26 in London

So I was feeling a little down as my birthday approached because most of my friends from school had gone home for the summer and the rest of my relationships in Kraków were too new to expect much. But, to my delight I received a lovely gift from Nico and Krzysiek took me out on a lovely date. 

Birthday flowers

Krzysiek was working nights at a club at the time, while he looked for a new job. But, instead of sleeping all day, he napped for a few hours, borrowed his friend's car and came to pick me up in the early afternoon. When I came downstairs, I was surprised to see that he had parked the car and was standing at my gate, all dressed-up with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me. I stored the flowers in some water and then we headed to about ten minutes outside of Kraków to a terrace on a hilltop. It was warm and sunny and the view was absolutely stunning. We sat on the terrace and had ice cream and coffee and chatted the afternoon away. Then we took pictures and headed back to Kraków for an evening walk through the city and then had drinks at his sister's place with several of his friends. It was a lovely day. When I got home, my roommates had left a card and a box of sweets for me. 

Mom & Dad with a Hoberman Sphere

The next morning, on my actual birthday, I woke up early and headed to the airport to meet Mom and Dad for a week-long vacation in London. A few hours later we were reunited and chatting up a storm. I dumped my stuff at the B&B, which was a hotel with character. It was run by a Spanish family, and everyone in the place knew when Mama was unhappy. Internet was only available in the dinky lobby, which was always crowded with people checking plugging-in to their electronic lives. Breakfast was complimentary every day and our room was definitely cozy. It felt exactly like a cruiseship stateroom. Two beds crammed into the space with barely any room to maneuver and the bathroom was even more compact. But we weren't planning on hosting any parties, so we got along just fine. After I settled-in, we headed to meet S & G and Mom's friend from work for dinner. We had a lovely evening. After a delicious meal, with wine and even some complimentary birthday champagne, we finished our evening in the executive lounge at S & G's hotel, where we did some skyping and had a little more champagne. 

Mom and I at the globe

The next day we got up bright and early, I had my first full English breakfast, and then we headed to St. Paul's for a tour with the gang: Sean, Greg, Claudia, Jim and us. The cathedral was beautiful and our tour guide was so well informed. I enjoyed everything she had to say about the architecture and the history. At the end of the tour, we headed to the whispering gallery which is at the base of the big dome at the top of the church. In order to get up there you have to climb up a bazillion stairs, up a winding staircase. After the dizzying climb, we finally made it to the top. It's basically like a huge circular balcony, from which you can look up into the dome or down at the sanctuary of the church. It is an acoustically perfect space, which means that if you lean against the wall and whisper something, someone sitting next to the wall on the other side of the balcony can hear what you say. It took us several tries to figure out how this worked. I got reprimanded by the guard for standing on the stone benches, and the whole crowd could here Greg trying to get Claudia's attention, except for Claudia. But after about five minutes of experimentation, we were all bored experts. 

Butterfly Tea China!

After a burger for lunch, Dad and I headed to Fortnum and Mason, which is an elegant department store where the queen and family do their Christmas shopping every year. We had a wonderful time admiring everything and goofin around. My favorite sections were hats (where we played dress-up), jewels, and tea ware (I found a perfect butterfly pattern!).

The Xmas Room

That night, the Olszak gang met David Badella for dinner at an Indian restaurant not far from our B&B. I hadn't seen David in several years, and most of my memories of him are from when I was a little girl. It was fun to chat with him now that I'm a real person. I loved hearing about his life as an actor and it made me miss being involved in the theater community. We had a lovely evening together. 

http://inside.mines.edu/~jamcneil/levinquote.html

The following day we headed to the Globe Theater for a morning tour. I have wanted to see the Globe since I was 17, when I took a Shakespeare class and discovered that they had a replica of the actual theater in London. I didn't make it on my last trip, so I was incredibly excited to see it on this one. We had some time to kill before our tour so we spent some time in the museum, which was all about Shakespearean times and the role theater played in the community. 

The tour itself was nothing amazing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was lovely to walk through the theater, and I liked just sitting in the audience and imagining what it must have been like in Shakespeare's time. It made me think of 'King of Shadows' and other books I had read about Shakespearean plays. We also got to see part of a rehearsal of a new show that was about to go up. Everyone's reaction after 'take five' was called, was pretty much the same. What?!? Evidently, context was necessary to have any sort of understanding. 

