A Room with a View

I’m staying around the corner from the Krakow Philharmonic Hall, and the 10th century Wawel Castle, home to royalty for 500 years, is practically in my backyard. Every one said that Krakow was a beautiful city but I wasn’t expecting a view like this from my window.

An hour away by bus is Auschwitz, which I visited yesterday: probably the last thing I wanted to do. When the bus pulled up outside the museum, I was ready to return to Krakow. I left only two hours into the three hour tour. It is the saddest place I have ever been, though I don’t know how you could come this close and not visit - perhaps visit isn’t the right word but I'm not sure what is. I can’t fathom a job as a tour guide. It would be heartbreaking.

On Thursday nights at my hostel a free dinner is offered. There are two parts of the hostel and dinner was in the other building, a ten-minute walk away. Never one to turn down free food, I trekked over at 8 o’clock in search of company and found Columbians, French and Turkish travellers, plus the resident Poles, two kilos of pasta and a smidgen of Polish vodka.

Today I walked down Ul. Kanonicza, the oldest street in Krakow where most of the houses were built in the Middle Ages - and one was home to Pope John Paul 11. I strolled all around Kazimierz, the Jewish district, and across the Wista river to a bench in an unnamed park where I sat in the sunshine. I could taste spring in the air - the high of 13 today had me leaving behind my usual winter armour of coat, gloves and scarf.

Just a few other things to add: you know how at home if there are road works blocking off half the road, we have men in vests who direct the flow of traffic? Well, Poles don’t have this ...

And I forgot to tell you about the food theft in Warsaw - how I forgot, since I was feet stomping mad, I will never know. Twice! I fell victim to food thievery in my hostel. Not satisfied with just taking my orange juice, they came back a second time for my whole bag of food supplies I’ve been carting around. Just writing this makes me mad. At least the jar of nutella was almost empty. Still, a pox on those who stole.

Envious that Margs will get to see all of you so soon, but the excellent adventures shall continue on.

Love Mad