Poland

If I had to pick my two favorite things to discover when I travel, it would be beauty and history. Though I’d give the edge to natural beauty over urban beauty, I’m happy to have ended this trip in some of the pretty urban landscapes I’ve seen anywhere: Torun and Gdansk. (Properly I’d write Toruń…

Planty The Old Town of Krakow used to be surrounded by a wall, and that wall used to be surrounded by a moat. In the early 19th century they tore down most of the wall and filled in the moat, creating what is today a lovely garden called Planty Park. On Friday afternoon, after my…

I have very little to say about my visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. I took only the one photo, at the entrance to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. What kind of monsters can perpetrate crimes of such enormity, of such depravity?

Of all the Eastern European cities laying claim to the boast, “the next Prague,” Krakow is for real. So writes Rick Steves in his Krakow, Warsaw, and Gdansk guidebook. What a crock!

I was trying to pick a representative photo for the “featured image” of this post, and I settled on the Palace of Science and Culture, perhaps the ugliest building I’ve ever see. Built in the early 1950s, the locals consider it a harsh reminder of the Soviet occupation of Poland and an affront to the…

I have to confess, as I was getting toward the end of my visit to Berlin, I was starting to have doubts about having planned a four-week trip. I found myself getting worn out and worn down. And I was a little concerned that I was running out of steam just halfway through my trip. Now…