Tea at the Orangery

We then moseyed back to the hotel, got cleaned up after a quick internet/caffeine fix at Starbucks, and then made our way to the Orangery for afternoon tea with the rest of the clan. We got lost on the way, but somehow managed to arrive on time, although we were rather flustered. For tea we each got to select our own pot of tea and an array of sandwiches and sweets arrived as well. Sean even got his own gluten-free assortment. After tea, the weather took a turn for the worst. It became windy and rainy, but as we headed out of the gardens, the prince arrived in a helicopter and we got to watch as he raced to the door. Then we jumped back on the swelteringly hot tube for an evening at the Globe Theater.

Our Assortment

A Midsummer Night's Dream was playing. My favorite Shakespeare play, AND it was playing in the GLOBE THEATER. I couldn't stop smiling. We were all spread out, and I was sitting being a post with an 'obstructed view,' but I was completely enthralled, despite the circumstances. The 'groundlings' or audience members who had bought tickets for the open-air standing room at the foot of the stage wore ponchos and stood in the pouring rain for the entire 3-hour show. But I have to say, the rain added a magical element to the fairy scenes, which could not have been created without mother nature. 

The Globe Theater

The show was very well done, and there were some truly unique choices made by the actors and the director that that I had never seen before. I didn't care for the way Puck was played, but I really liked how Bottom was presented. Rather than a clown, he was played as a bit more subtle and ornery which made him a very amusing character. The actor's timing was impeccable. 

The classic telephone booth shot- a must in London

On Thursday, we spent the afternoon on separate excursions. Mom and I went to the library, where we spent time looking at their museum of historical documents such as original Shakespeare manuscripts, the Canterbury Tales, Beatles composition notes and the like. Then we had tea and a giant scone in the cafe where the walls were glass bookshelves from floor to ceiling so that you could admire all the books as you sipped your tea. After tea we went to Liberty which was a craftsman's paradise. Floors and floors of yarn, ornaments, candles, trinkets, etc. 

Ana and her family

After a quick nap, we got all gussied up and went to meet David Badella for dinner before his show. We had dinner at a Brazilian restaurant, and then went to the show which was to be held at a bar down the street. Unfortunately, the manager had double-booked the night, so the opening act ended up being some very loud alternative. The Chicago crew tactfully stuffed their ears with napkins until it had ended. Then David's show started, which was a delightful showcase of real talent. David would talk with guests about their current projects, and then they would perform a song or two from the shows they were currently in and David also performed as well. He closed the night with 'I'm Going Home' from Rocky Horror. It was the first time I'd heard him sing, and he has a wonderful voice. Deep, full and he sang with a warm, emollient energy that filled the room and left your senses tingling. The uproar of applause at the finish was accompanied by delighted smiles. I learned a lot that night, and I was reminded of how much I love that world where people sing and dance and delight in the colors of human emotion. 

Kensington

Friday represented a day of shopping, and afternoon tea with David Badella, Claudia and Jim. It was a great chance to talk about the show the night before and hear about all the behind-the-scenes elements from David. Then we took a trip to the outskirts of the city for dinner with Dad's friend Ana and her family. Ana and Dad used to work together at CNA and when Ana moved to London, they kept in touch. In that time she has gotten married and now has two children. We had a delightful evening with her and her family and she cooked us a delicious meal. It was so nice to have a home-cooked meal after so many days of restaurant eating. 

Our table at David's show

Saturday was another day of theater. David's friend, Douglas Hodge, was starring in the new production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and he had managed to get us all tickets for the Saturday matinee. The show was nothing short of wonderful. The sets were beautiful, the actors could really sing and Doug Hodge was fascinating to watch. I was transported to another world, and I didn't want it to end. After the show, Claudia and Jim went back stage to meet Doug and then we all headed to David's for an evening of food, drinks, memories and good company. 

Library with Bookcases in the Wall

Sunday morning I reluctantly got up, dressed and Mom&Dad walked me to the tube. Saying good-bye was hard. It was one of those good-byes that hurt, simply because you don't know when you will see each other again. Misty hope that it will be soon makes it raw. I was so grateful that I had had that week with them and that they had brought me a sense of home for my birthday. After bear hugs and well-wishes, I entered the tube and a few hours later I was on a plane back to Kraków. 

Changes and New Beginnings

The day after Rachel left, I packed up all my stuff from Nico's and moved-in to a new apartment, ten minutes walk from the city square. It's a great place with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a dining room/living room/kitchen area with a balcony. We are so close to the Rynek, that I can hear the trumpeter play the hejnał every hour from St. Mary's Church on the main square. I never get tired of hearing it. 

