Hand Luggage.

Wawel castle and giant stalking beer men

So wandering the streets of Krakow old town you will stumble across some beautiful buildings and architectural delights, not to mention some of the friendliest and most helpful people in Europe!

Take time to relax and watch the world go by in the old town square but then head out to some of the sights to be found a hop, skip and a jump away.

One of the areas we liked was Wawel and its surroundings, sited near the Vistula river and overlooking a huge open expanse of parkland where the locals come to hang out, picnic and watch the world go by.

One of the city’s myths is that of the Wawel dragon and it’s commemorated on the lower slopes of the Wawel Hill by a metal statue that occasionally belches out a plume of flame!

Here’s Neil getting stalked by the giant walking beer in the parkland beneath Wawel castle . . . . (I will devote a post to this squishy little mascot later!)

I will upload some photos of the castle itself that sits within the Wawel complex when I figure out where on earth I have stashed them!!!

My recommendations, in no particular order

In the interests of being helpful (for a change) I’m putting together a list of recommended accommodation, tour operators and trips.

This is based purely on my own experiences of course and what I like may not be the same as what any one else does!

From the amazing customer service of Polish company Sodispar to the seamlessly managed tours of Delhi Magic, my trips around the world have been aided by some fantastic companies and marvellous individuals.

I’ve been really lucky in that I have never had a bad hotel (some mediocre ones maybe) and I have had some truly outstanding ones.

The stylish Hotel Louren in Prague is one such place while the river rafts in Thailand were an unforgettable, electricity free, experience.

Meanwhile the Shanghai Mansion in Bangkok was the epitome of eclectic luxury.

It’s a purely subjective list and I take no responsibility for my choices!!!! But in my humble opinion they have all earned a big thumbs up from me, the grumpy traveller!!

Links to my accommodation recommendation page can be found by clicking on the little page icon at the top left hand side of the page (until I move it randomly.)

The word cloud

Just added a widget!! The word cloud. Check it out, I think I may have put too many labels in though but it’s interesting to see which words seem to crop up most!!!!

Around and about in Krakow

Having settled into our fab old town apartment it was time to hit the streets and explore Krakow.

First up the old town square – Rynek Główny w Krakowie. It dates to the 13th centre and is the largest medieval town square in Europe.

The square is surrounded by beautiful old townhouses and is dominated by the imposing Cloth Hall and the stunning gothic splendour of St Mary’s Basilica.

St Mary’s basilica and its gothic towers cut an imposing figure that dominate the square.

On every hour, a trumpet signal—called the Hejnał mariacki—is played from the top of the taller of St. Mary’s two towers.

The tune breaks off mid-stream, in memorial to the famous 13th century trumpeter, who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before the Mongol attack on the city.

Above is the ornate interior of St Mary’s Basilica

Below is the other building to loom over the square; the Cloth Hall. Originally a place for travelling merchants to meet and ply their trade.

The hall, or Sukiennice, held a variety of imports from the East – spices, silk, leather and wax – while Kraków itself exported salt from the incredible Wieliczka salt mine (more of that later)

It now houses lots of little stalls selling traditional wooden arts and crafts and is well worth a browse in the evening before stopping off at one of the many cafes and restaurants that line the square.

Here’s some of the stalls selling all sorts of colourful wooden traditional items.

Followed by a well earned cocktail!!

Next up Wawel Castle and going under ground to the salt mines.

Krakow and Prague 2013

June saw us venturing to new parts of the world – Poland and the Czech Republic. Slight concern all round due to a state of emergency being declared in Prague due to extreme flooding just a fortnight before we were due to go!

But we weren’t about to let a little thing like nature gone rogue to stop us so off we trotted.

First up Krakow.We stayed in a fantastic apartment just two minutes walk from the old town square that had every possible home comfort from a washing machine and ironing board to fully kitted out kitchen.

Our apartment was called Dallas and you can find it on the Sodisapar website.

I can’t recommend this company enough, helpful friendly staff full of information on trips, trains and anything else you could possibly need to get about Krakow and the surrounding area.

Krakow itself was a revelation – compact but bursting at the seams with fascinating old buildings, meandering streets, culture and modernity blended together seamlessly.

Street performers chill out and give the chills in Krakow’s main square.

