Where's Mike?

Section Seven: Heading East

Click here to see Section Six: Slovenian Alps.

Wednesday September 7th

Salzburg, Austria: The mushrooms Kate found while hiking, and was then cleaning all evening, sure were great in a mushroom-egg-onion fry. She had about ten varieties, and way too many for her and Tomas, so I was invited to breakfast with them and their very cute cocker spaniel...but I forgot his name.

After a good feed under a still thick cloud layer, I packed up and got ready to move on. I would still have liked to fly Kobala, the main Tolmin launch since this is the site that made Amir claim Tolmin as his favorite site to fly in Europe, but it was just not happening weather-wise. At this stage I don't care either. Had a great flight yesterday and have a long drive to Salzburg, my midpoint stop on my way to Prague, today.

Without the rain pouring down like it was on my arrival, I was better able to appreciate the steep canyon walls, textured valleys, and crazy-windy roads! Heading over the pass into Italy is really quite beautiful, and it makes one wonder what all the ugly gun emplacements are doing here? Not sure if they were left over from WWII, the cold war, or both but I hope they remain as they are, unused, for a long time to come.

Saturday September 10th

Trojska, Czech Repbulic: After leaving Slovenia, I spent a few days, instead of the quick overnight stop I had planned, in Salzburg. Quite the fun town!

My campsite at Panorama-Camping was absolutely perfect. Great city views from my site, as seen on the left, a small camp store, restaurant, free hot showers and hot water for washing dishes. Also VERY close to town. Walking in was a snap, but there is also a bus stop just across the field. I actually took a cab back once, as well, and found it to be a great way to get a bit of a free tour on the short, and cheap, trip home. All in all, I would recommend it for any camper visiting Salzburg.

Other than the camping, the city itself is very picturesque and filled with things to do. I skipped the Sound of Music tour, since I would have been mostly interested in the countryside-shots, which were staged in Northern Germany and Switzerland, and instead just enjoyed taking a day to walk around the Old City before even looking at a map, stretching my legs on the two hour self guided walk, Salzburg--Taking A Different Route, and, of course, no trip to Salzburg is complete without one night out on the town. This must have been only my third or fourth time out to the bar/club scene since leaving Seattle, so I enjoyed it immensely.

I checked out St Peter's, and the statue of the virgin Mary (shots above are from a couple of angles...one zoomed from the appropriate local so as to have two angels crowning Mary), St Peter's cemetery...

complete with dead Eberles, the medieval cavern and tunnel system (They call it the catacombs, but I thought catacombs were below ground level verses just on the edges of a cliff. Oh, they also don't have m/any dead bodies.) in the side of the hill which used to house a bunch of whacko monks.

In addition to the above, I found the Salzburg Cathedral, with its five complete, and independent organs pretty cool...yet another pile of old rocks, stacked on top of each other, creating something that is visually appealing!

And speaking of old rocks, many of the statues are worth a second look. These shots may not be the classics, but appealed to me. Probably because they are not your typical tourist shots, and not that I have any affinity toward snotty horses or rock climbing turtles.

The Hohensalzburg fortress is also a great way to kill some time if you are into great views of a spectacular cityscape! Sitting several hundred feet above the Salzach river, and town, at 542 meters ASL, it is a great place for a quick lunch, and easy to access via the funicular. I wound up hiking up because I did not want to wait in line, but managed to take my first cog-train down when done. Good times. Steep, too! :-)

Top that day off with a walk back along the river, a glass of wine at a super little wine bar, a good chat with a couple of French ladies, followed by a crazy/fun/wild night on the town, and you have yourself a reason to visit Salzburg! Nicole and Kaleen were a total hoot, knew all the right spots to be, and did not have to slow down once for me to keep up! :-)

Saturday, after a bit of morning computer work, in an attempt to get my web page back up and running with Firefly instead of brand X, I headed off to Prague. I hope the web page is working, but will find out the next time I am on line. It is already after noon, and I have along way to go for arrival in Prague.

Stops from Salzburg to Prague amounted to one for buying a steering wheel clamp, one to take a piss, and one to grab a quick bite...but nothing else. As I headed east and north on E55, under clear skies, and over flat ground, I watch to the north as some incredible cumulus congestus build.

My arrival in Southern Prague presented heavy rain, lightning, and thunder, from those previously great looking clouds. I am late, it is getting dark, and I can not easily find Autocamp Trojska...the one I want to stay at, so I just keep going, until I am a few clicks north of town in a shitty little motel, surrounded by all of my crap.

