Riga/Tallinn - Days 163-165

I discovered a free walking tour in Riga and decided to try it out on my last day there since my previous experiences in Sofia and Krakow were so positive. There are actually several organization who run these free tours in various cities and they are typically staffed by young volunteers and offer a more alternative experience from the typical historical city tour. And they work only fro tips so a few bucks should cover you. Plus they generally last anywhere from 2-3 hours - not a bad deal!

In Riga, the cool guide thankfully took us out of the old town and explored the "Moscow" neighborhood next door, which is a run down place with lots of history and homeless people. My host recommended it to me as a complete contrast to old town, so I was glad to walk through it with someone knowledgeable and who had lived there for a couple of years. That area also served as the Jewish Ghetto during WWII and now holds a monument dedicated to the "Latvian Oskar Schindler" - Janis Lipke. 

Later that evening I went out with my host Agnese and walked around Riga's biggest park and had some Latvian food for dinner, which is basically some kind of meat, potatoes, and salad combination. 

Now I'm in Tallinn, Estonia and arrived by bus (also around 4.5 hours from Riga) yesterday. I'm currently hosted by an American guy from Ohio, Bryan. He is a professional online poker player :) First one I've met in my life. He was also simultaneously hosting another Bryan, also an American from California who is on a bike tour of Estonia and had ridden around for a month already. 

So far in Tallinn it's been about meeting tons of new people. The first night I was here I cooked dinner for the boys (never thought I'd hear myself say that) and we went out to an Inter-Nations meet up, which is a community of expats. Then went to a salsa bar where Bryan #2 gave me a mini lesson. Then yesterday the three of us went out to grab brunch and then just sat in an outdoor cafe for a couple of hours soaking in the sun. I walked around old town by myself and then met up with them again at the weekly Tallinn CS meet up picnic. In my opinion, that was a much cooler crowd and we hung out until after 11pm and then moved the crowd to a local pub when it became too cold. That's an Estonian summer for you. When Bryan and I were walking back to the apartment at 2am, the sky was still not dark. 

Riga - Days 161-162

I'm in rainy Riga, Latvia! It is absolutely stunning here. Vilnius really wasn't what I expected because it didn't have a compact or distinctive old town, and the city center and "old town" kind of blended together. However, Riga's old town fits the stereotype and the architecture is very unique. Due to its German and Soviet occupation, the city has a mix of old Soviet style buildings and also some amazing art nouveau buildings that will blow your mind. I'm talking about buildings so ornate/gaudy that you can't help but raise a brow.

I took a bus yesterday from Vilnius to Riga - about 4.5 hours. At this point, anything less than 7 hours is considered a short trip. And again, thanks to the generosity of the couchsurfing coummunity, I found a last minute host. I arrived in the afternoon but had to wait for my host to get off from work, so I basically walked around the old town whilst dodging the sporadic rain. Then I got tired of carrying my backpack around so I stepped into the Occupation Museum (appropriately housed in an ugly Soviet style building) and learned about the depressing Latvian history in the 1940s, which goes German, Soviet, German, and Soviet again.

My host, Agnese, drove us out to Jurmala after work yesterday; and Jurmala is a beach resort on the Baltic Sea (technically the bay) only about 25 minutes from Riga. She actually grew up there and knew the area well. We walked along the beach and then back through the town, and I completely forgot where I was. It seemed like a quaint little town South Carolina with its wooded parks and wooden houses. Okay, they were pine trees and not oak covered in moss...but you get the idea.

Today was more of walking around. I decided the brave the unstable weather and walk across the river to another district and back - wrong idea. I got caught in a downpour while I was ON the bridge and couldn't find cover. I ran to the other side into a shopping center, but was looking pretty pathetic.

