....... itchy feet comes home

Who says that the English Language is an international language??? In Eastern Europe , Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) ordered his meals using the sign language and fragments of English as understood by the Polish, Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Austrians and Slovakians.

"This one." ( pointing to the menu ) " Kuak Kuak... chicken.. ok " (Meaning YS wants chicken. )
" Moooo...Mooo... beef.. beef.. ." Of course, almost every one understood "Beer."

Another sign board in German !

Eastern Europe is old and perhaps older than her western counterpart. Communism has kept this part of the world intact all those years from the prying eyes of tourists. After the fall of the Eastern Block, these places of beauty have been opened to all. Thanks to the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our passport can gain entry to all the countries in Eastern Europe without any visa ! Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) only wishes to post peculiar sights and sightings because better photographs can be seen in travel web sites.

And this photo is only half of the statue of Marie Theresa, the matriarch of the Hofburg's family and empire and also the mother of Mary Antonnite who was guillotined during the French Revolution.

In Germany, do what the Germans do. Drink lots of beer and eat big, fat and oily sausages.


This is an intricate sculpture outside the German's parliament building..

This is Potsdam, the city of emperors. The residence of Prussian royalty over the centuries. Remarkable for its palaces and refined gardens.

The interior of the Hundertwasser's washroom in Vienna. It is 0.70 Euro per visit or roughly RM 2.80 per wee wee. And this ...... and this ......... is the strangest washroom in all of Eastern Europe.
This is how the Hundertwasser's washroom is advertised.

This is the village of Hundertwasser. It is back to nature. " The straight line is alien to mankind - F Hundertwasser only uses it where functionally dem,ands. Its closeness to nature - its shapes - its colour, these are the principal elements of Hundertwasser village - as unique as it is impressive - an invitation to think."


This is the chain bridge over the Blue Danube of Budapest in Hungary.

.... and who said that the Danube is blue??? It is muddy !!! The fore front is Buda and the further front is Pest, thus you get Budapest.

Again in Budapest, drink red wine like the Hungarians do. "Cheers" "Salute" to life.

This is the front of the residence of the late Pope John Paul II at Krakow, Poland.

This is one of the many Jewish concentration camps during Hitler's mad reign of Poland and the rest of Europe. This is also a grim reminder of racism and fascism can result in.

The sign board that greeted the holocaust victims as their train pulled into the concentration camp.
This is an example of an eclectic architecture of Prague. You see building of several ages and they are all awesomely beautiful.

A view down a quaint village at the Germany's national park - breathtakingly picturesque.

This is a " Pasar Malam" / flea market in Dresden, Germany.

The better half was captivated by the blooms.

This is the castle at Dresden.

What is left of the Berlin Wall. This is the once west side which many Easterners clamored to enter.
This is the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. Built in the form of blocks of all sizes and height and haphazardly placed on uneven floor helps to create the uncertainties, suffering and horror that the victims had experienced.

The firing range in the Auschwitz detention camp. It is only 60 to 70 years ago and the youngest of the victims are still living so they come to commemorate the deceased with flowers and candles. A horrific reminder of racism and fascism that Hitler is infamously responsible for. It is a grotesque crime against humanity. Y S' main reason for visiting Eastern Europe is to see this camp.

So, Viva life, one off Y S' bucket list.