After following signs from the freeway, turn-after kilometer-after turn-repeat, I arrived at the Hotel Vlatava for what will be a restless nights sleep, I am sure. As I was checking in, I ask if the parking is secure and the reception clerk said, although it is not patrolled, there have not been many problems. In fact, there have only been three in the past four months she has been working there.

Wow! Only three in four months!? I have to ask what happened...was it just a break in, or a car theft? Just one car stolen, and two break-in's...but just last week the police came to see what was going on so now everything should be ok. Personally, I am happy to see they are on top of it. :-)

I haul in ALL of my crap, and that is no easy task. It would have taken less time to set up my tent, cook dinner, and camp next to my car. Unfortunately, even if I wanted to get a camp site, I am sure to be out of luck as they all typically lock their gates by 21:00 or 22:00.

No TV, no phone, no smoke-free restaurant...so I grab a beer and bag of peanuts and attempt to type up a bit of my adventure from Slovenia till now.

Sunday September 11th

Praha, Czech Republic: I was up early this morning, after waking up three times during the night to check on my car, conveniently parked just a few meters from my window, every time a dog barked or the wind blew. Not a great nights sleep and I had planned to catch up on that today/night.

I head the few clicks into Praha (NOT Prague!) and easily find Autocamp Trojska. Jolana, the incredibly nice camp hostess, greets me, shows me a site, essentially a beautiful spot under an apple and walnut tree in her back yard, and I set up my tent.

The campground has about a dozen places down both sides of the narrow back yard, a nice communal cooking area in the back, and very clean, and up-to-date washrooms on the first floor of the house in front. If you want meals cooked for you, just ask the night before for breakfast, or the morning of, for dinner. Beer? Just put it on the tab, please. Jolana even tossed in a load of laundry for me while I enjoyed a long, hot, shower. I needed both!

After that wonderful morning, I headed into town to see what was going on. As I have become accustomed, I wander, without a map, or any idea where I am going. I find it a good way to get a feel for what is really going one, verses

just following some tour guides idea of what should be going on. Great central street. Flowered, brimming with art, full of contrasts in smells, sights, sounds, people, and ideas.

After some more walking...just sort of down hill to where I think I may bump into the river, I encounter a small group of young kids clustered around something of incredible interest. When I see what the interest is, I realize the fun game for the afternoon is to poke the crippled beggar until you get a reaction, or drop some coins in front of him and snatch them away before he can grab them. Just some good clean fun...were we all that cruel and insensitive when we were 12?

I decide I need a photo of this, but just miss it as a policeman comes to scatter the kids, and send the beggar on his way. Not everything in life is beautiful. If you have never tasted a so-so, or a bad, bottle of wine, how do you know what a good bottle of wine is?

I wound up passing on the traditional Thai massage...not because I couldn't use one, but just because he did not look so traditional, nor did he look Thai!

On the way back to the camp I stopped at the local market, which is not easy to find on a Sunday evening, to look for some lighter fluid for my BBQ. As I write this I can laugh at how funny it is for me to still get periodically irritated when some people can not speak my language in their country. Go figure! :-)

Got back to camp and started the grill the old fashioned way, with paper, and a bit of white gas.

Since it was starting to rain, I took cover under the communal porch and cooking area, and had an incredible time meeting Craig & Camille, Damian & Liz, and Matt & Carina. They are all Aussies on extended European camping trips of various lengths. Carina's dad is a Kiwi, and that is probably why she is with Matt, who really reminds everyone of a Kiwi. :-)

They were all terrific fun, great individuals, and provided some welcomed entertainment for the evening. It is interesting how you can run into complete strangers (none of the parties knew the others prior!) and wind up creating great times together in such a short period of time.

All three couples are camping out on their vacations and Camille plans to take it through the end of the year, even though Craig heads home in a few weeks. A fascinating, and adventurous, veg-head, with her own van, a desire to travel, and a willingness to strike out on her own...gotta love that!

I had a half bottle of some sparking gack, and a bit of 3BuckRed, which Camille was more than happy to help me with, and actually seemed to enjoy, while the others stuck to their beer. Everyone turned out to be great individuals, terrific fun, and interesting travelers.

Monday September 12th

Praha, Czech Republic: After last night's shenanigans I was

feeling sort of lazy this morning.

