Jo Herrings Adventures

After a 24 hour journey from Berlin via Warsaw the city of Krakow was basking in sunshine. I found my hostel easily. nestled in a dead end street (nothing like a homely feeling!) in a huge pension. Travellers Inn was relaxed and easy. They offered a city guide with no bullshit chat about where to eat, what to avoid and what tours to take.  W ith the surprise sunshine I set of on a stroll  ( with the main aim -  Gelato!) taking in the central Market Square and the district's encircling gardens. This led me to  Wawel Palace . The first chance to enjoy a sit down on a dry seat in some heat, and my goodness did I enjoy it. During which I had the pleasure of watching a couple have their wedding photos taken...she Polish, he Scottish and as proud as punch. To me this is a picture of my European experience. East meets West and barriers really are broken.  I moved on from the palace to the Jewish Quarter which strangely was relatively untouched during the war...

After taking a night stop off in Warsaw to ensure I got a speed train for 3 hours to Krakow I was directed to platform 3. I got on and 6 hours later I am still not in Krakow. But I have had the privilege to see the beauty of the Polish countryside. It’s lush and green. The sun is shining and my mood has lifted along with it despite missing a day in a city I have been fascinated by since my early days in London.  The rail roads are simple and the trains and the children squealing out the windows remind me of Hollywood films depicting happy children departing for respite from the war.  Again I have been a cabin this time with the same space as yesterday but with 4 seats each side. No-one deared speak to me today! The farms are orderly and attempts at growing hay in the wettest summer the Poles have seen in years are well underway. It seems simple here and its definitely very appealing. I can see why my Polish friends speak so happily of life in Poland. Or maybe it’s the news ...

Berlin was so grim and the prospect of sitting inside for another day or dodging puddles was driving me batty. I went to book on the late train to Krakow and discovered it was full....so my only option to get to Krakow was to leave at 2.40pm and ask the conductor if I could possibly connect to Krakow without making a reservation. Alas the conductor waved me on without understanding my situation. So it was to Krakow via Warsaw that I set off. I found my way into a 6 seater cabin with a Warsaw Doctor  who works with an Aucklander and two Polish men all looking forward to a weekend with their families. The 7 hour train journey was their regualar Friday commute it seems. We stopped 10 minutes on and were all shuffled by a Electronic Cigarette smoking mother and her grim son for their designgated seats. As I had not reserved a seat I made a fast shuffle and was just grateful for a place to rest in the dry. We had a nice journey through rainy countryside with dilapidated ...