Dubrovnik, I'll See You In My Dreams

My girlfriends and I had planned our trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia back in February, and have dreamed about it since. Thursday morning rolled around much quicker than I thought it would, but I couldn't wait to get on that plane. One of the owners of the Backpackers Hostel picked us up at the airport. Bless him for putting up with our giggling and picture taking. As we drove along the winding coastline, he pointed out the views and even stopped at an especially beautiful view to allow us to get out. He picked oregano, rosemary, and even salvia up from the ground to let us smell. The hostel was very cozy, Milka made breakfast and dinner every day while her sons supplied the touring and advice. (Her husband supplied the endless toasts at each meal).

I could not wait to get to the seaside and we walked toward the water just before sunrise. As we walked down the hill we could see the sun's reflection on the water and the view was absolutely breathtaking. We were officially on vacation. It was a nice evening to sit around with the girlfriends who I had made here in Prague, in the very place we had been looking forward to going.

We had declared Friday a beach day. We had met some great people at our hostel and our group of 4 grew into 7 as we headed through Old Town and to the beach. I tend to get excited when it comes to swimming and I was wading in the water before most of the group had even put their things down. The water was cold, but the clearest I have ever seen. I was able to see the bottom even when I couldn't stand, so I floated and splashed around with my friends. The shoreline was compiled of little pebbles instead of sand, so we could lay on the beach with our feet in the water without towels. I got in and out of the water, collected pebbles & sea glass, and talked & laughed with my new friends until an eerie fog rolled in. We saw it coming from the distance and I imagined a pirate ship coming in with it. Milka, the owner/manager/cook/mom of the hostel cooked a huge dinner of mashed potatoes with cod, seafood risotto, and tons of bread. The table was crowded as we all talk about our day, travels, books, and even sang a song or two.

The hostel offered a pseudo-wine tour on Saturday for a good price, so after our homemade breakfast we packed into the van and set out. The first stop was the botanical garden where there are plants from all over the world. The aroma of the flowers and the humming of the bees made this one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. It was sunny and warm and had the most beautiful view of the ocean. We continued our wine tasting at a seaside restaurant and a family-run winery.

One of the highlights was meeting "Indijan," a farmer sent to exile during the Communist regime. Upon his return he decided he was sick of being "screwed" and started the first self-serve wine shop. He now sat on the roadside wearing an old hat and green crocs, laughing and joking with his neighbors. We weren't going to make it all the way home before the sunset, so our guide stopped at a small cove where we could watch the sun go down. I was walking through the water and suddenly something was coming towards me - I screamed when I realized it was an octopus heading my way. I can't remember the last time I moved so fast - if ever. When I was a safe distance away our guide stuck his hands in and grabbed it. Before I knew it I was holding the octopus outside the water, trying not to drop it as its legs wrapped around my hands and arms.

On our last day we took a ferry to the island of Lokrum. The island is filled with peacocks and lookout points to the Adriatic. Maybe two of the seven of us had proper footwear for the walking on rocks (no, I was not one of the two prepared). The best part was a salt lake on the island. Again I waded in without waiting for anybody. We were the only ones there and it seemed like a made-up place with the cave and cliffs. Before I knew it I was scaling the surrounding cliffs to jump in. They were not extremelyhigh, but there was something so special about jumping into that glassy clear water with your new friends cheering you on. A few of us swam into the cave, where the water was so deep those who tried could hardly reach the bottom. In here we found a starfish, unlike I had ever seen. It was a bright red color and looked like a cartoon. It was really awesome to hold, as if it had been there for us to find. We spent the rest of the day laying in the sun and hiking around the island taking in the view, but when I got into bed that night, I couldn't stop thinking about that lake.