Next up, a wander around Krakow, some architecture, salt mines, a castle and a sombre lesson from history.

All aboard the noddy train to Soller!

So the other half – train buff and nerd extraordinaire – is super excited about the little wooden train that travels from Palma to the tiny village of Soller.

Travelling through mountainous scenery this nostaligic narrow gauge service takes about 1.5 hours to get from one to the other.

The wooden train has brass fittings, reversable seating and all the trappings of days gone by.

Get there early as queues start forming ages before the train is loaded with passengers and you want to get prime position for the amazing views.

Grabbing window seats we were able to enjoy the breath taking journey as it winds through the mountains.

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The train passes through 13 tunnels as it traverses the Sierra de Alfàbia mountain range which is 2.8 km wide and 496 metres high.

The Sóller railway has been running since 1912 and operates a daily train service along the 27.3 km.

From 1913 it has also run the tram service along the 4.9 kilometres from Sóller and the Port of Sóller.

Here the pretty Port of Soller bathed in sunlight.

Then it’s back on the tram to take in the amazing architecture in the tiny village of Soller

Find out more about the train, times and costs here

Thought for the day

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

Ernest Hemingway

Palma Cathedral, potted history and lots of pics!

The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, more commonly referred to as La Seu is a Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral.

It’s located high above a man made lake that offers spectacular views of the impressive, towering spires of the epic edifice. It was started in 1229 but only finished in 1601

Its glorious golden sandstone exterior is present from every corner of Palma and dominated the skyline from every angle

It sits high above the man made Parc de le Mar where Palma residents while away the hours people watching and sunning themselves.

Construction of Palma Cathedral is said to have been ordered by King Jaume I in 1230, just a year after this Christian crusader conquered the island.

Built on top of a mosque, the process of erecting Palma Cathedral lasted around three hundred years, stretching from 1301 to the seventeenth century

Parts of the Cathedral were designed by Antoni Gaudi, but his contributions are limited as he stopped his involvement due to an argument with the contractor

Next up – the wooden train through the mountains to Soller. A step back in time!

Mallorca 2013 – a big surprise.

So it’s been a while bloggers but I am back! Fresh (sort of) from five days in Mallorca.

It’s always been a place I dismissed as just tacky beach destination (yes Magaluff I am looking at you) but the lure of super cheap flights finally hooked me.

We paid about £80 return from East Midlands to Palma and stayed in the perfectly nice Tryp Palma Hotel.

Five minutes walk from Place de Espanya, the main train and bus station and also the dinky toy train to Soller (more of that later) the hotel is perfectly positioned, it’s about a 15 minute gentle stroll to the towering Cathedral and the Royal Palace of La Almudaina.

La Seu (the Cathedral) is a 14th century cathedral known and it’s impossible to miss this imposing golden sandstone building is one of Europe’s tallest Gothic structures.

Meanwhile the Palace of La Almudaina is an oasis of shade and lush foliage in the hot city.

Palma itself was fantastic. From the old town with its meandering passageways, Arab Baths and unexpected processions to its hidden art galleries and tasty tapas bars.

THe city is full of beautiful architecture and warm, golden stone work.

Every other shop seemed to be a cake related heaven, and combined with pizza, ice cream and super cheap beer (from the super market naturally) we troughed our way through the holiday.

A particular favourite was this giant doughnut – the SIZE OF YOUR HEAD!!!!

There’s traditional windmills, a circular castle (Bellver) with a stunning view over the city, beaches within a 20 minute drive, culture, art, food, churches and places to aimlessly wander.

Here’s me and the inlaws looking like the usual suspects.

In short Palma was a brilliant place to spend a short break within a two hour flight of the UK.

Next up, a closer look at the Cathedral, the little mountain train to Soller and some beaches . . . .

Decisions decisions

So, it’s that time again. Decisions decisions . .. where to set our sights on this year? It’s a biggy with the other half turning 40 so it needs to be a good one.

He is already agitating to go back to Italy, but three times in so many years is a bit much for me . . even if it is Sicily.

I however have extravagant travel desires, throwing curve balls such as Japan, Russia and Peru at him with no regard to cost or logistics!

It may be a compromise this year, or I may have to bow to the birthday boy’s wishes and revisit Thailand or Vietnam.
It’s a quandary, but a good one!!

Answers on a postcard please . . . . .