From Zakopane to Wrocław

We left our hotel in Koscielsko about 7:10 AM in cloudy and rainy weather. We arrived at the Kraków International Airport terminal few minutes before 10 AM. There we left the volunteer taking out an international flight as well as one who wanted to take a bus or taxi into the city for a stay for the next few days. (Six of  the other volunteers had gone to Kraków the day before and one stayed behind in Koscielsko waiting to meet a friend for a few more days of touring in Poland.)

I didn't know until arrival at the Kraków airport two weeks ago that it was in construction chaos and as a result the train was not running between the airport and center of the city. Thus I was glad I had decided to fly to Wrocław rather than taking a train. The bus driver did his best to get me close to the Domestic Terminal, the place I needed to be since my flights were all within Poland. I had plenty of time before my 12 noon flight so first enjoyed a coffee.

We left right on time and arrived in Warszawa at 12:50 as scheduled. However, we were left way out on the tarmac and first needed a portable stairwell to leave the plane and then take a bus into the terminal. All of this took past my time for boarding my plane to Wrocław at 13:05. When I got into the terminal I found I was at gate 28 and needed to be at gate 3 so I hiked as fast as I could. Finally to gate 3 and no one there except the LOT staff. I said I had a ticket to Wrocław so they told me to go down the three flights of stairs and board the bus. I got on the bus and the doors shished shut one minute later-- that's how close I came to missing the plane. 

Got to Wrocław and again we needed the portable stairs and then a bus. The bus left us right at the door for baggage pick-up. I checked the monitor and found our bags were to come in on belt D along with bags for a flight from Frankfurt. Eventually the belt turned off and I didn't have a bag. I was convinced that my bag didn't make the tight connection. I was just about ready to find the Lost Luggage area when I noticed the monitor now said our bags were on belt A.  There was my lonely bag going round and round. 

I got a taxi and in about 20 minutes had been delivered to Hotel Dikul. (More about this in another posting.). I had eaten breakfast at 6:15 and the only food on both flights was a mini Prince Polo candy bar. I was hungry. I found the hotel didn't have a restaurant except for breakfast and was directed to go to the rynek where I would find many restaurants. 

By trial and error I finally found my way there, now knowing I went the very long way, entering through the Plac Solny. 

Plac Solny means place of the salt market, but now it's a flower market. 

I stopped at the first restaurant I found and ordered. 

Oh my! did this pasta dish-- chicken, broccoli and just a hint of bacon--  taste good! After eating this I walked to another restaurant where I had a wonderful plate of nalesniki.  I walked back to my hotel, laid down on the bed to read, and woke up at 3 AM still with my clothes on. I was really tired after the last eight weeks -- two weeks in Poland, three busy weeks back in Minnesota, and then nearly three more weeks in Poland. I was very glad that the breakfast time on Sunday morning was extended to 10:30. I barely made it!