Adventure Travel Photography Blog
After I travel a while, I get tired of eating every meal at a restaurant, particularly in Europe where the service is slow. I recognize it is slow to allow diners to enjoy their meal, but when I am on my own, sitting around is not my first choice. I’d rather be exploring. As such for the few days I was in Poland, I seeked out some Krakow street food.
TAKE A BITE!
When visiting Krakow, seeing Auschwitz is a must. Auschwitz, a complex of 48 concentration and extermination camps, was operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. The complex includes Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz along with several subcamps.
Auschwitz was the largest Nazi German concentration and death camp. Between the years 1940 and 1945 when Auschwitz operated, the Nazis deported at least 1.3 million people to the camp, including 1,000,000 Jews, 150,000 Poles, 23,000 gypsies, 15,000 Soviet POWs, and 25,000 prisoners of other ethnicities. Of these prisoners, 1,100,000 died. 90% were Jewish. Most were killed in gas chambers, but many also died from illnesses and starvation.
Continue reading “Six Hour Tour of Auschwitz”
Ever since I heard about the Wieliczka Salt Mine from my friend Ron, I have wanted to visit it. I am fascinated by mines and Wieliczka Salt Mine is definitely the most unique mine I’ve seen.
While preparing to visit the mine, I reviewed its website and was surprised to find there are a variety of tours from which to choose. I ruled out the 30-minute Graduation Tower visit that includes breathing a brine mist above ground as well as the Pilgrim Tour that concentrates on praying throughout the 2.5-hour mine tour.
GO MINING!
Kristin and I planned two and a half days in Prague. Then I found out about this town, Kutná Hora, and the Sedlec Ossuary, and I wasn’t sure how to spend my time. My friends have raved about Prague, and many have claimed Prague was their favorite European City to visit. As such, with all the places to see and things to do, I figured I at least needed our planned two and a half days to visit, maybe more.
But after seeing pictures of the Sedlec Ossuary, I felt like I was too close (only an hour away by train) to pass up a chance to see it. After much deliberation, I signed on to a six-hour tour of Kutná Hora and the Sedlec Ossuary with Discover Prague. While I really enjoyed Prague, I’m so glad I took the time to see Kutná Hora and Sedlec Ossuary.
If you find bone art as fascinating as I do after reading this post, you may book the tour at Get Your Guide on the Prague Day Trips section.
Once the historical capital of Bohemia, Prague is now the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic with 1.3 million people. We arrived in the fifth most visited European city via bus from Nuremberg which was the fastest mode of public transportation. The bus dropped us off at the main train station, Praha, which interestingly used to be called the Wilson Station, after American president Woodrow Wilson!
EXPLORE!
We arrived in the morning to Nuremberg on our last day of our Danube Cruise and organized a taxi ride from port to our hotel in Old Town for around 20 euro.
Our hotel, Gideon Designhotel, was in the Old Town of Nuremberg’s southeast corner. The hotel was conveniently located near a variety of restaurants, the pedestrian area, as well as the train and bus station. We really liked the location.
TAKE A WALK!
When in Nuremberg, it’s worth investigating the history of the Nazi Regime and World War II. Just visiting the Documentation Center, Nazi Party Rally Grounds, and the Memorium Nuremberg Trials which includes Courtroom 600 takes an entire winter day!
HISTORY LESSON
Our seventh stop on the Danube was in Regensburg, the fourth largest city in Bavaria, Germany with a population of 150,000. Due to the challenging parking, many residents bike, thus we dodged several cyclists as we walked Regensburg’s Old Town.
EXPLORE!
Our ship sailed all night and through the morning until we reached our next destination, Passau. We docked aside another ship and walked across it (a common occurrence on the Danube) to begin our walking tour of Old Town located on the peninsula between the Danube and Inn Rivers.
Passau, a German city of 52,000 people sits on the border of Austria in the Bavaria region at the confluence of three rivers. The third being the Ilz. As such, Passau, a bishopric since 739, profited from important salt trade routes and remained independent until it was incorporated into Bavaria during the Napoleonic times of 1803.
Today, attractions in Passau can be found on both sides of the river.
LET’s GO
Since we’ve been on the Danube, three days, all of our cruising has taken place at night. Today, however, we enjoyed the river’s beautiful scenery in the Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
EXPLORE!