Annemaart

Saw the eclipse here, so gorgeous :)

Went here to visit the tiny (but nice) Leffe Museum. Also had a breathtaking (literally) mountain bike ride around the area. Very beautiful and tasty.

I went here at dusk, which was kind of weird. The cemetery is close to a convent, which is sort of run down and kind of spooky (in a nice sort of way though) at dusk. It’s very small, but pretty, with lots of statues all over. No simple tombstones.

Thing I remember most was a monument to someone who to me looked a whole lot like Santa Claus.

The best thing to do is just to come over and live here. But visiting on a trip or from Amsterdam is a good second. Haarlem has great atmosphere, it’s not as rushed as Amsterdam, lots of shops, great pubs and restaurants and there’s always something going to do (museums, festivals etc.).

When you go to the Palm Brewery’s, try to see if you can also get dinner at the little castle that’s part of the complex. It’s fantastic value for money. If you’re with a small party, you might be able to join a bigger group (you’ll get a seperate room).

Kuopio’s cute. I stayed up at http://www.rauhalahti.com/, which is quite a way out of the city, but a great place to stay. The hostelroom was basically a room in a bungalow, with one other room which wasn’t occupied when we were there. We had a kitchen and everything. Every morning I got up and went for a swim in the swimming pool. Great way to wake up. Kuopio itself is tiny but cute. Liked the cemetery a lot (I have a thing for those) and we took a day trip to Valaam Monestary, which was great.

Due to bad weather I got stuck in krakow for nearly a week. Though the weather was somewhat annoying, it did allow me to see all sorts of bits from Krakow. And really learn to love it. The touristy bits of Krakow are the big market square and the streets around it. But there were so many bits I liked better. The jewish district with its rundown bars and tiny streets is fantastic. Get some cheap but fantastic sushi there (I have no idea why they have such good sushi in the south of poland but they do). Also, close to the Bagelmama there is this cafe which has belgian beer (Frater) which I remember very fondly. Also there’s a fantastic little English bookstore (http://www.massolit.com/) which was a great visit.

Don’t let the big party groups from the US or America chase you away. Just avoid them, discover pretty Krakow and love it.

Going to Auschwitz was a bizarre experience. Auschwitz I is too pretty. I visited on a sunny day in september and it almst felt like walking around some kind of bungalowpark. Except of course for the wire and the watchtowers. Most of the buildings at Auschwitz I have become museums dedicated to a certain topic. The memory of rooms filled with hair, shoes and combs still make me shiver.

And Birkenau is Auschwitz as you know it from the movies. Walking to the end of the railwaytracks, standing over the remains of the crematoria, stepping into the sleepingshacks… it’s shocking to really come face to face with a bit of history that displays such mindless cruelty.

First off: go here and see all of it. The only thing I found disappointing (funnily enough) was the crypt, which is why I wanted to visit. The Michelangelo statues are pretty, but didn’t rock my world. I loved the Library, which had a great exhibition on the history of the written word when I was there. The church was also very beautiful, don’t miss the tiny room on the left.

The tickets will leave you confused though. I came for the statues of michelangelo in the crypt. I found a ticket office on the left side which had a combined ticket for 6 euro’s to the cloisters, the library and a crypt. All pretty, but no statues. So I continued cicling the church and found the entrance to the church itself. Another ticket, very pretty church, but no statues by Michelangelo. Then, finally, I found the entrance to the Crypt itself. All in all, this church cost me nearly 20 euro’s or something. It was worth it, but you still feal a little ripped off at the end.

I have to say, I was dissapointed by this museum. I went there to see the David, which was worth the trip (even though you can find replicas all over the city, the real thing is a lot better). Also liked a few of MIchelangelo’s later works which were unfinished. It was awesome to see these 3d characters which seemed to almost be pulling themselves out of a 2d world. Really awesome. Besides that though, the museum is very small and didn’t hold my interest. There is some religious art, but I prefer seeing that inside a church. There was a bit on instruments which was ok, but not mind blowing. And a special photo exhibition that didn’t interest me much either. The only other thing I liked seeing were some Russian Icons.

You can stand in line if you want, but if you buy a ticket down the road at one of the other museums, you can get an icecream, sit in the shade and laugh at the people sweating in the queue while you wait for your own timeslot.