Interlude: Krakow and Vienna
Up to July 6, Krakow and Vienna
I’ve become a travel snob. Hitting two major spots on the European-holiday circuit, I’ve found both places, Krakow more so, to be relentlessly touristy and kitschy. And having decided to stay in self-described “party hostels,” (for anthropological reasons) I’m incredulous as to the sheer stupidity and ignorance of the Anglophones indigenous to this habitat. A friend who visited me in Strasbourg last month told me how he had a better experience talking to high school students in Vienna than any of the fellow backpackers. I had a similar experience last night when I found myself chatting with three 17 year-olds, 2 from Finland, one from Japan rather than the dudes from LA and the skanks from the UK.
Krakow was disappointing. As a city, its just like Lviv or Timisoara, although bigger. The places of tourist interests, the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter, are absolute zoos. In the Old Town in particular, I’ve never seen such a ratio of tourists to locals except in Venice. Everything has been commercialized, including the city’s Jewish heritage, and as a result Krakow is completely stripped of any atmosphere, evocative-ness, or sense of authenticity. Somewhat interesting in Wawel Hill, the Polish Versailles and Westminster Abbey, but I didn’t have the patience or the interest in early modern Polish history to do the place justice. It also didn’t help that each building requires separate tickets and the line-waiting that goes with buying them.
The next morning I visited Kazimiriez, the Jewish section of Krakow, which was less crowded than the Old Town but even more kitschy with its signs in faux-Hebrew lettering and restaurants with names like “Finklesteins” or “Rubinbaum’s” on the main square of the ghetto. The two synagogues and the cemetery were worth visited however. I then crossed the river into a non-tourist zone and walked across weedy train tracks to a tucked-away industrial corner. Here is the factory where Oskar Schindler employed over 1000 Jews and spared them their Auschwitz fate. Inside is a small exhibit on the man and the Holocaust in Krakow. I was the only visitor.
An overnight train to Vienna. Vienna is a worthwhile place if you can put up with the nasty people and the high prices. I’m in sticker shock: 7.20 euros for batteries, 17 euros for a dorm bed in a hostel. The train arrived at 6 am, so I had plenty of time to see Vienna in a day, starting with the First District, the historical city. The city center is compact and looks as I expected – unexpected was the large WWII anti-aircraft tower that has been turned into an aquarium. I was a bit unlucky in that many of the most impressive buildings, such as St. Stephen’s Cathedral, was covered in scaffolding, but I’m glad I bought the batteries because Vienna’s cityscape is nonetheless photogenic.
Puis, j’ai passé le chateau Hofburg, le si ège imperial de la monarchie Hapsburg. J’ai acheté une billete, valide pour trios museés au sein le chateau; la collection de cutlerie en argent, un musée sur la vie de l’empress Elisabeth, et enfin, l’appartement de la famille imperiale elle-meme. Dans cette derniere musée, la partie le plus interresant du chateau, j’ai vu les chambers de l’emperor Francois Joseph, son bureau, et ses salles d’état. Il y a eu un guide audo offert avec la billete et dans ce cas, c’était utile puisqu’il n’y avait pas trop d’information sur les panneaux dans les chambers. Revanant du chateau à la “Ringstrasse” – cette fameuse rue qui suit les anciens murs defensives de la ville et compte quelques batiments importants comme le parlement autrichien, le theater, et des autres pieces d’architecture du XIX siècle (le fin-de-siècle viennois) je suis allé à la gare où j’ai acheté une billete de train pour Ljubljana. Ca faisait très cher – 60 euros. Malheuresement, je n’avais pas un choix. La Slovenie m’attend.
Après tout ca, je suis revenu à la gare Sudbahnhof pour me rendre au musée de l’histoire de l’armée austro-hongroise. Très interresant, les vrais bijoux dans le collection vont les artefaits venant du meutre de l’Archduke Francois Ferdinand à Sarajevo, juin 1914. La voiture, sa chemise (avec beaucoup de sang!) et son uniform militaire, tout est là. Il y a aussi un grand nombre de cartes, des armes de feu, et des autres trucs militaries. Enfin, le musée est situé dans le ancien arsenal de l’armée autrichien, un batiment impressionant and beau.
posted by Andy Schloss @ 1:23 PM
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