Destination 7 : Austria – Vienna

Wien, Austria, from a Malaysian eye…

1. People are actually friendly, helpful, and if you’re lucky, you can join them for a game of Frisbee.
2. Museum Quarter is not only for people who love history. At night, its the place where the young n energetic hang out!
3. While Vienna is well-known among the classical-music weirdo (i have nothing agaisnt classics:), u can find jazz and others genre being played widespreadly around.
4. Dont buy a movie ticket! Head to the Town Hall Square,and watch movies for free!

Free cinema, City Hall

5. Do buy the public transport ticket.if get caught,its a hefty fine (but i was never checked by them 🙂
6. The “city of skiing” can be soaring hot during summer!!
7. I dont think d locals is touchy like Italians. But i gave my hosts a big warm hug, n they are pretty ok about it (or so i guess 🙂
8. Some tram is air-conditioned. Search for it!! Especially during hot summer day
9. Make sure u dont even TRY to do anything that might resemble fascism sign. And its better to order 2 beer, and add one later, rather than 3 beer at once (lol!! Apparently 3 fingers sign is a fascist salutation here)
10. Viennese can eat spicy foods!!! (Well, the study sample is my 2 incredible hosts – Chris & Michael…i hope their stomach is ok)
11. Vienna is not that expensive.if u want london without the pound, Paris without the attitude, and Prague without the crowd, then Vienna is for you 🙂
12. Spend your night in a used-to-be synagogue!!and order a big glass of mango juice there..
13. U can talk about WWII here, but be objective about it.
14. U can talk about politics here, and play guess, who is left, right, centrist, middle-right, or a national socialist :p
15. A female have a better chance to get a job here, since traditionally u shudnt ask for payment raise more than once per year.
16. U can watch “the jihad for love” here
17. Learning about Austrian history in the museum is nice, but its even nicer when u talk to people. And they might have the “treasure album!”
18. Appel strudel in Vienna taste better!

19. There’s an open-air bath, where people come supposedly to cool off in summer, but ended up trying to prove that they are COOL insteads.
20. One way to get an asylum in Vienna, is by declaring yourself a sex-worker 🙂
21. Make sure you be a nice guest…or they will lock you up in a cellar ….(tongue-in-cheek 🙂

Christ & Michael, my amazing host in Vienna

 

Destination 4 :POLAND – Krakow

Krakow train station

A whole-day train trip down the way to Krakow is not excruciating, since Jariel is tagging along with me, and in-between chatting and drinking, the scenery was amazing.

It’s not picturesque like the one you might expect of Switzerland, but the train journey as if giving me the introduction of the Poles. Starting from wide open space of wheat field, and various grains that I couldnt recognize, then it shifted to small villages, where donkeys are abundant, and children was swimming in what I reckoned as a water channel. Further down, the small town which is dotted with markets, kiosks, and small well-kept garden.

Arriving in Krakow, the scenery change tremendously. As the cultural city of Poland, it lacks the skyscrapers u could find in Warsaw, but an old town dotted with medieval castle and various middle-ages curches, and guilds buildings isnt that bad. On top of that, throw in the fact that Krakow have the most pub per square meter compared to any other places in Earth. That translates to “happening night life”.

The best part about Krakow is the Old Town -literally. Unlike most of Old Town in Europe where its local inhabitant seems to disappear, and being replaced by over-rich couples touring with their big, air-conditioned bus, here in Krakow, the locals ACTUALLY hang around the old town. So yes, its all Polish Kelbaso & Pirogi here 🙂

Perhaps as the most catholic country, I reckoned Poles to be somewhat conservatives.  But my host here, Michael and his gf, Alexa explained to me that while conservatives played a large part in Polish today’s politics, the trend at big cities is shifting. Rephrasing from our long conversations, he said that by times, the elder generation with more conservatives principles would give away to the younger, more liberal generations. I’ve heard this phenomena somewhere, and if not mistaken this is called the “time pressure”.Maybe.

But what’s amazing here in Krakow, while a significant part of its population doesnt have any confession, but a deep seated respect to the church and clerics still exist.

We hiked up to a lone monastery (which is unknown to most of the tourist crowd), and I had a lovely chat with the monks living there. In Russian, that is. It surprised him that a non-white like me actually can converse in Russian, and we had a fond talk, while he explained to me that I would be able to oversleep there. Politely I had to declined, and before we parted he gave me a postcard of his monastery, to which I repay with a postcard of a mosque from Malaysia. Inter-religious dialogue, non?

Then there is the horrible, holocaust camp of Auschwitz – Birkenau. In one word, its – morbid. There’s too complex feeling surged inside me when I set my foot into one of the endless camps there. I would save this for another post.

