Prague's Castle District, Charles Bridge and More Sightseeing - Czech Republic
Prague has now become one of the World's best known cities and it seems that everyone wants to visit. And why not...pastel Baroque building, cobblestone streets, good food and beer halls. Czech beer is supposed to be the best in the world and if you are a beer lover, you would know this. Prague was lucky enough to have escaped much of the bombardment during World War II and that is why its unbelievable Gothic and Baroque architecture is still standing.
Hradcany Hill is the Prague Castle District. A group visit to Prague Castle, a large complex, was the first stop. Only about a 45 minute walk from Hotel Pension City. Prague Castle was founded in the 9th century. Originally the seat of Czech royalty, it is now the residence of the President of the Czech Republic.
Hiking Questions To Ask and An Overnight Train to Prague, Czech Republic
Every trip, every vacation, every day in our lives is a learning experience (trite, but true) and this trip into the Polish/Slovakian Tatras was no exception. It taught some new lessons and questions to pose the next time I thought a hiking/trekking trip sounded "interesting."
- Exactly what is a "C" moderate trip in this particular country?
- Will we use chains bolted into the side of a cliff? Ladders? Crampons? Ice Axes? (We didn't need these two but ask nonetheless.)
- Is there exposure and, if so, how much exposure? For just a short portion or throughout the entire trip. "Exposure" means route sections where a fall could cause serious injury or death. If you are afraid of of heights, avoid these like the plague!
Surviving The Last Nighmare Slog to Zbojnicka Chalet, Slovakia
Going to the Zbojnicka Chalet, we took the "easier" of two routes so Peter described it. It would be up steeply to the Swistowa pass, around and down to the Skalnate Pleso and around with one more up the Starolesna Valley to the chalet. Easier? That certainly didn't sound "easier" to me. What do you think...
The path rose steeply for hours towards Priecne Saddle with a very demanding section. This was a big challenge but then we started down for a bit and there were....gasp...Chains...a stretch of fixed chains bolted into the side of the mountain. This is actually a good thing since I don't have the head for heights or balance to come down areas like this without them. Latched on with the "vulcan death grip" (only the total collapse of the mountain could have pried my hand off those chains) and started down taking little mini-steps until the trail eased up.
Hiking In The Slovakian Tatras to Brncalova (Zelenom) Chalet
So very sore and tired, we left Zakopane by mini-bus to Lysa Polana to cross the border and then into Slovakia. Two nights were going to be spent in mountain chalets before heading to Tatranska Lomnica, a major Slovakian ski area in the winter.
This trail meandered by a river along a valley and through forests for quite a distance. A very nice trail for a change... Over to Kopski Sedlo at 1,749m/5,738' before contouring around to Brncalova (now called Zelenom) Chalet by Green Lake. Slovakia is known for its Carpathian Mountains in the central region, extending across most of the northern half of the country. The High Tatras, the Low Tatras, Mala Fatra and the Vel'ka Fatra, the heart of their national identity. The mountains were created by glaciers and there were numerous glacial cirques. Not my favorite kind of terrain with all its rocks, stone and difficult trails. There were also beeches, spruce, and pine forests below the tree line which changed into some sort of scrubby bushes as we went higher before again becoming rocks only. We never saw any wildlife other than the occasional bird.
Today would turn out to be one of the worst hiking days in my life. Packed up the backpack, stuck gas permeable contacts back in eyeballs, ate breakfast and prepared for a very long day. Peter described it as a "short" hike from around 1,500m/4,921' up the mountain, over the Krzyzne Pass at 2,100m/6,889' with great views of mountains and lakes, ending up somewhere at the end of the day where the mini-bus would pick us up and return to Zakopane for one more night. That didn't sound too terrible. Only a 700m/2,000' gain in elevation. Done that before.
Well...all I can say is it was a good thing fireperson wasn't with us today. Out into the heat, through scrubby bushes and on steep, rocky paths for hours on end, puffing hard, drinking tons of water and watching every footstep. There was no one else on this particular trail but us and Peter zoomed ahead looking back every now and then to make sure he didn't lose anyone.
Hiking In The Polish Tatras From Kuznice to Murowanisc Hut
Zakopane didn't become popular until 1873 when the Tatra Mountain Society was founded. This turned Zakopane into the center of mountain tourism. The oldest part of Zakopane stretches along Koscieliska Street with its old mountaineers cottages. Oblivious me, never gave any thought to what a mecca for hikers and climbers this town really was.
Packed just what was needed in our backpacks for today's hike up to Murowaniec Chalet/Hut where we'd overnight. Again, the mini-bus dropped us off at Kuznice, the stopping point yesterday and off we started on the trail through the woods.