My new roommates are all Polish. Elvis is the lessee and he shares a room with his girlfriend, Ashia. Ashia's cousin, Dominika shares a room with me. The fact that they are family is immediately evident upon entering. The apartment is perfectly equiped with everything a normal home would have. They cook, clean and socialize together, and always make an effort to include me in everything. They all speak English very well, but prefer Polish. Needless to say, I have only heard then speak English a few times. Occasionally they ask me English questions, and I always ask them about things in Polish. However, having to speak Polish all the time around the apartment turned out to be the first of many catalysts in my language skills. 

My roommate's 'bad day' binge

I couldn't have received a warmer welcome in the apartment. They made space for me to put my stuff in every room in the house. They quickly explained that they share everything and that I am welcome to partake in whatever I would like. They often ask me to eat with them, and in turn I have cooked some American wonders for them to try. I made pancakes one morning and also introduced them to CCCs and oatmeal raisin cookies, peanut butter and candied nuts.  

Lake in back of the palace in Puszczyna

Once I got all settled-in, the job search immediately began. I started sending my CV to any position I could find which involved some form of English. Being a native English speaker is seen here in Poland as the strongest point on my resume and the fact that I am a Polish citizen also helps tremendously.I got called in for interviews within a week and was reminded of just how much I dislike the seeking-employment game. 

In the midst of all of this I started dating Krzysiek. I met him in May, at Nico's birthday party. We had both heard a fair amount about each other through Nico, so I was sure he would be there but I had no idea what he looked like. He describes our meeting as something out of a movie. I was sitting in the living room, talking to a group of my classmates and he came and sat down next to me. We didn't introduce ourselves, we just started talking. He said it felt like he already knew me. It wasn't until later when he finally heard my name that he realized who I was. We had a lot of fun that weekend celebrating Nico's birthday and after that we started seeing each other several times a week. 

Krzyskiek, Me and Nico

Krzysiek doesn't speak English. At first I thought this was going to be a major problem considering my Polish is still elementary. I liked seeing him, but it made me really nervous because I was always worried about not being able to understand or respond to what he was saying. Speaking with native speakers is a whole different ball game as they speak quickly, less clearly and use words I am completely unfamiliar with. Additionally, I didn't have English as a back-up. But somehow it wasn't a problem. He made a conscious effort to speak so that I could understand, and he always explained anything I didn't understand in simpler Polish. He said he liked explaining things to me and it ended up being extremely helpful to have a live dictionary. At first he did the majority of the talking when we got together, and after a couple hours I was so tired from the active listening I would have to call it quits. But almost immediately, my learning curve skyrocketed. I became really good at describing the word I was looking for in Polish and became used to how he speaks so that my level of comprehension got better and better. We kept in touch during my travels to Budapest, Ireland, France, Germany and Austria and when I got back to Kraków we decided to make it official and see how things went.

view of the palace from the lawn

Things got intense, pretty fast. Almost immediately I met all his friends and his entire extended family. I had met one of his sisters and her fiancé when Olivia was visiting, because we all went on a day trip together to see a castle. The rest of the family lives in a small town about 45minutes outside of Kraków called Wola. The first time I went to Wola we took the bus to Oświęcim which is the next biggest town in the area. It is where Auschwitz is located. Krzysiek's Dad picked us up from the bus station and we actually drove right by Birkenau on our way to the house. I was a little weirded out by this. I couldn't really imagine what it must be like to grow up next to Auschwitz. This region of Poland is called sląsk. It's not far from the German border and there they speak a dialect which is a mixture of Polish and German. They also have a slightly different accent. I was sure I wasn't going to understand a word, but Krzysiek was less than worried about it. 

As we pulled up to the house, I was introduced to one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. All around the house were flowers, trees, bushes and plants. Everything was in the garden and Krzysiek's Dad had me dump my bag on the brick walkway and eagerly showed me every corner of the garden giving me fruit tastings at every stop. They have peaches, pears, apples, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, nectarines, plums, tomatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, cucumbers, walnuts, hazelnuts and a whole selection of herbs. Not to mention the bazillion varieties of flowers in full bloom. It was a stunning sight. 

After my tour and fresh fruit appetizers we headed into the house where I met his Mom. I made the mistake of staying 'cześć' instead of the formal and polite 'dzień dobry' and it became the running joke of the visit. We had a lovely dinner together and then spent the evening in the garden on the porch swing lit by tiny white lights and chatted until bedtime. 