Only less than a month left of the trip and I'm all heartbroken about it :( But it'll be good to see family and friends again! Plus my gear is falling apart. I had to throw away my jeans in Croatia because there were holes. My favorite black shirt is going to die a similar death as my favorite white shirt...but hanging in there for the moment. And my shoes have holes on the outside and two gigantic "craters" on the inside sole. I hope my one pair of pants and three shirts get me through the next month. Oh, and my day pack strap is coming loose... * sigh

Vilnius - Days 159-160

My first day in Vilnius was grey and rainy, but yesterday and today were the absolute definition of "perfect weather." Plus, yesterday was the longest day/shortest night of the year and with the sun shining, you get a better idea of just how late the sun sets. It was well past 11pm when it actually got dark...and I'm pretty sure the sun is out again around 3am. Can't say I've ever seen it rise...maybe if I stayed out late one evening.

I had to switch hosts here in Vilnius because my first host went home for the holiday (Midsummer's Eve). So I went from a 18 year old university student to a 55 year old librarian with 5 children. I'm not kidding when I say there should be a movie made about this family. If you've ever seen "The Family Stone" (one of my favorite movies), this is somewhat a Lithuanian version of that family. All her five children are grown, but the youngest still lives at home and just finished high school, so she walked with me around town for the day. We stopped by a weapons store on the way so she could by a taser for her own upcoming trip :) She's basically bouncing from festival to festival throughout Europe and volunteering. And then in town, we met up with her older sister and her couchsurfer from Finland. The sister put in her resignation and has one week left of her job before traveling herself. Then later in the day, the oldest brother joined us for the evening. He had just come back from his second 6 month trip in Asia. The youngest brother is living in London and the other brother was in Poland watching the Euro games. The mother is the coolest of them all. Her two daughters got her involved with CS because she wanted to practice her English and lessons are too expensive, and now she's addicted, haha. Not only does she accept requests, but she sits in front of the computer looking for people who are traveling to Vilnius and invites them herself - thankfully that's how I came to stay here. She didn't start traveling until late in life because of financial and also border limitations, but she's sure making up for lost time. Her kids don't like traveling with her because they can't keep up, haha. She's out the door by 8am and pretty much goes nonstop until the evening. I hope I'm that cool when I'm her age. Today she showed me a CS profile of a 85 year old in Montreal and said she hopes to be that cool at 85.

Today I took a local bus out to Trakai - a short 30 minute ride. It was once the capital of Lithuania and a very historically significant site. There is a castle built on an island and also a small Karaim community. The Karaim have their origins in Turkey but were brought back to Lithuania by Duke Vytautas from Crimea in the 14th century. The Lithuanians love to talk about that part of their history because they were once the largest country in Europe and stretched all the way from Baltic to Black Sea. How things have changed...

It was a nice day trip - not only because of the well restored castle and museum, but it was nice to be out of the city and walk in nature along the lake shores on a perfect day. 70, sunny, dry, and breezy :) Riga tomorrow. 

Krakow/Warsaw/Vilnius - Days 154-158

On the move, on the move.

So my last day in Krakow was also spent taking advantage of the free museum days. Started with the Oscar Schindler factory, which ironically had almost nothing to do with the man himself, but rather the history of Krakow under Nazi occupation. It was spectacular (even if I had to pay). Really modern, detailed, interactive displays with bits of historical information and personal anecdotes mixed together.

Then later in the afternoon came the "Rynek Underground" museum, which is located under the main town square and displayed the layers of Krakow history - literally. You could see the original wooden beams and cobble stones from the founding of the city as well as the original stalls of the marketplace. The most interesting thing was a series of documentary clips, 5 in total, that explained the periods of Krakow from antiquity to its joining of the EU. And between these two museums, I stopped for a portion of pierogies filled with sweet cheese and topped with melted butter and cinnamon...

The next day I took a midday train to Warsaw that was completely not air conditioned, so I arrived all shiny and stinky to my host who was waiting for me on the train platform. Agnes, my host in Warsaw, was probably one of the sweetest people I've ever met :) She's a 25 year old studying both ethnology and finance at two separate universities and decided to take me home to meet the parents, haha. She had to go home to Lublin for some business and kindly invited me to tag along. I never give up an opportunity to experience some authentic family life and jumped at the opportunity. As soon as I met her parents, it was evident where she got her sweetness. They don't speak a lick of English but made me feel so welcome and we were able to communicate with Agnes' help and miming. So we walked around her hometown and also a small town called Kasimierz and ate some local food and drank Turkish coffee. Then the next day evening, we came back to Warsaw and hung out with her friends at a local pub.

