Discoveries in Krakow

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11th October - Journey and Evening

The journey was everything you'd imagine from an Eastern European train. The train moved slowly to Krakow and two old men filled the car with smoke as I slept. Arriving in Krakow, I tried, but failed to find the hostel Aga recommended. Fortunately, I met a fellow backpacker who recommended me to the best hostel I encountered on the whole trip, called Momotown in the Jewish Quarter. After check-in and a quick chat to a friendly Aussie traveller in my room, I gave Amadeus a call and accepted the job in Nice. This required me to post back a signed copy of the contract that my mother had emailed to me, so I had to find a cybercafe to print it, then get some envelopes to put it into and navigate the Polish postal system to send it. Fortunately the Polish postal system is pretty good, so it wasn't really a huge problem, but it did take a while. Then I found I'd left my towel in Aga's place, so had to buy a new one at the street market. On the way back, I passed a pretty old-style little cafe, so I dropped in. It was suitably beautiful, great old-Polish interior design and top-notch espresso and bun served by a moustached owner with a suitably unhappy attitude (big tip for him!)

Then back to the hostel for a little bit of a snooze before heading out again. On the way to a recommended stall in a square around the corner, and on the way I encounter two passers-by speaking english, who recommended a great food stall for food.
Turned out they were enthusiastic couchsurfers called Marek (spelling?!) and Masha.
We had a few beers over some great conversation and headed for a local nightclub which was pretty cool. They were enthusiastic to go and see Ukraine with me, but sadly they didn't feel they didn't have time (oh well). Fun night all the same, and leaving the nightclub, I found a map and compass in my pockets and got home with a fantastic piece of drunken orienteering :D

12th October - Onwards

Wake up to a great hostel breakfast without too much of a hangover, and a walk around the castle, before going into the old town to replace my phone charger. A great kebab for lunch and then back to the hostel where the friendly Aussie traveller helped me around the trams to the station, and a quick trip to an electronics store, where the queue to buy a disposable camera almost causes me to miss my train to the Ukrainian border. But I make it to the station on time, charging across the tracks instead of using the underground tunnel and up onto the train, onwards to Przemysl.

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