Summer Trip Report part 2 - Ukraine

Ukraine lies just beyond the European Union, and you know you're in a different country as soon as you cross the border. In my case, I knew even before I crossed the border. I took a bus from the last big Polish town across the border to the first big Ukrainian town. At the bus station were all Polish buses from the 90's, which I thought were old. Then in came this 70's vintage bus, coughing and billowing black smoke. I thought, uh-oh, that must be the Ukrainian bus. I wonder if this thing can make the journey without breaking down? I was immediately reminded of Africa.

Soviet-era car, note the Cyrillic license plate


The bus did make the journey without breakdowns. However Ukraine is much poorer and less developed than Poland. The roads are worse, the cars are older. I only visited the western and southern parts of the country. They resemble other European cities, but not as well maintained, and with some Russian influences.

A street car with traditional Ukrainian pattern


A street performer in Tartar costume, complete with the characteristic hairstyle!


There are stray dogs on the street everywhere. They don't bother the locals, but always bark at me. Not fun. I really don't fancy getting rabies.

I love going to supermarkets when I visit a new country. I find you can get a sense of how people live and what their palettes and preferences are like.

3 aisles of vodka


Milk comes in thick plastic bags


Ice-cream comes in casings like sausages


It's hard to find people who speak English, even in big cities among the young people. I didn't see too many foreign tourists. Most tourists are Ukrainian, and in a distant second are Germans.

Funky Orthodox (oxymoron?) church with twisted turrets


Seeing these tote bags in the market immediately brought another African flashback.


I found Ukraine difficult to travel in, mostly due to the language barrier. I know it's my problem that I don't speak their language, but it was more challenging than I expected.

Oh yeah, I had to beg for money for the bus on my last night in Ukraine, but that's a story for another time . . .

Summer Trip Report part 1 - Poland

Here's the long-awaited update to my trip in August.

I started my trip in the Polish capital, Warsaw. Having lived in Africa for the last 2 years and now in a tiny village, Warsaw seems like a huge metropolis to me. So many skyscrapers! Also the city is very spread-out, that means lots of walking.

The Palace of Culture and Science, built in the Stalinist style, a gift from the Soviet people to the Polish people.


A memorial for Polish soldiers in the Second World War


The symbol of Warsaw, a mermaid holding a sword and shield


My next stop was Krakow, probably the most popular tourist destination in Poland. The city is nice, but the masses of tourists turned me off. Also, in my room at the hostel were 5 British guys who came to Poland with the sole purpose of getting drunk every night. They'd come back at 3-4am, then proceed to talk loudly and make lots of noise for 2 hours before going to sleep. And one of them snores really loudly. I don't have fond memories of Krakow.

Lublin, Chelm, and Zamosc, 3 small towns in Eastern Poland that don't see too many foreign tourists. Even the Polish people I talked to were surprised I wanted to go there. They all asked me, "what is there to see?". However I'm glad I went. They're smaller, calmer, but still very charming and beautiful. They're not overran with tourists, and I can see real people living real lives. I enjoyed that very much. A much needed and welcomed change from my bad experience in Krakow.

The medieval festival (I call it the chicken fest) in Lublin


Old-fashioned garbage truck


Old town Zamosc with Renaissance buildings


Poland is a nice country to travel. It's definitely poorer and less developed than western Europe, but it's improving. The people are warm and friendly. The food is wonderful. I ate very well throughout this trip. The cars are older, and drivers aggressive. They make 3 lanes of traffic out of a 2 lane road. The driving is sometimes scary, but still safer than in Africa. :)

September = Back to Work

After travelling in Poland and Ukraine for 3.5 weeks, I got back home last evening, and started work this morning at 2:30am.

I had many interesting experiences, some particularly memorable ones include:

• visiting many Catholic and Orthodox churches with richly decorated interiors

• walking in Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and trying to imagine the horror that took place

• attending a medieval fair and ate bread with melted pig fat
• 2 days later, I was melting pig fat myself

• buying train ticket in Ukraine, not speaking the language, being yelled at by the ticket lady and people behind me
• walking in the open markets in Ukraine, and was reminded of Africa

This trip was not all smooth and easy. There were quite a few challenges and tense moments, especially in Ukraine. However, I did have an adventure, and got to explore an unique part of the world.

I will post more pictures and write more about the trip in the near future.

August in Europe = Vacation!

In August, school is finally out, and many people use their 4-8 weeks paid vacation time to go on holiday. Our bakery is no exception.