On our last night we went to Copacabana Beach. Our group had grown to 10 at this point and we sat in a circle, drinking our wine and talking and laughing. There was a unique camaraderie between the group that had formed. We knew it would be our final hours together before we all left to go our separate ways (Prague, Paris, Bari, Split...). We stayed as late as we could and walked slowly back to our hostel, exchanging contact information and promises to keep in touch. The trip was amazing for so many different ways. I was in paradise with some of the most wonderful people: Dubrovnik, Croatia was unforgettable.

Patience & A Sense of Humor

These are what my dad says are the keys to traveling. Though I've had my woes, today was an especially interesting day of travel. My weekend in Dubrovnik, Croatia was so wonderful that I have to write about it when I have a bit more time. Please note that this in NO WAY tainted my weekend, just made it a little more interesting.

We set our alarms for 4:30 am to leave enough time to get to our 6:25 am flight. Our friend knocks on our door and tells us the cabs are here. I am pretty sure that I am still sleeping, but immediately, we are all in action. Like a scene from a movie, our already messy room turns into chaos, leaving the "pack whatever is around you and we'll sort it later" plan to commence. We made it, mentally noting things possibly left behind (count so far: 3 things.)

It was towards the end of that first flight that I had a realization: I never got the e-mail that my friends did about their flight change. Their change had eliminated the original layover, so within minutes of landing from our first of three connecting flights, they were on their second. I had expected to be with them, but was unable to change my flight since I had checked my bag (amateur mistake, I know). Therefore, today I spent 7 hours haunting the departures terminal at the Zagreb Airport, alone.

I had enough room to sleep relatively comfortably, enough battery in my computer to watch a movie, and enough Kuna to buy a sandwich & a Coke, so I realize I didn't have it so bad. The toughest part was seeing the earlier and more direct flights to Prague depart knowing I could not be on them. I took the whole debacle as a sign that I shouldn't have left the paradise of Dubrovnik, but you may have to wait a few days for those details...

Auschwitz

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
-George Santayana

Auschwitz I was the first camp, initially holding Soviet POWs, gypsies, and some Jews. The barracks of this camp have been transformed into exhibitions, each dedicated to a specific area. It was heartbreaking to realize that the rooms that I was walking through, looking at photographs and reading personal stories, once housed hundreds of people at a time. It was quite confusing for my mind to process the terrible quotes of the Nazi party on the wall right next to stories of bravery and will of the Polish people, women, Jews, etc. Some stories stuck out in my head: the Polish brothers who escaped capture, only to be executed for helping reassemble the Polish army. The female doctor who tried to hide a fellow prisoner from Dr. Mandel.

The toughest part of Auschwitz I was walking through "the yard." It was between blocks 10 and 11 that thousands were killed against the wall. I think you could have known the evil that had happened there without the descriptive sign. Chills crept down my back as I walked to the wall that now has tons of flowers and memorial candles with inscriptions in all different languages. I walked again through the saying "Arbeit macht frei" to continue to Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

The bus was quiet as we approached the gates. The railroad tracks, the walls, the barbed wire - it was all eerily how I had imagined. I could practically see the trains coming in with hundreds of passengers at a time from all over Europe. I could see exactly where they were separated into men & women. And where some were randomly selected to be killed immediately.

We walked along the train tracks to where the gas chamber once was. It is only a pile of rubble now since the Nazis tried to destroy any evidence that it was an extermination camp. We learned of a bunch of Hungarian women who revolted right outside of it, refusing to be herded like cattle. I cannot describe to you the feeling of standing where thousands have before me.

Visiting the inside of the Barracks was terrible. Before we entered the small building we learned that about 1000 people lived in each. I entered, but hesitated. Flat, triple bunk beds lined the walls. I don't know if I can really describe the feeling of the room - again I saw the people that had once inhabited the building. To see the inside of one, realize the gravity of the living conditions, and exit to see hundreds more just like it was absolutely chilling.

Many signs throughout both camps reminded visitors to be silent and remain respectful, but they weren't needed. Even after boarding the bus and heading back "home," all of us were quiet as we reflected. My mind wandered to the "what if and why not and who's to say?" I certainly left Auschwitz with more questions than answers, but the experience is not something that I will soon forget.

