Around Krakow - Lovely Old City

For centuries Krakow had been the capital of Poland, but no longer. Luckily, the city hadn’t been destroyed by the Nazis as Warsaw had been, so many of the beautiful old buildings were still more-or-less in their original form. The people here in Krakow seem friendlier & not as unhappy as they do in Warsaw. Still, walking through the streets along broken pavements & past old dilapidated houses, you are keenly aware how much work needs to go into this country to improve conditions. But then again, that’s where a lot of its character lies.
I did one of those ‘free’ history walks, after remembering how great the one in Berlin had been. But this was a different company, newly started it seemed, run by a couple of students whose history & humour was largely targeted at young people out to have fun. It went to just over 4 hours, & I didn’t give a good tip. I did meet a woman from New York called Yana & we had a nice chat along the way. She was in Krakow with her parents travelling over the US summer season.
The tour ended in the Jewish Ghetto. The movie, ‘Schindler’s List’, was based & filmed here. Many of the streets were recognisable from the movie. This is the happening place to be in Krakow - most of the pubs & clubs are here & so attract a young crowd each day. Not many Jews live here now - only 200. I find it interesting that, even though Jews have lived in Poland since the 15th century, they are still not seen as Polish, but as a minority group. Why is this? No wonder the Jewish people felt they needed a home of their own - no one would ever let them completely assimilate.

Djurgarden in Stockholm

On Sunday I planned on getting over to the island of Djurgarden where my Stockholm Card would get me free access to a few sites. First stop was the Skansen Open Air Museum, feauturing over 150 cultural-historical buildings from all over Sweden. It was HUGE! Not only were there all these old houses, barns, shops, etc to look through, there was also an Aquarium (which strangely also had non-aquatic wildlife) & a zoo with all kinds of Scandinavian wildlife. There were also showcases of pottery & glassware making.
Next stop was the Vasa Museum which was centred around this almost perfectly preserved 17th Century Swedish ship that sank after only 25 mins of its maiden voyage because it was far too tall & narrow to keep itself upright. That's the theory anyway.
Next, on to the Nordic Museum which ran through more of the domestic culture of Sweden over the centuries.
By the end of the day, I was buggered. But I still managed to walk all the way back home, with a stop at Gamla Stan for a bite to eat first.
Ahhh...I'm loving Stockholm!

Seurasaaren - Paradise in Helsinki

Elizabeth from the Tourist Centre, my favourite person in Finland, recommended that I spend time at Seurasaaren. It's a little island about 20 mins from the Helsinki centre by bus that has an open air museum that showcases the old way of living in Finland. It cost 6 euros which gives you entry into all the buildings on the island & a free english tour which lasts about an hour. There's an old church as well as a variety of old barns, farmhouses & saunas to view.

And the nature on the island...just gorgeous! Cool fresh air, various types of vibrant green trees, a strong earthy smell, & little squirrels running up to you looking out for a snack. And there weren't too many people about either, most of them locals.

Porvoo!

It took me an hour by bus to get to the second oldest city in Finland, Porvoo, today. The return trip cost just over 20 euros, which I thought was a bit steep. But nearly everything is expensive here in Finland.

In the historical centre of town, there are quaint little shops selling antiques & wares & they're lovely to browse through. The free tourist guide includes a walking map that points out important historical sites. In fact, about 200 years ago, Porvoo was the place to be in Northern Europe. Why, even Alexander I, the Russian Emperor, convened a gathering here - called the Porvoo Diet - when the war between Sweden & Finland was still going strong.

A cute place, it didn't take a long time to take most of it in - I was there 3 hours. The cathedral is lovely, as is a stroll by the lake looking back over the town.

Walking Tour of Nice

I’d booked in to a walking tour of the city which commenced at 9:30 this morning. Before heading out, I’d also needed to pack up my gear & change rooms - not my favourite thing to do. The tour was okay, but over its 3 hours it dragged on a bit. I must admit, I had lots going on in my mind so found it hard to concentrate. I met 2 Aussie girls on the tour, sisters travelling together in France & Italy - they were nice to chat with. After the tour, it was gelato time...

Around Avignon

After visiting the Pope’s Palace, I searched for a nice little nook with a café & found one. I met a lovely retired couple there from South of England (Chris & Alan) & we had a good old chat.
After lunch, I wandered down to the Pont Saint Benezet, a bridge (& chapels) built during the 12th century which had finally succumbed to one too many floods & so only half the bridge now remains. I then headed up to the Petit Palais (Small Palace) Museum which houses a great collection of Italian & Provencal paintings, as well as a fine collection of sculptures.

Walking Tour of Avignon

Determined to be an insatiable tourist on my 2nd day in Avignon, I was up & out of my studio quite early to first grab some breakfast, then book in for the 10am Avignon guided tour (17 euros) organised by the local tourism office. I found an okay coffee - a rather strange tasting cappuccino that seemed to have either condensed cream or some other sweet cream-like substance added. But with that & a croissant under my belt (bulging belly), I eagerly awaited the guided tour.
The tour was only meant to go for 2 hours, but actually went for 3. The guide was excellent, speaking English fluently, she was able to articulate all the little historical facts we love to hear about. We went past old roman walls, through churches/cathedrals, finally ending up at the Pope’s Palace, which has a remarkable history.

Seemingly, back in the 1300’s the papal residence was transferred from Rome to Avignon & remained here through a number of Popes before the Catholic Church finally said they wanted the pope to come back to Italy. So for a while (don’t ask me about dates or years or particulars please), there were 2 popes - one in Rome, one in Avignon - because the Avignon pope wouldn’t abdicate - he liked poping far too much. Lots of restoration work has been completed on the Pope’s Palace, but the weird thing is, their restoration doesn’t mean recreating it to look how it use to look, but to look very different - what’s the point? Anyway, still a great place to visit.

Historical Walking Tour of Dijon

At the Tourist Office I booked in for a historical walking tour of the city starting at 5pm for 2 hours duration. There were a group of mixed nationalities on the tour, but the guide spoke only French & English, & her English was a challenge for her but we prompted her along. The tour was excellent, taking in the major sites & getting some historical background of the city. I met a tourist guide from Prague (originally from Germany) on the tour & we later had dinner together. At this point in time, it was great to have an English conversation as I hadn’t really had a good one for 3-4 days. The company, conversation, food & wine made for a wonderful evening.