Krakow, Poland Day 2

Krakow, Poland Day 2

Today was about "change". I am not talking about that mystical word that has been brought up in American politics, but about the actual tangible coin that eludes us on our travels. Our problem is that when you go to an ATM, all you get out of the machine is large bills, or.... even larger bills. When you go to a vendor, no one can break them, much less, get anywhere near the right amount of money back. This is not specific to Poland as we have see this situation all over the place. One might think that the locals would be carrying around buckets of coinage in their pockets since they can always produce the right amount of money. This is not so. I do not see bulging pockets or hear the clang of money being toted. But, when you are in line at any store, the dude in front of you never has a problem and pays in exact change. Now comes our problem from today.

We had breakfast at our hostel. It was a simple spread in the lobby which we found satisfactory. It was nice to actually have food there like in the past locations. Then, we did some laundry and had to wait a bit to start the drying cycle. After that, we headed down the main street to get some local pierogies. This is where the fun begun. We each had a plate that the little old lady whipped up from behind the counter. The restaurant was small and only had seating for maybe 5 people. They came out with a sweet smell and were served with a cup of beet juice or something. Not sure what it was, but that was what we thought it could have been. It was warm too. We dipped the pierogies into the red liquid and all was tasty. But then, a woman came in and sat at the table in front of us. As a tourist detective, I watched to see what she did with the red sauce/drink. As we were dipping, she was drinking. Ok, maybe we should not dunk the dumplings into the cup, but just take a swig like her. She looked to be Polish and we followed suit. None of the restaurants make you pay right when you get your food and this time was no different. Our bill was 32 Zlote. All I had were 10s, 20s, and a 50. No change. So, I thought I could give her a 50 and get 15 back. This would add a little tip on there of 3 to make the change easier. She opened the drawer and there was nothing in there to create any type or change. There was no English or Polish conversing, but a lot of pointing and confusion. I showed her that I had a 20 and a 10, but that's not enough, and would leave her short of 2. Another woman came in and up at the counter she tried to help. But, I don't think she had the correct change to help me out. I am sure she only had the magical amount in her purse for her food and drink. Ok then... I am getting a little uncomfortable here and had Andrew and Katherine wait at the table. I went out onto the street to somehow find a measly 2 or 5 coin to take care of this. The first place I went was the bank across the street. Upon entering, I saw nothing like a US bank, but people all manning computers and dressed in stylish suits. I asked a dude if he could make change from a 20 and he told me to go down the street to another bank on the corner. Supposedly, there would be a change place there. Now what I have heard and seen is that the change places rip you off and take a commission on your transaction. Sorry. Not going to work for me. I thought I could easily just get a coke since we did not have a real drink at our pierogie place. So then, I went right next door and the sandwich joint sold Coke, so I said I'll take one. Nope! Out of Coke regular. "Would like Coke Zero or Coke Light?" Arggggghhh! No. Now, I pressed onward down the street to the grocery store. Surely, they could break a 10 or 20 for a Coke. I went to the back of the store to get the Coke and as I turned around, 3 people jumped in front of me to pay for things. Great. When I put the Coke on the table, I gently handed her the bill, and smiled. Bam! There was now change in front of me that I could pay the pierogie lady. I walked back to the restaurant only to see Katherine and Andrew with some confused looks on their faces. The lady probably did not know where I went or that I was insistent to get her the money. I handed her the 2 Zlote coin, smiled, and we left. The quest for the coin and change was complete. Now, I carry and hoard all coins. My precious!

We took a walk to the center of town again. This time there were more people out since it was later, and they were entertaining to watch, for sure. After passing the center we came to the castle on the hill. We walked around, saw the sunset setting, and headed to the grocery store. Our plan was to grill out on the hostel's new charcoal grill. The thought of some chicken parts seemed to be our goal. So, that's what we did. The chicken was the cheapest thing in the store, which was a little unusual. It took a little preparation back at the hostel to get the grill going, but the fire was good and the chicken was tasty. There's another point for hostel life. When there is a functioning grill, use it. The little things can be a lot of fun.

Tomorrow will be one of the most important day trips we take. We plan to go to Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp that is just out of town. We will be taking a tour that grabs us from the hostel, takes us there, provides a guide, and returns back. Been wanting to go there for years.