What the guidebooks don't tell you #1
What to do in Krakow at 5.30 on a Friday morning.
(By the way, is anyone reading this thing? Please post comments or send emails!! We can't become betrothed every week, but we'll try to keep it interesting somehow.)
Our overnight train from Budapest arrived in Krakow before sunrise, and the shops may be shut at this time, but this looks like one funky town! Excellent clothes shops, bars and cafes, lovely architecture and ice crystals twinkling in the air (actually I think that's all of Europe right now). Can't wait till some of these places are open for the day.
But people rise early in Poland it seems, and our fear of having to resort to some desolate international fast food chain were completely unfounded - just as the cold was beginning to bite we stumbled across this internet cafe which serves hot tea and coffee. It's right on the big town square, which has a huge Cathedral and is surrounded by historic buildings which we were just able to make out through the fog. We can certainly recommend pre-dawn sightseeing, by the way, particularly if you're racing through Europe at the speed we are - get those cities ticked off all the faster. (just kidding).
Anyway, to catch up a bit on the last few days, we took a train from Split to Zagreb on Tuesday, through the countryside of Croatia. The train was brand new, but the trip was somewhat sobering as we passed a lot of towns which had obviously been shelled and not yet rebuilt. In Zagreb we changed trains and continued on to Budapest where we were due to arrive at 9pm. We finally got there at 11pm after many inexplicable stops in desolate rail sidings.
Luckily we'd booked accommodation, but unfortunately didn't know exactly where it was (assuming a 9pm arrival wasn't outrageously late). Using our ingenuity, and availing ourselves of a convenient and brightly lit international fast food establishment, we sidestepped the taxi touts (by far the dodgiest people in town) and got to our hostel about 12.30am.
Budapest was very picturesque, with exoticly shaped spires dotting the skyline. The houses of parliament are stunning, and a wallow in the hot baths of Buda are just the thing for thawing out.
Now I have to post this to find out if our photo has attached ... or not. Please bear with us.
(By the way, is anyone reading this thing? Please post comments or send emails!! We can't become betrothed every week, but we'll try to keep it interesting somehow.)
Our overnight train from Budapest arrived in Krakow before sunrise, and the shops may be shut at this time, but this looks like one funky town! Excellent clothes shops, bars and cafes, lovely architecture and ice crystals twinkling in the air (actually I think that's all of Europe right now). Can't wait till some of these places are open for the day.
But people rise early in Poland it seems, and our fear of having to resort to some desolate international fast food chain were completely unfounded - just as the cold was beginning to bite we stumbled across this internet cafe which serves hot tea and coffee. It's right on the big town square, which has a huge Cathedral and is surrounded by historic buildings which we were just able to make out through the fog. We can certainly recommend pre-dawn sightseeing, by the way, particularly if you're racing through Europe at the speed we are - get those cities ticked off all the faster. (just kidding).
Anyway, to catch up a bit on the last few days, we took a train from Split to Zagreb on Tuesday, through the countryside of Croatia. The train was brand new, but the trip was somewhat sobering as we passed a lot of towns which had obviously been shelled and not yet rebuilt. In Zagreb we changed trains and continued on to Budapest where we were due to arrive at 9pm. We finally got there at 11pm after many inexplicable stops in desolate rail sidings.
Luckily we'd booked accommodation, but unfortunately didn't know exactly where it was (assuming a 9pm arrival wasn't outrageously late). Using our ingenuity, and availing ourselves of a convenient and brightly lit international fast food establishment, we sidestepped the taxi touts (by far the dodgiest people in town) and got to our hostel about 12.30am.
Budapest was very picturesque, with exoticly shaped spires dotting the skyline. The houses of parliament are stunning, and a wallow in the hot baths of Buda are just the thing for thawing out.
Now I have to post this to find out if our photo has attached ... or not. Please bear with us.
posted by Wednesdays at 10:07 PM
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