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Welcome to my travel log! You will find here a lot more than in the travel reports, stripped from political correctness. Enjoy! 
Feb 21, 2009 07:00 PM Postcards from Egypt
I am creating an album with photos from my trip to Egypt back in 2000. There will be a little more photographs coming onto Globo, and I hope this will not cause members too much stress with my excessive picture uploading. I have been busy lately and had no chance to smooth the upload throughout the past weeks. I think they are nice photos to make a good addition to our Globo gallery, and to my travel website of course for my friends to enjoy :)
There will be about 70 shots altogether, and they have all been taken with my traditional camera (Nikon 60, I think) as I did not believe in digital photography then. I only switched to digital, when my flat in London was burgled and they took that camera. So, these photos are all scans, which I made at a Kodak lab.
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Feb 14, 2009 07:00 PM I missed Gdansk (PL)!
I quickly realised how much I had missed Gdansk. Although I definitely did not miss the train. The Slupsk - Gdansk (actually running from Szczecin to Olsztyn) fast train could have been much, much, much fasted had it not stopped in Lebork, (somewhere in between), Wejcherowo, Gdynia and Sopot for 20, 10, 10, 15 and 5 minutes respectively. It is only about 150 km between Slupsk and Gdansk, and the existing infrastructure allows for faster speeds to cover the distance in 1.5h.
Anyway, Gdansk truly dazzles. Particularly at night. I arrived right after sunset and as it was getting increasingly more chilly, there was no way I was going for a long stroll. A few years back, Gdansk invested in a new lighting, or illumination systems, for its main sights. It was money very well spent. The city looks superb. My brother took me to a very nice (non-smoking) mini brewery, Brovarnia Gdansk, in the heart of the old town, to try their own beers. They were great, specially the wheat hefe weizen and the dark ones.
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Feb 13, 2009 07:00 PM Slupsk (PL) looks better!
This was a day of relaxing and ... the cary-on party extravaganza, and trying to finish the remaining beer. My brother from Gdansk joined us. Later, right at the end of the day, we decided to go out in town of Slupsk. This was completely unplanned and spontaneous. In Slupsk, I noticed that the authorities must have spent a great deal of money to renovate some of the buildings in the centre. The Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes enjoyed a fresh paint on its facades, the centuries old churches and old city gates had been cleaned showing their red brick work, and many of the 19th and early 20th centuries tenant houses had been scrubbed well and re-painted. It definitely made Slupsk look much better.
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Feb 12, 2009 07:00 PM Slupsk's (PL) shopping centres
I moved towards Slupsk and Kobylnica Slupska today. This was for some shopping and for the ‘welcome to the world’ party of my friends’ new baby Alan. Slupsk has been busy erecting new, and almost flamboyant, shopping centres. The latest one was named Jantar, on the road to Szczecin. But I did not go there. My friend and I opted for the longer established Real, where we got some provisions. More shopping centres is apparently good for the people, as more competition typically means lower prices. A couple of couples with small children joined the party and we happily sipped the fresh Paulaner from two kegs...
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Feb 11, 2009 07:00 PM On the way to Ustka (PL)
Sometimes, it is worth travelling with Ryanair, as they have a habit to arrive on time. This is what happened today. The airplane pushed back right on time and arrived a few minutes early in Gdansk. I was expecting snow, but I was disappointed. No snow could be found in the city. Only some lied in the country, as I was being whisked to Ustka in my friend’s VW Passat limousine. Nearer the coast, there was ever less snow. Hey ho, it did not not matter. At least I was saving my footwear. It was somewhat funny to be back on the narrow roads in the northern Poland.
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Feb 10, 2009 07:00 PM The Baltic Coast - I am coming again!
Yes, yes, yes. I am on my way to the wonderful Baltic coast again. This time, there is a slight chance that I might see some snow on one of Ustka's beaches. This is not something very usual, so I am wee bit excited. But, I am preparing for rain, too. This is more predictable. That's winter at the seaside...
