A postcard from Krakow!

Every step upon the cobble-stones of Krakow old town is etched in a history of euphoria, despair and suffering.  The old town has been witness to royal coronations, plague, sieges, triumph and subjugation.  It is a town of paradox, and was one of the big surprise packages of our wanderings across Europe.

Rynek Glowny (Main Square) built in 1257 is Europe’s biggest medieval square and it is here that locals and travelers converge.  Restaurants outline the square, the homeless congregate, seek morsels of food from an abandoned plate or finish a half-empty beer.  Gypsies offer roses under the guise of a gift which soon turns into a haggle over payment and adorned carriages with regal horse’s canter around the square allowing their passengers to soak in the ambience.  

It is at St Mary’s Basilica, where the ethereal sounds of St Mary’s dawn descend upon the township.  The five-note polish anthem is played four times in succession from each window on the hour and if you time your climb up the tower to perfection, you will be at the apex as the trumpeter’s lips vibrate across the brass valve and the sound waves crash over.  A climb up the tower is also a great way to take in the views of Krakow!

The wealth of Krakow was derived from the salt mines that bore deep into the earth’s being.  The most famous of these is Wieliczka.  Wieliczka salt mine, which opened in the 13^th Century, is home to hand-chiseled, salt-hewn figurines that line the mine’s winding tunnels and underground chambers and the amazing Chapel of St. Kinga.    

Krakow like most medieval, European cities was once fortified; these walls embraced its inhabitants with an artificial sense of  protection.   With its wealth, Krakow was high on the want list of  neighbouring powers, but it was the 'Partitioning of Poland' by Emperor Franz of Austro-Hungry in 1817, that saw the fortification of the walled city slowly dismantled. Sadly, the Goliath-like Barbican and Florianska Gate are all that remain from this gothic period. The removal of the walls provided an opportunity for a green zone to be established and Planty Park was commissioned. 

Planty Park, in summer with the abundant gardens, monuments and tree lined paths is a great place to enjoy a zywiec and people watch as the twilight draws in.  Planty is also the starting point for free walking tours around Krakow. These range from the macabre to the historic and are free in the sense that there is no upfront cost, but rather a tipping system at the conclusion of the walk.


Wawel Castle with its imposing Cathedral dominate the sky line.  It is here that the legend of the Wawel dragon is populated and folklore shared.  The Wawel dragon lived in a cave at the front of Wawel hill on the bank of the Vistula River and as with all good myths a number of versions exist.   The cobbler's apprentice interpretation is most imaginative.  Every morning the dragon would wake, devour live stock, pillage towns and enjoy a nice maiden or two.  The King offered a decree to all the knights and warriors of the land to rid the countryside of the beast and the victor would win his daughter's hand in marriage.  All tried but failed until a cobbler's apprentice took up the challenge.  He stuffed a lamb with sulfur, put it outside the lair; when the dragon awoke it consumed the lamb filled with sulphur and was forced to drink from the Vistula River until it exploded.  The cobbler married the Princess and they lived happy ever-after.

The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill constitute the most historically significant site in the country and in 1978 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Krakow.

 So much history, folklore and culture to be devoured in this little gem of Krakow!

A postcard from Helsinki!

Helsinki had always been a mystical place of wonder since the powdery white photos of National Geographic breathed life into a dream of a 10-year-old Brad, wondering if he would ever escape the the realities of working-class Frankston.  So, off  to Helsinki, Finland's southern capital we went.

Expectations can blur the reality and unfortunately the mystical town that weaved itself deep into the psyche of that young boy, quickly evaporated into a sense of sterility.  Sure, the boulevards and backstreets are flush with magnificent architecture such as: the Helsinki Cathedral built as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas 1 of Russia and its surrounding Senate steps,  the Uspenski Cathedral which leads down to the appealing harbour, where markets line the wharf and food stalls are in abundance; selling everything local from fried whitebait to reindeer burgers; however, the city itself lacks atmosphere and charisma.

Definitely, the highlight of our stopover was our visit by ferry to Suomenlinna. 'The fortress of Finland'.  The fortification of this island began in 1748 under Swedish rule.  The Russians besieged the fortress in 1808 during the Russo-Swedish war; incorporating the fort as a part of the Russian empire until 1917, when Finland gained independence. Abandoned armouries, walled battlements, tunnels and archways provide you with an opportunity to explore the island in depth and to discover its secrets.

Helsinki, where expectations and reality failed to meet!

A Postcard from Amsterdam!

A red and white mass converged upon Amsterdam filling its coffeeshops, bars and every available open space.  The chants started early: Ole oohhh Ajax Amsterdam, Oohhh Ajax Amsterdam, Oohhh Ajax Amsterdam ole ole, and were punctuated through a fog of hash and the salute of proost with Heineken and Amstel cans.  Welcome to Amsterdam where football is the game played in heaven and the Ajax players become demigods fighting against the evil beast Manchester United for a chance to win the Europa League Championship.   Flares and fireworks turn the skin of the succubus’ of the Red-Light district into a neon-light glow.   Mobile phones in hand with legs akimbo, and dressed micro-fabric lingerie that enabled the window-shopper to discern what they ate for lunch; negotiations were concluded in doorways for services rendered and punters disappeared into a clandestine of rooms.  It is interesting to note that there are about three hundred studio cabins(kamers) in which succubus’ sell their sexual services.  

It is hard to comprehend in a society based upon tolerance and freedoms; a young girl, her family and others lived in hiding, persecuted because of a faith system that was deemed by a regime to be abhorrent.  When one steps into the Frank’s abode a sense of sorrow grips vice like and an acknowledgement that here innocence and hope were lost and that betrayal stained the attic stairs.  There is a poignant image that has etched itself into our minds-eye of Otto Frank (the sole survivor) leaning against a support beam caught between the past, the present and the future.  People murmur that such sites reek of black-tourism, where voyeurs come to play and selfie-sticks stain the reverence of the place.   In fact, such places provide a lesson in the inhumanity of mankind and that the obscene behaviour of the past should not be forgotten because it is unpalatable.  In fact, education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world and that is exactly what a visit to Anne Frank’s house does.

Green spaces are bountiful in Amsterdam and the humble bicycle reigns supreme along with its symphony of bells.  Pedestrians leap to escape a horde of cyclists streaming in every direction and a chaos theorem seems to determine who has right of way. 

One hundred and sixty-five canals split the city centre of Amsterdam with over 1,200 bridges providing the bipeds an ability to roam at will.  Canal barges provide transport opportunities, converted warehouses from the golden age lean asymmetrically and Van Gogh’s narcissism beckons where ‘Sunflowers’ glisten in three shades of yellow.  Church spirals call to be climbed and buskers’ melodies float ethereal like across Vondelpark whilst we eat bitterballen, stroopwafel and gelato as the sun drenches us.

Amsterdam is a multi-cultural sphere that provides the traveller with a myriad of opportunities: to contemplate history, to acknowledge that social freedoms provide tolerance and acceptance and to embrace a culture of diversity.