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.

Krakow, Poland Day 1

Krakow, Poland Day 1

We stepped off the train in Poland exactly on time. Who would'a thought? This was the first time a train was actually on time for us. Too bad, because we had great couchette friends and comfortable places to sleep. Our arrival into Krakow was too early to have a hostel room ready, so we wanted to kill a bit of time before heading that way. We got off the train and were happily greeted by college aged kids working at the info booth. They gave us a map and just wanted to be sure that we had lodging and we knew which way to go. The weather was dark and gloomy, so we donned our rain gear, and headed to the town center.

The town of Krakow has the largest medieval square, which is very spectacular. There is a large building in the middle of the square with shops below. Horses were touring the perimeter pulling open top carriages for tourist rides. All horses were in pairs and dressed in traditional gear. They created a nice rhythm on the cobblestones with their hooves.

We had great news when we got to our hostel. The room was ready. It was 8:15am and they let us inside. Yay for us. We threw our stuff on the floor and racked up another 2 hours of sleep. This hostel called "Seventh Heaven" or "Joker Hostel" is on the NW side of the town just off the town center. It's among some super old buildings that have very great character to them. The paint and concrete is chipped and the roads are cobbles. It's a nice change from the asphalt and molded concrete we have in the states. Sometimes back in the USA the streets, lights, and curbs all look the same and you might have no idea were you are. In New Jersey we had the Belgian Block curbs that added a little style and made the towns have some flavor. I would love it if we kept the cities unique flavor and nuances around like here in the European locations we have seen. I guess the problem might be with building codes. Once it's "safe", or considered that way, everything has to be built like that for conformity. I think it sucks the soul out of construction. Also, in the US, I am sure that is also the cheapest way to go, because why would you want to add an artistic touch to anything anyway?

Now that I am done talking about curbs, I will go on. We woke up from the nap, headed to town again, got some food at a trendy modern restaurant, walked around more, got dinner to make, and came home. We saw some break dancers in the town square that we have seen on YouTube in the past. Funny thing, it seemed that they were doing the exact show that they did years ago. How can you do that? I guess if it still brings in money, you gotta roll with it. Or, is it too much work to risk changing what sells. Whatever happens, the soul is lost and no one is taking chances. I could never play the same show in a pit orchestra for years doing the exact same thing. That would be musical Hell for me. Well, they had some good moves and the crowd loved them, but the rain came and everyone scattered like cockroaches. Maybe they would melt? I mean the entire super huge square of people ran to the perimeter to get cover. We busted out the umbrella and rain jackets. No problem here.

Andrew and I ended the evening with a Cuban cigar while Katherine watched 300 on the iPod. It was all great until the iTunes rental ran out because the Facebook notification wrecked the timing. It went past the 24 hour time and was awakened by the birthday of Anna Dalton and Chris Banker. Thanks guys. Now you have to deal with Katherine not being able to finish her movie. She slept well. Ha!