HELLO EVERYONE!!!!! You are about to go on a very condensed version of Oliver and my Easter travels....ENJOY!!!!
Before leaving England we went west to see Stonehenge and Bath (thank you mom!) here we are in front of Stonehenge
Our first minutes and tram wires in Amsterdam.
The Red Light District, located right next to our Hostel.
Bikes were the main mode of transportation in Amsterdam and snow the main mood of the weather.
A bench by the Bus station where we caught an overnight bus from Amsterdam to Berlin.
Berlin.In front of the Brandenburg Gate in Paris Square, Berlin.
Our Shadows over Hitler's bunker where he killed himself. It is now a car park, possibly the biggest insult to Hitler for as our tour guide pointed out his main goal was to have a grand legacy. The car park does have a very small sign that marks what use to be under it but the main reason people visit it now is to pee on it.
The Jewish Holocaust Memorial, inspired by the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague.
A street performer in Paris Square.
Old abandoned check point on the West Side Gallery the longest preserved part of the Wall in Berlin.
Children at the back of a Berlin tram soaking up the sun while they could.
Prague.
Dawn over the Prague castle.
Reflection: on our way down from the Prague castle.
Prague Astronomical Clock.
St. John of Nepomuk the oldest of 30 statues that line Charles Bridge.
After we watched the sun rise from Charles Bridge.
Train from Prague to Budapest.
Sun through train windows over the mountains of Slovakia.
Budapest.
The Chain Bridge over the Danube river. The Danube river is one of Europe's longest river's, it runs from Germany and passes through about 10 different countries before it becomes part of the Black Sea.
In our Hostel room before attending the Hungarian Opera.
CAVING!
Deep under Budapest.
Old men playing chess while soaking in the Turkish Baths of Budapest.
Everyone SMILE!
Poland (Krakow)
On the bus to Auschwitz
The hair of Women murdered in gas chambers (weight is approximately 1950 kgs). Hair of victims was sold by the SS as a raw material for the German textile industry and it cost 50 Phennigs per 1 kg.
CERTIFICATE:
Traces of hydrogen cyanide the basic poisonous component of preparations called cyclons- have been found in the examined hair.
(Director of the institute of forensic expertise,
(information retrieved from the
Auschwitz I. To the left of this shot (out of frame) is the gate entrance to Auschwitz I that reads "Arbeit macht frei" which translates to "Work makes you free".
Warsaw.
By the time we got to Warsaw Poland we were somewhat burnt out on being tourists.
We arrived at night after a 7 hour bus ride from Krakow. We had become a bit lax on our traveling organization by that time and had forgotten to write down the name of the hostel we had booked....so, it was late, we were tired and had no idea where we were staying. But , considering we had already paid for the hostel online we were determined to find it. Thanks to English pretty much being an international language, internet cafes, google maps, and our travel books we found our way.
That night we slept in an 8 person hostel room; me, Oliver and six old, snoring business men! (Turns out that Warsaw is the most expensive city in Poland for accommodation so its a common occurrence for business men to stay in hostels during the week while they work).
We were awoken the next morning by the hostel owner who told us that the hostel was closing in 20 minutes! It also turns out that some hostels close during the day! Which my dad later told was the way most hostels use to be. We gathered all the things we thought we might need and left. We drank a carton of milk and ate bread on the streets of Warsaw with all the other homeless people.
The second night was the same story, snoring men and the second morning, although we tried to set an alarm on our cell phone to give us time to prepare for our eviction the phone battery died during the night and we were again woken up by the owner with 15 minutes to get out.
By the time we got to Warsaw Poland we were somewhat burnt out on being tourists.
We arrived at night after a 7 hour bus ride from Krakow. We had become a bit lax on our traveling organization by that time and had forgotten to write down the name of the hostel we had booked....so, it was late, we were tired and had no idea where we were staying. But , considering we had already paid for the hostel online we were determined to find it. Thanks to English pretty much being an international language, internet cafes, google maps, and our travel books we found our way.
That night we slept in an 8 person hostel room; me, Oliver and six old, snoring business men! (Turns out that Warsaw is the most expensive city in Poland for accommodation so its a common occurrence for business men to stay in hostels during the week while they work).
We were awoken the next morning by the hostel owner who told us that the hostel was closing in 20 minutes! It also turns out that some hostels close during the day! Which my dad later told was the way most hostels use to be. We gathered all the things we thought we might need and left. We drank a carton of milk and ate bread on the streets of Warsaw with all the other homeless people.
The second night was the same story, snoring men and the second morning, although we tried to set an alarm on our cell phone to give us time to prepare for our eviction the phone battery died during the night and we were again woken up by the owner with 15 minutes to get out.
Goodmorning Warsaw!
Dinner from leftovers and we splurged on a tomato to spice things up.
Night plane back to England.
A souvenir of little cuts from the persistent cold.
There are of course many more stories to be told and pictures to be seen. You could call this the outline. Thank you to everyone who supported us in all the different ways in our journey; it was full of beauty, laughter, occasional tears, friendship and memories we will have and hold for the rest of our lives.
Until we hit the road again....
Until we hit the road again....
4 comments:
Great account of events. glad you got it up so soon. I eenjoyed it very much, and more when i look back on it.
Thanks for getting these up so soon! I've been eager to see some of what you saw and thought and felt. You will remember this for the rest of your lives, even as you do more great, smart and fun things.
Wow, you guys need a vacation to rest from the vacation. Love the pics and accounts of the special
time. Glad you are home safe and I hope the studies
invigorate you above and beyond,
dude. give me an email: jhinkson@walton.uark.edu
JR
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