Kraków, Poland

St. Mary's Church, Market Square

The original schedule of our train from Budapest to Kraków had us leaving in the morning and arriving in the afternoon, giving us splendid views of the Slovakian countryside; however, the schedule changed to an overnight train leaving us an extra full day in Budapest and two full days in Kraków. It was our first overnight train in the sleeping compartment and proved much nicer than the ones in China. We arrived early the next morning, greeted by frost-covered Polish fields and deep blue skies. Jack Frost nipped us really good as we disembarked, and he wouldn't leave us alone the rest of the day. Thankfully we were able to leave our bags at the hotel, but being exhausted and incredibly early (7:15 am), our emotions were overcome when told we weren't allowed to check in. I could tell it was going to be a long, long day. 

The Children of Auschwitz-Birkenau

The most gut-wrenching experience at the concentration camps was an exhibit dedicated to the children. In an empty white room, artists recreated sketches that were found all over the camps, usually hidden, and all done by children. The only thing these pictures have in common is that all the children who made them were killed. Most of the children didn't fully understand what was going on; this was the world through their eyes…

Auschwitz - Birkenau

During our time in Cracow, we took a day-trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. They are actually two separate camps officially called Auschwitz I and II. There were plans to build a third, but it never happened. Birkenau is a much larger camp. Since most people are well aware of the events that happened here, I have decided to use my photos to share the stories of the few who survived and the many who perished. 

Arbeit Macht Frei

Budapest, Hungary

Our train ride from Bratislava to Budapest went by without incident, graciously allowing us to take in the wonderful scenery as we steamed along the mighty Danube (ok, not a steam engine, but was still nice) flanked by golden autumn colored trees, small boats dotting the river, and an overall peace and serenity that made me wish the train would just break down for an hour or two. Not today, sadly, but Budapest was waiting for us to indulge in her glory. 

Buda on left, Pest on Right, Danube and Chain Bridge center from Memorial Statue

Bratislava, Slovakia

I should work in advertising...

Following our wonderful excursion in Vienna, it was time for us to slow down a bit. We were about halfway through the trip and the small city of Bratislava was a perfect place to catch our breath and take our time exploring. Only one night was necessary for this not-so-hoppin city, about four hours to actually see the place in its entirety. However as the saying goes, "It's not the size that matters, it's how you use it…"; Bratislava could be summed up this way in that small as it may be, it packs a lot of charm and beauty - and thankfully for us, almost no tourists. 

Being only one hour from Vienna it seemed getting here would be quite easy. Once again, for a Stelly, it proved to be the opposite. It all started back in Vienna when we arrived at the train station and could not find which platform was to be our train. Turns out we were at the wrong station, the correct one being on the other side of town. So after getting to that station via a streetcar not named Desire, we were stuck again not knowing how to find the platforms since this station was under construction and trying to find the platforms was comparable to looking for the "Goblet of Fire." 

Vienna the Magnificent

Ahhh, Vienna - city of musicians, lavish capital of the Hapsburg Empire, the city of dreams (Sigmund Freud was from here)- no wonder it is regarded as one of the most livable cities in the world. From the large palaces and museums to the abundance of bars, clubs, and cafes, the Viennese enjoy a plentiful life of diversity and culture that emulates in my opinion the very best mankind has to offer. 

Our adventure began as we boarded one of the old trolleys that notoriously winds its way through Vienna's narrow streets. About half the cars are new and low to the street, while the rest still date from the days of the Cold War and are a bit more difficult to get onto yet still enjoyable to ride. It was mid-afternoon by time we managed to drop off the bags at the hotel - a quaint hundred year old reasonbly-priced establishment - and head southwest to the royal family's grand summer residence, the Schönbrunn Palace. A massive complex of grounds and gardens surrounding a central palace of more than 1,400 rooms, it is the only palace in Europe that comes close to rivaling Versailles. Clear skies and warm sunlight only enhanced our excitement to explore and play among the scores of locals and tourists alike. 

A Rainy Day in Salzburg

Magnificent Austria, with its vast green lands and towering mountains, truly lives up to its reputation. My first impression was ever so slight while driving through a few valleys on the way to Zugspitze from Neuschwanstein, nevertheless I was entranced by beauty as tremendous as the surrounding mountains. However there is more to this tiny country in the heart of Europe than splendid alpine scenery. 

Mirabell Palace Gardens. The song "Do Re Mi" from Sound of Music was filmed here. 