Krakow, Poland

I had no expectations for Krakow. I knew almost nothing about the city before I visited, other than that the people there were some of the most affected by World War II. This was one of the trips that AIFS planned for us, and I had always considered it to be towards the end, and I cannot believe that it has already come and gone.

One of my favorite monuments was dedicated to man's best friend. While walking in a park, the dog's owner had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital where he died. His dog waited for him in the park for one year, given food and water by the locals, until one of the usual park-goes took him home. I was also very impressed to visit the Medieval University where Copernicus studied, the castle, and of course, many churches. I've seen a lot of churches in the last few months and St. Mary's in Krakow was definitely one of my favorites. Intricately detailed and deeply colored for such a church, I couldn't help just looking around it all. (Unfortunately cameras were not permitted inside).

There was a huge Easter festival where I bought souvenirs and candy. It was here that I tried my first Polish cuisine, Pierogis, and to my surpise, I actually liked the spinach filled boiled dumpling.

I loved learning about the legends of the city. Firstly, there is the legend of the dragon that lived in the river and often ate animals and humans. There are dragon toys and figurines everywhere to remind the locals and visitors to beware. Also, it is believed that one of Shiva's 7 magic stones landed in Krakow, along with Delhi, Delphi, Jerusalem, Mecca, Rome and Velehrad. Z told us to stand as close as we could to the spot to get as much good energy as possible because we would be traveling to hell, also known as Auschwitz, the following day.

Spring in Vienna, Austria

Hitting the halfway-point in the program is exciting but draining. The much appreciated warm weather brings midterms and readjustments, so our program trip to Vienna, Austria came at the perfect time.

The bus ride was long, and made longer by a weird stop at "Excalibur City," a medieval themed park/tourist attraction. The day wasn't looking good after John slammed his face on the trampoline and most of the bus felt sick, needless to say, we were all anxious to arrive and we did so around 4pm. We checked into the hotel and since it was so nice I opened the window to look outside. Before I knew it there were heads sticking out of most windows laughing and waving to each other. Our spirits picked up.
Our guides, Z and Jana, brought us downtown to show us around. We took photos with statues of Mozart and ate the famous "Sacher" cake.

For dinner we had the largest portions of schnitzel I've ever seen. Jana had told us about the portions: "I don't think any of the girls could finish one, maybe some of you boys." My whole table split their portions with each other and we still couldn't finish them. (Oliver claims to have eaten all but 2 fries but I can't seem to find an eye-witness).

On Saturday we took a more extended tour of Vienna. Z told us about the legends and famous stories including places where Mozart and Mark Twain visited. I could feel a difference in the group now, maybe because we hadn't all been traveling together since Munich, but there was definitely a different dynamic to the group this time. The tour was long because we all wanted to stop and take photos of everything, even the trees and flowers innocently blooming along the trees and parks. The weather was beautiful so some of us rented bikes to see the rest of the city. There were bike paths everywhere and tons of parks to explore. We had a map to tell us where to go and I'd be lying if I said we didn't sing some Sound of Music tunes. It was such a fun way to see the city and enjoy the perfect weather.


Before our bus trip back home we stopped at the Schonbrunn Palace, summer home to Franz Joseph and Elisabeth. The museum provided us with an audio tour which described all of the rooms and paintings including those of Maria Theresa and Marie Antoinette. The best part of the palace was definitely the grounds. There was a massive garden with fountains and flowers. I trekked up to the top of the hill where another building stood. There I had a whole view of Vienna and could imagine the Hapsburgs living and ruling there.


From the moment I saw the city I knew I wasn't going to have enough time there. It is the only place where I've felt this way, and even though I saw it all, I wanted to stay longer and enjoy it. The ride back to Prague seemed even longer, interupted only by another stop to "Excalibur City."

(Shoutout to the Bachman family - can't believe I missed you!)