Prague, Czech Republic, to Krakow, Poland

Last night was Saturday night, and the young people were out in full force at the dance club outside our window. The techno music was so loud that our room seemed to be vibrating. We texted Katerina, who told us that she had called the police twice, and the front desk had called them three times. The police came after each call, but after they left, the music started again, with  the door of the club open and the crowd spilling out into the street. What a night!

This would be a travel day. We met our bus driver, Sam, who would be with us for the remainder of the trip. I had wondered what eight hours on a bus would be like, but Katerina made it fun, with questions about what we had seen in Prague, and the  prize for winners was a piece of chocolate. There were stops for us to use the facilities and  to stretch our legs. Nick and I missed seeing much of the Czech/Moravian countryside because we were catching up on the sleep that we had missed the night before.

We stopped in Stramberk for lunch. There were several choices of restaurants, and  we, along with several others from our group, chose Hotel Sipka, a picturesque place filled with locals, always a good sign. Nick ordered beef goulash, and I had meat-filled dumplings, with sauerkraut on the side. Both were quite good. We would have liked to explore the town, but a thunderstorm kept us from doing that. Before we got back on the bus, Katerina led us in a game to help us learn the names of all of our fellow travelers. She also gave us each a shot locally produced liquor.

After more time on the bus through the countryside,  more napping,  and another rest stop, we arrived in Krakow, Poland. Our hotel, Frankuski, originated  in 1912 and had an art nouveau interior that  made us feel we were not only in another country, but in another era. After some down time, we met in the lobby and walked through the town square for dinner at a restaurant called Wesele. We all enjoyed soup served in a bread bowl as our first course. Nick ordered a pork chop, while I had pierogies filled with lentils, yummy. Our dessert was apple strudel.

After dinner, Katerina led us to an ATM where we got Polish money, and from there, Nick and I walked back to our hotel, still wanting to catch up on our sleep.

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