It’s funny how sometimes you just feel like doing random things. Like sit in a Lego shop and play with the bricks for a good two hours before heading to your next destination. If you must know, I managed to fashion a synagogue / church (can’t really tell which it resembles more) out of a ton of yellow bricks.
That’s what I did, of all places, in Poland’s second largest city. Don’t get me wrong. Krakow is a lovely city, and there are tons of things you could do besides playing with Lego. But I thought I needed a break after a three-hour excursion to Auschwitz. I guessed I just needed somewhere to sit down and contemplate what I’ve just seen in what is known as the largest Nazi concentration camp in Europe.
I had chosen to base myself at Kazimierz after reading about the cool bohemian vibe in this Jewish quarter. Of course, rentals here are also cheaper than elsewhere. And I was surprisingly rewarded with an adjoining Chinese restaurant run by Vietnamese immigrants. I know this might sound silly but I was really craving noodles and fried rice after two weeks in Europe, so this restaurant was a godsend. And its portions were extremely generous – I had never seen so much rice on a plate for 4 euros!
Exploring the Jewish quarter is another adventure on its own. A little sedate in the day, the cobblestone enclave really comes alive at dusk – when the pubs and restaurants open and start filling up with locals.
Unlike Warsaw, which was completely flattened by Nazi bombardment, Krakow was spared after a stroke of luck. This means that most, if not all of its churches and castles dating back to the 10th century – remain gloriously pristine. Rynek Glowny is the city’s heartbeat. Ringed by swanky restaurants and creative pubs, the market square retains the Old Town vibe, untouched by globalisation and American brands (but that could change in the future).
Here, I found myself content to just kick back on my salon chair and people-watch while slurping on a Zywiec. Prague seems like an inferior cousin already. LS
The Old Town Market Square (Rynek Starego Miasta) overlooking the Vistula is the heart of Warsaw and probably any traveller’s first stop. However, when the sun goes down, hipsters and well-heeled Poles flock to Nowy Świat, a cosmopolitan F&B thoroughfare that boasts some of Warsaw’s swankiest cafes and fine dining restaurants. Here, you can spend hours just people watching or bar-hop to find your ideal poison. Luckily for me, they still count in zlotys. So go ahead, indulge your inner demons! 
If what the Japanese did to us was abominable, what the Americans did to the Japanese (in the name of ending the Pacific War) was unpardonable. I recalled the solemn atmosphere at the 
On 6 August 1945, Hiroshima was flattened by a uranium bomb, dropped by a US B-29 bomber, and which exploded about 600 metres above the city. Nicknamed ‘Little Boy’, the bomb unleashed a gigantic fireball (370 metres in diameter) over the city when it detonated, measuring 6,000 degrees Celsius. Thousands caught in the hypocentre of the bomb instantly vaproised. The resulting firestorm from the blast swept across Hiroshima, incinerating everything in its path. 140,000 people perished. The radiation emitted by the bomb will continue to haunt the generations after.
The Peace Memorial Park just outside the Museum had a dedicated section to the children who perished during the bombing. Thousands of colourful paper peace cranes, painstakingly folded and woven into Japanese kanji (or Chinese) characters symbolising Peace, dotted the Children’s Memorial Park. I stood in front of the Children’s Memorial, the statue of an angel, and said a silent prayer.
Prague may have lived past its post-Velvet Revolution tag of the “Paris of the East”. Tourist arrivals since the turn of the century have driven up living standards and costs, and made this once affordable city on par with its more illustrious West European neighbours. However, these have done little to diminish the city’s allure. Even on a weekday, 
Thankfully, there are pockets of Prague to call your own. And you can find them in the less crowded neighbourhoods of Vinohrady and Vršovice, or the rustic back alleys of Provaznická and Karlin. But if you desire to do nothing, just pick a good spot in one of the many alfresco restaurants at Malá Strana (or the ‘Little Quarter’) and watch the world go by, with a Pilsner. 
lonesojourns 