Bridge over the lake

The next day, Krzysiek was put to work re-finishing the picnic table. I was supposed to help him paint it, but in the meantime there was a great deal of sanding to be done which ended up taking pretty much all day. I left him to it and spent the afternoon with his Mom in the kitchen. She taught me how to make a traditional Polish fish dish, pickles and rose petal jam. After our cooking extravaganza we sat in the garden with glasses of red wine and chatted until dinner time. She did a great job of talking so that I could understand, and we ended up having a lot in common which made conversation easy. The whole family started teasing me that I had a new best friend. She also does a great deal of beauty services out of the home and so occasionally she would take a break to dye someone's hair or give a facial. She waxed my eyebrows for me and filled them in with henna. She also gave me a facial massage which left my skin glowing. 

The following day Krzysiek took me on a day trip to Pszczyna to see the castle. We went on an hour-long tour of the castle and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the park on the castle grounds. On the way back to the car we stopped and had ice cream on the main square. It was a lovely day. I also met his Grandma who is hard of hearing so conversation is usually one sided. The first thing she said to me when I walked in the door was, 'Oh! Krzysiek has a new lady friend!' She told me all about the one trip she took to the U.S. a bazillion years ago. She said she liked going to church because they sang beautifully in the states, but she couldn't remember where she had been exactly. As we were walking out the door she gave me a hug and told Krzysiek that I was very nice and pretty. I knew she had liked his last girlfriend, so this was a good sign. I also met Krzysiek's uncle and two cousins from his Mom's side of the family. He had us try a variety of home-made fruit liquers and by the time we left we were feelin no pain.

sunset on the rynek, Krakow

By day 3 my brain was absolute mush. I couldn't process language anymore and I was completely exhausted. I fell asleep every night at the drop of a hat and it was an effort to get up in the morning. I was mentally spent, but it definitely paid off. When I got back to Kraków, Krzysiek told me that after only a few days with the family, there was a marked difference in the way I spoke Polish. Not long after that, Krzysiek started speaking to me at a normal pace and no longer dumbed-down his sentences. My brain was forced to kick it up a notch. 

Rachel's Visit

Rachel's visit was such a gift. 

She arrived directly from Israel where she had been working for the last few months, and I couldn't believe she was with me in Kraków. It was so good to see her and we had so much to share with each other that we pretty much talked non-stop for four days straight. As my nurse, she got me all caught up on the medical field buzz and updated me on the million new things she's doing in her life. It felt so good to be with a close friend again. I had forgotten what it's like to laugh with your girlfriends. 

Rachel on the Rynek with flowers she found

It was 11pm by the time we made it back from the airport, so I decided to introduce her to the Rynek and Grodzka street by night. We made a stop at a new vodka bar during our walk and Rachel chatted up the guys who had us try shot after shot of vodka - gratis. It was the beginning of many of these types of adventures. One of Rachel's gifts is that she can talk to everyone and anyone and she does exactly that wherever she goes. It is always interesting. After our stroll, we headed home where she enjoyed her first Polish beer. We then stayed up chatting until 4am.  

Bein goofy on the Rynek

The next day we got up an at 'em and did some wandering about. We had lunch at 'U Babci Maliny' where Rachel fell in love with żurek, the best soup in Poland, and then we explored the many shops and the craft fair that was taking place on the rynek. After this, we picked-up the key at the Airbnb apartment where she would be staying and met one of our roommates; Rudy, from France. He was on a long, worldly trip and doing a million touristy things every day. Rachel and I had other plans. We had a great food share at one of the cafes for dinner and then watched part of a French film on the small square before meeting up with Nico at the vodka bar. After several vodka flavors and some honey beer, the famous late-night kiełbasa was a must. There we met some delightful Polish girls with whom we chatted with for over an hour. From there we ended up crashing on Nico's couch, too exhausted to drag our stuff to the Airbnb apartment at 4am. 

There's nothing like real laughter

The next morning I whipped up a frittata for a noon breakfast and then Rachel and I moved-in to the Airbnb apartment. After a quick re-group, we headed to Marek's for a barbecue. It was fun to hangout and meet lots of new people, but pretty soon we were getting eaten alive by the skeeters. No amount of bug spray seemed to help, so we called it quits earlier than expected. On the way home we made a stop for ice cream where we were joined by Krzysiek. It was a hilarious encounter because he doesn't speak English and my Polish translation is less than stellar, but somehow he and Rachel managed to communicate on a very primitive level. As we ate our ice cream, a band played standards on the rynek and Rachel and I got up to shake it to the music, to Krzysiek's amusement. On the way home, Rachel wandered off toward one of the kebab stands and Krzysiek gave me a quizzical look. 'She's going to ask them if she can try something, just wait' I explained. Sure enough, a few minutes later Rachel arrived with a piece of kebab in hand. 'I laughed and said to Krzysiek, 'see? free sample.' He couldn't believe it. 