I finally got to explore Warsaw on my third day. For a city that was basically destroyed,obliterated, demolished, leveled...whatever word you use, it has really triumphed and rebuilt itself beautifully. The "old town" was rebuilt after the war and granted UNESCO status in 1980. It was fun walking around the city because everything is well labeled and there are plaques scattered everywhere explaining important dates and locations. If Pope John Paul II is the rock star of Krakow, then Frederick Chopin is the rock star of Warsaw. It was cool visiting the church where he used the play the organ as a kid.

Last night I took an overnight bus from Warsaw to Vilnius - 8pm to 6am. Today I spent the day with a local university student called Dovile and will spend the night at her dormitory. It's really basic conditions but I love these glimpses into foreign university life. Vilnius so far is really beautiful - so clean and well laid out with no distinct center. Tomorrow I'll change a host and blog more about the city :)

Krakow - Days 152-153

I'm melting in Krakow. The first morning when I stepped off the train was perfect...even a little nippy, but it turned into a sweltering inferno in a matter of hours. It's nothing compared to Florida summer, but enough to zap your energy, especially when you're outside for most of the day.

Yesterday, I took a day trip to one of the most tragic and depressing places in the world - Auschwitz/Birkenau. The largest mass extermination site in Poland is only about an hour and half bus ride from Krakow. There are actually three camps with more than 40 subcamps but only Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau are open to the public and there is a shuttle bus that connects the two. I had visited Dachau concentration camp before in Germany and Auschwitz II was very similar. The structures are very basic with one story brick and later wooden barn style buildings. It's hard to imagine the suffering these people went through, and sometimes it's easier to not imagine at all. The wooden barracks were designed to hold 52 horses and the Nazis crammed about 400 people in there - barely protected from the elements with minimal rations and awful sanitary conditions. Auschwitz is a living museum and memorial so things are left untouched, including the destroyed gas chambers. The Nazis toward the end of the war tried to destroy any evidence of the brutality at Auschwitz and blew up the gas chambers. Today there are just two piles of collapsed concrete. In that way, I have to say that Dachau was more chilling because visitors could actually walk through the intact gas chambers disguised as showers.

Auschwitz I was completely different from what I expected. If not for the history, it would be a nice little community - something like a small boarding school. The brick buildings are three stories high and lined up in grids. The barracks have been converted to exhibitions and each one features a different theme; ranging from extermination and prison life to different Jewish populations who were also deported to Auschwitz. Anyway, after 5 hours, I had had enough and headed back. The night ended on a semi happier note with some football (soccer) watching in a local bar with my host and her friends, but unfortunately Poland lost so everyone went home defeated.

Today is Sunday, which means some museums around the city are free, and Sara and I took advantage. We started off with the Ethnology museum and then I went solo to the History of Photography museum. I love days when the only things I have to pay for are food :)

Bratislava/Krakow - Days 150-151

I finally made it out into Bratislava city center on my third day, but it started with me riding the tram in the opposite direction for a few stops before realizing I was going the wrong way...

Bratislava is gorgeous and despite being only an hour from Vienna, it has a completely different feel. The city is much smaller in comparison and shares more similarities to some of the Balkan capitals with its castle and fortress and central square. At this point in my trip, I'm a little "museumed out" and opted to just walk around and take in the city with some people-watching. Like any historical city center, there are a couple of main pedestrian thoroughfares lined with cafes and I could happily sit for several hours just watching life unfold with a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, I still haven't mastered the art of making one espresso last for 30 minutes.

Since Roman was out of town for a conference, I was left alone in his apartment with his entire movie/tv collection, and foolishly decided to start "Californication." Long story short, I polished off the entire season 1 and two episodes of season 2... before having to catch my overnight train to Krakow. He kindly offered to burn the rest onto DVDs for me, but there's no guarantee I won't hole up somewhere and have a marathon instead of exploring whichever city I'm in.

