Although I watch the Eurovision Song Contest every year, I didn’t remember when and where this year’s final would be. As luck would have it, I arrived in Vienna at the start of Eurovision Song Contest week. The final is here in a few days. The city has gone Eurovision mad! Everything from police cars … Continue reading / view photos Eurovision and opera
Leopold Museum
There are lots of museums in Venice. There’s a place called the Museum Quarter, which has a cluster of them. If I visited all the museums I’d probably not get out of Vienna for a while. The journey to the museum revealed the role art plays in the city generally. Vienna is a beautiful place. … Continue reading / view photos Leopold Museum
Vienna calling
My time in Kraków had, regrettably, come to an end. I was now heading to Vienna, my first trip to Austria. At the central Kraków station (Kraków Główny), I started talking to a couple whilst waiting for the train. They were Vietnamese Americans on their way to Budapest. Kraków is about the same distance from … Continue reading / view photos Vienna calling
Wandering in a workers’ paradise
In my new apartment, there’s a pocket Lonely Planet guide to Kraków. One of the less obvious suggestions is a visit to Nowa Huta, a “workers’ paradise”. It’s a suburb of Kraków, about 45 minutes from the centre by bus or tram. The guide says that Stalin, as a “special gift”, had the suburb built. … Continue reading / view photos Wandering in a workers’ paradise
Extended stay in Kraków
Yesterday, on returning from Auschwitz-Birkenau, I saw that it was raining. This was the first rain in the two weeks I’d been travelling. The temperature had dropped below the high 20s it had been. It was a shook! I took cover in the main station, Kraków Główny. Once the rain stopped, I walked to Massolit … Continue reading / view photos Extended stay in Kraków
Auschwitz-Birkenau
This post contains photos and descriptions that you may find distressing. Like yesterday’s visit to the salt mine, I’d booked my ticket for Auschwitz about a week ago. It’s popular. I took a train to Oswiecim then walked the remaining 25 minutes to the former Nazi concentration camp. I was able to use my interrail pass … Continue reading / view photos Auschwitz-Birkenau
Cytat Cafe and No Bones
After exiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine, I sat in a small peaceful park and had some food. For the return bus ride from the salt mine, I got off early to walk around Kazimierz, the old Jewish Quarter. It now hosts a variety of independent shops and cafes. I asked ChatGPT to recommend some quirky … Continue reading / view photos Cytat Cafe and No Bones
Wieliczka Salt Mine
When I went to Open House in London a few years ago, I visited Salters’ Hall. This is owned by The Salters’ Company, one of over a hundred livery companies in the City of London. These livery companies are a type of professional association that originated in the 12th Century in London. They represented people … Continue reading / view photos Wieliczka Salt Mine
Kraków — Main Square
The Berlin train to Kraków was about seven hours. My accommodation was about 10 minutes walk according to Google Maps. When I got there, I couldn’t find the place! Contrary to the booking website, there was no front desk for the address. It wasn’t a hotel! To get into the building, there was a QR … Continue reading / view photos Kraków — Main Square
East Side Gallery 2026
In the morning, we had a short walk around Checkpoint Charlie. We then checked out of our hotel since Helene was going to join her work group. For one night, I checked into a hostel. It was within walking distance of the train station I was going to tomorrow morning. In the evening, I decided … Continue reading / view photos East Side Gallery 2026