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After a wait at London Heathrow airport, American Airlines decided I had suffered enough this year and upgraded me to business class!
However the flight to Chicago was late, I still made it home on the later flight and in nahant by 1AM

Leaving London & More Bad Hilton Service

Have to get leave for the airport soon, it seems I was just there?
Well sort off, landed in Gatwick at 7:30PM GMT and leaving Heathrow at 2:15PM-
I hope the skies are clear all the way to Chicago.

Got shafted at the front desk again and yet another Hilton.
Since I was not worthy to enter their lounge I went around the corner to the Food City supermarket and got lots of diet coke :)

Crappy room because I choose internet? I dont feel like a Diamond member.

I sort out my money and passports,

Leaving Krakow

Flash update from JP Deuce aiport.
Easyjet so far has been easy!
Asked at information desk for check in line, and I was at line 31 in a flash.
Beat the locals too!
So I give the guy all this paperwork they ask for? He just says "Passport"
Why did I print it all?

Get my boarding pass and find my bloated bag is only 18.8kgs.  Way below the scant 20 they allow you.

Chekced out the small, and I mean small waiting area , saw the charming Ryanair sign
Watched more Polish effiecieny or is it EasyJet?
Loading bags, busing people and fueling the same plan at once.

I did hear the omnious sound of the flight to Paris being cancelled, fortunetely I choose the UK
as my jump off point to home.

Cant wait for the warm welcome they give the Irish, or is it just me, at Passport control!
Or am I done becuase they did it here? One can only hope.

After a 4 hour wait my plane took off! It was delayed in London :(

Me on the plane

Aushwitz and Birkenau

Aushwitz was Birkenau were harrowing and worse than you see in the movies or TV.
Especially Birkenau.
The size and scale are enormous.
The night before I got there the infamous sign over the entrance of Aushwitz was stolen, so far Police are working on it.

A replica of the sign over the entrance.Rudolph Hess was the first commandant of Aushwitz, he was hanged on these gallows in 1947 facing his office.

A view of the sorting platform at Birkenhau. They did not have one of these at Aushwitz, the length is unbelievable. People stepped off the platform to slave labor or death.

 One of the many watchtowers at the camp.

 

Leaving Krakow Today

After three days of sightseeing and cold weather I am off to London, I hope, today.
I will update blog tonight with scenes from Auschwitz visit from Saturday.

Krakow is Wonderful in Winter

After I went to the Salt mines I went to centrum in Krakow.

I started at the mall - very busy, nice and warm.

Then to the big Castle - no photos allowed inside. But outside!
Well it was not warm

A place not to miss in Poland!

Salt Mines

Amazing trip to the salt mines today. Took lots of pics, and everything is Salt!
Small tour group - 5 English, 1 Canadian, 1 French and me.
This is our Guide at the Salt Mine
She was dedicated to our small group

This is our group on their way.
The nice French lady is in back, I am going to Auschwitz with her tomorrow.

This is one of the scenes from the past , a mine worker cranking the old lift.

This is a relief from the giant chapel in the salt mine, most photos did not come out it was pretty dark there

Thursday Travel to Krakow

Spent the whole day from 5:30 to 4:00PM traveling to Krakow
The first 2 trains were nice, but the last one lacked heat. Thats OK - it was a warm 25 degrees Fahrenheit!
Bad Polish Trains make the news

Holiday Inn here is nice, although the nice Polish lady at check in was pushing the room upgrade and breakfast pretty hard! I gave her a cold American , no thanks.

Today , Friday , I am off to the Wieliczka Salt Mine with a tour.

Many pics by the time you get to work in USA.

And , Blizzard In Europe- what an awesome time to be here.

Prague Day 2

Started the day

At the Hilton Gym

Another nice gym in the Eastern Bloc. Clearly one of the tenets of Communism is staying in shape.

However at this one I was 1 of 3 people using it. The one in Warsaw was hopping all the time, then again every man and woman in the gym wore a red shirt too.

Tour of Prague 

Went to the Castle today.

Hotel suggested a tour, I passed on the long expensive one and took this one that drove by everything, and stopped for a long time at the Castle

Nice Nativity scene at the castleThe changing of the guard was pretty cool.

This fountain is famous, I forget whyMore viewsOld town at night

Welcome to Prague

Staying the Prague Hilton, Never again
Weird rules here for Lounge access. But if I cant get to the Lounge how will I survive.
Oh the $35 internet access is no bargain either.

They must have felt guilty
I got 2 fruit baskets, champagne and beer!

Some Prague scenes
Astro Clock                     OLd town sq

Scenes Of Warsaw

Sadly I left Warsaw today.

 

New condos next to Hilton   Citibank is big here, at Warsaw Airport and Prague too

 

They sell diet pepsi at the airport, it travels well I just finished it

The plane from Warsaw to Prague was empty

Final Post From Wasaw - Tiger's Phone

The phone keeps ringing, when I look its says Agent, Gillete and Accenture?

No calls from Phil Knight yet though

Warsaw Hilton Lounge for last time...

