SUMMARY: Poland

Poland was quite nice, though we found Krakow to be lacking in the entertainment department. After talking it out, we decided it was actually a nice break and that if every city kept us as busy as Berlin, we'd likely not survive our vacation. Instead, we got back to enjoying the cafe scene in the afternoons and taking a slower approach to our travelling. The following is our impression of Poland based on 5 days in Krakow, with our side trips to Auschwitz and the Salt Mine.

Things we liked:

• Food was hearty and cheap
• Buffalo Vodka (Zubrowka)
• Buffalo Beer (Zubr)
• Bagel rings
• Good running paths and lots of green space
• People were friendly, especially the other runners
• Mini-buses through the country side

Things we didn't like:

• Paying for bathrooms everywhere, even in some restaurants
• Bank machines would only give out high denomination bills (Jackie had to use a 100zl bill to use a 1zl bathroom... the bathroom attendent was not amused)
• A bacon flavoured cheese bread that was sold alongside the bagel rings, which had the consistency of rubber and an aftertaste of smoke

Interesting findings:

• Cars park on the sidewalk, limiting walking space
• People kept coming up to Daryl and speaking in Polish, presumably for directions, but sometimes just to yell
• You weigh your own vegetables at the grocery store, then the checkout lady just scans the barcode
• Krakow was the first European city (we've seen) that uses a grid system for roads. Navigation was a snap.

PS: For the price of two beers in Oslo you can get:

• 66 bagel rings
• 330kg of potatoes

Here are some more pics:

*St. Francis Basilica

*Auschwitz Concentration Camp

 *Plaque in Auschwitz Concentration Camp

*Wreath hanging at Auschwitz II - Birkenau

*Carving of King Kazimierz in salt mine

*Wood carving in salt mine

*Carving of Pope John Paul II in salt mine

*Krakow's Planty Park

*Building in the Jewish Quarter of Krakow

*Bridge at night along the Vistula River