The overnight train from Bratislava to Krakow was the nicest cabin I've ever been in, and at $80, it very well should be. In comparison, my 20+ hour train from Istanbul to Bucharest only cost $50. But this one had only three beds and once again I was the only person. The train left around 11pm and arrived just before 7 am; just early enough for me to find my host's place and drop off my stuff before heading out again. So I've had a 15 hour day on about 4 hours of sleep my first day in Krakow. 

But what a great day it was :) Throughout my trip, I've heard several people say how much they love Krakow and how it's some people's favorite city. Now that I've seen it for myself, I totally understand - it just oozes charm and history without any pretension. The architecture, the people, the food, everything.

I spent the morning walking around on my own wandering around the city center and then met up with my host Sara for lunch at a little vegetarian bar. Food here is delicious and affordable - my favorite combination. Sara recommended a free walking tour of the Jewish quarter and ghetto that lasted three hours! And for any film buffs out there, it also included Oscar Schindler sights, both historical and from the film. Apparently there is some controversy surrounding Schindler and he wasn't necessarily the hero the film made him out to be. Historians concluded that Schindler himself did not draft the list and that some people paid anywhere from $50 to $500 to have their names added. Plus, there were also personal benefits to Schindler, such as no longer having to pay for escorts for his Jewish workers. Despite everything, there is no denying that his signature on that list saved the lives of 1100 people. Another interesting fact: Roman Polanski was a child and Krakow resident during the German occupation and liquidation of the Jewish Ghetto. Unfortunately, his mother was killed at Auschwitz but his father survived another labor camp. Rumor has it, Polanski was asked to direct "Schindler's List" but he wasn't ready to touch the subject matter. However, years later, he did manage to make "The Pianist" which was set amidst the liquidation of the Krakow Jewish ghetto.

Zagreb/Vienna/Bratislava - Days 146-149

I didn't think I'd find myself back in Vienna again but it's nice to be in a somewhat "familiar" place for the first time on this trip. Don't get me wrong, I don't pretend to know the city at all, but at least I was here 7 years ago during spring break 2005 with my awesome study abroad roommate. 

There was no direct connection between Zagreb and Bratislava so I had to go through Vienna anyway, and luckily my host in Bratislava works a couple days a week in the Vienna office so our schedules worked out well. I arrived on Monday by train and met him at the office so we could drive back to Bratislava together - it takes only about an hour. Then he had to go back to Vienna again on Tuesday so I tagged along and spent the entire day in Vienna revisiting the old sights and taking in the grandiose buildings - Stephensplatz, Karlsplatz, Museum Quarter, Schonnbrun, etc... I also stumbled across a Vietnamese restaurant and got all worked up about the possibility of having a bowl of pho, but then when I saw the price, my eyes rolled so far back that they actually came around. 9 euros for a bowl of pho? For that price it better be served in a basin. 

I don't know if anyone recalls my post from a couple of weeks ago, but I met my Bratislava host, Roman,  in Dubrovnik when he crashed the motorbike. Mare and I "took him in" and we exchanged contact info with the intention of meeting up in Bratislava again. I love these mini road reunions :) When you travel for an extended amount of time, everything and everyone is new - a new city, new host, new currency, new language, new transportation system - so it's comforting to know what to expect for a change. 

Despite having spent the last two nights in Bratislava, I have yet to explore the city. So that's my plan for the next couple of days. 

Split/Zadar/Plitvice/Zagreb - Days 142-145

4 cities in 4 days...needless to say with all the moving around, I've neglected my blog a bit. Plus I was having a little Couchsurfing crisis with people not responding or saying they can host and canceling at the last minute.

On Thursday I caught a morning bus from Split to Zadar, another town on the Adriatic coast about 3 hours north. Good thing my host in Zagreb had to go out of town last minute, or otherwise, I wouldn't have even stopped in Zadar. It is a gorgeous little town; no big surprise there. It is built on a natural peninsula and juts out into the sea in an almost perfectly rectangular shape. Like other walled cities, there are many historical sites like gates, churches, monasteries, etc...but the coolest thing for me was a modern structure called the Sea Organs. They're staggered steps built into the sea side in different configurations with holes, and when the waves crash again them, they sound different notes like a organ. So they're entertaining and utilitarian at the same time, and also an ideal place to watch the sunset. 

