When you say you’re heading to The Czech Republic, or Czechia as they are actively trying to re-brand, folks give you a quizzical look. Soooo you give them a helpful “Used to be part of the former Czechoslovakia?” and eventually you’ll get the slight head nod of some recognition. BUT say you’re going to Prague and Americans’ eyes get a sparkle and sometimes a little sigh escapes their lips. Well, bonus points to anyone who knows Prague is the capital of Czechia!
There’s no wonder why people are keen to visit Prague. It is often referred to as a romantic city with its gothic and baroque architecture, the wide Vltava river winding through the city, the picturesque Charles Bridge, and the region’s tumultuous history. In addition to the romanticism, recent marketing has pinned Prague as a cheap destination for travelers. I had the opportunity to spend a few nights in Prague at the beginning and end of my Czechian visit and below are my findings.
This post title is appropriate because I have a few quirks that not all people have and I promise those quirks influenced my opinion of this popular spot. Quirks:
I despise overcrowding
I travel for experiences
HOT (warm, even, to some) WEATHER MAKES ME MISERABLE and therefore cranky
I like to eat good food
Quirks Engage: My first attempt to learn about the culture and history was on a sunny morning mid-week in September during a heat wave and I’d joined a walking tour. Unfortunately, almost every inch of the vast town square was covered with tourists and guides and street performers. With that mass of people with their body heat and breathing, coupled with the blazing ball of gas in the sky, quirks 1 and 3 were triggered. I decided to skip the tour – read that as “run away quickly before I turned on my fellow humans”. The weather forecast told me it was to cool down in short order and my next city visit is only a couple hours away, so I could easily come back to learn some stuff. (this never did happen which is why this post is light on facts and heavy on opinion)
While walking through town to remove myself from the main throbbing mass, it was slow going because I had to navigate around numerous humans crowded into the many, many shopping options in the narrow streets. Trigger alert for quirks 1 and 2 GO! By now, I realized I wasn’t going to be happy with the day and decided to go back to my room and nap through the heat and see what I could salvage in the next 24 hours. This turned out to be the right choice.
After my crank-reducing nap, I found what I consider the best Indian restaurant I’ve ever eaten in (I’ve never been to India; excited for that someday) just around the corner! I chatted with some Indian American folks from LA who agreed that this was THE place in Prague for yummy goodness. Finally, a Prague win on quirk 4!
Quirk Mitigation: What better way to avoid crowds, aggressive shoppers, and heat than to get up before the sun!?! Done. As I walked through the darkness into old town around 5am, the only other people I came across either worked for city maintenance or were young’ns stumbling out of still open bars. I had the place almost entirely to myself. Glorious, glorious space! Although I didn’t have an escort to teach me things, what I could see with my own eyes was absolutely mesmerizing!
The squares and buildings were fabulously sans humans and watching the sun rise over the aforementioned romantic structures was awe inspiring. I gaped and walked for hours and miles, all before I had to meet my bus in late morning.
I walked across the Charles Bridge which engaged couples famously use as a backdrop in their wedding photos.
I spun in happy circles in the main Town Hall square, scaring sleeping pigeons into flight.
I stumbled on interesting Prague street art and other paraphernalia, laughing out loud to myself at times.
I climbed the bazillion steps to the Prague Castle without another soul seeing the sweat rolling down my face as I took picture after picture of the castle compound and inspiring views below.
I love me some gargoyles
Prague is GORGEOUS!
On my return night, I also got to experience the city itself, outside the old town hustle and bustle. Yes, there are still crowds and lines and shops of all kinds, but there’s a quieter, more relaxed side as well. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to visit this romantic city overall, but where, oh, where is the good and cheap food?!?!
Wrocลaw, Poland has around 650K people living there so this could render it a small city, a big town… or just “home”. The fourth largest city in Poland sits in the southwest corner of the country in the region of Lower Silesia. It is not the big metropolitan capital of Warsaw which everyone is familiar with, it’s not on the sea with Gdaลsk, nor is it Krakรณw, the up and coming “it” tourist spot. What it is can’t be summed up easily, so I’ll walk you through what I experienced over eleven days and you can decide whether you agree Wrocลaw is as absolutely wonderful as I believe it to be!
