After a lovely weekend in the north of Czech with a friend I met last year, I went north into Germany. Suddenly everything was manicured, orderly and in a state of well-managed productivity. Funny that. 
The German trains to Wroclaw were disappointing. I do not travel Europe to enjoy modern luxury. I want shabby ex-Communist decrepitude. I want to see the train tracks rushing by at the bottom of the toilet. Luckily, once I got into the Polish train system my prayers were answered. Memo to self... bring hand sanitiser next time.
The is an austerity in the Poles, but also great warmth and hospitality. I have found this often depends on whether or not they speak English. If all else fails... "I'm sorry, I'm from New Zealand. I don't understand... anything." Wide, innocent eyes. Good little Baptist boy's face. Playful smile. Gets them every time.
However, I had an unpleasant exchange with one man in a park after I picked up the rubbish he callously threw on the grass. He sneered and jeered. I snapped at him and took it to a bin. That's me... travelling the world, meeting new people and telling them off.
Funnily enough, the many nuns in Poland look like angry men. Conversely, I have seen a couple of very yummy monks. 
My first major stop in Poland was Krakow, a gem of a city that I wish I had given more than three nights. Finding the Rakowice cemetery after stretches of busy roads and traffic was like waking up from a bad dream into a bright new day. Of course, my bright new day is grey, melancholy and full of dead people.
The morning of my departure, I visited the Jewish Cemetery. If I thought the previous cemetery was delightful, I was now in heaven. Great care was required to avoid walking through the giant spiderwebs that stretched between the graves and trees. Some were finely spun and shivered like silk. Others were two or three metres wide and supported by strands that were as thick as nylon cord. Many contained juicy, beautiful spiders. Suffice it to say, I came out of the cemetery draped with liberal quantities of spider webs. Edgar Allan Poe eat your heart out.
I did not love Warsaw (the best sight of which is below) and little needs to be said about it. I did like the fact that a hostel's error enabled me to book a dorm room for ONE EURO for the night. The next morning I visited the Jewish Cemetery and wandered around for an hour. Why do I not plan my trip around cemeteries? They are the only experiences that never fail to delight.
I then rushed to the train station to join hundreds of nervous passengers on the platform. The train was delayed, and though trains sounded around us through the everpresent din of construction, our train still would not arrive. Everyone could hear trains, but nothing was coming. It was like a bad dream. Eventually I was in a cabin with two Poles, the cross-eyed one of whom was tirading passionately to his unwilling listener. Where's a muffliatus charm when you need one? Oh that's right... in that awesome world where I have a wand and I can make people do what I think they should. Let's face it... I'd probably be a Death Eater.
The German trains to Wroclaw were disappointing. I do not travel Europe to enjoy modern luxury. I want shabby ex-Communist decrepitude. I want to see the train tracks rushing by at the bottom of the toilet. Luckily, once I got into the Polish train system my prayers were answered. Memo to self... bring hand sanitiser next time.The is an austerity in the Poles, but also great warmth and hospitality. I have found this often depends on whether or not they speak English. If all else fails... "I'm sorry, I'm from New Zealand. I don't understand... anything." Wide, innocent eyes. Good little Baptist boy's face. Playful smile. Gets them every time.However, I had an unpleasant exchange with one man in a park after I picked up the rubbish he callously threw on the grass. He sneered and jeered. I snapped at him and took it to a bin. That's me... travelling the world, meeting new people and telling them off.Funnily enough, the many nuns in Poland look like angry men. Conversely, I have seen a couple of very yummy monks. My first major stop in Poland was Krakow, a gem of a city that I wish I had given more than three nights. Finding the Rakowice cemetery after stretches of busy roads and traffic was like waking up from a bad dream into a bright new day. Of course, my bright new day is grey, melancholy and full of dead people.The morning of my departure, I visited the Jewish Cemetery. If I thought the previous cemetery was delightful, I was now in heaven. Great care was required to avoid walking through the giant spiderwebs that stretched between the graves and trees. Some were finely spun and shivered like silk. Others were two or three metres wide and supported by strands that were as thick as nylon cord. Many contained juicy, beautiful spiders. Suffice it to say, I came out of the cemetery draped with liberal quantities of spider webs. Edgar Allan Poe eat your heart out.I did not love Warsaw (the best sight of which is below) and little needs to be said about it. I did like the fact that a hostel's error enabled me to book a dorm room for ONE EURO for the night. The next morning I visited the Jewish Cemetery and wandered around for an hour. Why do I not plan my trip around cemeteries? They are the only experiences that never fail to delight.I then rushed to the train station to join hundreds of nervous passengers on the platform. The train was delayed, and though trains sounded around us through the everpresent din of construction, our train still would not arrive. Everyone could hear trains, but nothing was coming. It was like a bad dream. Eventually I was in a cabin with two Poles, the cross-eyed one of whom was tirading passionately to his unwilling listener. Where's a muffliatus charm when you need one? Oh that's right... in that awesome world where I have a wand and I can make people do what I think they should. Let's face it... I'd probably be a Death Eater.
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