Day #183 - Krakow, Poland

Outdoor dining - central square - Krakow, Poland

Krakow, Poland

Krakow, Poland -- leaving the central square

Hard Rock Cafes are everywhere

Best building in Warsaw - major WWII destruction

Monday, September 13th

Today was a good, relaxing day. I headed into Warsaw about mid-morning. I walked around the central square and made my way to the train station. I purchased a ticket for Krakow - departing at 2:55pm.

I hung around the rail station in a cafe booking a few hotels and working details for the next week. I'm fired up for my upcoming plans. I'm staying overnight tonight in Krakow, will be going on a day tour tomorrow, will then head to Prague for 2 days, and on to Munich.

Some good things have happended recently. September 10th marked the 180th day of my journey. This effectively ended the first Schengen phase of the trip. I was able to successfully stay outside the Schengen countries for 90 days (literally to the day). My travels in Peru, Ireland, UK, Turkey, Russia, and the US helped make this happen. Now, a new 180-day period starts. Since I have only 103 days left, I only need to stay outside Schengen for 13 days. This will not even be an issue - with trips to Israel and Egypt already in the works. Therefore, I'm not even worrying about it anymore. Done. I've never been questioned on the trip - but I feel good that I can answer to anyone if that time comes.

Another thing I'm noticing is that prices are going down. I think I've made it through the big tourist season. (not to mention I'm no longer in the Nordic countries). I saw my average hotel stay go up about $15/night the past couple months. I fully expect this number to decrease by this same amount before I return to the states.

I arrived into Krakow about 5:45pm. This place is really nice. An old city section, great architecture, people walking on the streets, energy, character, carriage rides, outdoor dining -- a great atmosphere. Krakow was spared the destruction that Warsaw saw during WWII - and, it's very noticeable. You know when I talk about 'feel' - Krakow has it, Warsaw does not.

I'm staying in a hostal right in downtown. I got a single room however - all good. I'd stay in a hostal all the time if I had my own room. Recently, I haven't had much luck with the room-mate scenario.

Once I dumped my gear, I went out for a 45 minute run. A run has rarely felt as good as tonight. I needed it badly. I've walked alot, but I haven't really exercised and got the heart rate up for a week due to my weird schedules. It was awesome. I ran through the tourist sections of town - perfect temperature, perfect night.

Back to the hostal, showered, and then went out for some food. I ate at the Hard Rock in the main town center. Great.

Tomorrow I go tour Auschwitz. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this or not. "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and then you have --- the facts of life". Now, that's cheeseball I realize - but it's the truth. It's all about the journey - not everyplace is going to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Tomorrow will be a sobering day - but it's something from which to learn.