Friday 27-06 - The castle.

Our last day in Poland. Thank god. We had really been looking forward to getting to Prague. Poland was a quick pit stop finally over. Today we slept in. We woke and washed and appeared in the common room for the breakfast that had been set out for everyone.

This hostel is quite amazing, I would come here again. The bathroom and kitchen are clean and well equipped and the people are friendly. The owner is lovely and goes out of his way to make your stay enjoyable.

There was a full breakfast selection on the high table, with all sorts of cheeses and jams and breads and coffees and cereals. On the coffee table was a plate and mug laid out for every guest. Josh and I melted some cheese on toast and I went back for the tiny triangle cheeses. There were so many types of tiny cheeses to chose from.

We walked to the castle at Wawel Hill, a block the new hostel. It was pretty impressive from the outside, except surrounded by walls. I could see a few tower pearing over the top and the back of a building. We walked into the grounds through a green covered gate which suited the old feel of the castle.





There was a part of the grounds with a view of the river and a place called the dragons den. We thought it might be a cave under the castle or something, but we didn't end up going in. We found the main cathedral and entrance to the royal apartments. The domes and decorations of the cathedral were really beautiful. I couldn't stop taking photos of them.





We stayed for a short while but decided not to go inside. Italy and France would offer enough churches and I was already churched out. We walked around the back to the statue of the man riding a horse and some other decorated towers. Then downstairs and out to the old town and markets, Rynek Główny. It was a large open area with tourist restaurants on its edges. In the centre was an old building with a clock. It was nice and impressive, but nothing to miss a breathe about. Like most squares, it filled with pigeons, children chasing pigeons and people taking photos.



We walked around and then through the old building. There is a small souvenir market. They seem to sell a lot of puppets and amber jewellery. Oh and dragons, since their history is based on dragons. Josh bought a Krakow shot glass and we sat on a bench. It was a tad boring there, despite being one of the tourism draws of the town. We watched the square for a few minutes, then turned back for the hostel

On the way we ducked into a fast food place for lunch. They did kebabs. In Greece kebab means grilled lamb (with or without the pita). Here its used as an all inclusive term for pita with gyros of any meat. And served not in a wrap, but in a thin toasted faccacia. Not untasty, but nowhere near Greece standard.

Instead of the hostel, we headed for Plac Nowy. Plac Nowy was the funky café and bar area in the old Jewish quarter. We stopped in across the street from Alchemia,to the place named Baraka. The seats and furnishings were red. The floors,walls and roof were decorated with the same bright blue circular design. They had wifi and good coffee.



A few minutes after we got there, it started to rain. Just a few drops at first. Very quickly the clouds opened themselves up and poured out onto the street. Loud, heavy rain and hail fell around us. I was glad we didn't end up touring inside Wawel Hill castle, we would have been caught in the middle of the down pour.



We booked our hostels for Vienna and for Naples. I sipped coffee and watched the people in the square. I sat in a space filled with bright blues and reds, while outside the rain torrented down and everything was grey. I put my face to the window as hail hit the ground and the streets flooded.





The rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. We finished our drinks and returned to the hostel. In the common area we saw a poster for a pub crawl off beer houses. It seemed interesting so I thought I might give it a try.

This was to be our last night in Poland. We would fly to Prague at night 5-30 in the morning. I decided it would be better if I didn't sleep before 2-30am, when we would set off for the airport. We turned up to the reception for the beer night. They told us there weren´t enough people so it wasn´t happening. Instead they pointed out the bars they would have gone to, so we could try them ourselves.

The bars were on a semi-main street just off old town square. They didn't look like the type of bars we would enjoy. They were also full of people wanting to watch Euro 2008. Europe is football mad right now. Its all you ever see or hear about.

I was tired and not feeling great so we headed back and kept ourselves awake until 2-30. We finally found the internet there, which helped.