Munich

Rathaus-Glockenspiel

My escapades on the autobahn drew to a close as we entered Munich, the principle destination that birthed our grand European adventure so many months earlier.  We were here for one reason: Oktoberfest, and boy did it live it up to all of our expectations. Of course one shouldn't spend her entire time in Bavaria's capital staring down a beer mug at the delicious, amber colored nectar of the gods - even if there are plenty of people who do. The city has quite a lot to offer in terms of beer, food, culture, history, and more beer. A lot more beer.  Though our time in Munich would be short, it was very sweet and full of fun, happy memories.... at least the ones I can recall. If you care to find out, well, keep on reading. 

Romantic Germany

Our train pulled into Nürnberg in the early afternoon. The blue skies and warm temperature were a welcome change from the cold and rainy Berlin. The best, however, was knowing that in just a few minutes we would be in our rented car speeding (legally) down the autobahn through the idyllic German countryside, bound for the quintessential romantic German town - Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Berlin, Germany

Alex in front of the Reichstag

After much planning, Alex and I embarked on a grand European adventure that would take us to seven countries across the western, central, and eastern parts of the continent. 

We arrived at the small Tegel airport on a cloudy, chilly autumn afternoon. A short bus ride into town, we arrived at Alexanderplatz a short walk from our hotel. We were staying in East Berlin, as it was. The streets were very clean, and there were not many people outside the immediate platz. It reminded me a lot of Beijing with the communist-era concrete block buildings around us, some of which were crumbling whilst others shined as if brand new. Moving around Berlin was quite easy, though it did take us some time figuring out of the metro system. There are so many different trains, trams, and under grounds, and there was no real way of ensuring we had the right ticket, or anyone to check ours. 

Fujian Province

Very soon after Miss Scarlett returned to her beloved air conditioning, serta mattress, western food, and two little dogs, Alex and I were heading to his home province of Fujian located in southeast China across from Taiwan. We went to celebrate his father's 60th birthday with his family (even though he is only 58 - not sure how that math works). Ten days in yet another furnace sleeping on what amounts to a VMI rack - without the hay - leaves me to share with you my story. 

High-five Mao

Recently, a report was published finding that 80% of all flights from Beijing Capital Airport are delayed, so I will start there (article can be found here.) It was a beautiful, clear morning, so smog-free you could see the mountains perfectly from downtown. Though we were late getting to the airport due to not one but two major accidents on the expressway, we made it to the gate in time to board. The plane pulled back and in just a few minutes I noticed out the window that we were waiting for take off with one aircraft  in line ahead of us. We waited...and waited....and waited. One hour later, we finally lifted off. Goodness, I love China. 

Tibet Part 2 - Journey to Everest

We left Lhasa in the morning bound for Shigatse, 6 hours away by bus. En route, we would make three stops as we moved over the mountains. The scenery was breathtaking (literally), but the temperatures dropped significantly the higher we went. Because the air gets thinner as you go higher, we were not allowed to sleep while the van was climbing so that we wouldn't develop breathing problems and could avoid other altitude sickness. When we reached the first stop, which would also be the highest elevation for the day - 15,419 ft. - and the temperature had dropped approximately 25 degrees fahrenheit.

The view over Yamtso Holy Lake was incredible. From our perspective, the lake appeared to be azure blue. Since it is considered holy, there is neither fishing allowed nor the presence of any boats. At first glance, we assumed it was undoubtedly a massive source of fresh water for the people, but turns out that in fact it actually is somewhat salty, and can't be consumed. We drove down to the lake shore. There were many locals with Tibetan Mastiffs that you could pay to have your picture with. Truly massive animals. I went down to the shore and washed my hands in the water, which is supposed to cleanse my soul. Not sure exactly how clean I got it with a dead fish floating a few feet away.

The best part was a yak that you could get on and pose for pictures. Of course I couldn't resist.  I hopped on, added the traditional Tibetan hat and scarf, and prepared my best Napoleon pose for crossing the Himalayas.

Tibet Part 1 - Lhasa

And this is where the fun misery for Miss Pratt really began...

Outside the un-opened train station

We arrived in Lhasa late in the afternoon, greeted by fresh air, blue skies, cool temperatures, and a beautiful, brand new train station - that was not opened yet. For Miss Pratt's sake, we I had to lug our bags about 400 meters around to the other side of the station to meet the tour van. While we waited for a few others arriving later, we searched for a bathroom. We found it in a huge building that turned out to be a military barracks, consequently, with neither running water nor any form of air freshener. Clearly, we were about to get a run for our money. 

Typical Tibetan facade

Lhasa is a stark contrast to the rest of China. Most noticeably, the sky was deep blue without the slightest hint of any form of pollutants. I was also amazed to find the streets clean and clear of clutter, modern bridges, tunnels, clutter-free highways, and buildings looking quite pristine. In my mind I had pictured decrepit structures stricken with poverty, and yet here was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, alive with bright colors that contrasted with the dark-skin inhabitants (allow me to explain). 