Resting Lady
WROCลAW: Let’s start with how to pronounce this guy. I won admiring glances from every resident I met each time I tried to get the nuance right, whether I did or not didn’t really matter to them. ๐ In English, it’s easy to think the first W is silent, the letter after C is an L, and therefore the first part of the name sounds like what you do in a boat and the last part sounds like the feisty part of a cat’s paw. RowClaw. Nope! Some of this will click for those who’ve had exposure to languages other than English, but it was still a rough one for me to wrap my head around.
Here we go! In Polish, a W in the beginning of a word sounds like a hard V and in this case, the O is hard as in oh!?!? Easy enough, right? Vroh… Okay, now, that C is the common but pesky *ts* sound. With me so far? Vrohts… The next letter is not an L, but an ล which has a W sound. Woot! This is where we are: Vrohtsw… The A is the A from ah. Vrostwah… When the W is at the end of a word, it’s softer, almost like when a V and an F have a baby but V is the dominant parent. Vrohtswahv. Play with it. Try it out loud. Let it roll around on your tongue (and lips and teeth). Then go back to hearing RowClaw in your head anytime you see it written like most English speakers do. Nobody will judge you.
History and Old Town
Auschwitz: You all know what happened here and honestly, after visiting and seeing the ghosts of horror, I will leave you only with some photos before moving on. Below reflects Auschwitz I, which was originally a Polish military base, and Auschwitz II – Birkenau, which is the notorious concentration camp, specifically built for its gas chambers and to follow up, crematoriums. The innocent people who were put to death because of the beliefs of one solitary lunatic need to be remembered and their lives respected.
Transport of doomed innocents to the camp
Some were more than 30 continuous hours in transit
Import and Selection of those who would be put directly to death vs. sent to work before death
Auschwitz I
Watch tower
Auschwitz II – Birkenau
Kitchen in Birkenau
As far as you can see, this continues
Wooden when speed of erection was paramount
French Memorial on site
One women’s barrack; 5 women on each board
Never forget these were people
Gas chamber where pellets of poison were dropped in through the ceiling
Hitler bombed this crematorium at the end of the war to cover his atrocities
Old Town: Most of Wrocลaw was destroyed in WWII so much of it has been rebuilt in the past 70 years, and even then, a lot of the reconstruction wasn’t finished until after Russia took its leave decades later. The reproductions are very well done and worth taking the time to stroll through with a coffee and pastry. There is a row of buildings in the town square which weren’t destroyed and which have been lovingly kept up all these years. Not only is the portion you can see beautiful, but they also boast up to 8 more floors below ground level, having had multiple uses throughout the centuries.
Intact through WWII
Destruction
24hr Flower Market Old Town
Old Town colors
Wrocลaw isn’t a very religious city and that’s visible through some of the art found in Old Town which can be read as “take your religion and shove it; we don’t want to fight about it”.
Do It Yourself Kit
Middle Finger
Town Hall
Beware coming home after too many
Old Town is located in the center of the larger city, bordered by the Oder River on the north and major transit thoroughfares around the rest of a circle. In the middle of the area is the Town Hall where in the basement, if the lessee had paid his rent over the last 9 years and it wasn’t currently closed, you could also have visited the oldest pub in central Europe – Piwnica ลwidnicka. The pub was first referenced in city records in 1273 and its facade is still flanked with a drunk and his wife preparing to throw her shoe at his swimming head.
The Panorama of the Battle of Racลawice is a fabulous painting of an epic battle during the uprising of Poland in 1794 where the insurgent Poles were victorious over the Russians. Though the rebellion ultimately failed, this battle became a symbol of strength and promise. What I loved about this installation is the creative use of texture back when it was realized – 100 years after the attack – in 1873. It’s an impressively sized canvas of 15m (49f) x 114m (374f) and housed in a special rotunda built solely for its display. They’ve even added tactile elements to heighten the 3D effect of this important historical artifact. Not only is this super cool to look at, but the lengths to which Poland has gone to safekeep and restore the treasure shows so much pride and resilience.
The FOOD
I had trimmed the waistline a bit before getting to Poland, mainly from excessive walking in the Baltics, but there is no amount of walking I could do to account for the vast quantity of Polish calories I can shove in my mouth per day.
Traditional: Pierogies – dumplings of pasta surrounding any kind of filling you like, but the most common is the pierogi ruskie which consists of potatoes and cheese. Yes, you read that right, potatoes and cheese surrounded by pasta dough and boiled (most popular) or fried (my favorite) and served with a big dollop of sour cream. Other popular fillings are champignon (black) mushrooms because mushroom hunting is a popular pastime in the country, oh, and because they’re delicious. You can also find almost any meat of your choice in a pierogi. Then, of course, there are dessert pierogies filled with fruits and cheeses. Somebody stop me!
