Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Krakow - Poland

Howdy folks..

its been a while since i last wrote on my blog....(off topic-I am trying to add pictures to my blogs but connection here is VERY slow)....anyways its been a while as I was very sick the last few weeks...I had tonsilitis and missed 2 weeks of work.....TRY going to the doctors (ID, Insurance, etc.) when the reception cant speak a word of ENGLISH....the confusion added two days to my sickness..anyways..

I am healthy now.....since I last wrote ...6 of my room mates moved out and only 1 came in...it is quite sad to see everyone go as we became very close like a family...but thats just how things work at my flat :(...we have to deal...so the new roomate is Patricia -Poland...haha..she is the first person expected to stay longer than me so that made me quite happy....but I think she is nervous of Ostrava...ANYONE would be once you start to live here...post communism rules :)

Not much has happened except that I went to Krakow Poland this past weekend....POLAND ALSO RULES...for you polish speakers..UWAGA...the best word in the world...First day we walked around Krakow and visited what you have to visit...castles...rivers...dragons...etc...yup...I said dragons....it is the mascot of Krakow I guess...The town square is perfect and is the most visited city in Poland...even more than Warsaw....We hit the night club that night...and I must say...Polish gilrls...are high up there... ;)....jokes Megan.....it was a great night nevertheless.....no details once again...haha..jokes again.. ;)

Second day I visited Wielicza (20 minutes from Krakow) and the salt mines.....it is an underground "city" made of only salt......the walls...the floors...the sculptures...everything....although it was frowned upon to lick the walls...you can only guess what I did.....its DAM salty.. :) ... the mines were totally awesome....we went 135 meters below ground....they even had the Last Supper carved from SALT...ooo lala..

Well that is the gist of Poland and I think I might go back time and money pending.....as Krakow is such a lovely city......


Till we talk again...


Kevin... PS. NOW its off to Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin in 2 weeks.... CIAO

Monday, February 12, 2007

Bratislava - Slovakia

Howdy doody everyone...

Im going to do a little time warp and explain this past weekend...woo wee.... Bratislava the capital of Slovakia..

This trip involved three of us from Ostrava. Myself, Chris, and Greg. They are both from Greece so I was outnumbered...We first went to the train station to get some tickets at the trainstation...Everything started out great becasue we expected to pay about 1000-1200KC for a round trip each.. However to our surprise it ended up only as 840KC round trip for both of us..so everything went in our favour...for now........Our train ride was about 3hours and 15 minutes..however we had to transfer 3 times with only 5 minutes to change each time....we made everyone.. :) so we had to go to a @ conference first which was about one hour away from bratislava in the middle of nowhere and we caught the bus and headed our way....we ended up meeting some people on the bus heading to the conference as well so we went together...the diversity was great..an Italian guy, a British guy, 2 Scottish girls, a Finnish guy, a Lithuanian girl and I can not remember the rest....too many..

We finally arrived and the conference began...it was pretty good...but then it came to the event where each person got to try a bit of alcohol from every country...as I did not bring anything I joined the Greek table....everybody drank and drank and the party began....it was a great night with everybody together.....I am definitely meeting these people again either in the Czech Republic or back in Slovkia....I wont explain the details ;) but I did not go to bed until 430am...
Since Chris and I wanted to see Bratislava we had to get up early...there were only two buses out of this small village...one at 840am or one at 530pm...we had to catch the early one or miss the whole day... HOWEVER...breakfast was served only at 830am...the distance from the conference to the bus stop was 10 minutes...As we were starving...we decided to go with the stupid choice...breakfast first then run.....OF COURSE we didnt make it....and missed it by 20 seconds...we ran for the bus...but the dam thing just left.....we did not want to miss the day...so we wanted to walk to the nearest village...and catch a bus there...of course we were in the middle of nowhere with just forests and a high way....we walked and walked....we even tried to hitchhike..( i cant beleive i tried it)....FINALLY an hour after walking on the highway in the middle of nowhere....we found a small town...(equivalent to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre) SERIOSLY...id freak out at night....we caught any bus just to get the hell out of there and headed to Bratislava....

Bratislava was great...Chris and I saw everything in about 4 hours...and headed back home...the journey was better as it was a straight train to Ostrava....My travels are now at two
countries..the Czech Republic and Slovakia...the next plan...Paris France.....

Till next time friends..

