BleibtAllesAnders

I would definitely like to return to India to tour Goa. I’ve heard that the temples in the south are amazing. The food alone is worth a return trip. India is a vibrant, colorful place. You will never run out of things to captivate your senses.

I went to India – specifically, Kolkata (Calcutta) – to spend a week working with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. It was nothing at all like I expected, but it had a strong effect on me and changed me for the better in ways I never thought it would. I was assigned to work in an orphanage, and circumstances resulted in me being assigned to a job that is usually reserved for volunteers staying no less than a month. I got to be an assistant teacher for a small class of toddlers, all of them older than 12 months but younger than 3 years. I witnessed the smiles of children who have nothing. I saw their gratefulness for the smallest of things, including the exuberance of a boy who happened to find a small, soggy scrap of cardboard that he could pick up and claim for his very own. I saw frightening neglect. I saw what I can only describe as abuse – physical, psychological, and possibly even sexual – that I was powerless to prevent, stop, or respond to in any way. My inability to do anything about what I saw is perhaps the most shaking experience of my life. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon an article written by another former volunteer at the orphanage where I was stationed. This writer verbalized all the thoughts I hadn’t be able to put together into words: the Missionaries of Charity are among the least charitable people I have ever met. They would – do – keep millions of dollars in funds locked away in bank accounts while the orphans under their care are dressed in little more than rags. The nuns sit humbly, silently, meekly in the corners of classrooms, statue-like, while the Indian nannies they employ slam toddlers into chairs, scream into babies’ faces, whip them around by their bony arms, and banish them into dark rooms as punishment. The international volunteers seem honestly dedicated to improving the lives of these children, but they are powerless to do anything but the tasks in front of them (teach, feed, bathe, dress, repeat), and many of them are diluded into thinking that these conditions are normal, acceptable, and inevitable. The truth, I have since discovered, is that the conditions in that orphanage are NOT considered acceptable or normal in India, and that they are NOT inevitable! The Missionaries of Charity have the funds to bring their orphanages up to international standards of cleanliness, safety, and care. Instead, they leave infants to writhe in soiled rags for hours before changing them, and they force feed children in such a rough way that some wards with trouble swallowing have been known to develop pneumonia as a result. I watched the brighest little girl in my group, a 2 and a half year old, lick another child’s urine off her desk because the temperatures were record-breaking and the children weren’t to be given water for another few hours. Horrifying. I will never think of Mother Teresa, her nuns, or her zealous worshippers in the same way again.

Before you go, read the UNESCO description and a little about how the cathedral was made. You’ll appreciate it so much more when you learn little the facts, like how a couple of guys spent most of their lives hand-carving the chandeliers out of salt.

Berlin is worth visiting just to see the memorial to the murdered Jews. I’ve been all over the world and seen a LOT of memorials, but that one is way ahead of the others as the most powerful, most perfectly designed, and most strongly impacting. Words can’t do it justice. Other notable sites include the Brandenburger Tor, the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the remaining portion of the Berlin Wall. While you’re in Berlin, make sure to get some currywurst from a street vendor and enjoy some of the other local cuisine, which seems to be more Turkish, south Asian, and north African than German. You can find traditional German food in Berlin, but it’s not what the locals are eating.

Even though Berlin’s a great place to visit, I didn’t really love the time I spent there. The whole city seemed sort of soul-less. It lacked the open, friendly, welcoming atmosphere that I enjoy in Prague and Poland. In Berlin, I felt like just another foreign face in a sea of hurrying, unsmiling people who spend too much time on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn and not enough time smelling the flowers.

Vienna is not my favorite city, and although I wouldn’t mind going back to see some of the things that were closed when I visited, I don’t think I’ll make a point to go back anytime soon. However, I spent 3 crazy days here with some never-before-met, distant relatives, so Vienna will always hold a special place in my heart.

If I am to be totally impartial, I will admit that I think Vienna is the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited. It’s a bit too big and convenient for my taste, but it should be a top destination for anyone who loves western Europe.

You’ll find the best capuccino on earth at Cafe Mlynek.
Seriously.

hockeydja is right about the tour—the best part is the cathedral, and you don’t spend nearly enough time there. I think the mine is worth visiting because there’s nothing else like it in the world and the cathedral really is stunning (even if you do only get to spend 5 minutes there). However, if you’re only going to be in Krakow for a few days and don’t have any prior interest in mining or sculpture, I’d recommend you stay in the city. There are plenty of amazing things to see in Krakow.

PS – When I visited, my tourguide instructed us not to lick the walls. When I told my relatives (native Poles) about this, they laughed at me and were shocked that I hadn’t licked the walls anyway. Apparently, it’s a tradition to disobey the guide and taste the salt wall. At the time, I thought it was a pretty gross tradition… but now I kind of wish I would have done it.

International travelers, brace yourselves. The room with the baggage claim for arrivals and the room with the security line for departures are both waaaaaay too small.

However, if getting through this airport means getting to go to Krakow, it’s well worth it :D

If you go to Krakow and miss Rynek Glowny, you’ve missed the heart of the city! The prices in Sukiennice are pretty much the same as in the rest of the city, so don’t be afraid to shop there. If you go in the evening, you’ll get to see breakdancers, fire-jugglers, accordion quintets (who seem to only know 3 different songs…), guitar soloists, and all kinds of other random entertainment. Don’t miss the “hidden” mall! It’s accessable via the stores to the right of St. Mary’s Church (when you’re looking at the church). Walk past Empik and the next few stores until you get to Benneton and the surrounding stores. If you go in them, you’ll find they each have a back exit (or a second floor) that leads you out to the common area of a mall. I lived in Krakow for 4 months and almost completely missed this.

The dragon statue really does breathe fire!

I studied abroad here in Fall 2006 and had an excellent time reconnecting with distant relatives, studying Polish, and soaking in the unique atmosphere of this city—old, but modern; young, but ancient; royal, but down-to-earth. I’d like to move back pemanently.

Don’t all of you visit at once! Part of Krakow’s charm is the fact that it is very much a city for Poles, not tourists. I recommend Lonely Planet’s Polish phrasebook for travelers who have any intention of going anywhere the locals are. Many young Poles are fluent in English, but you might be out of luck if you find yourself in a shop staffed by people over the age of 30.