Krakow and the 24hr Pierogies

Krakow- old town

After Brussels, Gemma, Josh and I arrived in Krakow. The capital of Poland from the 11th until the 16th century, this beautiful city remains an important cultural, academic, and economic centre in the country. Unlike Warsaw and many other Polish cities, Krakow was not destroyed at the end of WWII. It is therefore possible to explore well-preserved historic buildings including some dating back to the middle ages and remnants of the Krakow Jewish Ghetto. This is all according to our amazing tour guide, Ella. She was fantastic! We did the "Krakow" and the "Kazimierz/Jewish district" free walking tours with her. I highly recommend doing at least one of those to get an overview of the city's history and to check out the main sights. Visit their website here for more info.

While in Krakow, Gemma and I had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz (Josh had been before). It is a must for anyone interested in learning more about the holocaust and WWII. I wouldn't plan on doing anything too crazy afterwards because it is quite overwhelming, as it should be. We left this for our last day. It  is a solemn experience.

In addition to all the historic sights and cultural activities, Krakow is well known for its amazing nightlife. To make the most of it, I would recommend staying at a small party hostel -- especially if you're travelling alone. We stayed at the Pink Panther's party hostel and they offered free vodka tasting, soup, fondue and champagne on the nights we were there. I guess the downside of a party hostel is the noise but just bring some earplugs and suck it up, it's well worth it for a very good time.

Organized fun might not seem like a very intrepid thing to do but we decided to go on our hostel's pub crawl and had lots of fun! The two staff members leading the pub-crawl were young and fun and without them, we probably could not have found the bars they took us to. Touristy? Yes, but unless you speak polish or are staying with a local, a pub-crawl is not a bad idea! It only cost us around 50 zloty (about 12 EUR). Unfortunately, everyone in our group got super wasted so we only got to do 2 out of 5 of the bars and clubs we were supposed to party in. Oops. My happiest memory remains the delicious 24hr pierogi Josh and I got at the end of the night...YUM.

I recommend you...

• Take the Krakow Free Walking tour! Our tourguide Ella was awesome, check out their website here
• Go out in Kazimierz, the old jewish district
• Go to Plaza Nowy in Kazimierz where you can check out the market on weekend mornings or go for a drink at a nearby bar. Definitely don’t forget to eat a Zapiekanka!
• Try polish soup, our favourite was the mushroom soup served in a bread bowl
• Eat some 24hr Pierogis at Zapiecek (only 12 PLN)
• Hang out at Rynek Główny (Main Market Square)
• Go to the Wawel Castle
• Get drunk on Zubrowka Vodka with apple juice
• Visit St. Francis of Assisi's Church; it was Pope John Paul II’s favourite church

Fotos (all by me so please ask if you want to use them on your site)

Main Market Square

Mushroom soup!

Main Square - monument for the 19th century poet Adam Mickiewicz 

Inside the Sukiennice (Draper's Hall)

The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul 

Old Town Krakow

Old town Krakow - note the fake stone, apparently stone was the shit and really hard to find

Wawel Cathedral at Wawel Castle

The Wawel Castle

Where Pope Jean Paul II used to live before being pope 

Outside of Pople Jean Paul II old dwelling

Zapiekanki rotunda

Zapiekanka

Some trendy bar in Kazimierz, old jewish district now hipster gem 

Memorial to Jews from the Krakow Ghetto on their deportation site. There are 12 chairs and each chair represents 1000 victims

Remnant of the Krakow Ghetto 

Memorial to the Jews of the Krakow Ghetto

The old Synagogue in Kazimierz

Auschwitz

Brussels and Losing One's Beer Virginity

Ah, the beautiful capital of Belgium and the seat of many European Union institutions. My friend Gemma and I chose it as the start of our March holidays and Joshua, a fellow english assistant and partner in crime and travels met us there. Like me, he was very excited about having some Belgian brews and it's hard to remember if we even drank water while we were there. Don't judge, in France, we've been subject to impossibly shitty beer since October. I'd like to think that our enthusiasm persuaded Gemma to try her very first beer! Granted, it was a fruity one but I see it as a milestone in the girl's life. The trip only lasted two nights and a day but we managed to walk around quite a bit and squeeze in a visit to the Magritte museum, the Grand Place, the European Parliament, and Delirium Cafe. We couch-surfed in a cozy student house and our host showed us her neighbourhood so we also managed to see a bit of Brussels through a local's eye.

