Hello 2010

Happy New Year everyone and hello 2010! Here I am in my friend's apartment in London and we went to see the fireworks at midnight. The streets were full of people and cops (including cops riding horses), and everyone was walking on the roads. It was like everyone came out of the bars and clubs to watch the fireworks and we reached a location that we cannot move forward then the fireworks came along. This time round it wasn't the lamppost that blocked my view of the fireworks but a huge building. The crazy caucasians were popping champagne and spraying it all over the place. I really hope that my jacket was not hit by any alcohol. Even now from the apartments, I can hear them screaming and talking loudly. I believe this is how they celebrate New Year in London. I heard from a polish guy that the way they celebrate New Year is that from the morning of New Year's eve, they drink vodka all the way to 4th Jan.

I wanted to write about Krakow (where I was before London) and how much I loved the city but I got lazy. Auschwitz and Birkenau is really a place you do not want to miss out when you are at Krakow as they showcase the scale of the atrocities committed by the Nazi and you get welcomed by a very ironic sign saying "Arbeit macht frei". Another very impressive place is the Wieliczka salt mine where everything is carved out of salt including sculptures, chapels and even a church. They even had a "last supper" portrait carved out of salt after the famous painting by Da Vinci. This is not all - there are so much more to do in Krakow and things are not that expensive as compared to the other places I have been to.

I need to get some rest and think about how to make my way to Coventry and visit my friend at University of Warwick. Have fun everyone and lets hope 2010 is a good year. It is snowing now :)

PS: I think it is really a great experience travelling alone. People tend to be more willing to strike a conversation with someone who is alone and I enjoyed talking to people. I've learnt a lot more things talking to people.