A plethora of pastries to try

The following day, we intended to go on a tour of the Jewish Quarter, but Rachel wasn't feeling well so we decided to take it slow in the hopes that she would feel better. We did some shopping and food tasting. Our first stop was the bakery where we tried some Polish pastries. After getting Rachel's shopping under way, we stopped in one of the famous chocolate shops and ordered several funky flavors to try. Sitting in the cafe, Rachel came up with the idea to video each other tasting each flavor because they were so intense. The faces and food descriptions on the videos were so ridiculous, that we couldn't stop laughing. From there we tried several flavors of pierogi before going back to the apartment to re-group. Rachel immediately passed out and slept all afternoon. In the evening, she came with me to meet my new potential roommates with whom we really hit it off. They immediately handed me the keys and told me to move in asap. From there we did some wandering around Kazimierz where we were joined by Nico before picking up some snacks and heading back to the apartment for a chill night. There we acquired a new roommate from New Zealand who was in town for a big bike race that was taking place the following day. She was quite a character. She was probably in her 60s, traveling alone, and a complete biker fanatic. She also was very unhappy with the place and passive aggressively complained about how much she was paying and the fact that she only had one pillow. After being her sounding board for awhile, Rachel and I hit the hay. 

The next morning we packed up Rachel's stuff, brought my bags back to Nico's and headed to the airport. It was hard to say good-bye. I was so happy she had come to visit, it was like a dose of medicine. After a very long bear hug she headed toward the plane and I returned to Kraków to re-organize my life after almost a month of travel. 

Roadtrip

the sunrise

The first leg of our trip was the worst. We left Bricquebec at 12am after a full day in the sun, so we weren't exactly fresh when we hit the road. Our first destination was Nancy, a town on the eastern border of France, not far from Luxembourg. It's a 7 hour drive from Bricquebuec and there we planned to stay with Nico's Aunt for a few days. It was a loooong night. I'm not allowed to drive in Europe and to make matters worse, Nico's car is a standar which is not my area of expertise. Needless to say, Nico had to do all the driving and I played the role of passenger. I didn't want to sleep because I was afraid he would sleep. It wasn't easy staying awake because I was pretty tired from all the running around. We did okay until about 4am when we took a break at the side of the road for coffee and sugar. We had to shout to hear each other because there were so many semis zooming by. At around 6am, Nico started nodding off, so we pulled over again so he could take a nap. The semis zooming by made the car shake violent as they passed, so I was unable to nod off. However, I did get to watch a stunning sunrise progress and unveil a completely new landscape. It no longer looked like a Van Gogh painting, but more like a hilly midwest with lush green fields on all sides. I tried to take pictures, but they didn't do the scene justice. After about a 40 minute nap, Nico awoke and we made it to Nancy a little before 9am. I met his Aunt, we dragged our stuff in and then crashed for a couple hours so that we could function. 

one of the entrances to the square

fountain in front of the ornate gates

After about four hours of rest, we dragged ourselves out of bed for some breakfast and a LOT of coffee. Chatting with his Aunt was a riot. She speaks French, German and a minimal amount of English. But throughout the whole trip she was the only person who really tried to have a conversation with me despite the language barrier. If I spoke really slow English and she spoke to me in French, we could get by without Nico as a go-between. She is also very animated and talks a lot. After a great deal of chitchat over breakfast, we went for a wander around Nancy. 