Do you drink beer? What's your favourite? I love strong dark brews with coffee or chocolate-y undertones

I recommend you....

• Drink plenty of beer everywhere but do stop by Delirium Cafe
• Eat plenty of waffles. We recommend the street… try to find the best one!
• Eat fries "Chez Antoine" – look for a little kiosk in Place Jourdan
• Stop by the Poechenellekelder bar for a dark beer while visiting the old town

Photos: 

Grand Place

Grand Place (Photo credit: GPD)

European Parliament

Magritte museum - downstairs

Bistrot À la mort subite - good atmosphere and cute but overpriced

Dark beer time at Poechenellekelder

Delirium Cafe

Delirium Cafe

Delirium Cafe (photo credit: GPD)

Gemma's first fruity beer at a random cafeteria

Manneken Pis

March adventures in Belgium, Poland, and Hungary

At the beginning of March, I embarked on a fantastic two-week holiday with my good friend Gemma. The ongoing deterioration of our bodies that ensued was well worth the amount of fun, food, culture, history and alcohol we consumed. We survived but mostly enjoyed Brussels, Krakow, Warsaw with tightly packed suitcases and even tighter budgets. Check out our recommendations below and click on the links for more photos and a juicier account of our adventures!

Brussels - Click here for more!

• Drink plenty of beer everywhere but do stop by Delirium Cafe
• Eat plenty of waffles. We recommend the street… try to find the best one!
• Eat fries "Chez Antoine" – look for a little kiosk in Place Jourdan

Krakow - Click here for more 

• Take the Krakow Free Walking tour! Our tourguide Ella was awesome, check out their website here
• Go out in Kazimierz, the old jewish district
• Go to Plaza Nowy in Kazimierz where you can check out the market on weekend mornings or go for a drink at a nearby bar. Definitely don’t forget to eat a Zapiekanka!
•  Try polish soup, our favourite was the mushroom soup served in a bread bowl
• Eat some 24hr Pierogis at Zapiecek (only 12 PLN)
• Hang out at Rynek Główny (Main Market Square)
• Go to the Wawel Castle
• Get drunk on Zubrowka Vodka with apple juice
• Visit St. Francis of Assisi's Church; it was Pope John Paul II’s favourite church

Warsaw 

• Eat some incredibly cheap and delicious food at "Bar Mleczny Familijny", a polish milk bar. The staff does not speak english but they keep an english menu near the cash register. All you need to do is write down what you want and hand it over. Don't be discouraged by this, it's definitely worth a try! More about this place here.

Budapest 

• Indulge yourself and spend an afternoon (or a few) at one Budapest's Turkish baths; I went to and had a great time
• Try to catch a show at the opera, tickets are mad cheap and the building is gorgeous 
• Grab a bite of delicious hungarian food at Menza 

Packing for March Adventures

If I had to choose one thing right now I love about my job, it would be the holidays. I'm serious, we get so many! I doubt I will ever have as much free time as I do now. Please note I wrote one thing right now and not the one thing. I enjoy teaching but my french kids have been particularly difficult this week... Yo, I would be too if I was 10 years old and had a 9-5 school schedule.

French educators take their holidays very seriously. A few weeks ago, it was proposed to cut down summer holidays. Most teachers at the schools I work at were opposed to these cuts and went on strike  (as did many teachers throughout France). I don't think it's such a bad idea to make the school year longer as long as that means shortening their ridiculously long schooldays, but that's just me.

I have time off until March 18th and I am embarking on my second mini-european tour. This time, I will be exploring Brussels, Krakow, Warsaw and Budapest. I am most excited about Belgian beer, Polish vodka, tram parties in Krakow, and Turkish baths in Budapest. I will definitely update via instagram @rearaniva and twitter @rearaniva as much as I can.

At a few hours away from my departure, I am trying to cram my suitcase with both warm and cool outfits. I've chosen a black, white and gold palette so that hopefully I will look at least half-decent throughout the trip. Since I am in a permanent state of semi-brokenness, the only choice was to fly Ryanair. The plus side? 8 euro flights to Budapest from Krakow. The downside? strict hand luggage regulations i.e. a microscopic suitcase where I might be able to fit a couple of t-shirts.

