Krakow

Poland: where everything is dirt cheap and ask the stereotypes are true. Perogies, borsch, vodka, sausages, cold weather, and very few English speakers. The buildings in Krakow are gorgeous, lots of old, towering stone structures line the roads of the city. The Wawel Castle sits at the top of the hill, where you can see the whole skyline view over the river and the old Jewish area.

In contrast to the southern European cities, such as Madrid and Lisbon where dinner isn't served until 9pm or so, Krakow is on a much earlier schedule. Most tourist sites close by 4pm. I was told that many office jobs start at 7am, but must tourist sites aren't open until 10am. How strange.

The city was established in 1257, with a barbican, moat, city walls all the way around, and the castle on the hill.  Shortly after Krakow was established, the area now called Poland united with Lithuania, which - at that time - also included Bulgaria, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. The union lasted for 500 years! The countries communicated in Latin, which was the language of the educated and of the church. Krakow is home to hundreds of churches and synagogues. Every few steps, you are in front of another church again.

Average income is €600 a month, which is incredibly low. They don't use the euro and cents but rather zlotys and grotzys. Most everything is laughably cheap. For example, a bowl of stew costs about $1.50, and a full plate of homemade perogies is about $2. Alcoholic drinks are under $2, and a bed in a hostel is $7 a night, including breakfast and all. The cheap prices, especially for alcohol, are one of the major reasons that many bachelor (stag) parties go to Krakow to celebrate. I highly recommend Krakow if you're on a budget - you can buy whatever you want, and it's still half the price of anywhere else in Europe!

As with most city centers, the main market square is filled with pigeons. The Polish consider them rats with wings and blame them for spreading disease. Apparently the famous Polish bagels were originally for feeding the pigeons, and they still have that connotation in their minds, so locals don't actually eat them. Given the prevalence of the bagel stands, I was tempted to doubt this fact, until I learned that Krakow's population is only 1 million including students, but they have 9 million tourists visiting each year. I suppose the tourists keep them in business. You might as well go there yourself and have some :)

Borstch and perogies filled with cheese - cost $4 (£2.50)

The cathedral on Wawel Hill (in the castle)

The view from the top of Wawel Hill

The Jewish cemetery

Madrid: student wonderland

Madrid is a city where everyone lives a student lifestyle. They nap in the afternoon, go out for very late dinners, and stay out til all hours of the night. They never think about the time, and they love every moment of life. As you'd expect, Madrid comes alive most at night. It's a great place to stay up late and sleep all day... perfect for hipsters, students, young people, and the young at heart ;)

Tapas - if you've never had them - are basically "little plates" of all sorts of food. It's a far superior form of bar food. While you drink, you eat mini portions, essentially filling up on a bunch of appetizers. The whole idea is brilliant, and Madrid has perfected it. In New York City, for contrast, many people meet at a bar after work, to spend time with their friends, but they invariably order over-priced unhealthy bar food, for lack of other options. Sometimes I wonder why such fantastic ideas have not taken off around the world.

Madrid has been a popular place throughout history to conquer. Originally part of the Roman Empire, the Visigoths took power, until the Moors invaded from Northern Africa and gained the whole area in only three years, which is incredibly quick for international invasions. Next comes the Hapsburg dynasty in 1492, a very significant year for the Spaniards. Not only for Christopher Columbus, but also because the Jews were forced to leave the country. The New World led to the Golden Age, where goods from Africa and American led to a major influx of gold into the region. Then when Charles II had no heir, they had a war of succession, where 400,000 died as the nobles........

The pictures are of tapas, the Crystal Palace in the Parque de Retiro, the bridge which used to be the top suicide location until the city put up glass panels, the bear of the city center (wish I knew his story), and the king's palace. ¡Hasta luego!

Edinburrruh and the Highlands

For a country where the 1600s are still recent history, Scotland is a history-lover's paradise. With the exception of their mini-Parthenon, every building is just as beautiful as the next. From Waverly Bridge, you gaze at numerous gorgeous and massive stone buildings. There is so much to love in this old city, from haggis to hills to history (In case you're skeptical, haggis isn't made the same way today as it was centuries ago). In all of Scotland, there are over twice as many sheep as people. In the Highlands, sparcely populated with only 250,000 people, there are 10 million sheep. But what I want to know is who counted all those sheep. Do Scots suffer from insomnia?

Bagpipers entertain tourists on the Royal Mile, wearing kilts as they pipe away. Everyone else dresses normally, as you would expect for a Western country, except the museum employees wore a uniform of checkered blue and green cashmere pants, something that would never be taken seriously outside Scotland.

Edinburgh is delightful, but the weather is about as terrible as it gets. It rains far more than in London. Nonetheless, the city's charm attracted J.K. Rowling, and she moved there before she started writing her books. You can find many sources of her inspiration, from a gravestone with the name McGonigal to a boarding school with four towers, and you can visit the Elephant Cafe where she began writing about Harry Potter.

And Scotland is home to the Highlands and thousands of lochs. Enjoy the pictures!