Mom Says I’m Running Away

Day: 51

Another wonderful day in Krakow, I am pretty sure everyone out there in blog world is getting tired of more pictures of this spectacular city. On my sixth day here I really didn’t have any huge plans, except see if I could motivate myself to move on tomorrow.

The day went according to plan, or the lack thereof. I spent the morning just chilling out in a café reading with a coffee for a couple of hours than ordered a beer and salad for lunch, without ever getting out of my seat. I enjoyed another beer and all the people walking by and before I knew it was running on 3 pm. I hadn’t showered yet today so I made my way back to my hostel for another afternoon nap and a shower. I had been hoping to do my laundry here but of course their machine is broken! After I cleaned up and settled down from my exhausting day I meant Johanna who had just arrived and had a Polish friend here who was taking her out for a night on the town, she invited me to join and we set out to find some dinner before we had to meet her friend.

Now, with full knowledge that if I had another night on the town with no pictures, I would hear it from my brother, so I grabbed my camera and 50mm lens as we headed out. I went to take a picture and it wouldn’t auto-focus… funny. I played with it a little and it looks like my lens is jammed. Damn. Now I had no pictures of the evening and I can’t get it fixed (it is under warranty) until I get to a major city.

The night on the town was like a vodka tasting session (the Polish being vodka coinsurers, and the place where the drink originated). Drink after drink of different flavors and colors kept coming. At one point the Poles we were with brought out a tray with 30 shots (for the six of us) and called it the White Death. While I think they were accurate in there appraisal, because soon after the White Death, I don’t really remember much of the rest of the night.

Day: 50

I don’t know what it is, I can’t get enough of this little city in the east of Poland. I keep thinking about leaving but ever time I convince myself of another day of sitting in café’s and watching movies, or just strolling around the main square. This beautiful little city has got a grip on me. It may not make for the best stories but I can tell you all that if you ever have a chance to make it here you won’t regret it.

For some reason I was slightly worn out this morning, so after changing my hotel to a hostel I took a walk to try to find a barber (at my sisters urging). I searched high and low and all I came across was a fancy salon. I headed in for the longest haircut of my life. The barber (I am tempted to call him a stylist, because I think he’d prefer it) took 40 minutes to cut my hair with attention to every detail of my scalp. I would have been happy if he just ran his clippers across my head. After a couple of hours of walking I just made my way back to a bed that actually fit me and took a nice long afternoon nap. When I woke up I meant James, Laura, and Katie, three Aussies who just arrived in Krakow. They wanted to take a walk and look around so I decided to join them. We walked for a couple of hours until we made it to the river south of town, nearby there was a shopping center so I followed them in. After taking a look at what felt like any mall in America the girls thought we should see a movie (and since I love the movies who was I to decline). We watched Match Point then made our way back to the hostel.

Laura headed off to bed but James and I were hungry and when we headed out Katie decided to come along. We wandered around the old town until we found some Kebab’s and had a late, cheap dinner. Back at the hostel we shared a bottle of vodka and sprite and promised that tomorrow would be a better party night (being Thursday I was told).

Day: 49

Here a list of what I spent today and how weird prices seem.

50 zl (15.50) For a night in a hotel with my own room.

7 zl ($2.17) for 2 bottles of water, a banana, and an apple.

14 zl ($4.34) Round trip bus ride from Krakow to Auschwitz.

23 zl ($7.13) For a 3 ½ hour guided tour of Auschwitz and a 20 minute film.

23 zl ($7.13) A pizza and a beer.

17 zl ($5.27) For an ice cream sundae in the tourist part of town.

9 zl ($2.79) For a cappuccino in a café on the main square.

5 zl ($1.55) For a movie, Broken Flowers, in a movie theater.

4 zl ($1.24) For a 500ml can of beer in the movie theater.

Now I find it uncanny that I have to pay almost twice as much for a cup of coffee as to go see a feature film in a theatre.

Poland’s Weird.