Nico studied for a year in Nancy, so he knows it pretty well. First he took me to the main square, which is known to be one of the most beautiful in the world. Each entrance to the square has an elaborate black iron gate with real gold leaf. There is also gold on the surrounding buildings and ironically enough, the statue in the center of the square is of a Polish king, Stanisław Leszczyński, who received the square after the War of the Polish Succession in 1737. 

rainbow in the fountain

We spent a great deal of time sitting in the Cathédrale Notre Dame, listening to the organist practice for a concert that was scheduled for that evening. Then we took a stroll through the park and had a little ice cream on the way. In one of the gazebos in the park there was a piano concert being held, performed by university music students. After listening to a little Chopin we took a little rest in the grass before going to see the fountain. The light was perfect when we reached the fountain, producing a double rainbow right through the middle of it. Only in France.

gazebo concert

That evening, after dinner we returned to the main square for a light projection show. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen - although I was informed that this is a common occurrence all over Europe. Different lights and images are projected onto the buildings and timed to music. The theme changes every year, and this year the theme is The Renaissance, so the history of the renaissance was projected artistically onto the buildings. It was amazing how the lights completely transformed the buildings so that you felt like you were in a different place every few minutes. Here is a taste of what I saw:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiZ8pZEtbqY

flowers outside the museum

After the light show my battery was running on empty. I suddenly was so tired, I couldn't even function. Nico kept asking me if I was ok, but I was so drained, I could barely respond. I think I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow and slept past noon. When I finally did wake up, I felt like I had been hit by a truck as I had definitely tapped into my sleep deficit. We slowly got up and moving and then headed to the park to meet with Nico's friend from Normandy, Rafael. 

the rose garden

I had met Rafael several months earlier when he came to visit Nico in Kraków. It was fun to see him again. He took us on a little walk in the park through the rose garden, which was stunning as it was in full bloom and the zoo where I saw animals I have never seen before. Then we got to see where he works, and print our roadtrip plans before heading home for dinner with Nico's Aunt. That night we spent a great deal of time sitting on her balcony, chatting and sipping on some homemade cider. A perfect summer evening.

stained glass window in the church

We got an early start the next day, said our good-byes and headed to Heidelberg for the day. Nico had insisted it was worth seeing, and he was right. The town is itty bitty, but absolutely beautiful. It's a very lush, hilly region with a river, a castle and all the buildings have terra-cotta rooftops. We started out in the Church- of course - where I really liked the stained glass windows. Half of them were very old, classic stained glass designs, but along one side of the church they were very contemporary, artistic interpretations in stunning colors. 

top of the church

We then climbed the winding staircase to the top of the church where you can have a 360 degree view of the city. We spent a great deal of time up there, enjoying the stunning view.

the rooftops of Heidelberg as seen from the top of the church

Next we decided to go see the castle, which ended up being easier said than done. We had some trouble finding the road up to the castle, and once we did find an entrance, the gates were locked. Nico was pretty frustrated at this point, and told me that the last time he was there he had the same problem and his friend, who is from Heidelberg had just jumped the fence. He asked me if I could manage jumping the fence, so that we didn't have to walk all the way down the hill and back up again on the other side; I just laughed. Years of playing cops and robbers with the Frayn boys has made jumping fences like riding a bike. To his amazement, I hopped the fence without help, and we headed up the woodland path to the castle. 

in the gardens outside the castle in Heidelberg

Once you've seen a castle in Europe, you pretty much know what's up. They are a dime a dozen and are all relatively similar. The castle itself was nothing extraordinary, but the view was unbelievable. You could see the entire town, the river and the mountains. After viewing the castle, we started losing steam in the sweltering heat. Walking through the castle grounds we collapsed on a bench and stared into space for a good 20 minutes. It was the beginning of the end. From there we dragged ourselves to the fountain, another lookout point, and barely made it to the main bridge. From there we surrendered and had our first German beer of the trip on the main square. That helped things considerably, and we made our way back to the car and started our four-hour drive to Munich.

Heidelberg - castle in the distance

We arrived in Munich around 11pm. We had arranged to stay with a friend of my Dad's, Dario, and his family for a few days. Unfortunately, Dario was away on a business trip in Spain, but his wife and daughters graciously offered to host us, anyway. His wife, Laura, had waited up for us and she gave us a quick orientation before we hit the hay. Their youngest daughter was going to Austria the next day for camp, so we wouldn't be able to meet her, but she had written us a lovely note in English, welcoming us to Munich and hoping to meet us again soon. 

view from the castle in Heidelberg

Staying with Dario's family was unbelievable. We woke up the next morning to a full breakfast spread laid out for us, as well as several maps and guidebooks to help us orient our way around the city. 

the river

A 20 minute trainride and we were in the city. We wandered around aimlessly for several hours and became familiar with the layout of the city. It soon became apparent that Munich was huge and very spread out. Things that looked fairly close together on the map were actually very far from each other, so instead of walking everywhere, we had to alternate between the train and walking to save time. 

first church of the day in Munich

The first day we took it easy. We saw a few churches. The Frauenkirche (a huge cathedral) in the city center is absolutely stunning. The vaulted ceilings are enormous, and everything was carved in white marble. I was surprised at how much I liked this. It made me think of Nana for some reason, so again, in one of the smaller alcove chapels, I lit a candle for her. 