Other traditional foods of Poland include the ever present pork knuckle, which is popular all over the region. Kielbasa sausages, duh. Rustic soups with boiled eggs and, of course, kielbasa. Duck in every possible preparation. Cabbage, onions, and beets, oh my!
Pork cutlet is one of the most popular dishes especially if paired with potato pancakes (three cheers!). Don’t hesitate to try the kopytka which is like gnocchi on steroids with its perfect balance of flour and potatoes mixed into a medium sized dumpling and topped with your choice of gravies or dropped into a savory broth. There are wonderful cafeteria style restaurants, easily found throughout the city, where you can just fill up your plate with anything that looks appetizing and I was never disappointed.
Foody: Wrocลaw is quite international and progressive so the food available once you step outside the bubble is eclectic and they do it well. There’s a Georgian (country, not state) restaurant I admit to having frequented where a wonderful meal is simply a tomato cucumber onion salad with a side of khachapuri which is a boat shaped out of well seasoned, chewy pizza dough, the center of which is filled with Georgian cheese, a pat of butter, and a raw egg which cooks itself in front of your salivating face.
Oh, the hummus and the lemonades!
I could seriously make this a 12 page post just on the food of Wrocลaw, but I’ll stop after this list of awesomeness: Hummus (amazing and so many choices and presentations!), mango sauce, BEER, Thai influences, pastries, goulash, dense gravies, light fresh lemonades, and along with the young vibe, TONS of vegetarian and vegan options abound! If you want anything spicy, though, you’ll have to season it yourself or visit one of the many flavorful Indian joints in town. Needless to say, I must do MUCH MORE walking.
I’m addicted to this duck buddha bowl
Beyond Old Town
Kolejkowo: Poland’s coolest train set is so much fun! It’s two floors which splendidly capture life in Wrocลaw to extreme detail. They’ve perfectly recreated Old Town, included the numerous construction zones throughout the city, represented country life, and simulated the various neighborhoods which make Wrocลaw so stinkin’ awesome. Trains and cars run at regular intervals with all the bells, lights, and whistles you’d expect from a stellar toy. Yes, there were tons of kids there, but lots of us adult kids were squealing with glee, too!
Funeral service
Coffee and Comfort: Having just completed the Baltic route, I was super excited to be in a place which doesn’t consider “coffee in a cup” (instant coffee) sufficient. I was finally able to sit down to a nice cup o’ joe and even without breaking the bank. Hallelujah! Once the atmosphere of Old Town has been sufficiently enjoyed, the rest of the city just feels cozy and comfortable. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of history to keep a person depressed if they look hard enough for memorials, but ultimately, this place is upbeat and friendly. It’s not unusual to wave at sailboats on the river, whether or not you can say Wrocลaw.
NFM
Not all the cool buildings were built centuries ago, either. There are plenty of modern things interspersed among your traditional beauties like the National Forum of Music where the Poland Philharmonic plays. There’s also the row of hipster restaurants and shops under the railroad tracks which serve up great grub (can you tell I already miss the food?!?) and you can find some comfortably weird paraphernalia.
Colors of Wrocลaw: There is a long history of men giving women flowers in Wrocลaw with many varied legends as to why. Whatever the reason, the town is overflowing with flower shops, including the big 24 hour flower market which means you’re fresh out of excuses for not bringing home flowers on every occasion. Pretty much on every corner, you’ll see a Kwiaty sign which means there is some sort of living beauty inside just begging to be purchased for a deserving recipient.
In addition to all the flowers, the bridge structures are brightly decorated and art installations in their own right. The first I came across was when I went a-wanderin’ on day 2, then I subsequently couldn’t help but notice each one, the first remaining my favorite. There isn’t any rhyme or reason to their coloring other than to represent the independence of choice after communist rule.
My favorite bridge
The same goes for painting the tall, rectangular cement apartment and business buildings. Some are rainbow colors, others solid brights, but most often some geometric pattern chosen by the inhabitants. I’m extra thankful for the colors because since the buildings aren’t arranged by grid, getting lost in the kitty corners is all too easy.
The Ossolineum Library and Research Center is a pretty and red representation of light baroque architecture with the ivy providing a softness to the harder angles and contrasts.
