The John Lennon Wall in Prague, Czech Republic

Just like the one in Sofia, Bulgaria this wall was started as a protest against the communist regime. The students who started this were described by the Czech authorities at the time as "alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism".  

The wall is located at Velkopřevorské náměstí (Grand Priory Square) near the Charles Bridge and is owned by the Knights of Malta who "allow" (I don't think it would stop even if it was banned) the graffiti to continue which means that each time you visit the wall it's like you are seeing it for the first time. These pictures are from a trip I had there in Feb 2008.

I really like the idea of a wall which is always changing and has messages of peace and love from anybody wishing to leave one (which you can take your time reading). If you are planning a trip to Prague then I would recommend a visit to the wall and also that you take a pen along so that you can leave your own message for the next people to see.

 

John Lennon Wall, Sofia, Bulgaria

Situated at the corner of Patriarch Evtimii and Graf Ignatiev streets in downtown Sofia the John Lennon wall was painted by Bulgarian high school students during the Communist Era as a sign of protest against the regime.

Here are some of my pictures (taken in 2012) of the wall which features a lot of different bands (like The Doors) and the statue of John Lennon which was unveiled to mark 30yrs since his death:

A short photo journey through Tokyo, Japan 2008

Boyana Waterfall: Sofia, Bulgaria

Boyana Waterfall: Sofia, Bulgaria 

I lived in Sofia for a few months and Boyana waterfall was my favourite spots in Sofia. Located in one of the most preserved areas of Vitosha the waterfall is easily accessible by hiking trails, you can choose your route starting from Boyana church (Buses to Boyana church are easy to find). 

The hike up to the waterfall holds some of the best views of nature possible to see in Sofia; the trails require some level of fitness and I would recommend taking along some bottles of water and wearing comfortable shoes. Signs in English are placed all along the trails so you won’t get lost and offer two different routes to get there (one is steeper than the other). 

The hike is well worth a visit to the waterfall, I was there when it was very hot and the feeling of sitting in the shadow of this beautiful fall in its cooling mist was something of an experience. You can sit on the rocks around the fall to eat while watching people abseiling down, the fall seems to be a popular tourist spot so you will most likely hear lots of different accents and languages so if you are here alone then it may be a good place to meet fellow travelers.

The hike back down can be steep but is fairly easy and buses back to the centre leave regularly from near the church so it’s a great day out and a refreshing way to leave the city for a few hours.

 
 
 

 

If you're looking for a cultural experience in NYC and enjoy a good drink

If you are looking for a cultural experience in NYC and (like me) enjoy a good drink then maybe this short list of taverns and clubs will help you plan a visit to New York. 

McSorley's Old Ale House:

Located in the East Village McSorley's is the oldest Irish tavern in NYC and has so much character that it's impossible not to like. When you enter the big black doors you can feel the atmosphere hit you instantly, the smells of the brewing ale creates something missing from other pubs and no piece of memorabilia has been removed from the walls since 1910 so you can spend hours just exploring this place without ever sampling the ale (but i don't know why you wouldn't). 

The only two drinks on offer are dark ale and light ale (or you can order one of each) it costs $4 for two glasses and tastes amazing. You can find things like Harry Houdini's handcuffs attached to the railing of the bar as you order the McSorley's cheese platter while sitting in the same place where Abraham Lincoln once sat....what more can i say?

White Horse Tavern:

Located in Greenwich Village on Hudson St The White Horse Tavern is known for it's bohemian culture because of all the writers, poets and artists that gathered here in the 50s and 60. This Tavern is huge and a great place to sit with a Guinness in your hand, the staff are very friendly and helpful and will tell you tales of the tavern like about the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas who is said to have drank his last drink in this very tavern. So many great writers, poets, singers and artists have drank here that I'm not even going to attempt to write them all here...just go there and find out for yourself. 


MacDougal Street:

Located in Greenwich Village next to Washington Square Park this historic street is home to so many great bars and clubs that one night here is not enough. You will enter basements filled with life and laughs like no other place in NYC, each pub and club offers something different from the last. You can go into the Cafe Wha? where so many great musicians and comedians started their careers and is now still a great place to listen to live music and dance. Off The Wagon is a pub just down from the Cafe Wha? and is great for cheap beer and drinking games. I won't list all the bars and clubs here but i would advise anybody going to NYC to give them a try, you can't take a wrong turn from MacDougal St so go there and have fun exploring.
 