Had breakfast today after another workout at the great gym.
Fortunately no investment bankers were doing interviews this morning.
Clearly the evening English is better than the morning, I simply could not communicate with the nice ladies in the lounge today when I asked if they could print my boarding pass. I guess Kate cannot work around the clock.
I will have to leave for the airport sooner.

The fat guy was here again, weezing and eating - he has not changed his shirt in 2 days?

Dinner at Bellini

Kate in the lounge comes through.
I had a wonderful meal at Bellini in the Old Market Sq.

I started with a drink, Polish beer or course

Then Polish trickery

I ordered Brushetta, one mushroom, one tomatoes, one liver (Polish devils) and one artichoke which I actually ate, are you following me Suzanne?

Main course was chicken, with cheese, very tasty

Food was very good, and the service returned to normal, inattentve waiter reassured me I was home in Warsaw.

Then off to the casino.

Flash Update From The Hilton Lounge

Ok
Kate my new best Hilton Lounge Hostess has booked me dinner at an Italian Restaurant, Bellini,in Old Town. She says the owner has 7 highly toughted restaurants around town.

The atmosphere here is strange, last night Hip Hop Americans, today some more Americans again.
But the guy who is using the lounge to do interviews is back!

I dont know about you, but when I go to work for an Investment Bank I hope they interview me somewhere besides the Lounge at the Hilton.
Tonight's test subject, I mean, interviewee does not sound as stupid as the guy last night. He might actually help them.

Right behind me some creepy old guy (older than me) is "interviewing" some really young girl in a business suit - something tells me its not for Investment Banking.

Thoughtfully the lady from the Investment Bank who was working on her PPT for the big meeting tomorrow, and screaming into her cellphone while she participated in a con-call has left the lounge.
Its a lot quieter now.

Ugh - some big guy is sitting across the room and wheezing so loud I cant here the interviews going on? I think he should take off the hideous sweater he is wearing and go to the fine gym they have here.

Monday In Warsaw

Yes after a good nights sleep I got up at 9!
Got to the gym before 10. The gym at this hotel is awesome, huge and tons of equipment.

After that I asked for directions to the Gestapo Headquarters, its a museam now - anyway in the Hilton Lounge and the Concerige both told me where to go, they forgot to mention its closed Monday!!!!!

 This is the outside of the Gestopo HQ
And for a while it was the only thing I was going to see of it.
How do I get in, all doors are locked, use my cunning, my guile?
Nope Zloty's

I went to the gate becuase even though it was locked the door behind it was open, so I said Hello (yes in English).

Then my new best friend in Poland appeared.
He pointed to the wall and said "closed Monday and Tuesday" ah ha, clearly an English speaking friend.

.But after taking a couple of Pictures he was done, so I gave him some Zloty's.

He says "Private Tour" and he brought me inside.

This is a baby crib that was in the prison that the Gestapo ran at the HQ, I am not sure what the baby did , my new BF in Poland tried to explain but he used the last of his English explaining all the people were "kaput".

After about a 15 minute private tour I said goodbye, using all of my Polish.

By now I am really hungry, because I slept through the free breakfast.


This is the San Lorenzo in the Centrum.
Highly touted on Tripadvisor.com The San Lorenzo

I had an excellent pizza, we some diet coke, for $10!

But there is something wrong with the waitress, she provides good service! Clearly she requires retraining. Wait until I report her to the Politburo.




On the way back to the hotel I took a couple of photos of the skyline and the train station.

As you can see from the last photo, the Warsawites are ultra-efficient.

They will teach you English right next door where you can learn to eat like an American!

Next post, update from dinner and spellbinding time the Lounge with some lady screaming into her cellphone during a con call.

BA Comes Through,Down $40 at Casino

When I got back from dinner my bag was here!

Lost $49 ast Olympic Casino, I was down a lot more for while,

Played with an American Air Force Lt Colnel for a while, he was busy flying US Generals to Warsaw. I cant wait for the Trips to grow up and work for CIA!

Communist Conspiracy or Cultural Norms

What you ask? Terrible service at Polish Restruants!
Last time I was here this place was so busy they turned me away!


Tonight I got a table and wonderful food and I had high hopes for the service, foolish me!





I did not need a ride home in the Volga, but it was ready for me

My Ruskie Peiergo were full of Potatoes and chesse and really tasty!

But

 I never saw the waiter again!. I am not kidding. I had to ask another cranky waitress for the rest of my stuff. She was not easy,

My chicken dinner was excellnt, Buter, butter and more butter! Just like Julia Child.

I asked for Equal and got Jelly for my coffee, what the hell was I gonna do with Jelly?

British Airways Has My Bag

BA decided they liked my luggage so much they still have it!

But I made it to Warsaw.


No this is not the plane I came in on!

Its from the Warsaw Rising Museum
As soon as I figure out how to post videos through blogger I will updated again.

For now its of to dinner somewhere, I will write a review on tripadvisor.comtripadvisor.com and post the link tomorrow