Got up around 09:00, said hello to what part of the crew was functioning, planned another dinner/drinks rendezvous tonight in the camp, and then cruised into town.

I went in search of a walking tour of downtown, but, given a late start, I just missed the 11:00 walk, and was not really looking forward to waiting around for the four hour 14:00 one.

Another walk, without a map, lunch, some other art, steins, 

art symbolizing man when too many steins are enjoyed, etc., and then, a first for my trip, a movie! A bit after 14:00 (yea, I know...could have been doing the downtown tour) I saw a cinema and checked it out. The next show in English was The Island. I had never heard of it, but I was game for some mindless entertainment.

The Island is a flick about a group of mostly simplistic adults, with about a fifth grade education, living a secluded life in an underground city, after some major catastrophe devastated the world. The only place, outside of their current dwelling, that is still habitable by humans is The Island. There is a periodic lottery (The Lottery, although totally unassociated with this flick, is worth reading if you have not done so) that chooses some lucky individual to go off and live the rest of their life in paradise on The Island.

Long story short, they begin to realize they are just clones being grown for body parts to replace those bodies trashed by the rich and infamous, and that winning the lottery, and going to The Island, spells certain death to them. Sort of like taxes, but worse.

Anyway, I met some Kiwi at the theater, who was also tired of seeing museums and art, so we decided on a boat tour after the flick. Being from the Australasia plate, he wanted one that served beer, so totally arranged a small boat trip, complete with three beers each, and all I had to do was kick back and enjoy.

We got quite the run-down from our Czech captain, who spent a long period of time in Canada, and spoke perfect English. Lots of info about the bridges and waterside buildings. The famous Charles Bridge was the only bridge in Praha up until 1850 and was built in the 1300's. We also saw the flood level from a few years before...European rains of this summer only brought the river 1meter above flood level, but back in 2002 it was 7 meters above flood stage. A REAL flood!

As the trip was ending, three hot air balloons floated across the Vlatava River, symbolizing, to me anyway, the freedom the Czech people now revel in since 1989.

Kyle the Kiwi wound up paying for the trip, since the operator did not have change for me, so we just planned to meet up again later tonight so I could repay him with beers and such. I have heard that Praha is a party town so I decided to do it up right with at least one insane night on the town.

We chose a 23:30 meeting spot on the bridge with a 24:00 backup spot on the fifth floor of the night club we would be gracing tonight. I also mentioned that I was hanging with a few Aussies tonight for diner (as the campground crew decided in the morning) and he said I should just bring them along.

Back at the homestead, all the campers met up as promised for BBQ, pasta, steamed veggies, wine, chocolate, pastries, and another great time!

Pictured on the left are Damian, Liz, Craig, me, Camille, Matt, and Carina.

I mentioned that I could not stay late, since I was planning on going out, invited anyone, and everyone along, and most of them joined in. Matt and Carina had to crash, Craig was going to crash...but we twisted his arm, and Damian, Liz, and Camille could not be kept away by beating them with a stick! We had a fun group ready to go.

We walked, and bussed it, downtown, but never did see Kyle the Kiwi at either the Bridge or the top floor. Shortly after midnight I quit looking, and shortly after that we were drinking and dancing the night away.

At some point in the night I found my way to the bottom Techno floor and was tearing it up with some young local who could not speak a lick of English, but was fluent in other languages. At some point in the night several people put Patrick Swazie (met him in Spain back in '99 or so) to shame with their dirty dancing. At some point in the night I realized that Craig and Camille are just friends and not a couple. At some point in the night Damian and I entered into an incredible conversation (Guy Talk) that I can not recall the subject of for the life of me. At some point in the night Camille walked into the men's restroom while Damian and I were having said conversation. At some point in the night several of us blew through hundreds of Kroner without realizing it. At some point in the night some naked Aussie was walking around the campsite looking for the loo. At some point in the night, we all got safely to bed...

Wednesday September 14th

Polanica Zdroj, Poland: Our night on the town was not bad for a Monday...but the party crew was slow to move on Tuesday morning. Not sure why I am expected to keep up with 26-35 year olds, at my ripe old age of 40, but I sure have fun accomplishing the task! By 05:00 when we finally made it home. We were all, as my good friend Rich would say, Shifazzed. Good times!

My Tuesday morning, after a late breakfast, was dedicated to catching up on a bit of email and journal stuff. I then took a drive out and looked at a flying site near Budnay to the NNW of Praha.