(I guess I could have told you about concentration camps today, but thats a downer and the pictures say a lot)

Day: 48

Not really, I wanted to see the castle, get some good pictures, have a few killer meals, sit in a café and drink cappuccinos, eat ice cream and see a movie. I am not really in the mood to write out the specifics of the day, yet I managed to accomplish everything on my to-do list except go to the movies. I did actually get to the Theatre, but when I arrived I realized that the movie I wanted to see started at 18:15, not 8:15, Bummer for me and not reading better. I will give Europe one point for outsmarting me with their crazy military clock. Oh well I just wandered the city with the sun setting and got some great night shots.

Day: 47

Easter in Poland means everything outside the tourist main square is closed, so unfortunately no touring castle and traipsing around the countryside today. It was going to be a much more relaxed sort of Easter. I started my day by catching up with my blog in my room thanks to the free internet connection I’m picking up from someone, then headed out for a walk and an early lunch. I had another kielbasa from a street vendor, washed down with a beer and an apple that’s been in my bag for a few days. I was still worn out from a couple of nights ago and the hectic day of train travel yesterday so I went back to the room and took a nap for a few hours.

When I woke up it was nearing 3pm and the rain had cleared, so I set out to see what I could find. After a few laps I settled into a café on the main square, Rynek Glowney, but I was indecisive about weather to order a beer or a cappuccino, so I just ordered both and chilled out taking pictures of all the tourists for a couple of hours. Around 4:30 or so a Canadian doctor (what is it with me finding the doctors all the time? Maybe they can tell when someone’s liver will soon need replaced.) sat down near me and we struck up a conversation while watching the world go by. After a couple of hours Erin and I decided since we were both alone on Easter we should head out and find some dinner together. We went to a nice Italian restaurant, ate and talked for a couple of hours. We parted ways around 9 because she had to be at the hospital early in the morning and I wanted to get to my computer and talk to my family for Easter. We exchanged e-mails and said we would try to meet up later in the week.

I called my sister, Sarah, from my laptop and we talked for about 45 minutes until I got passed off to Mom, Grandpa, Step-dad, Aaron, Cousins, Uncles and everyone else around their Easter celebration. After about 2 ½ hour on that call I had to hang up and call my dad who I also talked to for about an hour. By 1:30 in the morning I had talked to my entire family and my arm was sore from holding my mic up to my mouth the whole time. I brushed my teeth and headed to bed (which was so uncomfortable that I just put it in the corner and slept on the floor), quite contented on how my Easter in Krakow turned out.

Day: 46

Thump. Thump. Thump.

What the hell is that noise I wondered without every opening my eyes.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Damn someone is rude to make all this noise early in the morning.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I open my eyes and realize the thumping is in my head.

It is only 7:45am and I have slept for about 3 ½ hours. I get up and go to the bathroom. I realize that my plan was to leave for Krakow today so I can spend Easter in Poland. Unfortunately if I don’t leave now I won’t arrive in Krakow at any reasonable hour.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I pack my stuff, ignore the thumping, eat breakfast, and head off to the train station. I bought my ticket (which had two train changes to get around the Carpathians) and climbed aboard the train for an entire day of traveling.

I close my eyes for a little nap.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I wake up about an hour later when the border patrol comes in to check my passport and give me a stamp. I must look like shit. At least the thumping in my head has gone away. The day was extremely uneventful, other than crossing two borders (Slovakia to Czech, and Czech to Poland) and listening to my Ipod.

A little after 7 pm, I arrived in Krakow on a busy holiday weekend and with no reservations. I wondered into about 5 hostels who were all full for Easter, I wasn’t yet worried though because the streets were full of people handing me flyers for their pensions, so I realized that even if it cost a little more I wouldn’t be sleeping in the train station tonight. Which was good, considering how I felt today. The sixth hostel had one private room for about $16 a night so I paid for three and was show to a closet with the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept on. Whatever, at least the showers were clean.

I headed out to find some dinner and came across a street market that was about to close but doing a thriving barbeque style dinner and beer sales. I order a Kielbasa and some sauerkraut and sat down with a beer to eat. After dinner I took a short walk and although I heard English everywhere and the city was bumping tonight, I wasn’t in the mood. I just headed back to my room and went to sleep wondering what Easter in Krakow will be like.