Krynica-Zdrój, Poland

07.01.2013

We set off from Lodz by train to Krakow and then from the bus station located next to the train station we caught a bus down to Krynica. My first impression of the biggest spa town in Poland was that it was very similar to Zakopane which I had visited two years ago, Christmas lights still hang and give a warmth in the darkness (we arrived late) we exit the bus in the centre and start to hike up to find our guest house through the thick snow which you fight through with your heavy backpack pulling you down; smells from restaurants come from every direction and people stroll through the streets in no hurry to get anywhere which is very welcoming after being in Krakow station for a couple of hours.

We booked a guest house near to the ski slopes and the lady told us that we could be the only guests as we have just missed the holiday period when everybody comes here to ski which sounds great to us. We find the house without any problems and the lady gives us a quick tour of her very nice home; we unpack our heavy backpacks and go for a tour of the centre once more before retiring for the night in an attempt to recharge for the next day when we will attempt to ski.

I have never skied before and am advised to take a min lesson of one hour which we search the many ski rental cabins to find and eventually do. The man tells me that his English is pretty bad and I have no reason to doubt him, he tells me to watch what he does and copy so we head to the bunny slope and he shows me how to stop, turn left and right (which he often confused) and how to use the ski lift; the lesson goes well and my confidence is high so I attempt the big slope straight away, it becomes clear from the start that I wasn’t ready for this just yet, the slope looks too steep and I instantly forget how to turn at speed. After going down once I go back to the bunny slope to practice before we leave, my advice to anybody going skiing for the first time is to firstly get a lesson for more than one hour (even if it’s just two) and then don’t attempt the big slope until you are really ready because it can put somebody off skiing for life.

Side note:

The feeling of taking off ski boots and putting on your normal shoes is just about the best feeling in the world after hours on the slope. 

The next day we head out early, the slopes are pretty empty and after a short time on the bunny slope I’m ready to get back on the big one: I get the hang of it pretty quickly and am able to nervously shuffle down to the bottom, I keep going and going and after 3 hours on the slopes I’m able to convince myself that I’m alright at this. The next day (and final day of skiing) I’m able to hockey stop like a pro and confidently ski down, I hear that a lot of people quit after the first day of skiing when it’s their first time so if it’s your first time skiing I would say that you shouldn’t give up on it and keep going because it’s a lot of fun (how cliché eh?).

After skiing we would head down to the centre and have a meal at a nice restaurant simply named “pizza pub” which was always full and offers some nice traditional food and of course pizza.

Just like in Zakopane - Krynica has this salty mountain cheese which they call serek here, you can buy it from sellers cold or cooked with bacon inside (which is much nicer) and you can also buy warm honey beer or my favorite mulled wine, a cup of this can make a night so try it at least once. They have a supermarket and a few smaller shops for buying everything you need but one of the most surprising things in Krynica for me was the 3D cinema which is inside a tiny building, I didn’t go inside but out of curiosity wanted to.

Main Krynica attractions:

The museum of Nikifor who lived and worked here, he is called a naïve or primitive painter (nice way to sell his art eh?) which is a blue building in the centre and doesn’t charge much to enter (around 5zl). The museum features a lot of his items such as his walking stick, pictures and glasses e.g as well as a room filled with traditional Polish costumes and of course the paintings which you can judge for yourself.

A big glass building filled with plants and little souvenirs which you can sample different mineral waters inside, you buy a plastic cup and choose the water from around 8 on offer for around 2zl. The ladies who pour the water dress in white jackets like doctors and if you know Polish you can read which different minerals are in the water and the description of what the water cures (stress e.g.) the whole scene is set for you to believe, buy and then take a bottle home with you. My favorite part of the glass building (apart from the warmth) is the little bakery inside, you can buy little cakes which are pretty cheap and then enjoy on one of the many seats around.

You can get a train up the mountain (12zl return) which I’m sure holds great views on a clear day but not on the one when we was there, they have a little café and some slides up there which would be nice in summer.

Ok so let’s price it up:

Bus from Krakow to Krynica: 24zl PKS (or 22zl depending on the bus line)

Guest house: 40zl per person per night (you can find cheaper)

Ski Rental: 25-30zl per day

Ski pass: 5zl (£1) per ride or 45zl for 3 hours 55zl 4 hours

Feeling of taking the ski boots off: Priceless