Another square in Munich

As we were in Munich, we felt it was appropriate to have a touristy experience and so we had a lunch of traditional bratwurst and beer in the Hofbrauhaus. We had a lovely table in the outside garden where we could hear the live music and enjoy the fact that it was once again warm and sunny. 

the square in Munich

We returned home in the evening, later than we intended, to have dinner with Laura. When we arrived we were welcomed by an absolutely lovely scene. She had set up a dinner table in the garden that was beautifully arranged with candles. An assortment of bread accompanied each place setting. We had campari as an aperetif and then an assortment of beer was presented to accompany dinner. She had made pasta, followed by deviled eggs and a prosciutto salad. For dessert, she served us five flavors of homemade ice cream that she had whipped up that afternoon, accompanied by a scrumptious fruit compote. It was an absolutely delightful evening. We really enjoyed her company and had so much to talk about in a variety of languages. She is from Italy, where she studied French, so she and Nico often had exchanges in French. Nico said her French was excellent, which is saying a lot because he is an impossible judge when it comes to his beloved tongue. Laura and her family moved to Munich close to ten years ago, when her husband, Dario, got a job there. Since the move, she has been working for an Italian ice cream company part-time and studying German and English on the side. Their house is now a mixture of languages as her daughters also speak Italian, German, English and French. 

cathedral

In the morning along with breakfast was a note from Laura, asking us to write a little something in their guestbook, which was a lovely little record of all the guests they had hosted since their move to Munich. I enjoyed reading a few of the entries, and even managed to find my Dad's entry from his first stay before adding my own praise to the masses. We then headed back into the city via train and had a little episode on the way. We approached our stop where we were to transfer train lines and when we arrived both sets of doors on either side of the train opened. Nico exited to the left with the map, and I followed the people in front of me and exited to the right. The doors closed before I realized my mistake and we were separated by the tracks. Nico hollered the train line where we were supposed to transfer across the tunnel and we headed out to rendezvous there. Well, I misheard what he said and went to the wrong tunnel. I knew something was wrong when I didn't see him on the platform and I ended up getting stuck in this one tunnel because all the stairwells contained escalators going down, when I wanted to go up. I finally found the main tunnel again and received a text from him with the name of the line where I was supposed to be. I headed that way and when I rounded the corner, I was greeted by a very unhappy Frenchman. He looked like he had seen a ghost and he immediately started hollering at me asking why I didn't answer my phone, where I was, etc. He had had a moment of panic because he thought something had happened to me. I was surprised and mildly amused, because I hadn't been the least bit worried. But then again, I was the one that was lost. 

view from the dome

walked around the enormous park where we saw the hofgarten dome and even managed to find the forbidden surf site. It was pretty deep in the park so that it is almost hidden, and we managed to find it based on the laughter and voices of the people surfing. The the river has a very strong current which makes surfing possible. It was amazing to watch not only the surfers, but the people jumping into the water and letting the current carry them downstream. 

surfing

After the Englischer Garden, we walked along the northern part of the city where we got a gorgeous view of the river and a lovely fountain before heading to the Botanic Gardens. There we took a break for our last German beer and re-charged a little. We were struggling on the energy front, as we had yet to have a break from travel and sight-seeing since we started our trip. But time would not allow for rest, so we battled the fatigue with coffee and determination. 

View down the river in Munich

In the early evening we returned to the house and had coffee and another round of ice cream with Laura before thanking her for her outstanding hospitality and jumped back in the car for our four hour drive to Vienna. 

Botanic Gardens in Munich

Vienna was the final stop on our trip, and there we set-up camp with Julien, another friend of Nico's from Normandy who I had also met several months earlier during his visit to Kraków. We arrived in Vienna around 10pm, parked the car outside of the city and then took the train into town where Julien met us at the station. We stashed our stuff at his apartment and then headed out for a late-night walk around the city. Before we headed out the door, Julien handed each of us a beer. I gave him a quizzical look, as I was not in the mood to be shotgunning beer after such a long day. He smiled and informed me that in Vienna, it is legal to drink in public. 

the beautiful streets of Vienna

Julien took us on a night walk around the city, beers in hand. It was stunning. The buildings were big compared to most of the European cities I have been in and very ornate. The architecture was admirable and the atmosphere was rather elegant. After about an hour I could no longer walk a step. We headed back to the apt and while Nico received the full orientation, I collapsed into bed, exhausted.

