Point2Point

Well credit where credit is due, Eurolines actually arrived on time! (I will take this back later). The bus journey was not so eventful, though I took my first note at the excessive quantities of alcohol Polish people drink! Not having a seat number is a pain, especially when dealing with drunk people. Thankfully too much listening to English movies means Polish people understand English quite well. So telling them its not my fault Eurolines did not give me a seat number and that Eurolines suck made them laugh and leave me alone.

The bus station in Krakow was big, and nice. First stop Eurolines office to inquire if it was possible to get to L'viv in the Ukraine. It was possible, and not only that but very cheap, 70 Zloty, 17Euro. And it left everynight at 22.00. Also the exit to the station was to the right as I leave. (all of this is lies!!). I took a right and ended up heading in the opposite direction to the center, so map in hand ( of course the top part of the map excludes the bus station) I circled around and found a street on the map and hunted down the Deco Hostel.

I was greated by something I noticed secondly to all the alcohol being consumed in Poland, by a beautiful blue eyes polish receptionist. I could not have been welcomed any better. Maps layed out, directions give, and a bottom bunk bed. I took a shower and headed straight to downtown Kracow. Still no sign of my polish friend though, still I was more interested in the city at this stage.

Krakow was at first a little dissapointing to me. It did not have the visual "in your face" impact of say Prague. It is a very nice looking European city, but Wawel Castle was a little... well plain. Still, I enjoyed the little streets. Getting lost, and eating polish food. I was lucky enough to find a little cafe off the main square that served good cheap polish food. Really cheap.... 5 Euro bought me a massive plate of Goulash, buckwheat and a drink. Speaking of which I then participated in the drinking of a Polish Malt beer... and yes it was equally as good.

Bed early... except for the old guy opposite me who insisted on keeping his laptop on all night (sometimes with all the MS beeps and chirps). Early next day it was Auswitch-Birkenau via bus, a place I had wanted to see since all those war time movies as a kid. And yes it did not disappoint. Details are too much for here. But as an overview: I took a tour, not nessisary but something I actually thought would help recap the history of it all. I queued and joined the ranks of the cattle tourist supermarket(ohh how low I have become!). Still the tour was fine, and I guess the odd personal family stories from the guide helped create more emotion. Highlights included the room with all the human hair (strange smell), the miles and miles of barbed wire, and yes the gas chamber.

Taking too many photos left me know time for lunch before taking the shuttle bus to Birkenau. Here I have to say the sheer size of it all was fairly massive. Only two rows of prison barracks remained and everything else was just a field after field of red brick chimney stacks where the Nazi's burnt everything down before escaping themselves from the impending Russian invasion. Here the main impacts for me were the toilet areas (only 15 - 30sec given, the giant bed bunks where people slept on each other for warmth, the ash fields and pond where the bodies ashes were dumped for fertilizer, 5,000 - 12,000 people killed per day, and again just the sheet size of it. I missed the first bus back due to heading off by myself. But caught the last one back, ate at the resteraunt and headed back to internet, then more food, some new polish beer to help soak in the days events. Sounds strange, but I feel very accompished at finally getting to Auswitch-Birkenau.

On the way back to the hostel I got a call from my polish friend... Yes he was back in town, I arranged to meet him the next day. Tonight was hostel night again, earplugs and a hope that the laptop man would not be around. It was now I started to notice the icy cold of east europe, not too bad, but for the first time in years i actually felt the cold.

I waited around the hostel for my polish friend to arrive, and for once actually ate the free breakfast they provided later on in the day I noted this was what made by stomach turn a two days before, and I thought it was the goulash! It was during this breakfast experience I ran into "Brian" the 10.am piss head in search for the meaning of life, followed closely by one of the hostel workers equally inebriated. Thankfully my Polish friend appeared just in time, and we headed via car to his apartment.

Still I must confess that meeting up with him was going to delay my trip. I figured that I could actually leave tonight if I wanted for L'viv via Eurolines 9.50pm. Friday night, so I figured I would be around for another night or two at least, the price of friendship. We arrived at the apartment, and it was clear he had to work a lot, so this gave me the opportunity to head off to Wieliczka's Rock Salt Mine.

Having only ever heard about coal mines before I was curious about a salt mine, what's more this place boasted underground cathedrals carved out of salt. There was an unavoidable tour, which cost a scary 15Euro!! Eeek, not happy. This financial impact was further rubbed in my the fact that I was now joining the tourist supermarket. However the place is quite amazing, and unique 800 feet below ground you are taken through a huge
salt mine, where several of the miners started creating sculptures in rock salt. Visually the place is worth a trip especially the huge rock salt cathedral underground, complete with a pewter em blazed with a red cult like symbol.

I got back around 7pm, had dinner at my now regular cheap little polish resteraunt, another dashing of buckwheat and goulash please. Got back to the house at 10, and began research on my Ukrainian expedition, all the while waiting for a polish call to drink. I worked until 1am, and got a lot done for the next stages of my trip. With no polish friend around I headed to bed. But was unsable to sleep well as I was wondering where he had got to? Still I am not his mother, and sure enough at 4am he came through the door, sober. He was still working (financial adviser?!!). He insisted in chatting for until five when his roomate came in too. I knew the next day would be a hard one, not much to do, and tired (am I getting old?)

The next day consisted of me, the internet, and more research, L'viv was approaching, as was Kyiv and some other Ukrainian destinations. I wasn't nervous at this stage, but knew this would be a new thing to me. Exploring a country with no idea of the language, and a Cyrillic alphabet, really it would be something new and not easy. Something I was looking forward too.

