Krakow was fucking fantastic. I wish I had more time there and that my hostel didn't suck. Regardless, wonderful city full of wonderful people, food, and sights. Old town straight stunning though very touristy. Still spend some time there. Salt Mines are up to you. I was a little disappointed because my tour guide sucked and kinda rushed us though but still pretty cool and really unique place. Auschwitz. If you haven't been to a camp, go. If you have been to a camp, go. 2 hr train ride on a local train, though I think people tend to take busses. Wawel hill, definitely disappointed I didn't get to go there. I should have done the salt mines earlier in the day and wawel hill as an afternoon. Same with the Jewish quarter. I heard the food there is fantastic. Without a doubt I will make it back to Krakow someday. So fucking pissed I only really got one day in the city.

Margaret Island has the WiFi I'm mooching! What a lovely park. Took a walk around the island. So nice. I'll try to check out the station. I took a tour of the Parliament building earlier and what a beautiful building inside. Breathtaking. Shame they don't let you take pictures of the dome the crown is in because I'd have loved a picture if that ceiling and the 16 King statues and coat of arms they had hanging around.

Krakow is incredible and Auschwitz is incredibly depressing. It has easily been my favorite city so far. In Budapest now and it's wonderful. The parliament building is stunning. I'm mooching off public WiFi right now waiting for it to get dark to get a good picture of the building lit up and reflecting off the Danube.

And the pictures!

goobster

One week

The hype train is at full speed. Portugal. the Man has a new album coming out in a month and a half. They just released a third single from the album, Number One.

In addition, they've released Feel it Still

and Noise Pollution

I've already pre-ordered the album.

The semester is almost over. I am so ready for it to be done. I want to get out. Next semester is going to be hella busy. I have to do 50 hours of community service. This semester I only had 15 so it's going to be a big change. I think it is wonderful my major requires it though. I think every college should require community service. The world would be a better place.

Everyone at this university is do damn self absorbed. I helped someone possibly fail a class yesterday. She didn't help at all in the group project and wanted to exaggerate her hours. 15 hours is not much. She left an important event early to go to a party. Community service is a great opportunity and she does that. Fuck her.

I don't think I could ever work in the service industry. People are fucking assholes and I'm too petty to deal with that shit. I work at the front desk of my dorm and when someone walks up and hands me their ID, it's obvious they want a package, but until they ask, I don't move. My record is 10 minutes. And I don't think that asshole would have noticed if I didn't catch the look she gave her friend and I commented that I can't read minds and she should clarify what she wants instead of just assuming I can read minds. I hate assholes.

What are those TBDs? Are they American or European?

The one thing I really want to know about is visiting Auschwitz. It seems in high season you have to have a guided tour. Do you have any experience with these? How difficult are they to book? I don't know exactly when I will be in Krakow so I don't want to book yet. Other than that, I'm just trying to get a feel for culture from the places I visit. If you have any advice I would greatly appreciate anything you have to offer. My plan is to do a little research for each City and find a thing or two I want to do but also spend a day walking around. My parents always had me go into churches too, so whenever I see one I tend to go in. If you know of any impressive churches I should be sure to visit on one of my tour days, I'd love to hear some.

Thanks Devac!

Thanks for the incredible response! It is my first time but I still want to get a feel for the Balkans and it feels as though Croatia is westernizing rapidly. Do you think Budapest to Zagreb to Sarajevo to Belgrade to Skopje would be a good route? Last night I spent four hours procrastinating and read up on the history of the Yugoslav Wars, something not at all taught in US public high schools. There is a lot of really interesting stuff so I think it might be cool to go see some of the places that played central roles in the wars. Plus I got to learn about the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia naming dispute. What a fascinating political battle going on.

I'll definitely take Slovenia into consideration. It all depends on time. I'm typing this on my phone but I have a layout of approximate times in cities and travel times. Adding in city might be difficult. Though as I mentioned it is my first time so I might find I have more than enough time and I might be overestimating my time in cities.

Do you have any good resources for how long to spend in a city? I found plenty of estimates for my popular cities but from Wroclaw to Thessaloniki, the only city I can find any information about trip length is Budapest. For the most part I have 2-3 days each.

Drinking and getting puked on is not at all my goal. My goal for this trip is to get a taste of other cultures. When my parents brought me abroad as a kid, we'd always get lost the first day and eat somewhere in some alley. Get some real good local food. One of my fears is that all the people around me will be doing a trip like I am for cheap alcohol. Any advice on avoiding crowds and young partiers? I'm more worried about them coming back drunk and waking me up than avoiding them in the city though.

Whoops, it's a stop between Bratislava and Bucharest. Too many "B" cities to keep track of. I'll definitely look into festivals, I didn't even think about that. Thanks!

I just got an email from a tattoo artist saying the day I want is still available! I think I'm going to do it. I'm think I'm going to get a stained glass feather.