The site, if I found the correct location, was deserted on that early Monday afternoon. With the wind blowing like it was and the rain threatening to dump, I was not surprised. It is a low level ridge soaring site that could be a blast given the correct conditions. Tuesday was not correct.

Back at the campsite, I snagged a bus into town, did a quick check on email, grabbed another photo of the low angle light on the museum, and then headed back for dinner. I had not eaten, or done much of anything, all day so was getting hungry and was planning an early night in order to catch up on sleep.

My dreams of an early night sort of came true since Matt, Carina, Camille, and I only stayed up until 02:30. There were a couple of new campers from Holland and they joined us as well. Since they were camping right next to the campsite great room, they had little choice.

As they say, you can sleep when you're dead.

My camera turned into the communal recorder, so I am not sure who took all the shots, but evidence on shots, currently not publishable, suggest Camille and Carina were heavily involved in several of them.

This morning (Wed the 14th) our entire group packed up and headed out. Liz and Damian needed to head west right away, Matt and Carina too were heading west, toward Oktoberfest, but were first planning an easterly detour to Kutna Hora in order to visit Sedlec Ossuary. Craig, Camille, and I were all interested in visiting the "Bone Church" as well, on our way into Poland.

We made a plan to all meet up there, do the church and then have lunch before we went our separate ways. After getting lost in Praha, and then having to find the church, a church I didn't know the name of, once I got to town, I arrived to a lunch already in session. I just had a quick salad as they were enjoying their coffee and deserts...we then all said our goodbyes and talked about seeing each other again in Krakow, Croatia, New Zealand, Seattle, or beyond. I hope I do hook up with one, or more, of them at some point, as I would not want to lose touch with these quality souls.

While the others drove both east and west, it was off to the church for me. In all honesty, I had never even heard of Sedlec Ossuary before this morning. My trip had been happening pretty much without a guide book, other than the Traveler's Guide To European Camping which lists only the tiniest fraction of campgrounds, but comes in handy for the larger cities. Craig, feeling sorry for me, gave me his little used Lonely Planet book, Europe On A Shoestring, as we parted, so I could find my way through my next adventure...and then back again.

So, my understanding, gleaned mostly from hearsay over lunch is that, some guy (king, priest, bishop?) who is now dead (he can't correct me if I am wrong), visited the holy land and returned with a handful of dirt from Bethlehem. Upon sprinkling it over the lands surrounding the church, the real estate value skyrocketed! All the wealthy were now willing to pay big bucks to get buried there. This was fine for a while, but then space ran out, and the cash cow began to dry up.

What do you do?

You dig up all the poor people, who have been buried there for years, so you have more space to plant rich people, and continue the cash flow! Pure genius! As an added bonus, those 40,000 poor corpses are currently generating a bit of income for the church, in the form of entry fees and photo rights, as people flock to see their bones, arranged by a local woodcarver, in the shape of bells, chandeliers, a coat of arms, and more.

Some things in life just make you stop and think.... :-)

I continued on toward Poland, stopped at the border to spend the last of my Kroner on non-perishables, and was starting to feel nostalgic, so parted from my typical ways of eating/drinking local fare by picking up a couple bottles of Australian non-perishables. I will save them until I make it to Krakow...on the off chance I may bump into a couple of Aussies. It is a stretch, so I wont plan on carrying them past Poland!

The past few nights have been a total blast in Prague, but tonight, staying in the huge, and empty, OSiR campground in Polanica Zdroj, was, how shall I say it...less of a blast. The weather is turning cooler with arrival of autumn, the campgrounds are much quieter, and, as I continue my journey east, I am hearing English spoken less and less.

Not being in the mood to cook, and really wanting to catch up on sleep from Praha, I had an apple and some peanut butter for dinner, typed up the past couple days, and am calling it a night around 21:00.

"It's everyone's right to poke one cracker a day."

Thursday September 15th

Krakow, Poland: Wow! I got in a good solid ten hours of uninterrupted sleep last night! I guess I really AM forty...even though I may act twenty! It was nice to catch up.

I was eager to get on the road so scarffed a banana, some more peanut butter, and some dried fruit as I left Polanica Zdroj behind by 08:00.

Matt and Carina mentioned how terrible the roads in Poland were, but I found them to be great fun. Little traffic, lots of texture, dips, ruts, turns, and assorted obstacles to keep everyone awake. Cruising along at only about 80, it felt like I was back in high school, zooming back from Salmon la Sac (long before they widened and straightened the road) with Angela and Cheryl in my Audi Fox. I loved that car, for the three weeks I had it prior to rolling it later that day! :-)

As I am cruising along, I notice that Ozeiwitez is just  a minor detour away, so make the turn.