Well, again I will be in Slupsk, and although I had planned several times to shoot some photos in this city, I never managed to do so, due to rather busy schedules. There are a few picturesque spots there, and it would be cool to take a few photos.
There is also a slight chance that I pop into Gdansk, just before my departure back home. Subzero temperatures are predicted and maybe even some snow and I'd again pool out my camera to snap a little. Gdansk is so lovely that, unless it rains badly, it is pleasant to wander around whatever the season. I do not expect to be staying in Gdansk for very long, if at all, so I am not gearing too much for it. I guess, I should come to Gdansk especially, just to party and check some of the new venues...
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Feb 01, 2009 07:00 PM Ghent (Gent) - there is plenty
My friend managed to confuse me saying that the city could be really boring (particularly on Sundays) but also that it was a great place indeed. There is in fact a lot to see and do in Ghent. I would risk saying that that it is a larger version of Bruges. It has great architecture, canals, a few pretty squares, grand mansions, and a very mysteriously looking castle. It is large enough to warrant at least a couple of days to explore, and its nightlife (both in the heart of the old town and around Overport) is vibrant and diversified. During the day, it can get really busy with people browsing the shops, but in the evening, the crowds descent to many pavement cafes and bars to catch their breath, lounge on the armchairs enjoying their sundowners. The street lights come up and the city shifts its image slightly. It becomes quieter and more mysterious.
In the night we obviously went out. The bars were packed! One of them Bar Des Amis was one of the best. It attracted a great mix of crowd and played delightful music from the 1980s and 1990s.
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Feb 01, 2009 07:00 PM An 'extreme weather event' in London!
This is what the Met Office declared. In places, over one foot of snow fell over night, covering London with a white blanket. It looks pretty and appropriate for winter indeed, but the snow put London in a standstill. All bus services were cancelled in the morning first time ever - in over 100 years, much of the underground (metro) was suspended and the rest severely disrupted with an exception of the Victoria and Waterloo & City lines. However, these did not see many passengers, as train services from and to Victoria station were cancelled... Millions of people did not get to work. Those who left homes hoping to travel had to turn back, and those, who made it, may find it very difficult to get back home...
I so wanted to take a few photographs of London under snow, as this is a relatively unusual picture. I did not manage to venture towards the more iconic sights of London (due to a lack of public transport - and I live too far to walk in this weather), but I took a few near the area where I live, most of which were in Greenwich. There has not been so much snow in London in 18 years, and there is more to fall in the week, apparently.
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Jan 31, 2009 07:00 PM Travel disruption. London in the snow.
Overnight, over 6 inches of snow fell in London. The is the heaviest snowfall in 18 years, and of course it is disrupting travel in the capital of England. The buses will likely be suspended, as they already move at a very sluggish pace - close to a speed of slightly brisk walk. The airports will have major difficulty in dealing with so much snow, as this is unusual for England, unlike on the European continent, where for example Berlin, Amsterdam, Oslo, Warsaw, etc have more experience. Trains will experience a lot delays and cancellations and tube, the London Underground, will most certainly close all subterranean lines and lines, which run on the ground. Taxis will be difficult to come by, and the Met Office will likely issue weather warnings and advice people to stay at home and avoid travel, unless strictly necessary. This is a picture taken at about midnight Sunday, and the situation was still getting worse. Surely London look nice in the snow, but for travellers, the state of public transport and the overall infrastructure is not a pretty picture at all.
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Jan 25, 2009 07:00 PM Happy New Chinese Year of the Ox
Wishing all members, who celebrate the coming of the Year of the Ox a very happy and prosperous year! Wishing that you are healthy and fit, have fabulous career and good fortune. The Year of the Ox usually means a lot of hard work, which should be adequately rewarded.
I will come to London's Chinatown later today to have a look what is happening there, and I will try to report back.
Kindest regards
Krys
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