Friday saw me rise early to catch yet another bus from Zadar to Plitvice to see the famous chain of lakes. It is a famous national park with turquoise lakes in different altitudes that cascade into each other. I had no intention of visiting but then someone showed me a picture and plans were altered. Plus it was conveniently located between Zadar and Zagreb, my next location. The only problem was working around the bus schedules. I arrived in Plitvice a little before noon and stored my luggage in a local hotel. Sidenote: The only complaint I have about Croatia is that people charge for everything and will flat out say "no" without any expression on their face when you ask for a favor. The lakes were amazing as expected and the boardwalks and trails were well-marked and accessible. I was prepared for strenuous hiking in 85 degree weather but the park tram did the hard work for us by driving us to the top and allowing us to walk down. So I spent 5 hours in the park and caught a bus by the side of the road to Zagreb. 

That's really when the "fun" started. A lady on Couchsurfing agreed to let me stay with her for Friday evening but when I called her after arriving at the bus station, she was convenient out of the city and wouldn't be back until after 10pm. Okay...no problem, I can deal with that, so I waited in the center. Per her instructions, I texted her after 10pm - no response. After waiting another 30 minutes, I called her only to discover that her phone was turned off. At least the city is still in full swing at 11pm so I wasn't alone or in any danger. Thankfully, I had a backup guy who kindly took me in at after 11pm. Today I found a "I'm  SO SO SORRY" email from her. No worries lady. 

So Zagreb is really nice; probably one of my favorite capital cities. I generally don't like them because they're often too large and sterile, but Zagreb is very walkable with a nice old town. I've been walking around all day discovering "upper town" with its old streets and architecture and also "lower town" with the shopping and large administrative buildings and museums. There is also a heavenly ice cream store that I've already visited twice in 12 hours. 

Split - Days 140-141

Made it to Split - quick and painless. The bus ride took about 4.5 hours and hugged the Dalmatian coast the entire way. Unfortunately I've developed some sort of automatic reflex to being on buses and was asleep for about 80% of the ride despite my efforts to stay awake and appreciate the scenery.

I'm traveling north along the Croatian coast and plan to stop in a few cities and then Zagreb, the capital. Split is a really cool town with Roman influences and a beautiful old town as well. It is overshadowed by Dubrovnik, and for that reason, I might even like it a bit more. The city walls aren't as imposing so it seems as if the residential neighborhood naturally flows into the old city with its shops and restaurants. The streets and buildings are also less pristine, but that's what gives it character. And I'll take character over perfection any day.

My host is a Croatian guy named Mladen, and coincidentally, his roommate's name is also Mladen. So I'll be spending the next couple days here with Mladen squared. I have to say Mladen #2 is pretty darn good looking and at the moment I'm helping him pick out different outfits to bring on his vacation this weekend. And he's not shy about changing in front of people...

Dubrovnik - Days 137-139

They don't call it "The Pearl of the Adriatic" for no reason. Dubrovnik's perfectly preserved old town almost seems unreal, and my first throught when I stepped in was "Are you serious?" Everything is immaculate and clean and the streets are so polished they literally shine. It's like a brand new cultural theme park except it's been around for hundreds of years and even partially destroyed 20 years ago.

The only downside, and a major one at that, is how much the old town has positioned itself for tourism. There are over a dozen religious structures, museums, historical houses within the 2 km long city wall, and everything requires an admission ticket. Plus every establishment is either a restaurant or souvenir shop with staff outside rattling off menu items and prices. They're merely doing what they have to do for a tourist town - make enough money during the summer season to get them through the winter. However, it's sad to think that this was once a functional city with bakeries, watchmakers, cobblers, etc...

