A (much too) quick round through central
Europe
(click on thumbnails to see a bigger image)
Through 3 countries in central Europe in a little more then a week? Of course we got no more then a short impression; but it was a very rewarding one. I think we will certainly back for more one day. Our route was: Krakow-Auschwitz-Tatra mountains-Prague-and back again.
| pic 1 | Early morning view to the "Wawel"; the citadel of Krakow |
| pic 2 | Scene inside the ghotic cathedral in the Wawel |
| pic 3 | The central square of Krakow; the home of one of the world's largest pigeon population |
| Pic 4 | Is this Art or not? The open air art gallery |
| Pic 5 | Statues in front of the Church of St. Peter in Krakow |
From Krakow we drove to Auschwitz. It was not beautiful but very impressive. From there we went south to the Tatras were we spent several days hiking on both the Polish and the Slovakian side.
| Pic 6 | The end of the railway line in the camp Birkenau, Auschwitz. On both sides of this railway were two huge gaschambers. About 1,5 million people died here, mainly Jews. People literally came to the end of their line. |
| Pic 7 | A mountain hut on the Polish side of the Tatras |
| Pic 8 | On the trek early in the morning |
| pic 9 | September; nature is starting to dress up in autumn colours |
| pic 10 | In the high Tatras. |
The Tatras are certainly a very beautiful mountain range. We were probably there in the best time of the year too, with amazing weather. The biggest disadvantage is the crowds. Never expected to meet so many people on normal working days in mid September. The huts were full and people had to sleep on the floor. It was crowdier than the Alps in peak season. Despite of the crowds; there is amazingly litle rubbish lying around, so thumbs up for the Polish and Slovakian hikers!
| pic 11 | Lake Morskie Oko. A VERY popular spot in the Polish Tatras. It's beautiful there but you certainly won't be alone |
| pic 12 | Mengusovska dolina on the Slovakian side. |
| pic 13 | Going up again. We had very little complaints about the weather! |
| pic 14 | One of the many lakes in the Tatras |
| pic 15 | Zelene pleso; the most beautiful corner of the Tatras we have seen. |
Pic 16
Last shot of the Slovakian Tatras
Pic 17
View from the famous Karluv most to the citadel of Prague
Pic 18
One Karluv most early in the morning
Pic 19
Detail of the ghotic St. Vitus cathedral
Pic 20
Inside the St. Vitus cathedral.
| Pic 21 | One more shot of the impressive St. Vitus cathedral |
| Pic 22 | Play that Jazz!! ...on the central square in Prague |
| Pic 23 | Inside the amazing 'Spanish Synagogue' |
| Pic 24 | Tombstone in the old Jewish cemetary |
| Pic 25 | Last but not least: Prague by night. |
A very impressive and versatile week in central Europe but certainly much too short. Like I said in the beginning; we will certainly be back for more.
All pictures on this site are taken by Marinka or Joost de Wall. They are not to be used on any other publication without our permission.