The 2 1/2 hour Ryanair flight(£100 return) from London Stanstead to Krakow John paul II
airport was on time. The officer sitting at passport control knew little English and it took me a
while to convince him that I did not plan to stay in Poland for more than 72 hours. The
free connecting bus to the railway station(without shelter) and the subsequent train ride
to city centre took less than 40 minutes(Zl. 4).
Being my first trip to the former Eastern block, I had my concerns about night travel and safety. To
my surprise, I found that being a weekend, the street cafes were alive and it took less than 10
minutes to locate my accommodation at Szczepanska street with Wifi access( https://grodzka.net.pl) . The people were friendly to give directions even through they speak little English
Krakow is one among the few surviving medieval cities in Europe, untouched by the war. The city is simply breathtaking and it should be in your "to visit" list.
Day 1
Started with a Bagel for breakfast
Work makes you free
Early morning bus ride to Osweicim - Auschwitz(3 hours) from the city bus centre which is behind the railway station. You need a full day to experience the tragic events during the Nazi era. Hard to comprehend the cruelty. It was a lifetime wish of mine to visit the concentration camp, having read so much and watching WW2 movies about it during my younger days. It was hard for anyone to control tears.
Avoid the guided tour(Zl 52) as most of the guides speak little English and they keep repeating. There is a 30 minute English movie at 11 AM about the liberation of the camp.
Met with a few people from Krakow university for tea and the evening was spent walking in the city, past the wavel castle and across the vistula river. Had supper at a lovely restaurant called "Miod malina" for local delights.