This is what I'm hoping will fit in my suitcase:

I also got a lot of tiny toiletries; for once in my life I'm going to embrace cleanliness while travelling #Newlife.

Milan and how (not) to choose the perfect accomodation on Airbnb

View of Milan from Il Duomo 

A few friends and I went to Milan on the first weekend of February and despite a few obstacles we encountered on site, it turned out to be if not a fun weekend, a memorable one.

Everyone on Facebook and IRL assured me that Milan was Italy's ugly ducking city. A thriving industrial, fashion, and economic centre? Yes, but not nearly as quaint or as beautiful as say Rome or Florence. My friends and I decided to be posh and rent an apartment via Airbnb rather than stay at a hostel, like commoners... I guess. Gemma and I had done it a week earlier in Paris and we still remember it as the most comfortable stay we've had outside a hotel. Unfortunately, our Milan experience was quite the opposite. The apartment was absolutely beautiful but our host Andrea turned out to be a bit of a scammer who tried to collect a 540 € security deposit after we left.  

I got a bad feeling when our host's mother - not him - received us. We got settled in though and proceeded to explore the city. When we returned, and after multiple tries, we couldn't open the door, our host couldn't open the door, and his mother couldn't open the door. The key just would not turn, the lock was completely stucked. After about a pointless hour of mother and son trying to open the obviously jammed door, we were advised to wait at a nearby McDonalds while the locksmith arrived and did his job. Classy as always, my friend and I got really drunk on gin and tonic while we waited (read more about it here). 

After about 1h30, we were able to enter the apartment and even had a reckless night out. The rest of the trip went smoothly, although we were not able to lock the door during our stay. Andrea was very nice throughout the ordeal and even offered us a reimbursement for the first night - which we never got! Imagine the surprise when the girl who had booked everything on her card got an email from Airbnb saying that Andrea was claiming 540 € for the dammages. 

I called Andrea with the hopes that it was some communication problem. It was not. He claimed that the locksmith had charged him 540 € and that the jamming of the door had been our fault because they had allegedly found a piece of the key in the lock. As far as I can recall, the key looked intact before we handed over to them. He sounded very determined to get "his money back". I bet I sounded just as determined to keep it. He said he understood we were poor students and suggested we go 50-50 on the alleged cost of the locksmith and "solve the problem between us" without the help of Airbnb... He then sent us his bank information and assured us that he would withdraw the deposit claim when he received his 270 € payment. In my opinion, he shot himself in the foot by asking us to do a direct deposit. Thankfully we knew better than to do that -- we had no guarantee that he would in fact withdraw the 540 € claim. 

We wrote back to Airbnb, contesting his claim. We explained everything that happened including his failure to provide us with a reimbursement and his outrageous request of a 270 € direct deposit. Luckily, Airbnb agreed with us and they dropped the case. He was obviously just trying to make an extra buck. 

I have gone back to using Airbnb without any mishap since this unfortunate experience but I have developed some rules so that this never happens again. I have outlined them below. 

Things to look for when choosing Airbnb accomodations: 

1. Location - google map it!
2. The description - the longer the better! It's a good sign if a host has gone through the trouble of writing an extensive description of the room and the services they offer. Do take the time to read everything, otherwise don't act surprised if you get there and there's a cat or you have to share a bathroom or there's no breakfast.
3. Photos - the more the better! This is another sign of how much effort the host has put into. If you're renting a room, it's nice to have a look at what the rest apartment looks like.  
4. References - read them thoroughly and read between the lines. If there's more than a negative one and they both point out the same things, better not take the risk. It's not like it's free.
5. Type of accommodation - I prefer renting a room or rooms than a whole apartment because if anything goes wrong, your host will be there. It's also more likely that breakfast is included
6. Fees - make sure you read if there are any cleaning fees or damages deposit added to the price.

Have you had any negative experiences on Airbnb or have anything to add? Post in the comment section below.