Unfortunately the tour is about four hours long and if I did it now, it would put me into camp after the 21:00-22:00 closing time. Instead, I snap a couple of photos, this one of the camp kitchen, and then continue into rush hour traffic and get thoroughly lost. I drive all the way through town once, and then back, in search of this most spectacular, and secure, campsite Matt and Carina (yep, the same ones that didn't like the great Polish roads!) told me about. Camping Clepardia, just off of E40. Unfortunately the Poles call, and sign, E40 something else.

After about two hours of searching on my own, I broke down and began stopping at gas stations to ask if they: A) knew where I was, B) knew where I was going, and C) could tell me how to get from A to B!

I wound up bracketing the location until one guy, who spoke great English, showed it to me on the map and gave me exact directions. About four clicks to Camping Clepardia.

Found a site, set up, cranked the bbq for some marinated veggie kebobs and a bottle of '04 Australian Sauvignon Blanc. As I am doing dishes a nice German girl (drat, I forgot her name!) joined me and we got to chatting. She is into the field of optics and is working on her bachelors now. Another year for that, and then yet another three for her masters. Sharp person, and nice. She invited me back to say hello to her boyfriend and the two sisters (not her sisters) she is traveling with.

Really nice people, very friendly, and terribly helpful. They all gave me some good information on what to do...Do the Wawel first and include the dragon cave. On your way from the Wawel to the market, you will see a grandma selling smoked cheese. Hmmm...How am I supposed to know it is a grandma? Oh, don't worry, you know these things. Enjoy the market and go see the Tuch (German for the type of cloth in this museum? Store?). It is a great city!

For day trips Auschwitz is very good, as are the salt caves.

Friday September 16th

Krakow, Poland: This morning I left for town before my new friends from last night stirred. I knew they were leaving today, and wished I could have said goodbye, but there is much I want to do (from their list!) and had to get moving.

Fall is coming, and I am seriously considering a move farther south into either Croatia, that I have heard some good things about, or Turkey, where I know is spectacular, from two prior visits. In either case, I wanted to see Krakow, and the surrounding area, first.

I followed the girls directions pretty much to a tee. Germans typically appreciate that. Since it was not raining, I wound up walking into town and saving my bus pass for the trip home. It was great to stretch the legs for an hour and beyond.

As directed, I started at the Wawel, but got seriously tired of the ticket line in about four minutes. Decided instead to just head up the path and see what awaits me. You can get into the Wawel Castle for free, but most of the specific sights require tickets...whether there is a charge or not.

I found that I could get a ticket (2e) across from the Katedra Cathedral without waiting in the long line at the entrance...so decided to start there. The ticket included admission to the catacombs and the bell tower, housing Bell Sigismund, Central Europe's largest bell at 11 tons, so was good for me.

In addition to that, the Cathedral itself was very attractive with it's stained glass, commanding view, and worn stones, from countless footsteps, at the entry.

From the tower, there were some great views of the city, as well as the construction techniques from years ago...which seem to last longer than some of those of today???

Speaking of views, the courtyard itself seemed to have one or two as well. I almost got used to them while enjoying a still water with a nice Italian family also checking out Krakow. Seems the father's, father was in WWII and got his leg shot off by a French resistance fighter somewhere in the Pyrenees. Never caught why the Italians were on the Spanish-French border, but am sure there is a logical explanation.

I never told him I was sort of happy dad lost the fight, but not his leg.

I then saw another ticket center and walked over.

This one, had no lines, unlike the one at the main entry, and were able to immediately sell me entrance to the Royal State Rooms, the Royal Apartments, and the Dragon's Den. They are timed tickets, for the most part, and I had about 20 minutes to do the Dragon's Den prior to my scheduled trip through the state rooms. Just enough time, for someone who can walk fast, since it involves a hike down through the den, and then a rush back up top for the Royal State Room tour. No prob.

Did the den and made the 11:50 state rooms. After that, I scammed my way into an earlier Royal Private Apartment's tour so I did not have to hang for 90  minutes. They were both fairly impressive, but a lot of the goods had been destroyed by an earlier fire, the Nazis, and then the Commies. I was more impressed by the building itself with it's marble staircase hand rails and ornate doors.

