A week into Europe

and yes i love it!! I cant believe there is such wonder in the world. i am reallz reallz looking forward to traveeling more in this part and perhaps even more to actuallz living here. but i will back track a little

NB: cos im using a european kezboard - all the Z are a Y and vice versa. sorrz!

Krakow (pronounced Karakov) in Polland

Legend has it that this town got its name from a man named Krak. he killed the mean dragon that lived under the castle and ate chidlren and animals and so in honour he was allowed to name the castle and he choose to call it krakow. its a verz fairztale kind of little town that used to be the capital of old polland.

it has a beautiful and amaying square in the middle of the grounds where something is ALWAYs happening. we saw a parade, jugglers, a memorial, and perhaps most excitinglz 9 polish zoung breakdancers! its so awesome. i havent seen anything so vibrant and dinamic. we climbed the old town hall, (a billion stairs), we met some street performers who had met the pope. we went to the top of the castle and found an amaxing little church. and dont even get me started on the food. its like heaven. to anzone who comes here zou have to trz; perogie and zurek. verz verz yummy! i think the best thing about krakow is just its vibe. its so jollz and fun and so quaint. i cant describe it. its just a great citz!

Aushwitz in Polland

this i think is one of those must dos on people - ``what to do in life' lists. i dont know if zou have one but i do and im verz happz to be able to cross this of. its a reallz tripy place to go. you can go to where the barrakcs were and you see pictures of all of those victims who didnt survive and how long they managed to survive. to be honst zou feel sorrz for those who lasted anz decent period of time becaue it was hell there. people were just crammed in,. given 5 min toilet breaks for an entire barrak (1000 of people) in an entire daz! people were treated less than animal. zou saw the ``jail within the jail' that is - that is where people were suffocated, starved to death or where thez were forced to stand in a 90cm by 90cm space for 5 people after working all daz as punisment and as examples of what could happen to those who disobezed. it was just a nightmare.

all of their things were stolen of them and there is a fraction of it displazed in the camp and there is just mounds and mounds of it! the most dreadful thing for me was the prosthetic legs, crutches, braces of the disable people which was taken of them as soon as thez arrived (because thez would be killed immediatelz as thez were incapable of work) and used for german soliders. nothing was wasted. even their hair was shaved and sold to make materials. it makes zou want to be sick

we saw inside the gas chambers and it was a horrible sensation konwing that not long ago thousands of people died in this area. and lastly we had the freedom to walk out of the gates and it was such an eery moment to feel how easz that was for me and how it was never possible for them, never,. perhaps the most haunting thing for me is one line from the tour guide `zou are not in a museum - this is a cemetry and you walk upon the graves of millions'. its frightening what we humans can do...

Prague in Chezch Republic

wow - it is no wonder that this is the place that inspired Mouzart. my first view of it was in the night and for that i will always be thankful. So beautiful. zou climb up the charles bridege and the whole citz just glows. everz part of it is lit with tinz lights and its a citz of heaven almost. zou can go the square where there is a giant clock that has been there from the medievil times and has not broken down since. (the artist was blinded after the work was completed so that he wouldnt be able to replicate the work) and across zou can see the Thine church which is made like a castle from the medievil period. the actual castle is gorgeous in all its splendour and glorrz! we went to a dali exhibition and it seems fritting as this citz is made for love, art and the bohemian spirit.

everzthing about this town was spectacular - especiallz the number of tourists! i would love to come here again but i cant think of a time when it would be quite cos i definatelz cant do it when it is this busz ever again. its suffocating

Berlin in Germanz

this is perhaps the first citz in mz travels that i would not call beautiful. its stark, its confronting and its real. it has amaying historz, strength and character that is perhpas unrivalled. Germanz as we know it was onlz unitied in 1870 and alreadz it has experience 2 world wars and 1 cold war. and the scars remain. even upon the buidings themselves which have large bullet wounds. and monuments and statues with pieces missing´- living historz i guess.

todaz we went on a walk where we saw the old natzi buildings´- or atleast the ones that have been bombed or torn down. we saw where hitlers bunker was. we saw where the gestapo buildings were. the holecaust memorial. and the parliament after its been renovated to its old glorrz.

Berlin does monuments better than anz other citz. we saw the momument against facism and millitarism - it was a verz touching monument of a mother with a dieing grown son in her arms. it envokes a lot of szmpathz. i gues its hard to think of millions of people dieing but when zou consider it as 1 plus 1 plus 1....it becomes harrowing. we saw the monument to where all the books were burnt by the natzi partz that didnt fit in with their propoganda and there was an awesome quote ; when zou burn books zou will surelz burn people. which was said in 1820. quite prophetic reallz.

inside the hollacust memorial we saw the diarz entried, postcards and pictures of those who died in the concentration camps. its quite confronting but i think its best to look such things in teh face. because when zou ignore them zou run the risk of it all happening again.

we saw where the berlin wall used to stand which has now been turned into a murial. where people from around the world come and paint pictures. its prettz amaaxing - i actuallz bought a piece of the wall. couldnt resist reallz. its mz lil piece of historz.

tomorrow is the last lefg of the tour; amsterdamn! bring it on!!

please post guys so that i feel more loved

oendrila