cold and wet and beautiful poland

the night train to krakow was like stepping back in time. the polish train, with all sleeper cars, looked like it was built circa 1942 and was possibly running on its own desire to get the fuck back home and rest. i had assumed that on a tuesday night, traveling from berlin to krakow, there would be no one accompanying me. but i was still excited to spend my first night on a train. it felt like i was preparing for a camping trip. little did i know it would be more like camping than i could have ever imagined. instead of being on a deserted train, there were 5 adults packed into our cabin that supposedly could have slept 6. it was so cramped with 5, i think that if we'd had a 6th we would have had to resolve to some sort of survivor-like contest to decide who got the boot.

st. mary's basilica, main market square

thankfully i had come prepared with a few beers and some snacks because i spent most of the night in the hallway, chatting and sharing stories with a fellow passenger who was on her way home and had made the same trip a dozen times. in the wee hours we eventually crawled our way back to our bunks for a kip. in the morning i awoke to pouring rain and that's how it remained for the majority of my stay.

drying off in a cafe, drinking hot tea with rum, seriously

i only spent 2 nights in krakow but, as has been the case with many of the places i've visited, felt that i should have stayed longer and headed north into the woods. my hosts, roger and tomek, showed me some pictures of the areas surrounding krakow and i immediately thought, shit, i should really stop spending all my time in the cities. sure, there is lots of culture in the metropolis - museums, live music, cafes, beautiful women - but it was at this point that i started to think i could probably find even more exciting and authentic experiences outside the big towns. i was lucky enough to arrive on poland's day of independence and although they don't go anywhere near the lengths of the americans on july 4th, it was cool seeing the citizens waving a flag here and there. in the evening everyone gathered in the main market square in the center of town to sing traditional songs and i did my best to try and follow along with the words projected on the screen. the melodies weren't so tricky but try singing and reading polish lyrics in the pouring rain and you'll wind up cross-eyed.

polish soldiers parade on independence day

krakow is definitely one of the most charming cities in europe; incredible architecture and a unique character with lots of young people and artists. the old jewish quarter, kazimierz, is a haunting and exhilarating place to explore and i loved visiting the synagogues, some dating back to the 15th century. i also spent a quiet time in the remuh cemetery which was used from 1551 until 1800 and is so packed full of gravestones, it's daunting. entering the cemetery late in the day and without noting the closing time, i found that i was the only one inside and as the sun faded, suddenly noticed how dark it was growing and hustled my way back to the gate to find that i'd been locked in. the groundskeeper, who was miraculously still in his woodshed came out to release me before i resorted to scrambling up the walls. funny how quickly a place that's peaceful and enchanting becomes so downright frightening.

remuh cemetery

all in all, i would love to visit when the weather is fine. still, traveling this time of year, one has to make the most of it.

my host's dog, figo. he's a basenji which is an egyptian dog that can't bark, apparently