Friday, May 18, 2012

Krakow, Poland (Part I of II)

Our flight got us into Krakow quite early, so we dropped off our bags and took advantage of some early morning exploring. There is a huge market square in the Old Town portion of Krakow, which is actually the largest medieval square in all of Europe. We found it to be a really fantastic city, because so much of it has survived history- in fact it has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for exactly that reason.








After exploring the city a bit we walked to one of the large shopping centers and took advantage of 'normal' prices (aka not Swiss) to stock up on some baby necessities.
 

For a late snack we went back to the outdoor market and got some super yummy Perogies (what would a trip to Poland be without Perogies?!?)

Then relaxed a bit at a cafe and enjoyed some people watching.



That night we found a fantastic Argentine steak restaurant (I know it sounds lame to have Argentine food in Poland, but a good steak is hard to come by in Switzerland).


The next morning we headed to another area of Krakow called Kazimierz. This was originally a separate town, but was eventually incorporated into Krakow. More notably, this was largely a Jewish neighborhood pre-WWII and eventually became what was known as the 'Jewish Ghetto' under the Nazi regime. Quite sadly before WWII there were over 32,000 Jewish people living in this area, and after the war only 5,000 were left. Despite the awful history of this neighborhood, it seems to have become a hip area and was full of cute and trendy boutiques and restaurants. We had a delicious Polish breakfast then continued on our way to see Oscar Schindler's factory (made famous by the movie Schindler's List) which is nearby.





One of the actual posters stating that Jewish-owned businesses must close.
When the Nazis invaded, they renamed all of the streets to German names. These were the original street signs.
One of the armbands the Nazis forced Jewish citizens to wear.
The museum in Schindler's factory was full of information and personal anecdotes. Despite having read a number of books on the Holocaust and the Nazi regime, we found it even more eye-opening to actually look at evidence of the atrocities that occurred.

After the museum and in an attempt to cheer up a bit, we walked around Kazimierz a bit more. Matt even got his hair cut (yet another 'bargain').

On our walk home, we saw a huge crowd gathering and police (lots of them) in riot gear. We thought maybe there was someone important in town. Then we saw the rainbow flags. It didn't quite have the same flare as the NYC parade, but it was very very safe!
Literally, the most well protected gay pride parade I have ever seen.
 Our hotel was quite close to the Wawel Castle. This is the Polish equivalent of Buckingham Palace (except they have no monarchy, figurehead or otherwise). It is nothing short of amazing though- absolutely gigantic.



After going back to the hotel and resting a bit after a LONG day of walking, we went to dinner at Miod Malina, a restaurant that had been recommended to us (thanks Jess!). It was absolutely fantastic. We ate like kings, the food was absolutely amazing, the decor appealing, and best of all, we ate for a fraction of the cost of Switzerland. It was so good we went back a second time before we left!
After a satisfying meal at our favorite restaurant (look how much I ate!!)
Cute decor (adorable & functional)
The bill was the best part! 179 PLN = roughly $50
After dinner we spent a bit more time exploring the city...
St. Peter & Pauls' Church
All the apostles just hanging out front...

Wawel Castle at night
Wawel Castle
The Wawel Dragon
He breathes fire




Most hilarious candy ever...

Matt found these in the Munich airport- gummy pugs!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Munich, Germany

Thursday, May 17, 2012

München (aka Munich)

We recently got back from our mini-Vacation to Munich and Krakow. We had a fantastic time and are both happy and sad to be back- happy because its always nice to be home and we missed the Boss (though she was in fantastic hands with our friends Jess and Corey and their dog Buddy):
Boston & Buddy: Salt & Pepper
and sad, because we were having a lot of fun and because it stinks to have to go back to work ....well .... i mean it stinks for Matt to have to go back to work ;o).

Anyway, to give you all a recap of our travels, I am breaking it down into easier to digest parts.
On Wednesday night we left for Munich. The great thing about Zürich is its central location. We can take a train directly from here to Munich in about 4.5 hours. We got in pretty late, but it enabled us to have a full day on Thursday to explore.
Welcome to Germany! A new take on balcony decor.





On Thursday we had scheduled a walking tour of Munich. Our guide was entertaining and extremely knowledgeable... maybe a bit too knowledgeable. We were walking around the city for 4.5 hrs straight- which is a lot for normal people, never mind people with small humans sitting on their bladder.

Interestingly though, we learned that as a result of the bombing of Munich during WWII, only 5% of the original city remains. They have worked hard to rebuild the city to recreate its original aesthetic, but most buildings look quite new. They have ended up with such ironies as the below two town halls:

Old Town Hall, also the site of some infamous Hitler meetings
New Town Hall
One of the more famous (and incredibly overrated) things in Munich is the Glockenspiel on the new town hall. A few times a day there is this mechanical 'It's a Small World'-esque performance. This version includes our tour guide's hilarious narration (definitely makes it better).


Also in the center of Munich stands this poor statue of Juliet (as in Romeo and Juliet). Apparently it is good luck to rub her boob. As you can see from the copper color under Matt's hand, she has seen a lot of action.
Statue of Juliet


This church was one of the few buildings that largely survived the WWII bombings.
Can you find the cannonball stuck in the building?
Theatinerkirche

During Hitler's rule, there was a 'checkpoint' of sorts where anyone passing by was required to give the Nazi salute. In dissidence, many people (at the risk of death if caught) would take an alternate route to avoid having to give this salute. The copper colored strip in the road commemorates these people and the route they would take.


May Pole
The day we were in Munich also happened to be 'Man Day.' On this day men go to bars and drink... Matt really liked the idea of this holiday.
Just hanging & singing some drinking songs dressed in lederhosen to celebrate 'Man Day'... that's all...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

31 Weeks!

It's been a while... but we haven't had a lot of exciting stuff going on to report. Just same old day to day life. I'm still taking German classes (I can finally understand stuff!!) and Matt's work is going well. We have just been trying to get everything in order for the baby, and enjoying sleeping in and going out with friends (since it will end soon, at least for the near term).

I had a doctor's appointment today, and it marked the end of 31 weeks, so I thought it was as good a time as any for an update. Blame pregnancy brain, but I forgot to bring home the ultrasound pictures- though in all honesty they looked about the same as the last ones.

The baby is growing right on target- he is now just over 4 pounds (1.85 kilos to be exact) and I am starting to feel pretty darn pregnant.

We should have some new, interesting stuff to share soon. We are leaving for a mini-vacation tomorrow in Munich and Krakow (Poland) and then we have some fun-filled weeks ahead with visitors (YAY!) and birth classes. Don't worry- I won't post pictures of the birth classes :o).

Excuse the crazy eyes... my photographer was making unfunny jokes.