So, I left the Wawel and headed downtown. I saw no Grandma selling cheese, but a lot of them were selling pastries and breads. Perhaps they are related? As I progressed north, toward home, I wandered through the market, and stopped for a snack. Wound up sitting with two Canadians who once again gave me the low down on Croatia....they say their daughter just went there, and loved it. Croatia seems to be the warm place to vaca! I must consider it.

After that, I wound up walking some more, until I saw a hair salon and decided to get a cut. The scalp massage alone was worth the price of admission, but I left with a serious case of Hair Sticky Uppy, after just indicating to the girl that she should cut it however she sees fit. I speak no Polish, and she spoke no Mike.

Another stop at an eyeglass shop, to see if I could get some small screws for my camera case that was/is falling apart, got me set up with a few screws, and also got me screwed. The guy inserted screws too long for proper function, and I wound up with a camera that would not focus!!! Such is life, but I was able to salvage the thing by removing them, later that night, after walking the rest of the way home. Still need some tape, or something, before this thing comes totally apart.

After a bunch of smiles at the grocery store...I wish I could say it was me, but there is a chance they were just laughing at my hair...I had dinner and crashed.

Saturday September 17th

Krakow, Poland: It was absolutely pouring down rain all day today! Literally pissing down cats, dogs, and few monkeys to boot! After a while of sitting in my tent, and sipping a lunch of chicken noodle soup, I ran for shelter under the communal tent (10X10 easy up next to the sinks) where Johnny and Sara from Great Britain had already evacuated to. Soon after, their friend, Michele, visiting them from Hong Kong (although she too is a blond Brit) joined us.

She was having a heck of a time keeping her sub-par pup tent dry in this deluge, so had just tossed all her stuff in the car, "Just in case the wee thing starts to float away!" My tent, is still amazingly dry and comfortable, and supposedly Johnny and Sara's tent was fine as well. Difficult to manage when there are large puddles, with two inches of standing water, all over the campground.

Johnny fancied himself as quite a mix master and, after a bit of standing around under that leaky tarp, everyone was game for a cocktail. He started pouring gin-tonics by 14:30...as the saying goes, it has to be 17:00 somewhere!

After a few hours of Go Fish, Kings Corner (seriously, I know it is embarrassing!), five card draw, and a couple of drinks we all got hungry. I suggested we crank the grill, but it was no where to be seen?!?! Last night, I had left it under this tarp, and had seen it there this morning when I got up. It only cost me 5 euro, but I have become attached to it. I ask at reception, and one of the security guards produces it shortly thereafter. Just keeping it safe for me! :-)

Anyway, some grilled lamb with a pesto sauce and veggie kebobs on the grill, more mixed drinks ala Johnny, a terrific red and green cabbage salad with creamy cucumber dressing by Sara and Michele, and some shortbread cookies and grapes from Michele, all made for a spectacular potluck in the rain.

By around ten pm, the rain had pretty much quit, when Michele suggested, since it is Saturday night, we all go out on the town. Jeepers! Not again! :-) By 23:00 the dishes are done, we are all showered, dressed, and piling into a cab.

We had no idea where we were going, but the cabbie dropped us about a click from the old town, at the edge of the new town. Lots of places to go, and a much more local crowd, he said, but still wild enough for the four of us. Since I was planning an 07:00 departure, I was happy to be home by around 03:00.

Strange, but I seem to be spending one night out on the town in every city I stay in. I guess that is just the city thing to do, verses the paragliding/country thing to do. Happy I took Don's advice and wound up dragging that pair of slacks and dress shoes along.

Sunday September 18th

Vrutky, Slovakia: My 07:00 departure arrived around 10:00, after the late night with Michele, Johnny, and Sara...my late departure however, afforded a proper goodbye.

I head off to Ozeiwitez, what the Nazis renamed Auschwitz during WWII, in order to do what I tried to do a couple days ago. I got there with about 30 minutes to spare prior to the next tour, so walked around a bit on my own.

The 30 minutes went by in a flash, as, on the advice of a museum host, I checked out the cell block dedicated to Hungary while waiting. Pretty fascinating history that I knew little about.

After the Hungarian Leftist party tried to negotiate a peace with the Allies, which would have sort of left Germany in a pickle, needing to protect that Russian front on their own, Germany occupied the country and put in their own party. Shortly after that, thousands (I think around 40,000, but know it was the largest/fastest deportation during the Nazi rule) of Jews, that had been relatively safe as the former Hungarian leaders refused Hitler's demands, were sent off to their death by the new Arrow Cross Party.

