Arriving in Kraków, the friendly girl at the hostel let me sleep in an empty bed after I told her I was on the overnight bus. I had noticed that Kraków was already beautiful even though I hadn’t entered the old city yet. The fortifications were surrounded by a beautiful green ribbon of parkland with small ponds and fountains and mounds with plenty of benches for contemplation. I had also noticed a giant sign advertising Auschwitz tours at the checkin desk…
Read More
Prague
Prague is beautiful and historic. The history is quite tragic. You would not know it from the way it looks. Unfortunately, in recent years, it has become a destination for bachelor and bachelorette parties from all over Europe. Thanks to the discount airlines, groups of 20-30 friends descend upon the old town of Prague, arguably the most beautiful part, and ransack it nightly…
Read MoreTorun & Wroclaw
I used Torun as a transfer point between Gdansk and Wroclaw. I did not want to spend all day on a train and Lonely Planet recommended Torun on its Poland itinerary. I arrived in the bus station on a rather gloomy late afternoon. I would be staying in the hostel located, incredibly, in the train station…
Read More
Gdansk and Sopot
Arriving in Gdansk, I was terribly eager to process the data from the Jewish Historical Institute. On my rainy walk from the train station to the hostel, I took note of the beautiful architecture. I told myself that I can work on genealogy until the rain stops, then I must walk around the town. I would do the walking tour the next morning…
Read MoreCiechanow, Przasnysz, Mlawa, Glinojeck
These are Grandpa’s towns. They are in the Masovia województwo. I spent a long weekend with Pawel and his wife Kasia touring around the region. Pawel and I had may chats in 2010-2011. He contacted me on JewishGen in 2010 where I uploaded my family tree back in 2004. The story is fascinating…
Read More