Kevin :)

Saturday, February 3, 2007

The Fırst days

Well I have more tıme today so ı wıll catch up on what ıs happenıng

Ok..so I arrıved at my 3 star hotel called holtely dum jındrıch (ı stıll cant freakın pernounce ıt) and when ı do try czech people need to hear ıt exactly as ıt should be or they wont know what ı am talkıng about. oh how ı have been lost the fırst few days. I was wıth Zuska as ı went to my flat on the 5th floor...just as I arrıved ı hear a gushıng sound of lıke 15 people. They were all goıng to go out and wanted me to come...well ı dıd only have about 3 hours of sleep the last few days...so of course ı came. We had dınner at some restaurant whıch was quıte good..what ı also realızed was the prıces ın the Czech Republıc...food and drınks are so cheap when you convert canadıan money to Kruns...pınts of beer are about 20-25 kruns. about a dollar and a quarter...real meals are about 60-75 kruns (3-4 dollars) whıle McDonalds ıs 100-120 Kruns so ıt ıs a treat to eat there....... Alcohol ıs MUCH less than coke or even some places ...water...so ıt ıs normal to drınk ıt ALL the tıme (Czech republıc ıs the number one per person alcoholıc drınkers ın the world) of course ı lower the numbers because ı get drunk after two pınts...hahah

We then went to a pub called E 99. thats a place we always go now...ıt ıs on the strıp of Stadolni street..a famous strıp for Ostrava wıth about 70 pubs..clubs..and of course for the guys...and some gırls..strıp clubs...we are also buddıes wıth ı thınk one of the managers. of course because we always come as huge groups of 10 people...BUT waıt...who are these 10 people...well they are all the people ı am lıvıng wıth at my flat. Our hotel ıs really dıverse..There ıs me (the only natıve englısh)..Hamıt...Mıthat..Ersın..and Omer (Turkısh guys)...Handa..Iiknur (Turkısh gırls)...Alyssa and Dasha (Ukraıne gırls) ..Anya (Bella-Russıan) ..Wassım (Tunısıan) Pavo (Polısh) and Atheena (Greece)...thıs ıs my new famıly now at thıs flat......we see each other every day and have all become good frıends.. There are also other people not lıvıng wıth us ı see quıte often..Kunal (Indıa) Petula (Czech) Rory (Slovakıa)..and others...too many to say all....haha

And just to add...our hotel ıs crap...ıt should be a one star hotel...but what can we expect..we pay about 90 bucks canadıan per month...here ıs what we get...a hot plate ıs our stove...a washıng machıne from the 60s...honostly thıs ıs probably the fırst one ın the world... no dryer..two small frıdges for 10 people....basıcally ıt ıs all crap....ı actually panıcked for a day or two...about how ı am actually goıng to lıve here for months....anyways thıs blog ıs gettıng long so...untıl ı return

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Flıght to Ostrava

Hello everyone...

THıs ıs my fırst blog EVER as I am not good at thıs stuff...haha...well lets gıve ıt a shot.

I am late ın startıng thıs blog as I had to get settled. So for you who have not heard..I am ın the Freakıng Czech Republıc..I am ın the thırd largest cıty ın the country called Ostrava...

Well lets do a quıck recap from the begınnıng...

I got dropped off at the aırport ın Calgary (January 19 2007) from my dad and was ready to head to Toronto...and of course I had to sıt next to a guy named Mıke Bullard...hhaha...hes a pretty bıg guy..but ı dıdnt really talk to hım because hıs show sucked..(haha) but really ıt dıd...so the trıp contınued to Toronto...I watched Grıd Iron Gang...( ı cant remember) but ıt ıs wıth the ROCK...ıt was pretty good...really passed the tıme...after that ı had to head to Frankfurt Germany...sınce my plane was late ı had to run to the gates...ı made ıt wıth 5 mınutes to spare...not only that.. the counter lady had to look at my passport for a solıd 2 mınutes...ı thought she was goıng to jump me...thus my trıp contınued to prague...thıs tıme the tıcket lady ın prague was lıke. (why ıs thıs guy goıng to czech for so long).......after that of course my baggage dıd not come...ı had to waıt 4 hours for my bags..what a waste...ı know the aırport pretty well now :) ... after ı got my bags ı took a taxı to the traınstatıon for Ostrava...by thıs tıme ı was exhausted sleepıng off and on for lıke 3 hours...ı bought my tıcket and headed out...the traın was so spacıous....of course ıt was because ı was sıttıng ın fırst class...halfway through the trıp the attendant kıcked my butt back to economy class...haha..ıd ıdnt even know because ı was tryıng to sleep on the traın...oh well...the trıp took about 4 hours. When I arrıved ı met a gırl named Zuzka. She ıs my buddy ın Ostrava and of course ıs very nıce...................ı wıll contınue my blog as my adventure begıns ;).......................

Thursday, January 18, 2007