In addition to the crematoriums working at maximum capacity, large pits were now being employed, where bodies were wrapped in alcohol soaked rags, drenched in diesel, and set on fire to destroy the evidence. The Nazi's were killing so many people, and so efficiently, that their disposal could not keep up.

There is much more, and I decided that I could spend several days here, only a few hours at a time, checking out all of Ozeiwitez, a Polish Army barracks prior to the German invasion. Also the museum is free, so you can wander from block to block, that used to house prisoners prior to execution, and view what wish on your own time.

Often, specific countries, who had people murdered in Auschwitz, are the ones responsible for the content of a block. Some of the blocks are set aside for specific displays such as the Evidence display with tons of hair removed for use in the German textile industry, gas cans used for mass murder, shoes earmarked for re-use by the Germans, luggage earmarked for re-use by the Germans, and the list goes on.

Also, I had no idea that such a wide variety of "undesirables" were held, and died, here in Auschwitz.

It was really cold today. So cold I was actually wearing fleece pants, instead of my typical shorts, and a heavy shirt. Hearing stories of how prisoners were forced to stand naked in the elements for hours on end, came with a better understanding.

In addition to that form of torture, there were also a couple of hanging posts where you would get your arms tied up behind your back, and then get hung for X amount of time depending on your specific offense...sharing your bread with someone, talking, looking at the guards "funny", etc..

The hanging posts were located in the same yard as the killing wall, a wall where those not destined to see the gas chamber, would be lined up and shot in the back of the head with a revolver. That seems to be some pretty close-in work to me, and I find it hard to fathom the type of person that could do it.

In an attempt to keep the prisoners calm, wooden shutters were placed over those windows with a view of the killing wall. Other blocks did have a bit of a view...if electrified barbed-wire is a view.

I was not the only one with a nervous grimace as we we entered the "showers" and saw the hole in the ceiling where the mask clad Nazis would deliver death to, mostly, unsuspecting people. Thick, ugly, walls and doors provided no way to claw an escape in the 10-15 agonizing minutes left.

In the next room, were four large furnaces for cremation. Something you never saw, but wound up in regardless. Toward the end, they were working non-stop, and still running behind.

It is difficult to imagine how things like this happened, and even more difficult to realize things like this are still happening today.

After that grim start to the day, I head into Slovakia along E75, cutting into Czech along the way, try to center myself between three flying sites, and grab a pension.

They show me a room and it is spectacular! Clean, nice, new, comfortable, 120 channel TV, kitchen down the hall, associated restaurant 50 meters down the street, pool off my balcony (but WAY too cold to swim!), sweet English speaking girl running the place with her hubby, but they want 500 for it!!!!

Another new exchange rate to learn. Since I just found out the local campground is closed for the season, and I really was  looking forward to a nice place to stay, I was willing to go up to 100 euro at most for the night since that is what I budgeted for hotels anyway. After a bit of checking we found that the room will cost me about 16 euro!!! :-) Now THAT is something I can afford. My total bill, including a huge meal of grilled marinated chicken, fries, rice, salad, and all the wine I could drink, came out to about 23 euro.

Since they would be gone in the morning, and I was only staying if it was flyable, I paid in advance.

If you are ever near for a flying or ski trip, check out www.ustefana.szm.sk and stay here!

Monday September 19th

Budapest, Hungary: Clear skies but very windy today in Slovakia. Sure to be blown out at the local sites, but I took an early am drive to check more closely, anyway. When I got back, I took a few shots of my palace from last night, packed up, and headed on toward Hungary.

I picked up some very nice old lady that talked my ear off all the way to Rulomberok. I have no idea what she said, but she seemed pleased that I was able to drop her right at her favorite grocery store.

I then picked up a newlywed couple who were from Hungary, and just finished their honeymoon in Slovakia. He is a kindergarten teacher and she does not have a job, but is looking. They were headed to Budapest, so this was their lucky day.

Made one stop in Banska Bystrica to check on internet service (I have a boat load of junk to up load, and want to get it saved in case my computer goes away). They stood and watched me as I worked for a half an hour, instead of going to a little cafe or something. Nervous, no doubt, that I would abscond with their packs still in my car.