rose gardens

The next morning was slow. We had breakfast and then headed out into the city to re-discover our night walk by daylight. We wandered for hours and hours, but I was too tired to even take pictures. I just enjoyed the view. For dinner, we decided to hit-up a kabob place. We stood on the corner, discussing which way to go and out of nowhere, this older man appeared in front of me and asked if we needed help. He was dressed in jeans and a white polo, with nice shoes and carried a briefcase. His hair was completely white, and he had the most piercing, pale blue eyes. I looked at him for a minute, and decided to take a chance. I said, 'do you know of a good place for kebab'? He said, 'you know that's not viennese, right'? He then informed us that he could show us a great place on his way to the post office. This seemed a little fishy and I locked eyes for a moment with Nico in quizzical hesitation. Then I thought, if it gets weird I can always run, so I agreed to follow him. He showed us a good street-stand and chatted with us along the way to a restaurant, because I really needed to sit down. He gave us all kinds of advice about places to see around Vienna and chatted with Nico in what he assessed as excellent French. Then we arrived at the post office where he received and phone call and he we parted ways. The restaurant he recommended was exactly what we were looking for. All through dinner, Nico and I marveled at how nice and unassuming he had been. Kind strangers? What?

top of the hill where we had ice cream

The next day we dragged ourselves out of bed and after breakfast at the crack of noon, made our way to the Schönbrunn Palace. It was immediately my favorite. We decided to wander the grounds and buy tickets for the palace later if we were so inclined. It was immense. We wandered for four hours and didn't even see all the gardens!

ice cream!

We started out at the back entrance of the palace and were met by a stunning sight. A long series of gardens led stretched before us into the distance. Groomed lawns with sculpted hedges and beautiful flowers were framed by two paths that led the way to a large fountain and then up the hill to another palace-like building which perched at the top. I asked Nico, 'are we going there?!' He looked at me like I was an idiot and said something along the lines of 'of course'. 

fountain in one of the side gardens

We made our way slowly to the top of the hill, stopping at many points to capture snapshots along the way. I loved the fountain. You could climb up behind it and look out on the gardens and the palace in the distance through the fountain. Standing there you were hidden from the view of the people below by the giant sculptures spurting water. 

view from the palace

At the top of the hill, we stood for a very long time admiring the view and then decided ice cream was a must. I mean, we hadn't had ice cream in over 24 hours! We sat on the terrace and enjoyed huge sundaes before continuing our exploration. 

The fountain behind the palace

We wandered through the woods on the way down the hill and on the way encountered a squirrel, to Nico's amazement. He took way too many pictures of the thing, and I was less than entertained, as squirrels in Chicago are as common as pigeons in Krakow; they're everywhere. We got sprinkled with a light rain shower as we enjoyed the many fountains, which was the first time we'd seen rain our entire trip. It lasted all of ten minutes to my enormous relief. 

view from the fountain looking at the back of the palace

Soon the palace closed and we headed wearily back to the apt, picking up some dinner on the way. Back at the apt, I enjoyed my dinner on the balcony, while Nico cooked in the Kitchen and Julien gnashed in the living room. There is a pass-thru in the kitchen leading to the living room and a window leading to the balcony, so the three of us could have a conversation despite the fact we were all in separate rooms. After dinner, Julien's friend stopped by and we had a few drinks on the balcony before heading out on the town. We sat in this area outside one of the museums where there are these huge plastic 'seats' that are much like small halfpipes. You can fit about four people comfortably and they were all full of people hanging out and drinking. While we were sitting there, two German guys came over to talk to us, intrigued by the mix of languages we were using. We talked to them for a good while and then were joined by two girls (friends of Julien). We tried to hit the clubs, but it wasn't in the cards that night. We ran into problems at every entrance and so we headed home; sober, tired, and a little disappointed. 

top of the hill

The next morning, Nico and I got up and moving relatively early. We had breakfast on the balcony and then packed up our stuff and headed to the car to start our journey back to Kraków. On the road we hit terrible traffic, and ended-up being in the car for over seven hours. I was a little worried, because Rachel was arriving at the Kraków airport that evening and I was concerned I wouldn't make it back in time to pick her up. Fortunately, I just made it in the knick of time. As soon as we parked the car in front of Nico's apt, I had to leave him to unload himself and hopped a bus to the airport.