Poland

It's approaching two weeks since I've come back from Poland, and I apologize and know this entry is way overdue. My laptop broke (I accidently dropped it) one day before I left for Poland, and it hasn't been fixed yet, so... until I get it fixed I won't be able to upload any photos. I'll do it eventually though! :)

Anyway, some highlights from the trip:

Warsaw
- the city was pretty modern, with it's glass buildings, skyscrapers, and digital ads. kinda reminded me of Toronto!

- despite what everyone said (about Warsaw not being that great), I thought it was pretty good. Although there isn't as much to see as Krakow or Gdansk, it had its own appeal.

- the best hostel we stayed in in Poland. The place was spacious, unique, and clean. the only thing was that it had no A/C, and the weather was 37C! Hella hot... pah!

- met some really great people in the hostel, namely Aku, a Finnish guy, and Cameron, an Australian.

Krakow
- Honestly, when we first arrived in the city (Aku had a car, and he was going to Krakow on the same day as us, so he gave us a ride) I did not like it one bit. We had problems with our hostel, and Zosia was in a bad mood, which made me angry and in a bad mood as well. Smoking was allowed in the reception and common areas of the hostel, which was definitely not cool, and it also gave me allergies. Our room turned out to be really hot and cramped. So, all in all, we did not have a good first night.

- the next day was much better, I think. I met up with the Finnish guy and went to Auschwitz. The experience was, in one word: intense. The grounds were pretty and all, but I think the point in which I realized I was in the real Auschwitz was the moment our tourguide led us into the underground prison cells, all in their original state. It was so intense. Dark, and smelly; I was actually kinda scared, and seriously contemplated about backing out and waiting for the rest of our tourgroup outside, where it was sunny and bright and happy. Nevertheless, I trudged on, but not touching anything (walls, doors, etc). Some people looked into the closed doors (there was a small peephole) and lingered in the cells, but yea, I just walked past, looked at it for a couple of seconds, then walked out. It was not exactly a place I wanted to stay in.

- the other location in Auschwitz that was really bad for me was the gas chambers/ crematorium. The were all also in their original state, and when you enter, there was a sign telling people to stay silent in respect for those who've died there. It was intense. It was almost as bad, if not more, then the prisons. I almost cried. And a woman outside (before we went in) who've just come out actually was crying. :(

- In Auschwitz, I thought about Oprah. Haha i know... hardly appropriate, but I miss watching Oprah, and I remembered that episode where she went with Elli Wiesel.

- the old city center square was really really pretty. Food was not cheap here, since it's mostly a tourist area.

- on the last day in Krakow, Zosia and I took a bus tour. Saw the Wawel Castle/ cathedral, and some other cathedrals. All in all, a really really good day.

Gdansk
- train ride from Krakow took 7.5 hours

- my favourite place out of the 3 cities we've been to. The city was gorgeous, and by the Baltic Sea.

- the woman working at our hostel was the worst I've ever met. She was so unfriendly, and she actually yelled at us.

- Went out clubbing with a group of people from my hostel, it was super fun! We saw the Australian guy we met at our hostel from Warsaw! It was such a coincidence, and was great seeing a familiar face.

- next day, Zosia and I took the train to Gdynia and Sopot, which are small cities just outside of Gdansk. They're like the tri-cities of that area.

- ran into some public conflicts in Sopot with security

- met a really horrible, decieving Polish-Canadian (from Mississauga), who was travelling with his GF from Montreal. I thought he was cool until he tricked us. While we were having an afternoon dessert at a chocolate shop in Sopot, he bought an expensive ice cream for him and his GF and tricked us into giving him our money, and left us the bill to settle. I didn't find this out til the next day when Zosia told me. I just felt bad for the waitress, because we didn't end up paying her at all.

- loved walking the markets in Gdansk, and all the amber markets. And they were so cheap! :) :) It made me think of Amber, my bunny. :)

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In other news, tomorrow's my last day working at DDDA. I'm really gonna miss working here. It was a really good month. And I'm gonna miss having free lunch everyday! Ha ha! Got an interview for a call center place tomorrow morning - hope I get the job! Heading off to Oslo on Monday, can't wait! I'm super excited! Still haven't decided if I should head to Stolkholm or Copenhagen after Norway, any ideas?? I'm gearing towards Stolkholm though, almost everyone I've talked to said it's better. We'll see.

Anyway... better get back to work, my lunch break's up! Write more soon (hopefully)!