Czesc (hello) from Krakow. Its been two full days falling in love with Poland's cultural city. The biggest attraction so far has been Old Town, its cobbled streets, the main market square, St Mary Cathedral, the dozens of alleys aligned with coffee shops, underground vaulted cellars where bars, clubs and restaurants lay, street entertainers and buskers. Last night, Jaime and I decided to explore the nightlife. We asked a local on the hotspots in Old Town who recommended this underground bar. The entrance was unassuming and plain, but once we went underground, it was like stepping into a completely different place. Okay, I gotta go, Ill update this properly tomorrow. Jaime and I are tossing between spending tomorrow in Zakopane (and view the beautiful Tatra mountain range) or Auschwitz concentration camp (and face the brutal reality of Poland's history).

Edit: boy, that previous post was abrupt and short. We are in Zakopane at the moment, a 2 and a half hour bus ride South of Krakow. Crossing the border to Slovakia would be closer than returning back to Krakow tomorrow...how tempting. Its cold here. Zakopane is Poland's main ski resort. Its weird going up ski lifts today with grass rather than snow beneath us. I kept telling Jaime all day, how I wished it was snowing so we could go skiing!

We have completely immersed ourselves in the Polish cuisine. The Poles love their meat. Jaime and I have been happily sampling Polish dishes, such as pierogi (dumplings), golonka (pork knukles), goląbki (minced beef and rice wrapped inside cabbage leaf) to name a few. Good? Oh yea! Also, soups are a big part of their meal. Barszcz is a classic beetroot soup.

The Poles are really friendly. While, communication is difficult, they try their best to understand us. Sign language is the way to go. Sometimes, its just totally funny. Im glad we chose to travel in this period. There are only a handful of tourists around, since its post tourist season, and while its cold, its not yet paralyzingly (word?) cold.

Im so glad I brought a backpack with me on this trip. As obvious as it may seem just bring only what you can reasonably carry. One tip I think is packing your bag, carry it, and try walking down the street and then running back up the street. If you can handle that without back pains, then thats a pretty good load. I mean, when you go travelling, you just have those unpredicted moments where you will be carrying all your gear walking endlessly. One instance was Sunday morning when I was looking for the Art Hostel, the name of the place Jaime and I thought we would be staying at in Krakow. It was recommended by one of Jaime's Polish friends. After finally finding it, the place was full. So I ended up walking up and down Old Town looking for alternative lodging. Ah. This morning, Jaime and I were looking for the inter-city bus stop to Zakopane. We ended up walking 3 km...the bus stop had apparently relocated due to renovations to the bus terminal. Thankfully, we met this Polish guy who was heading to the mountains as well, so we walked together. The walking didnt quite stop there. When we arrived at Zakopane, we started walking around looking for lodging. We approached several locals. Some just gave us a blank look. I dont think they knew what we were asking. lols. Finally, Jaime asked this guy and his friend who directed us to this Polish home that rented out rooms to travellers. Cools. So, now we have this neat place to stay tonight. The accommodation I have encountered so far on this trip, has been honestly the best I have experienced (in Asia and Europe - I am talking about budget accommodation of course - excluding hotel-ing with family).

Tomorrow, we'll be heading back down the mountains back to Krakow. Since, its both of our last days in Krakow, we hope to make a full day of it exploring the rest of Old Town and explore the old Jewish quarters just south of Old Town. Ive taken heaps of photos so far. I had such a shock today. My camera froze! It wouldnt take photos nor would it switch off. I was so worried. I thought my camera broke down in the cold weather like it did in Nepal (and was never resurrected again). But its all good now. whew. Tomorrow evening, I booked a train to Warsaw leaving Krakow about 6pm. It takes over three hours I think, so Ill get there about 9pm. I am still clinging on the hope that Centralwings flights suddenly go cheap tomorrow so I can book a new flight ex Warsaw. There was one time I checked their website, and I saw a fare sell for 1.00 PLN, which is yea, 20 p (excl. taxes though). Cheap! hopefully that was not an one off time. I think sometimes, they lower the prices on the day of the flight, if the seats arent sold. *cross fingers*

Alright, Im going to end this post now. I need to find an online translator from English to Polish. I intend to have my hair cut tomorrow (if its not full like it was on Sunday) and I think some basic instructions in Polish will be helpful! Shall update in the capital city. Bye