Finally the internet research was finished and I searched for something to do, old town where the Jews were rounded up during WW2 sounded good. I headed off, for many hours. Many hours. In search of a small cluster town surrounded by a wall.... well.... no one told me there was no more wall! And no one told me my friends house in the area, as he just called to confirm! He also mentioned Mojhito night tonight!

The night took shape with a 1 hour trip to Nova Huta in Karakow, a place purposely developed by the communists to create a city within a city that could be blocked in with tanks to save the elite. So every building car enterence is only the exact width of a tank! Also there was a little photo exipit there, which re confirmed my theory that the temperature was dropping in the east. That night Ikea Vases of Mojhitos and continued with Arse comments in a local culture bar, and ended up in a search for Bar Transylvania, a place where the walls drip with blood. Of course it did not exist, in fact it was now an Indian resteraunt. Next door there was however a basement bar where the walls were really red, and our questions about vampire bars were met with super confused stares from the polish barmaids... either that or they thought we were looking for something else?!! We finished up around 5am

Next day was the usual hungoverish one, more tired than anything else. Another day of internet, sitting around not doing much other than hoping I would start to feel better soon as a long bus journey started that night. My polish friend was also leaving that night for his home town in the north, and the bus station was right next to the train station so we headed down together.

Sitting outside in the bus lane area we waited for my Eurolines Krakow to L'viv 9.50pm bus, and we waited, and so on.... 10.10 came and no bus. Now, having known a previous Eurolines trip where the bus did not come on time I was not that worried as my polish friend headed off to catch his train. By 11pm and two tours around the deserted station I was getting the feeling I was going nowhere. Shit happens, buses breakdown, pissed off as I was it was not something to get angry over. I headed into the near empty terminal and spoke with only offical person around, the toilet cleaner... I showed him my ticket and explained. He kindly told me in was Saturday and "No bus to L'viv on Saturday, you go tomorrow!!", A nice chap but it began to raise my deep hatred of Eurolines as the ticket clearly stated tonight. I shuffled off backpack in tow back to the hostel at 11.30pm on a saturday night in the hope that they still had a bed, thankfully they did, and everyone was asleep. . . earplugs in, and I passed out.

Throwing the 4 pannini's I had bought the day before for the journey (I know, I over compensated) in the bin, I headed off to the Eurolines office. At this stage I was conscious of one or two more things. The blue eyed receptionist had shovelled a little doubt into my mind about Ukraine by mentioning it really would be difficult without Russian, I was tired and began to have doubts. Also, the full moon was approaching and at the back of my mind I had another little boyhood thing to do. Transylvania, the carpathians, a train, full moon. I could still do it from Moldova and that strange unknown self created Transnistir place, but would miss the full moon by 2 days. Anyone who grew up watching Hammer House of Horror will know why this would be such a big thing. The alur/adventure of Moldova, Ukraine and Tranisiester versus full moon fantasies on the train in carpathians. It would depend on Eurolines, if they pissed me off carpathians / if they admitted they were idiots and gave me a new ticket Ukraine.

I had never seen the teenage kid in the office before, and I bet he never wanted to see me again. His first response was it wasn't anything to do with him, and to come back tomorrow.
Grrrr, I sat down in front of him and replied I was not in the mood for shit. I then did point out to him I bought the bloody ticket from the people he works for. This is when Eurolines do this line "It's not a Euroline ticket, its a Eurobus ticket..."
I knew where this was going so cut him off. Using may freezing cold memory at staring over the ticket the might before I replied with equal callus, " I know the ticket is Eurobus, and I also know that Eurobus have another bus company doing it for them, so at the end of the day I am very pissed off, and want you to call Eurolines, Eurobus, and the actual bus company because I have fuck all to do today but sit here!"
The little boy smiled nervously, got up and closed the door and they preceded to call someone. I strange conversation in polish that lasted a real time 3-4 minutes, long enough to explain a crash, breakdown, or a drunk driver story I figured. The little boy turned around gimmacing, "I just spoke to the driver, he says he was here at gate 4 last night at 9.45?!!"
GRRRR. The in depth feeling of Polish/Ukrainian bullshit was blowing up in my face, the conversation was basically over. Not only were both myself and my polish friend sitting at the bus parking area from 9.15 last night; but we were sitting infront of gate 4!! This all fell on little boys deaf ears as expected. He cheekily asked if I wanted another ticket for tonight... maybe I could get it for free... I grim maced, maybe... "maybe I should bring camcorder to record the bus not showing up as well?" Its not like I didn't have a witness to the bus not showing up, a polish one even.

I headed into the seating area and took out the travel bible, I needed to make some decisions. The maps added to my anger. I crisscrossed cities and countries to come up with a new plan, dates, money, and inspirational sights all came into the equation. Istanbul, never really wanted to go there, but it would give me two days to decide - Sarajevo or Bucharest... both with ample choices afterwards. Sarajevo meant I would see the place I saw being bombed 10 years ago on TV, a trip to Serbia to see someone I know. Bucharest would mean Carpathians during full moon, a trip Moldova and Transnistier. . .

I headed to the train station, there was a direct to Budapest for 220 Zloty... sounded good.

I would have loved to have seen more of Poland, the people were friendly, the food was surprisingly good, as was the beer, incredibly punctual, also cheap. And yes the women are really quite beautiful, a veritable supermodel supermarket. I cannot comment on a country from spending so little time there, and not getting out and about too much to other parts. But this place was far better than the thieving, poor, dirty down trod image I got from western Europeans.

Boarding my 10.36 pm train I settled in for long night in the cold, a place call Budapest awaited and I knew very little about it...