky Krumlov were totally booked. Seemingly without any way to get there, we toyed with the idea of ditching Cesky Krumlov altogether and just catching the train to Krakow instead. But, first, Kevin decided to see if he could find a different ticket window that could somehow find us another way there. While waiting in line, Kevin struck up a conversation with a native Czech named Martin who spoke good English. Martin agreed to talk to the lady at the ticket window for us (in Czech this time) and learned that, while all buses were indeed booked from that station, we could catch a bus from a different station in Prague that left in just a few hours. Great! Martin helped us buy the bus tickets and even showed us exactly how to get to the other bus station via the metro. (Martin: If you’re reading this, a huge thank you again…)

So we ended up making it to Cesky Krumlov after all… and we’re so glad that we did. Cesky Krumlov is a town in southern Czech Republic with an extremely well-preserved medieval center and a huge thirteenth century castle. A very, very cool place. Wandering the narrow, cobblestone streets amidst row-after-row of renaissance and baroque buildings, it’s easy to get lost in roughly 750 years of history and feel like time has stopped here.

The month of April in Cesky Krumlov is definitely a low period for tourists. At first, we were a bit bummed by our timing, since many of the restaurants are closed and some of the activities we wanted to do (such as floating down the river) are not available yet. But we quickly became thankful for the lack of crowds. Wandering near-empty medieval streets is far more captivating than when the streets are filled with hordes of tourists. (Our experiences in both Prague and Cesky Krumlov would have probably been much different in high tourist season.) Plus, we signed up for the night walking tour, and we were the only ones to show up for the our---so we essentially had our own private guide to show us around the town (which was fantastic).

You can see all of our Cesky Krumlov photos here. After two nights in Cesky Krumlov, we caught the bus back to Prague (no problems this time!) and immediately got on the night train to Krakow. More soon…

Based on what other travelers had told us, we had high expectations for our four days in Prague---and it did not disappoint. (Good rule of thumb: If a city has a neighborhood known as “New Town” that dates back over 500 years, it’s probably going to be a very cool place…)

Prague has a huge medieval center that, from one medieval neighborhood to the next, feels like a giant step back in time. The city is full of winding cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, huge cathedrals, countless spires, and a varied mix of stunning, ancient architecture. (Plus, it arguably has the best beer in the world… What’s not to love?)

Whatever Prague lacks in blockbuster activities, it makes up for it with incredible ambience. We spent our days aimlessly wandering from one neighborhood to the next. From the Old Quarter to the Castle Quarter to the Little Quarter to the Jewish Quarter to the New Town---each neighborhood has its own unique character, history, architecture, and charm.

You can check out all of our Prague photos right here. We’ve fallen a bit behind in our blog entries (sorry!), so we’ll try to catch up with several mini-entries in the next few days. Up next: Cesky Krumlov and Krakow.