Another beautifully colored location is the National Museum, but the coloring comes from the natural elements of brick and foliage, like many other Northern Neo-Renaissance designed buildings of the 19th century.
Cathedral Island and University Botanical Center: The oldest part of Wrocลaw on what is believed to once have been an island between branches of the Oder River is now considered Cathedral Island. This small area is crowded with impressive baroque and gothic cathedrals known for hosting tourists intent on visiting during the day and revelers at night, when hundreds of lamps are hand lit each day at dusk.
Alongside these cathedrals sits the Botanical Garden at the University of Wrocลaw which was on my must see list because… plants. What I can say is there were pockets of beauty which I am glad to not have missed while the majority of the gardens were not at their best. I fell a lot more in love with water lilies and the reflections of the cathedrals off the water mesmerized me for more than an hour. And if I hadn’t made my way through the gardens, I wouldn’t have had the best burger in town on my way home!
Hydropolis: One of my absolute favorite things in Wrocลaw is the ultra modern and interesting water education center – Hydropolis. SO COOL for a water lover like moi, and I daresay everyone should love water because it’s a necessary element for, well… life. This place was educational, entertaining, well executed, and just plain ol’ fun. The hosts of the center are a virtual reality shark and octopus who guide you from one exhibit to another. Yup, I loved ’em. There is no possible way I can share with you everything I learned in the *ahem* six hours I spent here (Google says most folks stay 1.5-2 hrs), so please feel free to make the trip!
Projected 3D Earth reflected off the water tank below with the video we’re watching in the background. Yes please.
Examples of fun exhibits
Wrocลaw
Relaxation zones
I’d have better photos for you if this guy wasn’t addicted to candy crush…
Just getting in and out was a blast to do and to watch – they call this the water printer
Run, little dude, run!
Dwarves: What started out as an inventive way to elicit support for peaceful protests against communism with the Orange Alternative (a group who would dress up or use silly props to mitigate risk of trouble from the communist authority in their protesting), Wrocลaw now has over 600 bronze Dwarves scattered throughout the city. These little guys pop up just about everywhere and the city has embraced them wholeheartedly with maps to the Dwarves, Dwarf dictionaries – there’s even a Dwarf finding app for your smart phone. Obviously, by this point, the meaning of each little statue is no longer strictly for human rights. Some shorties are advertisements or dedications to lovers. They have become a universal symbol, however, of “let’s all just get along”, even to the point of becoming gifts to other cities and nations by Wrocลaw leaders. While I didn’t capture every one, I’ll share with you some of the li’ls I was happy to meet…
These are the highlights from what I know of Wrocลaw. Whaddya’ think?
Vilnius Lithuania is the largest of the Baltic capital cities and doesn’t sport so much of a dedicated Old Town as a Where’s Waldo of historical sites tucked into the city. I was able to stay for over a week in a neighborhood barely this side of gentrification so it gave me the opportunity to explore further afield just by the nature of its location. Vilnius is chock full of charm and I got to see a bunch of it this way. I also got heaps of exercise which was absolutely necessary since the food is amazing!
Just strollin’, looking for Insta spots
Vilnius charm
Indian neighborhood Vilnius
Hot Air ballooning is popular
Entrance to the Art Museum
See the modern and wooden windows
Jewish quarter where the profession was Glazier
Lennon sculpture
I really wanted a reason to visit Coaty Coat!
One view from my balcony
Twilight Selfies
The first thing that struck me was just how much Lithuanians LOVE their “pink soup”. It’s this delightful cold concoction made with plenty of fresh red beets and kefir (if you don’t know kefir yet, think liquid yogurt or buttermilk – pure yumminess!). Sometimes you’ll find cucumbers, green onions, boiled eggs, or other flavor add ins. You can’t blink without seeing it on a menu, hearing it spoken on the street (or by one of your brothers), or just watching the empty pink stained bowls being carted back into the kitchen. This stuff is everywhere and for good reason, it’s delicious! Throw in a side of potatoes and some protein and you’ve got yourself a winning meal. Beets are a popular vegetable for recipes here, but being the middle of the summer, unlike the blueberries the size of my fist, beets weren’t readily available at the farmers’ markets, possibly because they had to sell what was available to local restaurants to avoid riots??
Pink soup!