At the Hungary border, I kicked them out for the crossing, since I have no idea what they have in those packs, and then picked them up again on the other side. About then, it started raining again, and it continued all the way to Budapest, where I have set up camp at Romai Camping.

Tuesday September 20th

Budapest, Hungary: Constant rain, but the campground has a computer with a LAN cable that plugs nicely into my laptop. Did a bunch of much needed work for my upcoming tour to Chile in late November. I have a small group of exclusively returning pilots, but I really want to get back there, both for the flying, and to check out Patagonia, therefore, I will really try to make it happen.

Wanted to do laundry, but was told at reception, when trying to buy a token, to come back at 15:00. It is fairly common to set aside part of the day to allow the camp to be cleaned, so I am ok with that. I come back at 15:00 to find that reception closes at 14:00. Crazy life.

Wednesday September 21st

Budapest, Hungary: I had a visitor come by my tent last night. Stopped by around 21:30 to remind me to take in my garbage sack. This is the third time I have seen one of these small porcupines since I have started the trip. At least that is what Rich and I were told it was by our Spanish camp neighbor while we were in Norway. The rain was still coming down, so I don't blame him for wanting to get under the fly.

Got a note from my friend Rick S. a few days after posting this, and he has done some research. The beast is a Hedge Hog. A nocturnal insectivore. Thanks Rick!

By about 06:30, however, the rain had let up, but, after a week plus of pretty constant precipitation, everything is still soggy.

It was a great day for laundry, and drying things out in general. In addition to that, I again did a bunch of work sorting out my tour to Chile, and also got a chance to talk to Tim about planning our ten day Patagonia hike directly following the flying tour.

He wants to do the full circuit, in addition to a few day hikes, so allowing ten days, verses the normal seven, should be about right. Anyway, it seems like a long way off, but I need to jump on tickets soon, as do all the pilots signed up for the trip.

Seems crazy to have just spent two days in Budapest, and I have barely left the campground!

Thursday September 22nd

Budapest, Hungary: Finally the rain has stopped, and I am sick of this camp. Took the metro into town for a walk around. After a few hours of enjoying the city streets, I jumped on an evening boat cruise up the river. The Hungarian Parliament building is massive, and very beautiful, but on the other side of the river, off in the distance, I also saw something of great interest.

About 20 paragliders appeared in the air. They were not there ten minutes ago, I am positive. I am now wondering how I can get off this boat, walk back to the metro, take that 15 minute ride to camp, grab my gear, and drive over to this hill. As we cruise down stream for another few minutes, all the gliders seem to disappear. They must have sunk out, as I am sure I am still looking at the correct hill.

I have had so many other things on my mind for the last few days, work, Chile, traveling in general, and other things, that I had not even been considering getting a flight for the past couple of days. Much less getting one this close to downtown Budapest.

Friday September 23rd

Budapest, Hungary: Last night the boy, and girl, scouts had arrived in force. Some British tour of Europe had set up camp with about thirty look-alike tents, a large cook tent, about fifty young adults, and a large bus to haul it all.

They were all having a lot of fun when I got home around 01:30, and, since I had picked a secluded spot away from the other campers when I arrived, they were all fairly close to me. Probably in an attempt to minimize noise problems for the majority. I didn't mind at all...I have done my fair share of making noise on this trip as well.

Another very long walk, this time around Margit Island, then back to near the Steel bridge, east over to the large square in Pest for a long swim around the hot mineral baths, and a massage to top it off. I left feeling like a bowl of jelly, and wondering if I would have to break down and take a bus the mile + back to the metro.

Thinking I may be able to fly this late afternoon, or evening, I pop into an internet cafe, to research Budapest paragliding, and luckily run into a pilot who was flying yesterday. He said there were a lot of pilots out because of the recent rain, and the lucky ones got about 20 minutes in the air. It was too light for several hours as everyone waited, it then turned on quickly, and off just as fast. Today the wind direction will not work, and it will be too light for soaring anyway. A sled ride is possible from another site tomorrow, and I was planning on it until I went through my emails.

Had a couple emails from Matt the Aussie, who mentioned they were going to be heading into Croatia in the morning to meet up with Craig and Camille. Said I should join them for a repeat of Praha. I had grown moldy from the recent rain, so some warm time on the beach was sounding pretty darn good to me as well. I have decided to head in a more westerly direction in the morning, instead of hanging around for a sled ride.

Oh, some of the roofs in this town are incredibly beautiful.

Click here to see Section Eight: Wandering West