Tara's Guide to being a tourist

You cant tick a place off your list if you've been there less than two whole days

Fun up Prague's 'Eiffel Tower'

Depends what kind of lists you make. I mean yeah you probably got a slight taste of the place so if its a taster list your making then yeah, go for it. Tick it off. But you still wont have any real stories to tell when someone sees your list and asks you how it was. Sure you can probably describe things like monuments and maybe the layout of the city if your lucky but you wont have any 'back road' stories. 

Recently i went to Budapest, Switzerland and Prague. Budapest and Prague aren't on my lists. I'm definitely going back. But i still have pretty pictures like this>>> 

that makes me look like I've been there. But this is the only real thing i did that day, then we left.

Don't get carried away with drinking

But another thing i did in Prague? Drink of  course. Its easy to drink where ever you go being a tourist because most of the activities and exploring you wanna do in a city is only possible during the day. so what do you do a night? SHOTS! BEER! And you think 'well i cant just sit here in the hostel!'. Well that's all well and good, but don't let it ruin the next day of adventuring. If your someone who can go out and still drag yourself around the city the next day to see everything then do it. But if your like me, you have to pace yourself and have a clear routine. I drink till midnight and then start drinking water. Even if i stay out till 6am. I can survive off no sleep. I cant survive with a hang over.

 

 

 

 

 

Find a higher ground

 My number one tip for when you arrive in a city and don't know what to do first, go to a viewpoint. Its the best way to look at a city because everything is laid out in front of you. It automatically gives you a sense of the city, the layout and what it looks like. Works for me every time. 

Deciding to go to the castle next,
which is the black spiky thing >>>>

Knowing someone automatically makes you a local

So i also went to Switzerland to the Ski Resort, Villars Sur Ollon, to stay with a friend there.


Knowing someone in a place you've never been is great because not only do you have your own personal tour guide, its a tour guide you like, can muck around with, do fun things with, show you the 'good spots' and transfers all their knowledge to you. It works both ways as well. They do tourist stuff that they've never really thought about doing cause they can do it whenever they want because they live there. I went to Switzerland two months prior to this time and this time was a million times better. Having said that, make sure the person you are going to see is willing to show you around and nice enough to be happy to have you to stay, otherwise you risk becoming a burden on them.

Accept that you'll never see everything. Or sometimes, even anything. 

 Ive been living in Krakow now for 2 months and i still don't feel like I've seen everything. I have had my sister come visit me all the way from Australia and i have more friends coming soon. I kind of feel the pressure on to act like i know the place but honestly, i don't. I know more than them so that's enough but even my home town in Australia still surprises me with things i didn't know. But if anyone is coming to Krakow go here:

Mozart Performance

Glonojad Restaurant

Vegetarian but serves some of the yummiest food ever tasted. Get the Samosa.

Really close to the city centre and near the galleria Krakowska

http://www.glonojad.com/

   

Check for Performances on

There is always something on. I have been to some amazing events such as the Krakow orchestra, choir and soloists performing Mozart in an amazing Baroque cathedral.

Check here: 

http://www.krakow-info.com/events.htm

It always has the most recent and up-to-date events.

Auschwitz

It is only one hour away and you can go to the main bus station and they will put you on the next bus. I don't need to have lived here to tell you to go see this. I think its an automatic assumption to go see it when you go to Krakow. A million people will be on the streets offering to take you to Auschwitz but its not necessary. You can go by yourself quite easily. Make sure you leave a full day though and aim to get there before 10am because that's when the tours start.

The Clubs.

Krakow use to one level lower than it is now. So there are a lot of underground places that were actually on the ground level before. All of these places are generally clubs. There are some great clubs, so go and explore. But mostly, Club Coco gives all women free drinks on Wednesday nights ;)

Stop seeing things and start doing things.

When i was staying with my friend in Switzerland, i went snowboarding.

I am a very active person back in Australia and it felt SO great to not be walking around taking pictures and actually be doing fun stuff. Yeah it is cheap to walk to sites and take pictures because it is free and it is always more expensive do things, like for example, bowling = money, snowboarding = money, kayaking = money, but its worth it. I'm not saying do it all the time. I'm saying its a nice break :)

SNOW!

Danube River, Budapest

Cities are better with water.

Ok thats all that needs to be said for that one. A city without canals or a river is just bad. You wont notice it at the time though, until you come across a river or a lake or a canal and you'll notice how much nicer the place feels. The best place to walk in Paris? Down the Seine. The best place to walk in London? Down the Thames. Water, just makes the world better. Then again, as a 'fresh water baby', i am biased. Anyway all this talk of water has made me thirsty. Ciao.

WEEEEE!!! Budapest!