Birkenau extermination camp

So, apart from all the tourist attractions I could find in Krakow, the salt mine, the castle , and all, –mostly I was amazed with the uplifted spirit of its people. The mixing bowl of many cultures from different backgrounds (my hosts have Argentinian and Kazakhstan background), Krakow really showed me what could we achieve if we could agree to embrace our differences.

Alexa & Michael, my hosts in Krakow

 

Destination 3 : Lithuania – Vilnius

The lush forest in Vilnius

Perhaps the overjoyous among all of the Baltics, Lithuanian have the spirit of Madrid, the serene of Prague, the night life of Krakow, without the crowd of Paris.

Having the largest preserved Old Town in Northern Europe,  I easily get lost among the numerous churches towers. Soaring above towards the sky, it reminded me little that this land was once repressed from practicing religion.

Time shifted, and so those the people. The Soviet Realisticism doesnt live long here. Upon the crumble of  Soviet Union, and the famous protest where millions of people formed a human chain from Vilnius up to Tallin, Estonia as a sign of discontent towards soviet authority– Lithuania is today the pride owner of its own heritage and culture.

I hooked up with a local, Tomas K. and his younger brother, together with a traveller from US, Jariel whom I met along the way. The family house is located quite afar from the  city centre, but nothing that a cheap taxi cannot cover.  You then realized how people here really appreciate nature, that they disagree to the idea of living in a city — where they know it fulls of pressure and chaos– and thus retreat to the sub urban area, where forest is still lush, wild berries still grow at the backyard ,and greenery is endless.

I got the chance to their “dacha” , yes that legacy of  east europe, where all families have their own country house. We made BBQ, and with rounds of drinks, chat till the middle of the night.

You got to admit that Lithuanian are the hippest party animal 🙂 , and bar hopping perhaps come naturally when they reach the legal age (or maybe even earlier?), but you could see that in every soul, there’s a determination for success. There’s this lurking idea of their place in society, where everyone would want to grab their slot — ideally without the expense of others.

And perhaps the most amazing thing can be witnessed here is the bond of brotherhood, despite different background or origin. You just have to spend a night talking with one of them, and you would find out that there’s almost nothing that these guys havent done together 🙂 Another lesson to be emphasized :

PEOPLE CAN GET ALONG TOGETHER JUST FINE..

Its must have been embedded in humanity. You dont see government poster campaign for unity littering the streets. It just came naturally, thus it confirmed my beliefs once again, that despite everything, mankind are just a classless society, and the formation of this class that divide us is a mere consequences of the mess we made up in developing our socio-politics atmosphere.

 

Destination 1 : ESTONIA – Tallinn

1. Lonely planet is not a good guide for Tallinn. Tallinners are actually very kind, friendly, and not that reserved as being described 🙂

2. Tallinn is small! Dont buy the public transport day tickets,unless you are planning to go far away.

3. Behave urself in Tallinn, since almost all people know each other there 🙂 …if u fucked up in a cafe, most probably you will not be served by another cafe tomorrow (ok,thats a hyperbolic 🙂
4. Venture outside the Old Town! Pirita beaches and Kumu area is a must!
5. Bring ur wifi-enabled mobile. Wifi is everywhere and free!!
6. Skype is made in Estonia
7. Kazaa is made in Estonia
8. The small population (around 1.4 mil) make it difficult to market anything in a large scale.
9. 90% of those 1.4 mil are smart and have a big heart!
10. A movie producer and director can have their working place in a cafe, and discuss business over a cup of coffee, and wood-coal shisha…
11. There’s a lot of watching platform around the city, but the best one can only be known if u ask the locals
12. A model look-alike can actually work as a manager in a furniture importing company.
13. At last!!u can find a person in Tallinn who believes u dont need a driving license to survive ( hoooraaa for me!!!)
14. Ask locals for nice, no fussy, cheap place to eat.
15. Estonians really can handle chillis and spices
16. They walk around after dinner, i think its good for digestion.
17. There’s a big, iron-cross like statue in the Old Town.it is quite oversized,but at night, it lits up like an ice sculpture.
18. Apartment outer wall is made up of wood, and its soo charming.
19. Soviet style building still exist. Find a “soviet memento” and local “antiques” in a soviet-style bazaar near the train station.
20. A car-seller can have tatoo around his body, and look like someone from a fight club.
21. The same car-seller can have the biggest smile ever 🙂
22. A garden in Saku does have a hedgehog living in it!!
23. After marriage, a couple will put a padlock on a bridge,symbolizing a never-ending marriage. I wonder what happen if one day the bridge collapse.
24. Work does not equal to office in Tallinn. They are too smart and idealistic to be put into an office cubicle. Space is needed for creativity, as they believe it.
25. Just walk around and smile. If you are lucky, a boy will stop u in a middle of nowhere and hand u a flower.

* subject sample is my amazing host Peeter Nieler and his always-smiling gf Lizie!!!

Peeter Nieler & Lisa Haug