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Welcome to my travellog. Here you can read about my journeys day by day. 
May 03, 2007 06:00 PM On an elektrichka train
Today we left Alushta and moved to Bakchisaray. From Simferopol to Bakchisaray we took an elektrichka, a train typical for many countries that once were parts of the Soviet Union. Elektrichkas have their unique climate thanks to the locals. In our unit (the train consists of several units) we had a babushka (an old lady) who declaimed a a short poem, but it was so fast that we couldn't get the gist as it was in Ukrainian. Later on a blind man with an accordion and we could enjoy a song commemorating the memory day (which in the former Soviet Union countries is celebrated on 9th May). I have never experienced such folklore in public transport.
We had several problems finding a room in Bakchisaray (we wanted to live with the locals) but finally got one. Soon it turned out that in the same house a group from Poland stayed for one night.
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May 02, 2007 06:00 PM Mramornaya cave
Today our host woke us early in the morning so that we could see the sunrise over the Black Sea. Gorgeous, vibrant colours.
The target for today was the Mramornaya (Marble) Cave. There are package tours to this cave but we decided to go on our own. There is no direct transport to the cave, so after covering several kilometres on marshrutka we had to hike for over three hours to get there. On our way we had a great view of Chatyrdag, one of the chains in the Crimean Mountains.
The cave is very large (over 2 kilometres long) but only part of it is accessible for visitors. The ticket are quite pricy for Crimea (several types from 26 grivna). All the tours around the cave are guided. There are many interesting dripstones in the cave resembling e.g. a camel or the Statue of Liberty and many others.
Near the cave we met a group from Poland and together we went down, taking other way (which was shorter but steeper).
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May 01, 2007 06:00 PM To the west of Yalta
It was a rainy day from the very beginning. In the morning we took a marshrutka to Yalta, and then to Gaspra. There is a small castle called Swallow's nest, which actually didn't impress me a lot. Much more interesting is the cliff shore there. Although the whether wasn't good we managed to see a wide panorama of the Crimean shore.
There is a ferry connection linking Gaspra with several other sea resorts and we took one to Mischor. It's a great way to see Crimean shore from the sea. In Mischor there is a cableway to the Ai-Petri mountain. A stunning view opens from the it's car, even if the weather isn't perfect. To get on the very top of Ai-Petri we still had to climb a bit. The clouds made the mountain appear as if it was immersed in milk. On the top you can ride a camel or take a picture of yourself with a small bear. It wasn't any attraction to me, but many people enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the animals didn't seem to be happy of it. We went down of the mountain on a marshrutka to Yalta but got off near the Uchan-Su waterfall (the highest one in Crimea).
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Apr 30, 2007 06:00 PM Alushta and Aju-dag
We arrived at Simferopol early in the morning. We took a trolley bus to Alushta (as recommended by our friends from the train). As far as I know, this is the longest trolley bus route in the world (Simferopol - Alushta - Yalta). The ride is pretty long and takes almost 2 hours - not more than 50 km. But vistas are gorgeous and it's better option than a fast-going marshrutka (a mini-bus). At the bus stations around the Ukraine there are many people that will offer you a room, so we didn't have any problems finding one. It was located in a 12-storey building (as far as I remember) and we lived on the 10th. We had a room with a sea view for only $13 per day. Still we could have found something even cheaper but were tired after the night in the train. We were very astonished when it turned out that to use the elevator you have to have a special token which turns on the machinery. It turned out that the people who live there have to pay an extra fee for the elevator and not all of them wish to. Our host gave such a device to us.
After taking a stroll around Alushta which actually has only few sights (it's a place mainly for sunbathing on the rocky and gravelly beaches) we took a marshrutka to Gurzuf, from which it is close to the Aju-dag mountain. It's really worth climbing. Although it was cloudy we could enjoy the panorama of Crimean Mountains and the seashore.
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Apr 29, 2007 06:00 PM Off we go!
It's time to pack our backpacks and set off for Odessa and then Crimea. My friend and me bought air tickets in a special offer by Polish airline LOT and saved half of the price. It was the first flight for both Marek and me which made us even more excited about the trip.
We landed in Odessa in the afternoon. At the international airport there the lady at the information desk didn't speak English at all, but thanks to the 3-year course in Russian we didn't have problems talking with the locals.