Today, after 13 long hours of work (7 hours baking, 6 hours deep cleaning), the bakery is as spotless as it ever will be, and will be closed for 2.5 weeks.




I'll take an extra week off, and will travel to Poland and Ukraine, my first adventure into a country that uses Cyrillic alphabets. 36 hours, and I'll be on my way. Can't wait!

Blistery Feet and Burning Thighs - A Weekend in the German Alps

Last weekend, I went hiking in the German Alps, very close to the Austrian border. The main reason going there is to see the King's House on the Schachen. Bavarian King Ludwig II was an eccentric figure to say the least, and wishing for some quiet alone time, he order a little house to be built high up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere.

While researching this trip, I learnt there's a hütte (mountain refuge) 1.5 hours from the King's House. Never stayed at a hütte before, and wanted to experience this very European aspect of hiking, I decided I'll spend the night in the mountain.

The weather that weekend was unfortunately far from ideal. It's been hot and sunny for 4 weeks, but the weekend I picked to go hiking was cold and rainy. Fortunately it didn't rain much during my ascent. Also, I was in much worse shape than I thought. During the climb, I had to take frequent breaks and was going really really slowly.

After hiking for more than 8 hours, and ascending more than 1,600m, I finally arrived at the hütte. What a relief! Nudged between 2 peaks on a ridge, the Meilerhütte is right on the border between Germany and Austria. While the building is just inside Germany, one has to go around to Austria to get to the entrance.

I would like to say that I slept like a baby that night. However, it was so cold in the room, that even with 3 blankets, I was tossing and turning a lot. I did eventually managed to get some rest, and felt much better in the morning.

The descent was less exhausting than the ascent, but it was much harder on my knees. I came across a herd of sheep grazing in the mountain, and they followed me for a bit. 6 hours later, I was back in town, exhausted, but exhilarated.

While this was the hardest thing I've done in a while, I enjoyed it tremendously. The view was magnificent, and it reminded me how much I missed mountains. I was so spoiled in Vancouver!

My German Wallet

My wallet is now finally German-ized. Along with my German bank card, German health insurance card, and German rail discount card, I just got my German driving license today!

Holders of Canadian driving licenses can exchange for German ones without having to take any tests. So about 75 euros poorer and 2 weeks later, I got my good-for-life German license, with no expiry date! Decades later, I can look back at this license and see how I looked when I was still in my twenties.

Happy Birthday Canada

I saw this while travelling 2 months ago. I love it! Makes me a little homesick . . .



Happy Canada Day!

Optimism

While at breakfast with the bakers the other morning, the topic inevitably turned to football. I asked how many times had Germany won the World Cup. One of the bakers immediately and enthusiastically said '4 times!' and proceeded to name the years, '1954, 1974, 1990, 2010!'

Fascination with Doors

During my travels in the past few months, I began to develop a fascination with doors, especially the old wooden doors with elaborate hinges and carvings. Many of them are probably older than Canada! Here are some of the prettiest doors I've seen so far.

It's Central Europe, NOT Eastern Europe

I had an amazing time in Prague. Beautiful castle, magnificent churches, well-preserved old town, good public transportation, cheap food and entertainment, it's an ideal place to 'see' Europe on a budget. Although the hordes of tourists everywhere can detract from the experience, it is still a very worthwhile city to visit. For €4, you can have dinner with wine, or see an opera. I did both.





Some interesting observations:

• If you don't want to offend the locals, don't say Czech Republic is in Eastern Europe. It's in Central Europe.
• The age of buses and trams in Prague vary greatly, from spanking new to, hmmm, vintage models. However, they all have GPS and electronic displays that tell you what the next stop is.
• Some of the museums are situated in very beautiful buildings. It is sometimes worth the price of admissions just to admire the interior of these buildings.
• The security guards in most museums in Prague are elderly women. They speak some basic English, and are very kind and sweet. They are also very insistent that you follow the exhibit in the correct order.
• As you leave the museums, the staff will thank you for your visit, and wish you a good day. What a nice touch. I don't think I've ever been in museums where they thank me for my visit.
• In Canada, you can find soft drinks in 2L plastic bottles. In Prague, you can find beers in 2L plastic bottles.

I spent 4 full days in Prague, but can easily spend at least 2 more days in the city. I look forward to visiting Czech again and travelling to some of the other cities and countryside.

Many many more photos here.