Streets of kings, skies of spires and the horrors of mankind

• Prague
• Krakow
• Zakopane

Roland's Photos
Chloe's Photos

A short bus ride from Berlin and we found ourselves arriving in Prague. We managed to get lost on our first wander into the ‘Old Town’, a maze of little cobblestone streets that lead to the main square and more tourists than we had seen so far on our travels.

Prague is a very pretty city, so much so that Hitler protected it from being bombed or destroyed during WWII and now, UNESCO has protected its old-age charm by converting much of the Old Town and the area around the Charles Bridge into World Heritage Area. There are buildings dating back to all stages in Prague’s history, a beautiful riverfront lined with outdoor cafes and bars, topped off with a Europe’s largest castle perched on top of its hill.

We wandered around and around the city, took in a walking tour, but mostly we enjoyed strolling around the Castle and the lesser town alleyways. The orange, yellows and pinks of the buildings, teamed with ornate street lamps, architectural detailing and magnificent blue skies meant that many a photo was taken. I’m sure this won’t come as a surprise to anyone…
We lay in parks next to the river, had beers in numerous outdoor beer gardens in the sun and strolled back and across the Charles bridge at sunset, watching as the city came to life. Prague grew on us and the many great sights shadowed the busy tourist streets and tacky shops.

Leaving the Czech Republic after three days of enjoying the European summer weather, we took an overnight train to Kracow in Poland (despite many a warning about the safety of these overnight trains). We arrived with all our belongings, but unfortunately without much sleep to a gloomy and rainy Krakow. We used Krakow as a base for the next couple of days, taking various day trips to nearby places.

Of course Auschwitz was the first and most significant day trip. Less than 2 hours out of Krakow, we took a look back at European history and learnt about some of the most horrific crimes of the 20th Century. Actually visiting two of the remaining extermination camps brought many of the stories we had heard previously to life. It is totally impossible to comprehend the sheer number of people who were killed, not to mention the shocking conditions of those who were kept as POWs and the mechanical organisation of such a monstrous operation.

On a completely different note, the next day trip was to the salt mines at Wieliczka, 10kms outside of Krakow. The mines were started in the 1300’s and were operational up until the 1970s. They go down 9 levels, up to 300m beneath the surface and have 300km of underground trials. It was amazing to see the chapels that miners had carved out of salt, complete with a carved version of Leonardo’s ‘The Last Supper.’ There were also underground lakes, and a hall big enough to have a wedding reception for 700 people, and with WiFi access. Unbelievable.

With afternoons free to explore Krakow, we wandered through and around the old town main square (largest in Europe), but we really liked the old Jewish quarter with its little bars and hidden outdoor restaurants. Krakow is similar to Prague in many ways, aesthetically and culturally, but much less touristy – 98% of the population there are ethnic Polish.

After a few days, we took a bus to the far southern region of Poland, and a town called Zakopane right on the boarder with Slovakia. Zakopane is the skiing capital in winter, but during summer there are many hiking trails and mountain biking in the Tatras Mountains. It has the typical ski town feeling and beautiful cottages with steeply angled rooves, surrounded by pine trees.

We hiked the hills and basked in the glorious sunshine from high upon mountaintops…well at least for the one afternoon that it did not rain. We did manage to walk around despite the ever-falling rain, found our way into Slovakia and down off the mountain. A great place to visit for a couple of days even with the rain.

Now off to Holland …