Road Trip: Part Three

The final leg of our journey was originally to stop over in Wroclaw. We decided however to just spend an afternoon there. From the outside, Wroclaw looks uninviting. Grubby suburbs and uneven roads surround the centre. But I guess most suburbs of most cities tend to appear that way.

Wroclaw can actually look pretty, depending on the camera angle you take.

Once you get to the heart of the city, you discover quite a pretty old town district, lined with cafes and restaurants. Another opportunity to try Polish food, pierogi (filled dumplings) is something I'd definitely recommend for example. Without really knowing anything about the city beforehand at all, we exhausted our ideas of what-to-do in one afternoon. I'm sure the city has more to offer though.

Dresden, the reconstructed Frauenkirche.

We drove onwards to Dresden, which proved to be a good decision. There's plenty to see there. Most of the old cathedrals, theatres and other buildings which were destroyed during the Second World War have been rebuilt, some still with original masonry. A very impressive sight indeed. Dresdner cuisine is also supposed to be pretty decent, but we were more tempted by South African instead, not quite authentic, I know, but better than eating at a certain fast food chain!

The main square in the city.

An ace road trip, covering the best part of a thousand miles. Although as much as I love travelling, I could take it easy for a while now!

Road Trip: Part Two

After Hamburg and Berlin we drove across to Krakow. There was no mistaking that we were in Poland, immediately upon crossing the border, the motorway became incredibly bumpy – so much so that I'm not even sure if motorway is the right word for that haphazard strip of tarmac. A sharp contrast to the smooth speed-limit-free Autobahnen of Germany! Nevertheless, we somehow made it to Krakow with an intact chassis.

The main square in Krakow.

A friend's family – whom she had never met before – were kind enough to host us. They live in a farm outside of the city and we were given a warm, Polish welcome (yet more beer). I can't speak Polish, so understanding what was going on was a little tricky, but I did pick up a few useful words – beer of course included (piwko).

In the old town district of Krakow.

Krakow itself is a very pretty city and there's plenty to see and do. We spent most of the time eating – Polish food is great (not a country for vegetarians)! After looking around the city, we headed to Wieliczka, just outside Krakow, in order to check out the salt mines that our hosts recommended.

A shop 100 metres underground in a mine - very strange...

The mine was really cool, the miners had sculpted statues into the rock salt – including a 3D carving of The Last Supper which was impressive. In fact the salt mine was like nothing else I've seen. There was a cathedral chamber (where you can be wedded for 2000 Złoty), a conference centre and even a little shop down there. I was half expecting to find a Starbucks and KFC too. 'Mine' is probably a misleading term for the place, rather I'd call it an underground exhibition centre – which also carries out the odd mining operation from time to time. Very bizarre – but definitely worth a visit!

The impressive cathedral chamber.

A very enjoyable time had in Krakow indeed, I could've stayed there longer! The road trip then took us back West, next stop Wrocław...

Warsaw & Berlin

Last weekend I met up with a friend in Berlin and we went to Warsaw. I had always wanted to visit Poland, and since I was already in the area, I thought why not head over there? It's only a 5 hour train ride away.....

The iconic palace of culture in the heart of the city.

I don't really know what I was expecting, but Warsaw certainly exceeded any expectations I had. The old town part of the city is beautiful and, although the rest of the city isn't conventionally pretty, I really liked it. There was plenty to see and do there. I'd like to go back one day, but maybe not during the harsh temperatures (-15c) of winter.

ACTA protest (against strict copyright and censor regulations) in the old town.

Whilst in Warsaw, we stumbled upon a peaceful ACTA protest. Also, in the evening, we saw huge convoys of police vans, armoured trucks and cars racing towards the area where loud bangs could be heard. It turns out it wasn't about the protest, but rather a football match had been cancelled, unleashing the wrath of the fans.

Upon returning, I then checked out what Berlin has to offer.

The infamous Brandenburger Tor of Berlin.

Berlin is unlike any city I've ever been to. Not only geographically - it has no clear centre – understandable considering the rich history of the city, but also in the feel of the place. There always seems to be something going on – probably why the night life there is raved about – justly in my opinion.

The memorial for the Jews who lost their lives during the holocaust.

Of course, there is also plenty to do in Berlin, not just for tourists but also if you live there I imagine, and that's before you even consider all of the obligatory sights that one must see (the Berlin wall, Bundestag and Fernsehturm to name just a few). Again, I can envisage coming back some day.