Bless Her Heart....

…Miss Pratt will never, ever, leave the United States, maybe even Richmond, again.

(For those who don't know, my mother came to visit China for 3 weeks)

I am not sure how she survived China. I know deep down she was in pure agony from the moment she set foot off the plane. The sad thing is, even at the sight of "KFC" in the arrivals area, she had no idea what she had gotten herself into. Allow me to digress:

I arranged a special "Welcome" dinner party in her honor at a friend's upscale restaurant. The food is from Sichuan Province, which is spicy Chinese. We had a diverse spread of chicken, lamb, vegetables, and the piece de resistance, eel. Even two glasses of white wine couldn't build up her courage to divulge. While she did try some of the food, let me just say, Miss Pratt (a.k.a. Miss Scarlett) went hungry that night. 

Malaysia 2.0

Scorpion Fish
Courtesy, Alex

Another year, another fantastic trip to Malaysia. Returning to the island of Borneo, we came to Kota Kinabalu, a Chinese fisherman's settlement on the northeast coast along the South China Sea. Its name literally translates to the "Coast of the Chinese Widow." The city was destroyed in WWII, but has been rebuilt rather quickly in the last few decades. We came here for scuba diving (of course) and had 3 days and 1 night of fairly decent dives, albeit the first dive involved a boat ride through nothing short of a 30 minute monsoon. 

North Korea - Part 4

DPRK Visa

Many people it turns out didn't quite believe me when I told them I was going to North Korea. Frankly, I didn't quite believe it myself either. To this day I still am coming to grips with the journey, all that I saw and experienced, and what, if any, clues might point to North Korea's future. 

Since leaving, the tension on the Korean Peninsula has escalated to "frightening" levels. Everyday in the news, North Korea has done 'x' and the United States and South Korean have done 'y'.

North Korea - Part 3

Poyhon Buddhist Temple

We headed two hours northeast of Pyongyang to Mt. Myohyang located in the idyllic mountain areas that remain virtually untouched. North Korea easily could be a nature lover's paradise with infinite possibilities for hiking, skiing, climbing, etc. Perhaps in the future this could be a lucrative venture that would help build a stable and growing economy (of a new government, no less).

The hotel was freezing yet again, but only in the public areas. The rooms were toasty warm and the hot water was turned on in anticipation of our arrival (though only for one hour that night and one hour in the morning). The shower was in a raised bathtub that one must be pretty limber to get up into and was quite impossible to stand up straight in. There was a handheld shower nozzle because one must sit down in the bath, being careful to prevent water from soaking the tile floor below since there was no shower curtain. Dinner was satisfying as we sat close to the heaters, drinking our way into the evening and chatting about what had been seen so far and what was to come. It was a most delightful evening since there was nothing else to do and no other guests in the hotel. 

North Korea - Kumsusan Memorial Palace

Empty Roads to Kumsusan 

Beautiful snow. Clean lines. The architecture was utopian. We marched from the waiting hall to the main entrance, where we checked out coats, cameras, and bags before setting off on the mile-long escalator ride for personal reflection. It's one of those airport ones that cover a long distance; however, this one moves about 2 miles per hour, and we were not allowed to walk or talk. We had to stand still in order to reflect and prepare ourselves to see the dear leaders. There were a few photographs on the walls that show the Kim's looking at various things. What a joy. 

North Korea - Part 2

GOOD MORNINNNNGGG, PYONGYANG!!!

Courtesy Beyongmedioonline.com

The phone rang at 7:01.

I broke a glass trying to find the phone on the bedside table, and nearly fell out of bed trying to figure out how to answer it. The sun had not yet risen, but the faint light exposed a bleak and foggy winter wonderland. The river below was frozen solid and I could barely make out any lights twinkling in the quiet city. I only saw one car in the distance. Upstairs we were served quite a feast for breakfast: 1 egg over easy, 3 pieces of plain white toast, 1 small bottle of water, 2 stale pieces of sweet bread, and a sliver of jam. Coffee optional at an extra cost. Everything was served cold.

North Korea - Part 1

Praise be to Dear Leader, Kim Il Sung, President of the DPRK, and to Generals Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un…

It all began on the eve of Chinese New Year; Beijing was empty - no one walking down the sidewalks, no bicyclists speeding the opposite way down the street, no taxis deliberately not picking up foreigners, hell, not even buses could be found. The air was still polluted, go figure, but 20 brave adventurers embarked on a life-changing journey to one of the most isolated places on earth - Terminal 2, Beijing Capital Airport. Here is where the story begins.