So my first day here was spent exploring the old city and dodging a particularly touchy restaurant owner. My host told me that's a favorite summer pasttime for older Croatian men. Of course it is. There are thousands of fresh scantily clad girls everyday, so leave me and my oversized cargo pants alone. On the way back to the host's home, I ran into a Slovakian guy two doors down who asked me if I knew of anyone renting rooms. He had just crashed his motorbike and needed a place to stay for the night while his bike was being fixed. I'm couchsurfing with my host Mare but she rents out rooms in the summer as well, so I figured I'd let her decide and he could wait with me in the meantime. Mare is a lesbian (all the rainbows and gay themed decor clued me in) but she "doesn't mind straight people" and I was hoping she's not a man hater either. But everything worked out well. I made dinner for us, we chatted and drank a bottle of homemade Croatian wine, she ended up letting him crash for free, and he was off the next day. And now I have a contact in Bratislava when I make my way there in a couple of weeks :)

Yesterday I wanted to make a day trip to Kotor, a town in Montenegro about 2.5 hours away but discovered the public bus schedule was no in my favor. Even with the earliest departuring and latest returning bus, it would have only given me about an hour and half in the city. I was keen on escaping the hoards of cruiseshippers for the day and decided to take a much shorter trip to Cavtat, a small town only 20km from Dubrovnik, and the public transportation was easy and cheap. While Cavtat is still a tourist town, it's less crowded and has some nice bathing areas that are hard to find in the Dubrovnik old town. I can't think of a much better way to cool off than eating a pistacchio ice cream and dangling your feet in crystal clear water. 

To finish the day with a bang, I hiked to the top of the fortress overlooking Dubrovnik city. There is a cable car that goes up but I wanted to save some money and get exercise as well. The decision was made as I was eating a jelly-filled donut. A couple of people have told me not to walk because the trail is not in good condition with loose rocks, and I read on a message board that it's imperative to stay on the track because there are still landmines. Then someone else responded the landmines are not a problem, but just watch out for the snakes... And what do you know, not outside of ten steps, I spot a snake by the trail head. No idea what type but it wasn't too long and didn't look poisonous; I decided to soldier on. 45 minutes later and a couple shades darker, I was on top. And I didn't see any other snakes on the way up or down, and obviously no landmines.

Today is my last full day and the plan is to take a quick ferry ride to Lokrum - a nearby island, and maybe enjoy the old city once again in the evening.

Mostar - Days 134-136

I had never really heard of Mostar until I read more about Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it turns out to be a really important city - both in the context of war and travel. It is a small town in Herzegovina; southwest Bosnia that was pretty much devastated during the war. Today, it is a really popular tourist town because of its proximity to Dubrovnik, and many visit on daytrips, especially those from Adriatic cruises. Due to the town's small size, the influx of tourists during the summer is painfully obvious. There is only one street through the center of old town and usually swamped with retirees fresh off the bus (new definition to FOB?). And tons of Asians for some reason...

The most well-known landmark is the Stari Most or old bridge. It was built by the Ottomans and completely destroyed during the war in 1994. There is a little bookstore right off the bridge that shows footage of its destruction, and it's heartbreaking to watch. However, the story has a happy ending because the bridge was restored in 2004 and is now UNESCO protected, and crazy locals continue to jump/dive off of it as they have in the past. The water in the river Neretva below is a beautiful shade of green but near freezing in temperature with a strong current, so diving and even swimming is extremely dangerous. It is still a bit early in the season for divers, but I was lucky enough to catch one during my stay in Mostar. It looks deceptively easy but my host said with no trace of humor in her voice, "DO NOT jump off the bridge" as if I was really going to try. Apparently there are tourists and locals who die every year, and it doesn't help that many of them were drunk at the time... No need to tell me twice; I have a fear of heights anyway.

Yesterday, I made my way to Dubrovnik, Croatia after a 3 hour bus ride that took us from Bosnia to Croatia, back to Bosnia, and back to Croatia - 4 passport checks. At least they don't bother with stamping anything so it was quick and painless. I arrived in the early evening so haven't really had much time to explore but from what I can tell, it's going to be amazingly picturesque and probably filled with more cruise ship tourists on day excursions.