Ze enemy iz heaw, heaw & heaw

I feel inspired.

So, to get to Krakow, we rented a car, thinking that it would be much easier, faster, and more convenient in terms of travel.  We were kind of right.  The problem with trying to read directions to go through 3 different countries is that they are in 3 different languages.  The map may say to turn right, but the name of the street that they are telling you to turn on doesn't necessarily match the sign that is on the building.  QUICK!  WHAT DO WE DO?  I'll tell you.  We make u-turns until we find it.  Illegal, yet effective.
Dom, don't you think it would be a good idea to keep a hand on the wheel and a hand on the shifter?  Although, the music was certainly catchy.  

We stuffed 3 girls in the back seat of a Mitsubishi Colt.  Comfy :).  I am used to this sort of arrangement due to the size of my family.  I even offered to ride "bitch" for the majority of the ride.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with that term, it means that I chose to ride in the middle of the backseat.  While this does mean that I did not have a headrest or a car door to lie back on, it did mean that I got to witness all the action going on in front.  I've never felt so alive. (insert maniacal laughter here for emphasis)

Since we had 9 people total, we were able to take over a whole room in the hostel.  It was called Dizzy Daisy, and they have branches is many popular tourist destinations.  There were 10 beds in our room, and the extra was already occupied by a guy from England.  It was cool hearing the story of how many places he had been to.  Apparently he spends his summers on Long Island teaching swim lessons, and then for the rest of the year he travels!  Crazy.  Tiring, but certainly exciting.

The sad part of our trip?  It was raining almost the entire time.  Made for cute pictures though.  


This is the dragon that is a part of the myth of Krakow.  Every 5 minutes, he breathes fire!  Or, if you want him to do it earlier, you can send an SMS with the message "smok" to the gas company's special number.

Historical sites always have a great deal of money, which they spend on landscaping.  Hence, pretty flowers that I have never seen before.  Grammy!  What are they?!?!
This is one of the oldest markets in Central Europe...I guess its more than 300 years old.  They have lots of jewelry and wood work shops.  Amber seems to be the most popular item.  

This is the cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.  The 12 Apostles are appropriately situated outside...doing a dance as my father pointed out :).  Each one shows the next step.  Take THAT Macarena!
This is a shot of the outside of the castle. We didn't actually go into any of the exhibits because the lines were long and the prices a bit silly.  Most of  my sightseeing decisions are based on finances.  Therefore, I walk around a lot...and windowshop.  I budget for food consumption.

This tree reminded me of the one that the Bader's had in their front yard when I was growing up.  Fond memories :).

I think the best part of the trip were the people I was with.  Wandering around the city with 2 Germans, 2 Lithuanians, 1 Dane, 2 UK Islanders, and 1 Turkish guy was hilarious.  For example:  When we were heading towards one of our destinations, part of the group erupted in a rendition of "We're following the Leader, the Leader, the Leader", to which Dieter, one of the Germans replied very somberly, "In my country, we cannot sing zis song".  Laughter ensued.  He also fathered the quote that serves as the title for this entry.  The story involves a map, the city center, and our inability to navigate 2 cars effectively.

Other quotes are mildly inappropriate and cannot be listed here.