I left Vilnius at 11.25 for Warsaw, by train with changes at Kaunas and Sestokai. Kaunas is Lithuania’s second largest city about an hour and a half away. One of the more modern trains, it sported an upper deck and was a very comfortable ride. Toilet at one end of the carriage for convenience. The change at Kaunas included a half hour wait, just across the platform for the next train, for which I was grateful. Towing heavy bags is…
Next day the usual bright and early start to my day in Warsaw, although it’s generally all about breakfast, as nothing happens in these countries until at least ten in the morning. So breakfast and a surf of the net to start the day, all done sitting in minimal space in the kitchen. The well appointed kitchen with all mod cons is really only big enough for three maybe four people to use at once. The hostel has no real…
I had booked to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps on sunday afternoon so until then I would go and see some of the city of Krakow. The kindly truckie, Russell, who had given me a lift from Russia through to Lithuania had raved about how beautiful this city was. He felt that it was a standout european city. When morning finally rolled round it was out to see the magnificent sights of the city. Every road had buildings to enjoy,…
Having done the trip out to Auschwitz , the other must see for me was that of the Wieliczka salt mines. Until I started planning for this trip I had never heard of these mines. Once I had my attention drawn to them it became a must see. The longevity of the mines, first started in the thirteenth century, it was still producing salt in 2007. The sculptures in salt all too much to pass. Leaving at 10.15am left…
Bloody taxi drivers are rip off merchants everywhere! Krakow was no different! How did I know? I had gone to the wrong one of two exits at the Krakow train station and the taxi from there would have been 25 zloty to go the long way round to the hostel. I walked to the other exit and to the taxi stand the driver had about 1-1.5kms to drive and it was the same as the other guy had quoted. I…
While in Warsaw and Krakow I had been on the two trips with the same company, so their airport shuttle was very reasonable. Best of all because I planned on being at the airport early, I was picked up from outside the hostel. Until 10am the vehicles have access to the square, so it meant that I didn’t have to drag my heavy bags over .5kms to the normal pickup point. I had booked with Polish airline LOT for my…
Advice from the Warsaw hostel staff put me on the right road to get to see the old city as it is called. In actual fact, a great deal was flattened in World War 2. What is now termed the old city has in fact been totally rebuilt, but in details reproduced from the destroyed buildings. A feat in itself, but one that has you believing that it is actually as old as it is supposed to be. The Poles…