One cannot subsist on pink soup alone but it’s easy to find options to suit any palate in Lithuania. Dumplings and sausages come in many forms, oftentimes accompanied by some sort or other of garbanzo beans or potatoes and a big dollop of sour cream rounds out the meal. Lithuanian culture is obvious in the food options, heavily influenced by Polish and Ukrainian flavors. For instance, you can’t leave the country without ordering a cepelinai which is a filling (usually ground meat or vegetables and spices) surrounded by a potato mash. They’re called cepelinai because their shape resembles zeppelin balloons. There’s also no shortage of vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc… dietary options, either. In summary, eating is a fun pastime in Vilnius. I’m cheating and have provided you some sample menu pages below from a restaurant I frequented due to its Lithuanian bent, location in a great people watching spot, good service, and generally good food execution.
Starting Dinner in the Sky
Dinner in the Sky
Fist sized and oh so sweet
Being under communist rule for so long, when the curtain fell, having the right to their own identity in all things was of utmost importance. Part of the reason Lithuania became the first country to gain independence from the USSR is because of the way they protested with such fervor. Vilnius was the beginning of the longest human chain in (at that time) history, assembled with over 2M people and nearly 420 miles of unbroken human flesh, often referred to as The Baltic Way as it encompassed Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, ending in Tallinn. It’s with delight and some amusement to witness the physical manifestation of that freedom throughout the city. Whether it’s a mural of Trump and Putin sharing a joint or a giant brass sculpture of Stalin with a pig snout, these folks show they are free!
Freedom of expression in bar form
It’s made of broken bottles, folks!
They’re not shy
Vines, vines everywhere
Entrance to the Art Museum
Lithuania loves some Bush
Walls that don’t forget
Walls that don’t forget
Paganism is alive and well in Vilnius
Vilnius is a vibrant city in general with art installations as far as the eye can see, including re-purposing a broken down industrial area into a giant open air gallery and music venue while the buildings are being rebuilt.
Open Gallery Vilnius
Open Gallery Vilnius
Open Gallery Vilnius
Open Gallery Vilnius
Open Gallery Vilnius
Open Gallery Vilnius
Open Gallery Vilnius
Open Gallery Vilnius
Open Gallery Vilnius
Vilnius likes Zappa
Vilnius Zappa art
Outside the Vilnius Art Museum
One group took their love of art and bohemia one step further and declared themselves and independent nation with their own currency and laws, filled with… you guessed it – Artists. Welcome to the Republic of Uลพupis, but only if you smile. On their independence day, April 1 (1998), not only is there a giant party, but you are checked at the bridge to verify there’s a smile on your face or else be denied entry.
Uzupis currency
Uzupis currency
See, Uzupis has smiling as an entrance requirement
Uzupis charm
Uzupis, across the river
Uzupis rocker
Uzupis art
Uzupis art
Uzupis art
What a beautiful and welcoming community they’ve created, taking “laid back” to a new level. What once was a completely run down section of the city where squatters had destroyed what was left of the buildings, is now a beautifully colorful and lively spot to express oneself. Just walking down the street, you can feel the warmth; strangers being invited to play with paint without fear of solicitation to buy something, just to explore their inner creativity. My little piece wasn’t museum quality, but it sure did make me happier for having experienced it and the lady handing out the tools was the epitome of joy, smiling with every fiber.
The flag of Uลพupis is simply an open palmed hand with a hole in the middle to signify keeping an open mind. This is repeated in symbols throughout the small nation to remind everyone what they stand for. No matter the medium, art is god, here; Sculpting, painting, music, poetry, interior design, practicing kindness, you name it! They started the nation with a 12 person military in order to keep the peace as they were forming, but eventually realized they no longer needed any type of force and instead, erected a beautiful lady angel in the center of the nation to watch over its residents. Uลพupis is translated as “across the river” since that’s where it’s located in terms of Vilnius. No overthinking allowed. It’s tempting to move in right away.
Uzupis 4 booby gallery
Uzupis army
Amateur street art
Uzupis color
Uzupis art
Due to politics, Vilnius was not always the capital of Lithuania, even during the years Lithuania was a country; at more than one time, the nearby city of Kaunas was the country’s seat. I made my way over there one day since it’s only about 100km west and took a peek at the city. The Old Town is intersected with a wide, scenic promenade but at the time of my visit, the entire promenade was under construction and blocked off with fencing. Since the charm of Old Town wasn’t so evident, I just walked the outer city streets and didn’t get much of a chance to learn, so instead, here are some Kaunas pictures. ๐
Exploiting Life 