We took a marshrutka (a mini-bus) to get to the city. Then we bought tickets to Simferopol - lucky we! It's not easy to get tickets for an overnight train for the same in the Ukraine.
After leaving our luggage in the left luggage office we took a stroll around Odessa. The city has beautiful architecture, but as many cities in the former Soviet Union it's a city of contrasts. We walked along the Deribasovskaya Street - the main boulevard of the city and visited beautiful Passage erected in late 1890's. Then we got to the fish market in which meat, fish and dairy products are sold; the sanitary conditions don't meet any standards (see photo).
In the late afternoon we got on the train to Simferopol meeting very nice and hospitable people onboard.
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Nov 11, 2006 09:00 PM 2nd day in Berlin
On the second (and at the same moment last) day in Berlin we saw some of Berlin famous neoclassical architecture. Many buildings in Berlin were designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel - you can see them along the Unter den Linden street. We also visited another two museums. Pergamonmuseum houses many ancient exhibits including the Babylonian Ishtar Gate (a replica). In Alte Nationalgalerie (the Old National Gallery) they have a lot of pieces of art of world famous artists including Renoir, Monet and Rodin. There are also other museums on Museuminsel (the Island of Museums) but four museums for two days is enough. Taking a stroll around Berlin we also saw the Oberbaumbrücke bridge, which is believed to be the most beautiful in Berlin (and in my opinion it's true). Unfortunately, all in all, Berlin - as a city - didn't impress me, although the collections at Berlin's museums are gorgeous.
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Nov 10, 2006 09:00 PM A short trip to Berlin
Thanks to a special offer of PKP Intercity (Polish railway operator) my friends and me went to Berlin for two days. We focused on museums and architecture. We started with Gemäldegalerie, where you can see the paintings of many famous artists, such as Dürer, Rubens, Canaletto and many other.
Another very interesting place in Berlin is the Jewish Museum. Not only the collections are interesting but also the architecture of the building is very unusual. It was designed by famous Daniel Libeskind.
The evening was devoted to visiting the Reichstag and enjoying the panorama of Berlin by night. It's admission free, but often there are many people queuing in front of it.
There are a few places in the city where you can find remnants of the Berlin Wall. There is also a line along the city that shows where the Wall used to be.
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Aug 14, 2006 06:00 PM A farewell to Prague
The morning of the last day in Prague I devoted to visiting Nový židovský hřbitov (New Hebrew Cemetery), where Franz Kafka was buried. As an enthusiast of railways I decided to go home by train. Czech Republic is the only country in the region to have cutting-edge Pendolino tilting trains. Naturally, taking a ride on the board of such a train was a must-have. I took a Super City Pendolino train to Pardubice and then used other trains to get to the border. In Poland I also used trains to get to my home town of Legnica. Speaking of trains in Czech Republic two things have to be mentioned: they are cheap and can take you wherever you want in the country.
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Aug 13, 2006 06:00 PM Cubist buildings in Vyšehrad
Most people flock to Vyšehrad to see the stronghold, but for me much more enjoyable was a stroll a long the streets of this district looking for cubist elements in the buildings there. Prague is the only place in the world where cubism was implemented in utilitarian architecture. Apart from several buildings in Vyšehrad you can also notice some elements of this style in the House of Black Madonna in the Old Town. Having seen the castle and its catacombs (where you can find original sculptures from the Charles Bridge) I went to the Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square). A must have there is the monument to king Wenceslas and the buildings along the square, esp. Hotel Europa.
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Aug 12, 2006 06:00 PM Jewish Prague
The Jewish district (Josefov) is easily accessible from any place in Prague as it is located in the centre, next to the Old Town (within a several-minute walk). Although the entrance fees are relatively high, I think it's worth to buy the ticket for all the sights. You have to buy a separate ticket to the Staronova Synagogue. There are discounted fees for students. The sequence of visiting places was suggested on the ticket and I followed it. I visited the Old Jewish Cemetery and saw several-hundred-year-old gravestones. The symbols (e.g. hands) carved in the stone say what was the function of the deceased. I liked the Spanish Synagogue and enjoyed its Mauritanian style (it resembles in style Berlin's New Synagogue). In the late afternoon I had some time left and decided to go the St. Agnes Monastery. I was stunned with the austerity of its walls.
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