We settled in at the Jurek Mountain Lodge in the center of Zakopane. Pope John Paul had recently visited Zakopane for three days and the excitement and furor of this trip hadn't died down yet. This papal visit was a very significant moment for the people of Zakopane and Poland and there were still banners and photos everywhere. Many hotels, pensions, vacation homes for rent in Zakopane and mega-restaurants, including McDonald's! Peter and his uncle work with the Zakopane rescue association during the winter skiing season and he certainly appeared to be competent.
Mountains and little signs pointing to trails were everywhere and we were eager to begin. Each tour participant received maps and an outline of each day's hike that would be dependent on Peter's thoughts. He immediately changed the first hike to a half circle beginning around Gronik and continuing under the base of Giewont to Przelecz (1,725m/5,659' ) with an option to continue to the top of Giewont (1,895m/6,217' ), then heading down to Kuznice where the min-bus would be waiting. Whatever...
Krakow's Castle and A Tour of The Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland
We had a very small group of people. A woman from Australia traveling the world and hiking in each country (in over-the-top aerobic shape and downright nasty), a young man from the U.K., a women fireman from Detroit, Michigan..(or to be correct, do I say fireperson?), and one other woman from Canada. Peter was our Polish guide from Wonderlands Tours, a Polish agency based in Katowice. Young but experienced and he instantly arranged a meet-and-greet dinner at one of the Jewish-style restaurants in Krakow that is known for klezmer music. Klezmer music developed from secular Jewish music originating in the villages and ghettos of Eastern Europe. Bulgaria, the Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Czech, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, to mention a few countries. The musicians known as "klezmorim" played at weddings and other joyful occasions.
A klezmer orchestra/band usually included violins, bass or cello, flute and clarinet with many other instruments added in time. From my standpoint, a little klezmer music goes a long way (been there, done it) and the group was not at all pleased to discover that this dinner was not included in the tour after the fact. Not happy.
Krakow Pilgrimages: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Oskar Schindler and Kazimierz
A very sad, sobering day spent visiting the considerable Jewish Heritage sites in and around Krakow. It was important to us to spend the day honoring and remembering the many people who died here, not just Jews. Kazimierz, was the old Jewish quarter of Krakow, founded by King Kazimierz (Casimir) the Great in 1335 as a separate town. This became the center of two cultures, Christian and Jewish by the turn of the 15th century and they lived for centuries with tolerance and peace. Twenty-five percent of Krakow's Jewish population lived here before World War II.
The suggested route through Kazimierz began at the Center for Jewish Culture where we booked a Schindler's List walking tour for later today. From here, we walked into, and past, the many Synagogues. The Old Synagogue (Alte Schul) is Poland's most ancient Jewish structure and dates back to the 15th-century. There is an exhibition in the Old Synagogue devoted to the history and culture of Krakow Jews. Next to the Renaissance Remuh Synagogue (mid-16th century) is a cemetery dating back even earlier with the ancient headstones leaning in all directions. Most of the headstones date from 1553.
A relatively easy trip, taxi to the 2** Hotel Pollera, perfectly located on ul. Szpitalna 30, only a few minutes walk from Market Square. Founded in 1834, Hotel Pollera was very Art Nouveau with spacious rooms, gorgeous stained glass windows on the staircase, high ceilings and...good food! Their three dining rooms were all decorated differently and we were very pleased and surprised how nice the hotel was.
Dropped the bags and went out to explore. Not only was historic Market Square very close to Hotel Pollera but a big outdoor flea market had begun today and would continue over the next three days. We spent a considerable amount of time in Krakow browsing the stalls, buying, going back and forth to the ATM machine conveniently located at the edge of the square, and buying more.
Air? The group tour planned to fly into Warsaw, Poland and immediately train to Krakow. Instead of meeting up with them there, we flew Chicago to Frankfurt to Krakow via Warsaw arriving two nights before the group. This would give us a little more time to explore Krakow.
Hotels? Some additional reservations were required. The tour was using Hotel Pollera in Krakow. Looked good to us and we booked two extra nights. On the opposite end, we decided to stay one extra day in Prague on our own. Hotel Pension City was a little out of the way in regards to the important sections of Prague but it was very inexpensive and we decided to stay the extra night there instead of changing hotels in a better-located area.
I've read a tremendous amount of travel literature on Krakow, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic but where and what were the High Tatras? A little investigation and googling should the High Tatras are the highest mountain range in the Slovak Republic in the Carpathian chain. The border of Slovakia and Poland runs along the main mountain ridge.
A chance mailing of a tour called "The High Tatras" piqued my interest. It began in Krakow, Poland, drove to Zakopane, spent 4 nights in Zakopane while day hiking, moved on to hiking from hut-to-hut for 3 days, two nights based in Tatranska Lomnica, Slovakia with more day hikes, and ended in Prague, Czech Republic.