Euskalherria 2012

Current Basque Country Region in yellow, in the border between Spain and France

The Basque Country Region (or Euskal Herria) is nested within the "Atlantic Pyrenees" department in France, and the "Basque Country and Navarra autonomous communities in Spain. Is an aspiring nation defined, amongst other things, by their amazing food, well-kept traditions, a helluva complicated language (Euskera), and an ongoing fight for independence. 

I have been lucky enough to visit the French and Spanish Basque country in numerous occasions and it is by far my favourite place in Western Europe. The weather is not extreme, the beaches are not too crowded in the summertime, and the food is always amazing and cheap. I will take the Basque Country over anywhere on the Mediterranean any day. Did I mention the food is incredible? 

If you are travelling there, don't worry if you don't speak Euskera! Most people speak either French or Spanish depending on which side you are visiting and signs are always in both Euskera and French/Spanish. 

1. Pasaia

I first visited the Basque Country in 2007 to visit my aunt and baby cousin. They live in a tiny port town called Pasai Donibane which is about 20 minutes away from the more bourgeois San Sebastian. I recommend going there for a day-trip and visit the Santa Ana hermitage, going on a walk along the water and check out the main square. If you are a Victor Hugo fan, he lived there and there is a museum dedicated to him. If you are looking to have a drink and some food, I would go to:

Txulotxo
-- Basically in the Main Square, you'll see it. Their food is delicious, especially the calamari. 

San Juandarra
-- Definitely a very popular bar. You'll see bits of the history of the Basque Country and if you speak spanish, anyone would be happy to talk to you there.

Bar Restaurante Juantxo SL
-- For a very local, popular atmosphere, this bar is at the very entrance of Pasai Donibane. 



There's also a cute bar in front of the church on the main road, there's only one church and one main road so I'm sure you'll find it!

Pasai Donibane viewed from Pasai San Pedro

The main Square

This is me on a boat on my way to Pasai San Pedro, Pasai Donibane's rival town across the port





TO BE CONTINUED.... IN THE MEANTIME SOME PHOTOS: 

2. Lezo

3. San Juan de Luz 

4. San Sebastian

Outfit Reviews for December - February

I'm sorry I've neglected this blog so much. I've been very lazy and so busy hoping from one place to another #SoHumble. Ok, the main reason I've stopped dropping posts is because my internet sucked until 2 days ago. It has taken about 4 months to get a technician from France Telecom to come fix whatever was wrong with my wifi signal. Classic France. I have also been really busy with my job, I'm telling you those kids are going to learn english whether they want it or not.

I'd like to believe my dozens of followers have been dying to know what I've been up to AND what I've been wearing so I'm just going to do a recap of my most memorable outfits in the past couple of months. Although, more than an exercise in sartorial introspection, this an opportunity to brag (and humblebrag) about the trips I've been on since October, which by the way have driven me to both extreme broke-ness and extreme happiness.

#1 "Pixie-Fairy-Psychedelic-Post-Grunge"(San Juan de Luz, Basque country)

>> Read about my trips to the Basque country here

Black wool jumper
Opaque Floral dress
Maroon boots

#2 "Circus-Vaudeville Elderly-Chick" (Lyon, France)

>> Read about my trip to Lyon here

Velvet jacket
Floral dress

#3a "Steam-Punk Aviator Post-Grunge Casual"  (Geneva, Switzerland)

>> Read about my trip to Geneva here

Leather Jacket
Black leggins
Maroon leather boots
Maroon scarf

#3b "Post-Grunge Casual" (Geneva, Switzerland)

Jean shirt
White t-shirt

#4 "Elderly-Grunge Utilitarian Travel-Chic & Glamour Face Bonus (Barcelona, Spain)

>> Read about 

Maroon Sweater
Black jeans
Black boots
Utility/construction socks

#5a "Steam-punk Andes-grunge Aviator Post-Hipster Travel-chic" (Berlin, Germany)

Leather jacket
Black leggings
Blue wool scarf
Converse shoes 

#5b "Post-Nerd Travel-Chic Andes Casual" (Berlin, Germany)

Leather jacket
Red wool hat
Jeans and jean-patterned gloves

#6 "Elderly-chic" (Paris, France)

Coat
Denim purse
Maroon scarf
Black leggings

#7 "Elderly-Chic" (Milan, Italy)

Beige coat
Neon orange scarf
Red pants
Maroon leather boots